thoughtfulchaos773

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Love this! I wrote a meta on this scene about how Carmy always focuses on Syd. What's so funny about this is that he has a Post-it note to call the fridge guy, he can't remember what idea he told Natalie about the other day, but he remembers what Sydney said in fact every word.

After she leaves, there's a long pause, and that's when Carmy remembers his big idea once she's out of view.

I dont think there's anything wrong with Carmy being obsessed, it's a psych show and he's an artist. Their muses often become obsessions and their driving force.

I think I made a post sometime about how some shots in the bear are basically just mirroring memes like that hole in the wall shot.

I also noticed in this shot (the gif ended up too blurry for my point to be obvious but I'll explain)

At the point where Syd walks into the office and Carmy turns to lay his eyes on her, the camera brings the sign "Carmy call the fuckin fridge guy ♥️" in focus for a fraction of a second so that, with the heart sign it looks very much like a lovestruck meme.

(Corpse husband and Sykkuno basically for the amongus fans)

I had noticed that before but just shrugged it off.

Tell me why I just noticed in the scene where Carmy is having a panic attack and has to think about Syd to calm down, when it transitions to Syd, there's a heart sticker above her head.

Come on!! What are the odds???!!!!!

Is Storer fuckin kidding me? Sydcarmy is so canon! I'm calling it. I don't even care.

Also, side note: the way it feels like he was already watching her in this shot just before she came in cause she was definitely around them at this point. There's a whole meta I can write about how he's always watching her.

Carmy loves Sydney down!!!!!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

As we enter the new season just remind myself The Bear is labeled a psychological comedy-drama that has used Freudian and Jung terms, and focuses on mental health, cycles, and addiction, so most meta here is not a stretch.

Just a reminder the lead cinematographer said they make choices to pull the viewers subconsciously in different directions. So no wonder you can get confused when it comes to Carmy and his relationships and internal conflict.

Just a reminder actors and directors good ones who know the fate of the relationship is what will change the course of show will never reveal spoilers.

Just a reminder if this isn't the last season a slow-burn relationship has its ups and downs and that's what makes a ship so fun.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

they are family 😭

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I think the evening of, I see looking at the premiere dates it says June 25 at 7pm central.

Does anyone remember when the previous seasons of The Bear dropped - do they at midnight , or do they wait to release them in the evening that day? (Booooooo if so lol)

[thoughtfulchaos773]

The Bear series finale is season 5, episode 8?

Last season, the teaser hinted at season 3, 10 episodes, using the clock behind Carmy.

For season 4, we don’t know the time for the first time, and it looks like time isn’t really a priority for Carmy anymore. He seems more focused on being present in his life. Also, it seems like Claire might not be as significant, especially since she had clocks everywhere in her scenes.

Check out the third clock. So Season 5 and 8 episodes and end of The Bear? Also, they're punching out at 5:40 p.m.? At a restaurant? I don't believe that.

This is a hint! One thing to note is that if we have one more season and 8 episodes left after season 4, Sydney and Carmy will have one more season of getting it wrong. It's mainly their story. If they work out now, well, it will be the end of the Bear, won't it?

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I really enjoyed season 3 for all the subtext it offered!

Guys, am I in the minority for loving S3 of The Bear? Like it might be my fav season (don’t quote me on that). The last 4 episodes are some my favorite episodes of tv ever if I’m honest.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Is anyone feeling a little anxious excitement for this season? Not dread but a feeling of anticipation.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Honestly this is a common thing with sydcarmies. Spot on each time!

Yet all of you continue to doubt yourselves about what you're seeing.

the bear s4

So groundhog day is mentioned again and the poster of say anything appeared again .

I'm having a vision .

I'm seeing something .

[thoughtfulchaos773]

This is fun! I think if Jimmy is nefarious in some way he may be the outside force @freedelusionshere asked about. which I theorized will be fire, Jimmy is the one who causes the fire.

The reasons this could happen, Storer is inspired by Martin Scorsese's work and The Bear has little drops of Martin's throughout the seasons. I can imagine this plot to burn the place down will be inspired by Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. Where the Hangout Spot for The Mafia is burned down when they run out of money.

