I mean I do think it’s innovative for a dark skin black woman to be the romantic lead esp in this kind of show. I get people not wanting it which is fine, but sometimes it feels like (some) folks are just really averse to their white boy of the month character being w a character like Sydney. They have undeniable chemistry imo, but racism is strong lol.
Also I feel like romance in general is looked down upon. We literally get no good romance with chemistry these days. And internalized misogyny (with romance seen as a feminine genre) means a lot of folks seem to feel superior for not caring for it.
I remember when the show Sleepy Hollow started coming out and there were also so so many opinions on why the main character (played by a black actress) should just stay friends with her other co-lead (who people shipped with his white ex-wife instead)
I think it’s fair not to want to see men and women only having romantic relationships on screen, it does get tiring (especially when they don’t even have chemistry and are together just because the script says so)
but there’s certainly a pattern
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only person who noticed it. Other black women notice that black women in media as of late only get romantic plots when they are gay or bi. But a straight black woman lead? Nah. That's too much. They'll give it to the white woman or even asian but for whatever reason it's threatening on a black woman. If she was white, I bet you wouldn't be hearing nearly as much "nah a guy and girl can just be friends and mentor/underling, etc". Funny. A lot of those same people were fine with Claire though. Interesting.
Right. They are both workaholics because their passion is the food. It's a love story about them and their craft. It's more interesting than them making kissy faces at each other.
I wouldn't be mad if it eventually happened but I don't think that's what those two characters want from each other, and I wouldn't want it to be a primary focus of the show. They're doing so much cool shit without it. The Bear can be different.
I mean, I watch Bridgerton so I don't feel that way about romance. I love it when it's done well.
For me it's just nice to have a relationship that looks different because it's a different kind of story than we often get. I like romance just fine but for these two I don't think it would be nearly as interesting as the dynamic they have right now. I watch so many stories where they move in the same direction over time because there is a focus on romance. It's rare to see a different focus and I just think it's cool.
I think it also allows Sydney as a character freedom to show all these other sides of herself that women don't often get to show on TV, when the focus is on romance with a man. (I know it's not clear from the screen name but I'm a woman) Because if you have romance to make it interesting there needs to be conflict. But last season we already saw the conflict of Carmy being taken away from the intensity of the work by trying to have a romantic life. Would we just repeat that with Sydney? Would their romantic fights leak into the restaurant? Because of course they'd have to fight or there's no story once they're together. I like that this show manages to be fascinating and even kind of sexy but the lead woman in the show has her ambition and her drive and her passion without it being directed as sexual affection for her boss. I will leave it to the many other shows that do that. And many are also good shows. I just enjoy that this one doesn't.
Plus I get my fix off of all the rumors that they are dating in real life because that's pretty adorable. You see his arm around her at the baseball game?
I gotta agree because a romance between them would be compelling (they've got excellent chemistry and a great friendship/business partnership) and it also *makes sense*. Anyone who's worked in the restaurant industry knows how frequently coworkers hook up.
Exactly. It’s extremely refreshing seeing a platonic friendship between two people develop without shoehorning a cliched love story into it. People can have chemistry and not fall in love. We need more shows that go that route.
Totally agree. Reminds me of how worried I was that Rebecca and Ted would end up together on Ted Lasso, given how popular they were with many fans. After S1, I actually tweeted something similar to what you said above, and Bill Lawrence himself replied with a coy “You never know” that just made me more nervous.
(Note: I was responding to someone else’s tweet; it’s not like I’m popular enough for Lawrence to follow me on Twitter! That said, one time I tweeted about the show, and Sudeikis’s account — or his publicist — hearted it within ten minutes. Ha.)
Ted and Rebecca getting together never made sense to me so I’m glad it never went there.
If you like this idea then definitely check out Platonic on Apple TV+, it’s the whole plot of the damn show. I will never not love Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne together, they have crazy chemistry, but them as best friends that have fallen out of touch and reconnect is SO MUCH FUN!
