Yes, Chef!

Is so frustrating to think that a more explicit Sydcarmy endgame (that would have been the appropriate payoff for so many seasons of feeding the question "who is carmy gonna choose?") was likely decided upon because it would have "clouded" the ending with a huge amount of controversy. That it was 'sudden' or 'forced', or Storer would have been called a 'sell out' for pandering to the fangirls (he called us theorists instead, how ironic), when I'm pretty sure no apparitions of Claire are the most noticeable piece of fan service we ever got. That was 100% a choice made to further appease the audience and get those delicious reviews Hulu wanted.

The Bear is made for rewatching and yet Disney, among other streaming services, has removed residuals. Streaming services favor quantity of shows over investing in multiple episodes and seasons of one quality show. During the 2023 writers' strike, Bob Iger publicly lambasted striking writers like Alex O'Keefe (who earned only about $43,000 Total for his work on the first two seasons of The Bear, well below the poverty line). As this video explains, talent had more leverage and received more share of the profits from a hit show in days past; now, hit shows get more expensive as they go along and the creators receive no added benefit in terms of revenue. Actors like Jennifer Anniston from Friends (which never rocked the boat or had diverse casting the way the Bear has done consistently) receive $17.5 million in residuals in 2024 alone. The Bear did not shoot in cheaper overseas locations, has a writers room notable for diversity in race and gender, employed a unionized labor force and refused, despite enormous pressure, to sideline its main nonwhite characters.

As I analyzed in my meta on the subplots in Season 5 here and here, the economics squeezing the show behind the scenes are explored through Uncle Jimmy, Computer, Cheese and the Faks as well as the lingering question of whether they can buy back "air rights" to reclaim/build on top of the Bear's original premise. The way Storer and co pulled Sydcarmy off despite all the hostility @freedelusionshere reminded us Disney has a record of treating interracial romances with is like a real life heist.

- Does the bear stay open?

- Do they franchise?

- Does Carmy stay?

- Sydcarmy?

- Clairmy?

- Richie & Jess?

- Does Cicero keep his house?

- Luca and his sister?

- Marcus and his dad?

- Parental relationship with Donna?

It's like they were suspended in time. And I get the importance of their arcs this season, but it felt like they did it so it could finally be centered around the restaurant this time (while the previous seasons the restaurant was just an exterior manifestation of internal struggles, in S5 the restaurant is the vehicle and the goal of managing the internal conflict in this one unit of time)

Many people say it felt like opening the door and I agree but it still feels kinda cowardly to not give a definitive ending. More over, is like they avoided the logical endings in order to create an experience that would catter to most audiences.

With Sydcarmy, it feels like they purposely used ambiguous answers to everything the fans expected. The dish reveal? Ambiguous as fuck. Carmen doesn't get to talk about what that meant to him. Did he get Claire her sweater back? (And what happened?) Why is it that he doesn't even mention her at all in that one day? If she is peace and he was stressed, why not call her? It's like they didn't want him to choose her either. The Sydcarmy is the really climactic reconciliation. We literally have Carmen looking at her in the last shot while Claire remained ignored. Still, apparently Carmy choosing Sydney verbally or a hint of a confession was just too radical an ending.

Not come across this till now, Angel from The Bear in a cute cooking video:

pocblr

Dreamcast of Syd's extended family

We deserve the full Syd lore after waiting for four seasons with all of Carmy's sidechick nonsense, his family and his mother's sideboo, his endless collection of Faks, details about his cousin's ex-wife's mother's life in Colorado, etc, etc. Take us to the South Side of Chicago next season, please so we can finally meet these promising (and funny) characters:

Auntie Marsha who "can't cook" and has a "stinky house": Sheryl Lee Ralph

blackbeautyro; emziess

2. Syd's cousins who call her out and see through all her attempts at deflection: Quinta Brunson and Jessica Williams who want the tea on how Syd came to acquire a partnership stake in the Bear

sonderpoison

3. Mary who likes to get "drunk drunk" and chased a guy down to Texas; investigations will be conducted on both sides: Keke Palmer

firelise

4. Hapless bigamist and predictable "bum" Darnell who has a whole nother family down in Texas: Daniel Kaluuya

azertyrobaz

5. Chantel's sweetheart of a husband who works extra hours to take her down to Costa Rica for her birthday: Tyler James Wiliams

