Cousins assemble! It’s time to suit up and head back to the kitchen with Carmy and the gang, as The Bear Season 3 is inching closer to its release date. The palpable excitement is at an all-time high as the spotlight falls on the head chef Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and everything he’s got in store for the fans this season. With lingering questions around his relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon), one can’t help but wonder if this opens the door for a potential romance between him and sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri). Before you begin throwing hands violently at the idea of tainting their platonic dynamic, there are concrete justifications for why crossing that line could benefit both.
The Bear is a comedy-drama TV series that follows the journey of an award-winning chef de cuisine, Carmy Berzatto, who manages his dead brother’s sandwich shop, The Beef, in his hometown, Chicago. The show explores a new genre of feel-good anxiety and boasts a stellar cast that approaches their character portrayals with grit and sincerity, which makes it one of the most beloved shows of the decade. The Bear Season 3 is set to release on June 27, 2024. For added feels, we recommend playing “Come Back” by Pearl Jam in the background as we dissect why #SydCarmy is just the slow-burn romance that would make The Bear even more of a chef’s kiss — if you know, you know.
Sydney Has the Best Responses to Carmy When He’s Under Stress
Romantic or not, the relationship between Carmy and Sydney is the most important one on the show. From their very first interaction, viewers witnessed a subtle spark in Carmy’s deadpan eyes as he gazed at Sydney. The Bear is rife with anxiety-inducing situations and high-pressure kitchen scenes amid which Sydney’s replies always amuse and comfort Carmy. The two share a remarkable relationship where they manage to ground each other in taxing moments of distress organically.
Sure, they do have their heated, passive-aggressive spats here and there. But at the end of the day, they realize they need each other to survive the demons of their past and find sunshine amid the storm. Most importantly, Sydney knows exactly how to put Carmy in his place and make him acknowledge when he slips up.
Carmy and Sydney Are Messed Up in Similar Ways While Tied to the Love of Cooking
The culinary duo are two peas in a pod — they not only finish each other’s sentences but conjure the same creativity while curating the chaos menu. Moments, when Carmy and Sydney open up to each other about their past, are infinitely heart-melting — trauma bonding just peaked at a whole new level of cuteness. Their shared love of cooking, ambitious vision, and the fact that they are both obsessive workaholics just make this ship sail harder.
From the get-go, their dynamic has been oozing with a kindred spirit aura, with the finest attention to detail used to draw parallels between their personalities. There must be a moment of appreciation for the scene where Sydney says that she wants a star, and Carmy immediately encourages her with sincerity. There is nothing quite like these two.
They Have an Established Work Dynamic That Could Transition into a Healthy Relationship
Carmy and Sydney’s work dynamic is one for the books! Their professional relationship went through a rocky path in The Bear Season 1, but the duo showed immense growth and developed healthy communication by the onset of Season 2. The whole process of planning the chaos menu and spending time together cooking in Carmy’s apartment was emotionally intimate and left warm feelings in the viewers’ hearts. Needless to say, things have gotten a bit heated between the two at work innumerable times.
One of the show’s highlights is when Sydney quits mid-service by hitting Carmy with a well-deserved insult, “You are an excellent chef. You are also a piece of shit,” for his blatant lack of regard and respect for her while he was under service pressure. Save for a similar hiccup here and there, the two are a match made in culinary heaven, sharing a similar wavelength and palpable partnership. What’s particularly adorable is Sydney’s wholehearted admiration of Carmy’s talent and vice versa. The fact that “I’m sorry” in sign language is their apologetic shorthand has viewers holding back their squeals.
Carmy Always Goes Out of His Way for Sydney
Carmy’s intuitive sensitivity towards Sydney alone should signal a romance brewing between the chefs. Although he does hold back from rescuing her in difficult work situations and even pisses her off more often than not, he’s always the first to reach out and wave the white flag when things get rough. As the screenplay progresses, it’s clear as day that Sydney’s disapproval always makes him feel uneasy and disoriented.
Claire’s character was likely introduced to establish further why Carmy and Sydney belong together. She is the manic pixie girl who represents an escape for Carmy, but their relationship reinforces why his dynamic with Sydney reigns superior. Viewers’ eyes welled with happy tears when he gifted Sydney the fancy chef’s coat, and not to forget the time when envisioning her brought him back from an anxiety spiral. If all these factors weren’t reason enough to back up their potential romance, let’s reflect on the time when Carmy didn’t open Mikey’s suicide note until he sorted things out with Syd.
The Table Leg Fixing Scene in the Bear Season 2
For fans, the table leg fixing scene from The Bear Season 2, Episode 9, “Omelett,” is their Roman Empire. The scene between Carmy and Sydney, where they finally have an honest conversation amid tensions in their relationship, is deeply wholesome and intimate in an enchanting way. Viewers find themselves revisiting the moment time and time again, as it portrays the deeper connection that the duo shares, where they admit that despite their differences, they need each other. Carmy admits that he needs to learn to prioritize what’s important to him and how his attention shouldn’t be split between the restaurant and Claire.
Sydney confides in him as she expresses her self-doubt and anxiety surrounding the restaurant’s opening. Carmy reassures her that he’ll always be her safety net. When he says, “I wouldn’t want to do this without you,” they have a heartfelt exchange of “You make me better at this,” which is just the kind of moment that makes The Bear a special watch. The scene is a metaphor for how they balance each other out and fix things together to maintain a stable dynamic, like a table that doesn’t wobble.
The Possibility of Their Relationship Going South Serves as the Only Con
Of course, everything has its pros and cons. Although the positive aspects of this situation have the upper hand, it’s hard to dismiss the possibility of things not working out between them, which would create a rift in their relationship and at the restaurant. Their dynamic is the solid foundation upon which The Bear, staff, and screenplay balance. If things were to get messy romantically amid one of their passive-aggressive wars, there’s too much at stake for them, as their lives could come crashing down like blocks of Jenga.
However, the fact that their equation developed from a place of healthy communication, respect, and friendship rather than a myriad of lust is reason enough to believe in the success of a potential romantic relationship. Most importantly, they have an established willingness to learn to forgive and move forward. It is a gamble worth taking if one finds their soulmate, so we can only hope that the show explores the possibility of this slow-burn romance. Here’s why The Bear is a perfect half-hour dramedy.
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