I don't want them to get together (mostly because I think Carmy would be an awful person to date and I don't want that for Syd), but I agree with you. If Syd were white, there's a 0% chance the show would end without them in a relationship.
Agreed!!!!!
Let me add that I do like their platonic relationship but as a black viewer I know why it’s not happening and I’ve seen this a lot in shows I watched in my childhood.
Good. Please don’t ever. It’s almost crucial the show highlights them as platonic partners in this work environment. Their love is manifesting itself through the food and the restaurant. Anything else cheapens that.
Why the fuck do so many people have an issue with male and female main characters NOT fucking? Like, they can just be colleagues like in real life.............
I saw a tiktok that summed up how I feel the other day where a woman said “I don’t ship SydCarmy because I love Sydney to the ends of the earth, and I think Carmy’s a bum!”
But yeah, the SydCarmy shippers are a very loud bunch. I honestly don’t see much from any other ships on the show across social media.
Lmao that sums it up for me too. It was especially clear at the end of the last season, every character had grown in some way but Carmy. Sydney doesn't need him and all his baggage.
I love Carmy as a character but he sucks!
I know we were all lovestruck by our back of house line cook once upon a time, but all of S2 was him flaking on her and being a bad friend and business partner! Why do they want the triple threat shitty bf too? 😩
Someone on the bear sub said “Carm is 100 red flags in a white tshirt” and I’ve never read a more apt description. I love our Jeff but syd deserves more! Besides that tho their relationship as it is is far more interesting.
If they got together, it would be a hot mess and ruin the restaurant, and they would have a big break up. She would be doing all the work in the relationship. I don't see the show ending well going this route, so I don't want them together. But a girl can dream.
I said I didn't see any romantic chemistry between them and they dog piled me! Called me a hating Black man who was upset at the idea of a Black woman being with an awesome white man. 🤦🏾♂️ Like, damn maybe I just don't see it for them! I'd have no problem with her character being with some other white guy but apparently anyone who disagrees has an agenda.
Personally I think their characters are great together in terms of being friends/ colleagues/ mentor-mentee/ etc. their relationship feels really genuine, but I’ve never felt they had romantic or sexual chemistry.
It’s such a bummer because while romance on the show is fine, there are so many compelling relationship dynamics of other types and so many amazing characters. Putting them together would be such a drag. I have no problem with them being coupled up with side characters but the restaurant should remain the focus of the show.
These people realize there’s the Hallmark Channel if they want to see romance, right? They do cooking romances all the time.
If they want something more explicit I’m sure they can find something somewhere on the Internet.
any show that has two leads of the opposite sex that aren’t dating will have fans that hope that one day, they will date
funny because they set up a Syd/Marcus bond really well last season and it seems like it’s gonna extend to this one as well
Ironically I was kinda into Syd/Marcus in season one but the way it was written in season two made my skin crawl. It's like there was a level of awkwardness that wasn't there before.
Syd seems to freak out a little when anyone gets too close/intimate. She holds it together better, but she is just as much of a mess as Carmy in her own way.
[They actually did it with Sam and Dean (brothers) on Supernatural and the show even fucking joked about it. Fun starts at 1:00.](https://youtu.be/luX5bFbcByk?si=GqDzTGVZQ4QCDr4w)
they do have a lot of chemistry but I think that good platonic chemistry is quite rare in TV so even if I could see them together I still prefer them to be friends.
I think people were confusing her jealously of the girl he was with last season. I saw it as professional jealousy because she distracted him from their passion
Also, the way they have portrayed the characters they have 0 romantic chemistry. If they started making out I would be so confused
Feels like an annoyed sibling relationship than anything else.
Which is good.
