SCRIBBLE RABBLE

Click bait. Claire is beautiful.

And if you came here thinking this is a safe space to rant about unibrows, click away.

You're weird!

What I'm talking about is Molly's acting choices when it comes to Claire's facial expressions. There's been a lot of debate about whether those off looking moments are intentional or not. Personally, I think those are intentional because directors are able to pick out layers and inconsistencies like that.

I'll tell a story of my experience taking an acting for film class:

I had a short scene with my scene partner (who had asked me out outside class) and in the scene he was threatening to kill me and I was really scared of him. But somewhere in that scene I broke in my head and just thought "yeah, right". Just for a split second, I didn't even think I facially cracked or anything.

After the take, the director called me and asked if something was going on between me and the guy. I said no, why? He responded "you do look scared, but you also look like you're turned on by that and we need to take you being scared seriously." I was gobsmacked. I didn't even like the guy like that and that's how that scene came off. Directors notice these things.

So back to Claire. I've commented a number of times that Molly's acting choices as Claire is one of the things that gives an uneasy feeling about her character. There are times when her expressions seem a little too "painted on". And a lot of viewers have wondered if her whole shenanigans with Carmy is supposed to be some sort of subtle parody of cheesy romance flicks, and for good reason. From her almost unnaturally enthusiastic, desperate looking show of interest and affection sometimes, to the here-I-am-I'm-so-love-interest way she's portrayed, just feels off.

First of all, her setup already makes one a bit uneasy. The way she seems to suddenly show up and her presence seems to upset the balance of things. Then, the way she is exalted by the Berzattos to be this wonderful, perfect thing immediately opens her up for suspicion, mostly due to media experience with setups like this. We all know the saying "if it's too good to be true, it probably is". The way everyone keeps constantly harping on her being so great and so nice and so awesome seems a little like a deliberate signal for scrutiny.

So scrutinize we have and scrutinize we will continue to do. I have talked about how her demeanor, the things she says and the way she acts feels very off in this meta and this meta.

Season 4 gave Claire a larger role for better or worse and it's been a wild ride and just as strange if not more. This season her expressions have been quite interesting to observe. I want to collate and break down my observations and interpretations so far by scene in a reverse order of her S4 arc.

I previously talked about her final scene with Carmy which leaves a clear opening for them to resume their relationship and how she seemed to have switched personalities in the two-call scene with Carmy in Green here. One thing the show would do is leave clues and Easter eggs that can help explain the hidden layers of a scene. They do this in this scene by Carmy asking her "Same person, different people?" about the sick kid who threw up on Claire in the same scene where she seemed to have switched 2 different personalities.

Bears is another episode she's heavily featured in. This episode sees her in a festive Berzatto setting weaving her way through the event to show the audience her familiarity with the family and deepen her lore as Carmy's "chosen" one. But one scene that sticks out to me (apart from the other obviously disturbing stuff) , is the scene where Richie and Frank are going on about how Eva talks about the other non stop.

Turns out Richie was lying to Frank but a look crossed her face in that moment (pictured at the header) that could be read as a number of things, but for me it looked like that conversation touched a nerve– like it was something she was familiar with. Makes me wonder if Carmy did that – talk about Syd a lot while with her? We know that Carmy did the same thing with Syd once which even got a reaction out of her. And Syd has since explained that she found it inappropriate for him to have brought his friend(s) outside of playing video games "into the gameplay and sleepover of it all" ie, Carmy bringing Claire into the restaurant and working menus with her. So did Carmy also talk about Syd an inappropriate amount to Claire? We all know how he's had that back and forth transference forever. If so, that would explain this next scene.

In the episode Sophie, I pointed out how her expression kept changing from a seemingly concerned or friendly look to a different more hostile demeanor towards an unaware Syd in the hospital scene. But why play nice if she has reservations?

Another way I believe the show leaves clues is by using another scene to hint at what is happening in the scene- like Jess telling Richie that Frank is just trying to "get in her [Eva's] good graces for now" by getting her stuff, which comes after Syd runs into Claire. And of course, after this encounter, Syd calls to tell Carmy Claire is great, just like the rest of the Berzattos have. This is a change from Syd who previously had not been very forthcoming when it came to Claire.

Which leads me to the big one. The scene in Scallop where Carmy goes all out and sprints to Claire's like something out of a Disney movie after a perfect day at The Bear.

The first odd but interesting thing about this whole sequence is how this "big moment" is interrupted by some comedy. Instead of Claire, Ted comes out (in a red robe, no less) and he and Carmy have this hilarious back and forth (although I must say I got the comedy of it all on the second watch. On the first watch I was just pissed off that I had to stomach Ted of all people, while already having a bad time. Also, it was Carmy that made this scene actually funny and Jeremy's comedy chops are not to be overlooked). Carmy first thinks Ted is hanging out with Claire and he has to clarify that he's with Kelly, then he has this whole speech about how he loves Kelly now and he's stomach is all f*cked up like he's in a Disney movie with Carmy responding hilariously. One of the aims of this moment is probably to create a faux plot twist that is quickly resolved in a bid to make the scene a little more interesting (because clairmy is boring) but, to me, this interlude feels like a subtle dig on what is happening in that very scene. It's very Disney, it looks grand but it's hard to be taken seriously.