6. Also want: T.J.'s best friend Shlee (sp?) who defended her in front of the teacher, definitely more T.J. and Chantel (maybe Syd has to babysit an actual baby in the form of T.J. staying after school at the Bear while her mom and dad vacation in Costa Rica), various Syd ex-boyfriends, boys from her old neighborhood she had a crush on/ who had a crush on her, members of Emmaneul's side of the family in Nigeria, Syd's mom's family from down South.

adricnchase

gael-garcia

Also, as a proud Mexican-American, I appreciate the mentions of Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal because these two are our icons, and I'd love to see them in more things outside of Star Wars or Marvel, where they are just regular people. If one of them got to be on The Bear, I would lose my mind lol. Sydney's Spanish is excellent, too, so her having dated a Latino at some point, or at the very least, growing up around Latinos, is believable. 

Because the way that man paused and took a breath before uttering those words means the phrase is LOADED, chef!

Lyrics: I don't know how I'm gonna tell you...

Another secret and surprise coming?

The 4x01 episode (sidebar: can we talk about that dream within a dream beginning with Sydney and Carmy? Some other meta on that later)

But is there something else that's going on with the cans, kbl, tomato sauce, and we don't know the whole story, but based on the 'tomato sauce' shots and when the shot would happen or the dialogue surrounding that cut is telling us more is coming.

Another cut when Mikey is going to tell Carmy the truth about his failed rental car business.

There’s another scene where Carmy asks about money and how Mikey raised funds outside of asking Jimmy for help and selling in The Beef alley. Mikey always had new business ideas, but we still don’t know how he managed to gather over $100,000 for Carmy. Perhaps this shot is hinting at what Mikey did in Season 1 with the money he raised? Callback or foreshadow? Both maybe?

How exactly did Mikey come up with the idea of hiding the money in tomato cans?

I believe Mikey learned about hiding money from Father Berzatto and through dialogue and cuts, particularly through the intentionally longer cuts to the tomato sauce when they talk about money, tomato sauce, and their dad is perhaps the foreshadow.

I don't have all the answers, but I see Carmy passionately telling Sydney that he will get them out of debt. Like minds are inherited; Carmy is truly his mother's son. However, there's also a quirky, possibly genius idea behind the Berzato tomato cans that will soon be revealed, and it relates to their dad. Mikey knew their father best, having worked under him and learned his methods. Now it's Carmy's turn to step up, to be the leader, and to take the reins with KBL.

(a) Chef Terry touching Carmy's steak and telling him five more seconds, and then giving him a spoon, with

(b) Carmy stalking Sydney, finger-fucking her Wagyu, and then giving her a spoon.

Vs. him after not seeing Sydney for like 2 days 😭

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

In Season 3 we had to endure tedious dialogue amongst the various Faks about "haunting." We learned that in their lingo this is not meant in the usual sense of the word--haunted by the dead, i.e., Mikey's ghost haunting them. Rather, it is intended to describe a punishment inflicted by someone who is very much alive and angry at you sending their energy out to frighten you when you least expect it, bedevil you with dire karmic consequences and reduce you to a childish state where all your injuries can be traced back to that person even when they aren't anywhere in the vicinity.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

Haunting, in this sense, defies the logic of physics. It is a psychological condition with physical manifestations in which the haunted are tricked into punishing themselves through their own imaginations. We were told by the Faks that it was Claire haunting Carmy in Season 3. But the Faks are fools as we have been shown repeatedly.

St. Vincent's "Slow Disco" played in the trailer for Season Four, again in the ending sequence and in the Scallop episode with lyrics that at first glance would fit Carmy's plan to leave Syd "dancing with a ghost." The first needle drop of the song, though, was in Scallop overlaying a sequence of Carmy watching Syd cook her scallop in jewel-like hues (see my meta on The Restaurant as a Window into Chef Carmen's Mind for the significance of this filter choice) of pink, blue and purple which demonstrates that it is Syd who is already haunting Carmy and that is what will intensify next season. From this text and other scenes in the show, we can infer how Syd will haunt Carmy in Season 5.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

All phone calls and text messages he sends her will go unanswered. We see how he texts Mikey at key moments after Mikey's death and now, as the new Mikey, Syd will not respond as she considers their connection dead. The balance of power has shifted over the seasons from his ignoring her messages in Season 2 to her ignoring his in Season 4. It won't even be malice on her end as she is too busy working at the Bear (cellphones stashed in lockers), barely gets enough sleep and has scant time on her day off to take care of herself and her own family and friends. Outside of restaurants (which is where he says he wants to be now), what do they have to talk about?