Cicero:

Fairy godfather or evil wizard?

–What's our prediction about Cicero's endgame?

–Should he inspire trust or apprehension?

The Bear is definitely not a fairy tale. However there are aspects and beats of the story that can be paralleled to fairy tales or magical stories. There have been many discussions here on how the bear employs magical realism subtly in its story telling. Elements of the show have been interpreted with folklore, Shakespeare, Greek mythology, etc.

Here, I want to interprete the show using these elements, particularly fairy tales in discussing the the possible role of Jimmy Kalinowski, aka, Cicero.

If we put the fairy tale filter in interpreting the characters of the show, we could call;

–Carmy, the charmed protagonist (princess/ damsel in distress).

–Sydney, definitely seems like a knight in shining armor type character.

–The rest of The Bear characters would be the whimsical friends that help Carmy along the way, found family, place name, etc, etc.

But there's another very important character that is always present in the magical formula of any fairy tale: I'll call them The magical Intervener, a person/creature who uses their magical powers to influence an outcome for good or evil. This is what I think Cicero's role is to the Berzattos and The Bear.

Magical Interveners in a fairy tales could be benevolent like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, neutral like the genie in Aladdin, or the fates in Greek mythology or malevolent like Maleficent in sleeping beauty or Rumpelstiltskin.

So, what is Cicero's deal? What category does he fall under?

Deus ex machina

In The Bear universe, Jimmy is God.

He appears out of the blue at the first sign of trouble and it's crazy the way every miraculous thing that happens to them has something to do with Uncle J. The money in the tomato cans that saves the day is his, he erases their mistakes like the C in the window, fast tracks processes like the B&W permit, etc. He seems to be a fountain of unending cash flow. But at what cost? To him? To them?

Cicero is prudent

I keep thinking about the scene in dogs where he adds $50 to their balance for shipping and handling, as he jokes, but I really think it was for the ketchup he had to provide. He might look lax in S2 and S3 with his money but I fully believe he is keeping an eye on every dime and has every intention of getting his money back, either by having a profitable restaurant or possessing the property. He's also shown to be wise, providing guidance and wisdom nuggets to the Berzattos from time to time.

Now there's absolutely nothing wrong with making good on your business deal but has Jimmy been playing the long game? He says he gave Michael the money because he loved him. But was it really to set in motion the chain reaction that would lead him to owning that property, knowing Mickey was a drug addict and hoping he would squander the money and Jimmy could strong arm them into selling the place?

He's portrayed to have a sentimental attachment to the Berzatto kids, so much so that there is a theory out that he may have fathered one or more of them, but can we fully trust it. They rely on him but there's an almost casual underlying threat at all times that he could "break their legs" or "drop them right to the fuckin' ground" he playing disciplinarian to keep them on their feet or is he a cold calculating usurper trying to rid them of their land? Their father is said to have disappeared out of their lives but did he disappear or disappear?

Either way it would be wise to expect Jimmy to take back every last dime he's spent. Plus shipping.

A time-bound steep deal:

As in a lot of magical stories, the stakes are high and time bound. The characters have a limited space of time to achieve the promise before they lose everything. Whether it is getting back before midnight, finding out a secret name within 3 days of time or falling to a curse on a specific date, there's always a race against time. The Bear has 18 months to pay back Cicero's money and as if that's not enough they now have a money clock countdown, Cinderella style.

Will their little establishment turn into a pumpkin? Will they have to unearth secrets to counter Cicero's grand plan? Or is Carmy (and the bears) just on his way to a fated pin prick that puts him to sleep for a thousand years?

It's all left to be seen.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

The thing is and I've seen this article and this is a total assumption from what I've gathered in interviews. I and a few others thought Calo was pro making this thing a romance since she even asked Storer at the beginning if this is a thing (an experienced screenwriter, a head writer mind you for shows and now movies, got the indication through Storer writing that this is something more.)