After this, they have their grand argument. I'm not even going to talk about how they try to recreate the alleyway stare from S1. One thing everyone has been asking is what the heck was happening in this scene. It was all over the place for no clear reason. It looked like this big, very needed confrontation but it felt completely lacking in meaning and emotional weight. When Carmy tells her he loves her multiple times, it sounds like he doesn't mean it (either that or Jeremy himself doesn't believe it. And Jeremy is a f*cking great actor who's won multiple times for this role for a very good reason).

But we're focusing on Claire. While Carmy, even while undecipherable, had some variant of a constipated look the whole time, Claire's expressions and her dramatic arc were all over the place. It felt abrupt, inorganic and a bit overly dramatic even though it wasn't really doing much (but of course maybe I'm just biased).

What struck me at first was her reaction to Carmy telling her that he loved her. She was taken aback by the him actually going there but she quickly seemed to reject the notion by her initial reaction. Showing him she doesn't really believe him. But as Carmy goes further in his love confession speech she seemed to almost break a smile. But the timing of that almost smile feels very oddly placed and while it may seem like a delayed reaction to him saying I love you, it also just looks like she's breaking character.

Because her whole schtick feels like some form of performance.

Let's step a little back to the beginning of their scene again.

Claire pictured looking not very emotionally engaged

She comes out while Ted and Kelly try to turn him away and tells them it's ok. He tries to get her to have a talk with him and she gives (very understandable excuses). After the second try he seems actually ready to leave it at that but she quickly changes her mind knowing that and knowing him. She says she has to get something from inside and goes in. On the other side of the door she does this

On a surface level it looks like she's overwhelmed by him just showing up at her door and has to center herself so that she can be neutral and level headed while finally having this really necessary talk with her estranged boyfriend. Makes a lot of sense, right?

But it also looks like one of those little routines an actor will do to quickly get into character. We learned that in acting class. The specific one I liked was; you shake your head and limbs, then stay still, take a deep breath, become nothing, become the character. That sharp head bop? Looks like she just summoned the other Claire.

What further convinces me of this is her next actions when she comes out to meet him. If she was doing all that behind the door to calm herself down and be ready for the conversation, she would at least hear what he has to say before a reaction, right? Well, not this Claire because once she's on the steps before he's even able to say anything, she hits him with the dramatic one eyed tear

That's not the same Claire that went back in to go get something. That Claire couldn't be more detached emotionally. This Claire came out swinging. Even Carmy was a bit taken aback out by the theatrics

She has to further explain to him anyway that this is really hard for her and he better do the right thing. So of course, with the right push he does "the right thing" and they have this whole conversation that is supposed to be intense and emotional but just feels empty and looks ridiculous. The actual subject matter is confusing and even her "scary but also incredible" speech is supposed to be profound but it just leaves him looking stunned and not even in a good way cause he still looks constipated as hell. But it's good enough for her. She looks like she got the reaction or result she wanted. She looks like she's happy with her riveting performance because she suddenly smiles again looking coy and all that. Then she abruptly ends the conversation asking him to find some quiet, or peace (in my opinion she did that because the Faks convinced her she is peace). She doesn't let him say anymore and shuts the door on him. End scene.

While I was thinking about how this entire thing from Claire reads fake to me, I realized that one of the reoccurring motifs of this season has been acting. Actors acting in movies, playing other characters. Richie asking Carmy if his sadness was performative. Richie watching Ridley Scott's interview about planning a scene with actors (which I think is a self insert of Storer trying to say everything is on purpose and he knows what he's doing). This same episode is the one where Michelle is reintroduced to the audience as an actor and Richie also wishes he had become an actor. Syd reveals down the line that her mom was an actor. She sees herself on an acting stage and trying to run away from performance in her dream also. The reference to acting and performance this season is so very strong and I think it's very much on purpose and very layered as in every other motif in any other season.

The theme of performance versus real is spread throughout all the characters this season- because we all have a way we show up that's different from the way we would if we had a choice. We see a different side of everyone. The way Syd shows up to Shapiro is different from how she shows up to Chantel. Carmy this whole time has been hiding the fact that he fell out of love with cooking.

But there's also a question of how well you really know a person. Carmy thought he was Mike's best friend and ended up finding out he didn't know him at all (did anyone catch the flash of anger in Mike's face in that throwback scene?). The fact that Claire and Carmy have known each other forever has been brought up many times as grounds for why they belong together. But does Carmy really know her? And it probably doesn't even matter, but, what might she be hiding or what is it that makes her unable to be who she really is?

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