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

2. The physical proximity and wordless communication he could rely on from her for 12-14 hours 6 days out of 7 will be over. We know Carmy has auditory hallucinations so maybe we can expect him to hallucinate her sweet violin voice (the special one she reserved just for him)? I doubt Syd will be using that voice for him now so he'll have to rely on his memories.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

3. Absent presence: We've seen examples of how when Carmy represses his desires, they emerge even more blatantly. Being with Claire sexually and romantically makes it worse. Previously, Syd could act as a de-stressor after Carmy's interactions with Claire. Now, Syd- the-cure-all will be part of his general affliction.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

4. A survivor of Donna's abuse, Carmy exercises hyper-vigilance in social settings. Time and again we see him rely on Syd or return to Syd in order to manage his social anxiety. In Season 1, he finally relaxed with Marcus' chocolate cake after the awful kid's party and Syd ate with the rest of the crew. In Season 2, he had to return to the restaurant where Syd was after enduring Claire's immature party where he pretended to be Logan. In Season 3, he could only look forward to the prospect of attending the Ever funeral after he invited Syd. In Season 4, at the wedding he was drowning until Syd rescued him. Essentially, we see him waiting for Syd-time to manage the turmoil of navigating personal and professional spaces. Claire "forces him to participate" in social settings and now, even if Syd is at the same functions, she won't perform the same function of acting as a calm, supportive partner for him. Why should she? She's no longer his partner.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

5. Dream-time will be filled with memories of Syd and those dreams that blend Mikey with Syd will intensify. There will also be sleepless nights staring at the alarm clock, no matter if Claire is in bed beside him or not.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

6. The objects he associates with Syd will need to be addressed frontally. We've now learned how the prayer card from Mikey's funeral came into his possession. We need to know about the objects that belong to Syd--the scrunchie, the little cola-braised short ribs notebook, maybe even the missing cleaver. Obviously these objects hold some great significance for an otherwise minimalist Carmy. If he does have a bit of kleptomania, it would track with his being a survivor of abuse. He takes small objects from her surreptitiously and gifts expensive, sentimental ones to her ($2K custom chef whites and restaurant partnerships and his beloved Chef Terry-gifted Emotional Support Spoon). These exchanges help him manage something. But if he is no longer around her, will the kleptomania-gift exchange just resolve itself?

7. Working alongside Syd and sublimating his desire into dishes inspired by her clothes was a way to manage his feelings. Now, without that outlet or access to her, those feelings will become ungovernable. Sexual repression is not like giving up smoking or leaving the restaurant business in order to "keep your side of the street clean because you can't manage that kind of chaos" (as Molly Ringwald said in the Al-Anon meeting). Tamping down these desires will only serve to exacerbate them ultimately. In short, the logic of sexual repression dictates that we should expect that Carmy's behavior will become more obsessive, weirder, more stalker-like and unhinged the less of Syd he gets in Season 5.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

8. Carmy sees Syd's likeness in other women. He tells Tina "You look like Syd" and he reacts to a stranger at the wedding who might be mistaken for Syd. She'll be popping up in unexpected places but it won't be her. Haunting.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

9. Carmy confesses that he deliberately burned his hand to distract himself from the pain of hearing Mikey killed himself. He then poured his heart out on a plate that was the best meal Syd ever ate. Mourning Mikey and dealing with that grief in a healthier way without a full breakdown is only possible for Carmy by rewarding himself with Syd and using cooking. We see him psych himself to open Mikey's letter by texting Syd about her dish in Season 1, we see him manage the rush of feeling from breaking open Mikey's locker by inviting Syd to work on recipes in his apartment, and we see him admit to Richie that he was at Mikey's funeral with encouragement from Syd at his back providing headwinds. He has now renounced both cooking and Syd, which means two intertwined coping mechanisms are no longer at his disposal. Next season we should expect Syd to become even more aligned with Mikey in Carmy's head which means Syd herself will not be able to sooth that grief; it will be fresh grief overlaying ongoing grief.

Gif credit: https://www.tumblr.com/boardchairman-blog

10. The panic attacks were handled by recalling Syd, being interrupted by Syd's voice and using Syd as a way to ground himself back into his body. The pain of his self-inflicted Syd wound means Syd can no longer help him with those feelings now. They will get worse and Claire ("no one is counting shoes [mocking laugh]" and "are you sure you won't be burned alive" [smirk] and "I expected you to say refrigerators" [taunting smile]) will never/can never alleviate these panic attacks.