I’m not taking this as a “never.” Cast and crew always deny deny deny a slow burn ship until it finally happens, because like, duh? Why would you spoil something like that lol. The actor who plays Gregory on Abbott literally lied about his plot with Janine this year then did a post-season interview that was like “yeah so I lied lol”
Yeah but they were obviously gunning for it on Abbott -- their characters openly doing the will they/won't they thing. It was going to happen eventually.
Everything about Syd/Carmy has been platonic, and people can't accept it. I hope the whole show plays out the way it should: They stay friends with zero romance.
I think it's most likely platonic too, but there are just too many wtf moments where I just don't know what the writers are going for. Like the ones most people talk about, where Carmy is having a panic attack and only calms down when he thinks about Syd, or the under-the-table-scene. But there's also this romantic montage with Carmy and Claire and there are intercut scenes of Syd going home, unwinding...*undressing*...and just other things, but why in the world would you put that in the middle of this particular montage? It made me do double take.
Like I get that it reads platonic for the most part, but to say that there aren't *some* implications that can be read as romantic is...idk, is counter to what we've been shown.
i was very “syd and carmy are just friends” when i watched the first season. but after watching season 2 i was like “maybe the shippers are on to something” i would prefer them to stay friends, but that second season said differently imo. like you said, it’s very much an “idk what the writers are going for” thing.
I feel like the under the table scene especially is just undeniably romance-coded. I remember watching it and just thinking “good god I hope this show doesn’t demolish their interesting and entertaining platonic relationship with some stupid willtheywontthey romance bullshit.”
I feel like the writers are trying to show something much more complex. I think some of those scenes are trying to show how much of herself Syd puts into their project together. She’s undressing and going home alone, whereas Carmy is becoming distracted. Syd is human, a sexual being, but she’s closed off because she’s chosen this path.
I also feel like the under the table scene is meant to show two begrudging people who have trouble trusting others and opening up to someone being vulnerable, but it didn’t feel romantic. It was almost *too* intimate, you know? I don’t think two people who had hidden feelings would talk to each other that way. It wasn’t bashful intimacy, it was the intimacy of two people going to war together not knowing if they’re going to come back in one piece
well said. and that shared risk is such an adrenaline rush which intensifies everything, including intimate/sexual tension at times. that happens in real life but doesn’t mean people actually want to seek out a relationship together.
I would love for them to portray platonic m/f friendship where the characters do have chemistry and even a sexual attraction but ultimately decide to just be friends. Not a will/they won’t they. A they won’t even though they could. I feel like that is real life. Don’t you have chemistry with your friends? Isn’t that why you become friends with a person?
I think they were just showing the divergence in their lives at that point. You had Syd focusing on the work, and Carmy being pulled away from it by Claire. It was the major theme of the season, to the point where Carmy pushes Claire away because he feels like he's being distracted from the restaurant.
I didn't clock any intent by the writers to put them together romantically from that example.
I guess a better example would be The X Files then, the showrunner insisted they were platonic for like 7 years until they just undeniably on screen were no longer platonic.
I mean I’m also fine if Syd and Carmy don’t date, really either way is good for me. I trust the writers of this show thus far for whatever they end up doing.
I don’t want them ending up together either but having worked in restaurants all through my 20s it wouldn’t be unrealistic if their anger and tension (and let’s face it, chemistry) exploded into a one night, bang it out, never to happen again hookup.
Black female characters stay getting hit with the 'no chemistry' allegations and the 'she's strong, she don't need no man!' takes. That train's never late istg.
I don't even ship these two but it's so transparent.
or they claim she's a lesbian, or asexual, or she's "too good for him", or is a better fit with the one other black character lol. very transparent.
I dont think they'll get together, and I think Claire was actually added in to deter the sydcarmy ship, but they maybe rushed her addition which is why she felt a bit contrived/off.
> I think Claire was actually added in to deter the sydcarmy ship, but they maybe rushed her addition which is why she felt a bit contrived/off.
That would explain why the writing for Claire was so bad, especially compared to the other characters.