She and Storer always partner up writing sydcarmy, but what stands out to me here is Chris saying it was selfish that he wanted to write a show like that, selfishly he had that mind since he sees romance in plots all the time. Interesting he considers his writing or original concept to be selfish.

Because the writing for The Bear and its crew emphasizes the importance of teamwork, and Chris Storer ensures that there is no ego involved in the writing process. So In my opinion, when he developed the concept for Sydney and Carmy, he intended 'selfishly' to focus on their professional partnership rather than romance. However, after hiring Calo, who was involved from the beginning of the project's development, they decided to explore the possibility of a deeper and more complicated relationship between Sydney and Carmy.

hey hi so i was looking at articles that mentioned what chris storer has said about the relationship between carmen and sydney. he also said this in 2023 (right around the same time we got that one from calo about the dynamic between sydney and carmen, if not a few months before. for reference: season 2 was released in june of 2023, this was in january of 2023 so just a month before the show was shot, BUT ITS STILL RELEVANT BECAUSE THESE FUCKERS KNEW WHAT SEASON 2 WOULD HOLD.)

dont mind me just asking respectfully, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN. you meant to tell me that y'all purposefully giving us this scene wasn't you pushing them out of the friendzone?

or maybe this one?

or perchance this?

one more for good measure!

?????

[thoughtfulchaos773]

You know, I wouldn’t be surprised—this show plays a lot with nonlinear storytelling. They’ll drop a flashback or leave an object or line from a past moment that suddenly matters again later. Like in Season 3, that scene where Carmy tells Mikey he wants to open a restaurant—that flashback isn’t finished. We’re meant to get more, probably in Season 4 like we saw in the trailer. The same way they built up to Fishes, Donna, and Christmas dinner was hinted at for so long before we finally saw it. So honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if they’ve already started giving us quiet hints that Syd and Carmy have hung out outside work. Maybe we're supposed to anticipate it, but the full reveal is that it already happened, and they’ve just kept it private. That would be wild.

Are Syd and Carm already seeing each other outside of the restaurant?

Syd, off screen, has seemingly made several pasta dishes now.

Unless of course, Carm made all the noodles for Nat and Pete, and they just chose not to show it? Bolognese, minestrone, lasagna, beef stew with noodles. All of these dishes require pasta.

Did Carm contribute to making the meal Syd drops off for Nat and Pete? Little hints of things going on that they're not showing. Similar to Syd mysteriously being able to sign an apartment lease with shitty credit and without her dad's support.

The last time we see Syd trying to make pasta herself she ends up frustrated and unsatisfied with the results.

We also see Tina making pasta in the S4 trailer, but I'm going to speculate that she's learning that from Carm and that Tina and Carm will get closer in S4, mirroring Mikey and Tina's relationship. Tina will be able to get through to Carm where she could not to Mikey.

That was a bit of story that was mentioned and hasn't been brought up again since S1, when Tina tells Carm that she loved Mikey a whole lot. Carmy never brings it back up, because he's tried to bury his grief about his brother's death beneath his work. He even admits to Marcus in S3 he didn't deal with it.

All that to say, the pasta making once again hints that perhaps Syd and Carm actually are already hanging out together outside of work off screen. His behavior in Apologies just before he asks her out is very much like a husband telling his wife not to wait up for him because he's working late.

Just like when Carm tries to ask Syd what her dad thought about the apartment, and she changes the subject. Her dad, who basically had been using the apartment as a metaphor to talk trash non-stop about Carm being her partner. Carm seems to be the only one who knows about this, no one else mentions it to her or asks about it. They all show up there later in Forever to party there. But narratively, it's only given importance when Carm asks her about it.

Wouldn't it be wild if Carm does show up to Syd's place while she's in the alley having a panic attack because that is where he was always headed to begin with? Her reaction to him going off about Chef David is very "oh well" and not like someone trying to pull him out of the mess he's making. She's not even checking in with him, Luca is. Now, this could be just because she wants to have a good time and she's over it, but she's very non-plussed by it, I'll just say that. Because she knows they're going to talk about whatever is going on with him later.

