A new mode of production arises out of the newly networked masses.

finally, it's completely canon

gifs by @alexisrosemullens

Not a day goes by when I don't think about joe many liberals

Carmy's gonna figure it out first, one day something totally mundane is gonna break that emotional logjam and he's gonna realize how he feels about Syd...and then he's gonna freak out because he doesn't know how to do this, any of this, with Claire he didn't have to do anything or be anything all he had to do was give in and go along with it, his feelings didn't even matter but this, oh, this is something brand new, something real and huge but Jesus Christ they work together and she's like his best friend and favorite person in the world and what if he ruins it with his dumb new huge scary feelings, what if she thinks he's a creep and a weirdo and what if he drives her away, God, fuck, he can't risk losing her but he can't stop feeling these things he's never felt before and it's fucking awful but also amazing and what is he gonna do, he doesn't know how to deal with this --

And Syd is standing there, like, um Carmy? I asked if we should look at changing produce vendors because this baby arugula is amazing, why are you staring at me like that

disappeared for a month bc i was whisked away to the motherland (re: the philippines) and had no internet connection for majority of my time there so the bear and sydcarmy brainrot got put on hold but trust me it’s still going strong and will commence shortly

fuck brunch

just accidentally deleted the draft of a sydcarmy drabble i was writing and I Am Definitely Feeling Okay About That 😀

THE BEAR social media part 6: travels

we need to talk about how sugar and petes child will be born by season 3. like we need to talk about that right now. a little baby eating with everyone at family. there wont be a day in that childs life where they don’t know everyone at the bear🙁

The Changing Room Scene

I like that Carmy and Syd came so close to walking each other home in that changing room scene, on what would've been their first unofficial courting moment, even way before Claire came back into Carmy's life.

Their hesitance and confusion in that moment was a reflection of both of them still being ill prepared and scared of forming a deep, meaningful and very intimate connection with each other.

The next time Carmy and Syd had an opportunity to be out alone, going round town food tasting, Carmy stood Syd up because of Claire. Because of his lack of focus and obsession with rectifying his past (an impossible endeavour as he later finds out in the walk in fridge scene).

The food tasting trip was pretty much an allegory for trying new ideas, for opening up to change and risk. Carmy didn't show up because again, in terms of allegory, he's not ready for change.

Sydney however pushed herself to go. Also notice how throughout the season she grows constantly irritated by Carmy's relationship with Claire and the impact it has on their friendship/professional life. She is opening up...ever so slowly...to the idea that she likes her 'partner'. She even rejects Marcus's advances because she unknowingly doesn't feel for him what she feels for Carmy.

It will be interesting seeing how next they will navigate each other after some of their walls come down fully.

yes absolutely you are so correct!! i just rewatched s1 and the way they portray themselves is such a stark contrast to the way that others see them in s2. however what we know is real and concrete is the respect, synergy, and appreciation that exists between the two of them, which has been apparent through everything. it’s just a matter of using this connection to help the other see the good in themselves that everyone already knows exists.

love love love a character who is so universally loved but doesnt realize it in the slightest and the craziest thing is that this statement applies to like every main character of the bear but most especially syd and carmy

like syd who despite quitting the fine dining industry for not having her own voice is clearly well appreciated by the people she did work with, to the point that they are giving her favours and telling her that she always has a place in their restaurant???? and not to mention sugar crying over something as simple as her omelette, richie telling her shes apart of the family now, and carmy affirming that she is a giver a caretaker and a lover through and through??? absolutely scrumptious!!

and then carmy who has connections in copenhagen, the trust of chef terry, and being like an actual microcelebrity?? plus sugar constantly looking out for his well being and mikey wanting to protect him by keeping him away from the beef and richie yelling i love you to cut through the vitriol hes throwing at him, and syd who chose to stay because she believes so deeply that he is first and foremost a good person before he is an incredible chef??????

like UGH that shit is my bread and butter they are so disgustingly humble and unaware of their own value to the world but they try try try to be so so good to everyone so when they fail they think the worst of themselves but everyone around them knows and sees how lovely they are and the heights they could reach if they would just look in the mirror, past their weary eyes and dull skin to see that they are good and loved and deserve to be happy UGHHHHHHH

love love love a character who is so universally loved but doesnt realize it in the slightest and the craziest thing is that this statement applies to like every main character of the bear but most especially syd and carmy

like syd who despite quitting the fine dining industry for not having her own voice is clearly well appreciated by the people she did work with, to the point that they are giving her favours and telling her that she always has a place in their restaurant???? and not to mention sugar crying over something as simple as her omelette, richie telling her shes apart of the family now, and carmy affirming that she is a giver a caretaker and a lover through and through??? absolutely scrumptious!!