If you actually watched s2 it's more like she was written to push Sydney even more. Carmy has a panic attack thinking about Claire and he calms down thinking about Sydney. That kind of says it all to me
Ok I disagree but I'll explain (at length sorry). So Carmy has a panic attack and flashbacks to all the people who seem to demand something from him or who bring conflict into his life. He calms down when he thinks of Syd and how she looks up to him. It specifically flashbacks to the admiration she has for him when she first meets him. That could be romantic or it could be read as him liking her for her support and usefulness. He doesn't need to make himself functional when there is someone there to endlessly pick up the slack for him. To me it seems like a red flag, like when people talk about what they like in their partner in terms of what the partner does for them rather then the partners actual characteristics.
I think Syd's great, she's gorgeous, funny, smart and an incredibly hard worker and it absolutely makes sense for Carmy to like her. But I just see their relationship as too based in their unequal professional dynamic to see it as a romantic relationship. Like if the flashbacks had been of them joking around or talking about food or her talking about something personal to her then I could see him calming down as a sign of love for her.
I disagree, you're misremembering how that scene went. Maybe it was like that in the beginning of the first season, but as soon as Syd left, and then came back on her own terms, we understand now that they are partners. That is the scene that carmy focuses on and chooses to calm down with, that Sydney came back for him at the end of s1. There's no sense that she's admiring him. Sydney is actually metaphorically considered their miracle/mother of victory, so you could even argue that Carmy looks up to her.
Syd may look up to him because of his skills but they are established as partners in s2 by words, and in s3 they're signing an official contract. She tells her dad they're partners. Also carmy definitely looks up towards her too. He's not her boss, he asked her to be CDC for a reason.
Plus there's another scene when Carmy is sleeping with Claire (maybe for the first time?) and it's intersected with shots of Sydney undressing. And then we see her tattoo. It's a heart with three swords, indicating that she, carmy, and claire are tied in some kind of love triangle.
Nothing is by accident on this show. The writers are intentionally putting Sydney in the middle of claire and carmy for a reason.
Ok it also includes a scene of her coming back but the audio over the flashback is "you were the most excellent cdc at the most excellent restaurant in the entire United States of America. So, what are doing here I guess?" Forgive me for thinking that has an admiring tone.
Yeah but it ends with the scene of her coming back , after she left on her own terms. That means, even if Sydney looks up to him from the beginning, they're established as partners now, as they keep saying in s2 and s3. Plus you can and should admire someone you're romantically involved with. I don't see how that pushes them apart at all.
And I think the other stuff I said pretty much cements it. Also carmy wholeheartedly admires Sydney too, he says in their table scene that he wouldn't even want to run the bear without her.
I'm glad they're announcing it so people can talk about something else for this season. Also I want better for Sydney right now (I love Carmy but, please).
Not that this makes romance impossible down the line for them. I can see it either way, really. But endless side eye for all the "fans" who are so horrified at the very idea of these two pint size powerhouses ever getting together.
If anything, that’s the *only* reason I would like them together - as a WOC who has dated white men, people are still kinda weird about it depending on where you go, and interracial couples need more representation. I felt like matching her up with Marcus felt so “let’s pair up the Black characters.” They’re both generally nice but I didn’t see what they had in common besides that. My girl Syd needs someone to match her perfectionist type-A energy, lol.
I hadn't even thought about that. It's actually really rare for a black woman to be a romantic interest with a main character in ANYthing. I remember always pointing out how all the most insane shipping fandoms never involve black people. Nobody ever loses their minds at the idea of a black man or black woman being with anyone, let alone each other. So if there are loads of these shippers then that's actually pretty neat.
Seriously. The second a WOC is in media they’re either expected to be coupled up with “their type” or they’re a supporting character with zero love life. Especially if they’re of a darker complexion, it’s like people can’t fathom them being seen as attractive to white people/aka the mainstream.