Syd playing coy when Luca asks her if there is anyone besides her dad because there actually is, they're just not telling people? Syd is very private; it wouldn't surprise me at all. Doesn't want to end up on those team text threads!

It also would be funny, because it mirrors the dumping situation at the house party with Kelly, and Claire going in on Carm would then make perfect sense. She will accuse him of cheating on her with Syd. Syd and Carm start seeing each other outside of work again after the walk-in incident (they had already been at his place twice before he started seeing Claire).

Now, Syd is the one "cheating" on their restaurant by possibly dumping him for Shapiro. Which would mean he doesn't get to work with her and see her every day, except maybe outside of work. But that is ultimately what he wants, of course, to be able to have her as part of his family and for her to need him.

Carm telling Ted and Neil at the dumpsters that he thinks about Claire every day when it's actually about Syd. He's lying because they're not telling people about it, but it's something he wants to be able to talk about and can't. Syd asks, "Where are the Faks!" she doesn't have anyone she can talk about this to. She's not going to do it with Nat because it's her baby brother.

Her saying she's his "accomplice" makes sense if they're behaving codependently because they are emotionally closer than ever. Her whispering to him she's not his babysitter and he stops acting up immediately instead of being upset by her putting him in check which requires a certain level of trust and knowledge of the other person's triggers. It's a sign of intimacy between them.

If they show them making pasta together onscreen in S4, I'm definitely going to think that's what's been up. Carm thinking about Claire in S3 is not because he wants to still be with her. He's trying to figure out what made him drawn to her in the first place. Like Claire, he's trying to understand her in order to figure himself out and what he really wants.

Hiding, as Nat mentions to Carm in the S4 trailer. Syd also hides emotionally as well. Nat feels like he is hiding. Meanwhile, they show Syd and she's basically telling him off directly about how he can't let his chaos fuel everything. This is after she watched him get out of control at Ever. It's her having enough understanding and intimacy with him to be able to say these things to his face, in contrast with Nat and Tina saying that he's "chasing something" and he "doesn't need to hide" because they aren't as close to him as Syd is. That scene with her telling him chaos fuels him is very different from her calling him a POS to his face and walking out on him. And it also shows him listening to her and looking contrite.

The legerdemain of it all! I mean, who knows, but I've always suspected this could be a possible twist. It doesn't even necessarily mean they've had sex or are committed (although Claire will think so as will Donna). It just means that they've come to rely on each other more emotionally than what they're showing us at the moment and are actually trying to figure things out outside of the confines of the restaurant.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I've always had this headcanon where Sydney is looking down at the dish, and Carmy looks at her and says that the dish is perfect. It's clear, though, that he's actually talking about Sydney, as he realizes that his inspiration comes from her.

Syd seems connected to this concept of perfection for Carmy. She is always there when he mentions it. I still don’t know what it means. I think for me it’s maybe the idea that Carmy thinks he has to be perfect in order to be “ready” to be with someone like Sydney. By someone like Syd, I mean someone he’s actually IN LOVE with🤭 Or he thinks everything surrounding like the relationship has to be perfect or else he fears he will create a broken family all over again.

And he’s obviously been projecting from the start, as we know the short rib dish got the highest praise.

***not my gifs

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I stg Carmy better make Sydney a Sprite, she vomits when she's stressed, and he's been there. They made sure to point out that he knows how to make pop, and Sydney loves pop.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I want them to get drunk and say funny soft things to each other

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Considering the posters and positions we can examine for clues, what can we predict for season 4?

I'll write my observations of season 4 poster in the tags.

Poster recalls:

Season 1-what do you see was on the poster which told you the plot? Ex- there's tomato cans.

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I missed this! Exactly that saying about Claire being the peace is just like when a cigarette brings calm but it's fleeting. He stopped smoking this season, which helped him embrace other things he likes, such as nicotine gum, which he shared with Sydney haha.

Um IDC about Claire, but I love a good romantic comedy. I think I know what MG is talking about.

I like this.

Wuh-oh.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

"i don't like dysfunction."

"okay, what do you like?"

"i like this."

[gif credit kazs-inej]