and then carmy who has connections in copenhagen, the trust of chef terry, and being like an actual microcelebrity?? plus sugar constantly looking out for his well being and mikey wanting to protect him by keeping him away from the beef and richie yelling i love you to cut through the vitriol hes throwing at him, and syd who chose to stay because she believes so deeply that he is first and foremost a good person before he is an incredible chef??????

like UGH that shit is my bread and butter they are so disgustingly humble and unaware of their own value to the world but they try try try to be so so good to everyone so when they fail they think the worst of themselves but everyone around them knows and sees how lovely they are and the heights they could reach if they would just look in the mirror, past their weary eyes and dull skin to see that they are good and loved and deserve to be happy UGHHHHHHH

The Berzatto's Idealization of Claire

Something that stuck out to me on my rewatch of season 1 is the conversation Sugar and Carmy had in ep. 6 and how it relates to the idealized image of Claire we see in season 2. Carmy and Sugar are searching for some file for the IRS in the office and Sugar blames the restaurant for all the problems their family has - financially, familial, and personally.

She says "The only thing we get back (from running the restaurant) is chaos, resentment." All she wants is "for things to be calm. I want things to be on solid ground. I want things to feel..." And Carmy finishes with "Consistent."

I think the perfect representation for what the Berzatto family wants amid their chaos is Claire. They describe her as being great, amazing, perfect. They all love her. They all think she is what's best for Carmy. But we never see why that is. Why is she great? Why is she amazing? Why would she be perfect for Carmy?

My theory is that the Berzattos think that Claire would be the perfect band-aid for all of them, a calm in the middle of the storm of their chaos. I think they cling to her because of her consistency, her calm. Claire even tells Carmy, and the audience, in ep. 2 that she remains still in moments of chaos. "When we were like six, Katie fell off a fence and broke her arm and it scared the shit out of everyone. Except me, I just like sat there and stared at her." I think the Berzattos already sensed this quality about Claire and they latched on it because of what it could mean for their family, the peace her being could potentially bring.

But what sticks out to me the most in that conversation between Claire and Carmy is what he asks her after she says she wasn't disturbed by the chaos and Katie's broken arm, and what Claire responds with. Carmy assumes she was staring at the broken arm because she wanted to fix it, but Claire says "I wanted to understand it."

That's the key for me. That's Claire's purpose for the audience, imo. She is here to help us understand the chaos of the Berzatto family. Her calm is not meant to heal. It's an illusion of calm that temporarily brings stability to the Berzattos, but it was never meant to last because her presence doesn't heal anything about their chaos. It's just a distraction.

(Side Note): Can't help but notice the similarities between the question Carmy poses to Claire and the statement he poses to Syd under the table. He assumes Claire wants to help people, but he doesn't know that for sure, so he asks her if she wanted to fix Katie's arm, and she essentially says no. But when Syd tells him that she made Sugar an omelette and how that was the best part of her day, Carmy says "You love taking care of people." It's said as a statement. He knows that about Syd without a doubt.

Beyond The Beauty of Carmen Berzatto

The fact that you’re all trying to guess the feelings of a grown man who literally asked his colleague, “WHAT IS A GIRLFRIEND?”(208)  is beyond me.

You’re so blinded by the main character’s sex appeal that you forget that Carmen has been an awkward/nerdy/neurodivergent man all his life who never made decisions for himself except when he decided to hire Sydney and keep her without anyone’s influence.

Carmen’s lack of experience means he probably doesn’t know the difference between a platonic relationship versus a romantic relationship with a woman.

That’s why he was baffled when Sydney tried to introduce Claire as his girlfriend.

That’s why Claire pursued him, not the other way around.

That’s why, at this stage, he can’t even describe the nature of his feelings for Sydney.

It’s also why, the day after his panic attack, he hasn’t said a word to his sister, even though he’s been confiding in her since season one. 

Because he’s confused himself, and doesn’t understand why Sydney’s vision reassured him more than Claire’s did. It’s also interesting that he chose not to remember when she called him a piece of shit.

Everything happens on an unconscious level for him, which explains all these confusing montages showing Claire and Sydney at the same time.

That’s also why he made his declaration to Sydney UNDER the table where Claire ate. Because everything HIDDEN is unconscious.

still just thinking about the fact that carmy really said “you deserve my full focus” to sydney while still having a whole girlfriend.

thinking about the inherent romanticism of i chose you, and how everyone at the beef was already pre-chosen for carmy, but sydney? carmy picked syd.