To The Death.

"Maybe you just needed a break."

To me, this line mirrors Carmy’s dialogue from season four in their breakup scene. When he says “…and you have seven people in this building who will jump in front of a fucking train for you.” Bringing in numbers just to hide the earnestness of his devotion for her. Just to mask the almost terrifying truth of what he’s trying to convey—he’d die for her. And that’s no small thing. Granted these aren’t bullshit numbers, but the methodicity of them is a useful cover.

S5e7 "Caramel" is a direct mirror of S1e7 "Review." The Beef faced the same issues The Bear faced: overwhelmed with orders to fill, lack of ingredients to complete all the dishes, the tablet (that was initially introduced by Sydney in S1e7) bugging out, tensions tight between two members of the crew that inevitably leads to a confrontation. Unlike season 1, The Bear crew in season 7 is level-headed and calm in the face of adversity. No one is blaming anyone for shortcomings, they all buckle down and move through a service that would have decimated The Beef crew. Through the trials and strife and utter lack of faith they at one point had in the future, The Bear moved as a unit in love with their passion, in love with serving a good meal instead of just getting through the day.

I know my thoughts aren't exactly coherent but I needed to point out how the mirror between these two episodes is one of the best and most well-handled portrayals of growth I have ever seen in television.

Each character is able to meet these essentially similar challenges differently, and the way they handle it distinctly highlights their own individual struggles within the crew. Sydney does not falter and flail under pressure, she is now calm and clearly vocalizes what she needs. She leads the team with poise and precision, never backing down when others tried to overstep. She is now able to command the crew and they listen and collaborate as a team.

Carmy breathes through the chaos. He is no longer a whirlwind of anxiety that lashes out at anyone within striking distance. He listens to the needs of others and provides unwavering support. When emotions are running high, he's regulated enough to pivot and find solutions to de-escalate disaster.

Well, if that doesn't blow people's minds away, which like for me, it would. If I got that on a piece of paper, I'd be like, yeah, we need like ten of you here, wow.

I cut the music track from snippets of the party and the very end of the episode, added volume, and did my best to add some subtitles where I felt they were relevant to Sydcarmy.

I honestly love this. Sydney asking Carmy to help plate the cake, them plating, then I guess Carmy left, because he had to do something with the presents? Then Sydney is complaining about doing this by herself lmao. Also that "I can do real big" and those finger licking noises 👀