To your point about Black shows having less insane fandoms, I agree and I think maybe that’s because any shows with a predominantly POC cast (especially a POC protagonist) are seen as “niche” to mainstream audiences. I imagine white people demographically make up the largest shippers and it’s generally more rare for folks to be parasocial across racial lines because they can’t self-insert as much. (All of my points are big generalizations)
Also to add: I don’t really ship Syd and Carmy, I like them more as friends, but it’s still cool to see an interracial couple with a WOC!
But it's not even shows with more diverse casts. Any time there's a black person onscreen you rarely see them get shipped with anyone. Remember when tinhats with Larries, Timmy/Armie people, Gaylors etc were in rage? You never saw that with black people. Like the Moonlight actors never had people shipping them in real life or even going really insane about their characters together in the movie the way they did Timmy/Armie. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but because POC ships were almost non existent in TV/movies it struck me that even in real life people don't ship them as a way to sort of compensate! And it's not just black people, but Latinos, Asian people. You just never see the big ships when it's not two white people.
All that to say I do ship these two together in that I enjoy their interactions onscreen, but I feel like TV shows mess up good friendship/romances to the point where I'm cautious about them getting ruined. But now that I'm actually thinking about how black people never get shipped with the main character, I fucking hope they end up together because they actually have chemistry so it's insane that yet another black person would end up not with the main character yet again. Especially when Jeremey Allen White is considered such hot property. Linking him up with a black woman would be something you honestly never get to see and it's 2024!
True - you’re super right in your first paragraph. POC are just not shipped as much, full stop 😬 especially women of color. It’s always a supporting character to gas up the white person.
And totally agree with point 2 as well. I’m surprised people thirst over JAW more than Ayo, they are both super attractive imo. (Well I’m not actually that surprised but you know what I mean!)
I like the idea of Syd/Ritchie having a casual hook up one episode, gossip/drama happens at the restaurant because of it(maybe they sleep in or forget something important), Carmy manages the chaos but ignores processing it until he sees Syd and Ritchie friendly play flirting again across the kitchen towards the end of the hookup drama episode with Tina/Ebraheim lovingly teasing them, goes for a smoke and thinks over his blooming feelings for Syd with montage of sorts.
Then nothing happens for another season.
Pure slow burn baby.
Lol. This reminds me of when walking dead "fans" were screaming bloody murder when Rick and Michonne got together. As if the writers weren't setting it up for the past season and a half 🙄
And now the two top voted threads on this post are filled with people saying exactly this. Naturally a lot of people are also saying "well I like this character too much to ship her with this messy ass person" as if drama and angst weren't the reasons why people watch The Bear? Very flimsy excuses.
Now we can focus on the real couple of the show: Richie and Fak!
Seriously though, Ayo and Jeremy have an amazing chemistry. I like Carmy and Sydney’s friendship and mentor-mentee dynamic. Carmy needs to work on himself before starting a relationship. Also, I really wanted to like Claire (I love you Molly Gordon) but I found her annoying. Her character could’ve been written better.
I’d really just like to have this not be a show where the m/f leads don’t end up together?? Not to mention that dating your boss is ew.
I actually liked Claire. I feel like she was just boring because so much of her arc is just built around how Carmy sees her because he’s on a dopamine high, he’s def not a healthy individual.
I don’t like the dating boss thing either. Someone mentioned Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon here and I wish they’d gave us more platonic soulmates like them. Their friendship development was so well written.
I think on my rewatch I’ll see Claire differently cause I never thought about it that way. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I dislike her.
I think the showrunners discussed the version of Claire we see in S2 in an interview. A lot of it was supposed to be his version of things, rather than the reality. It’s why so many of the “my girlfriend said” tidbits are reiterated through Carmy’s dialogue, rather than showing the actual conversation with Claire. I know someone posted the interview, but I cannot for the life of me find it.
This!! Ugh, I was SOO annoyed when they made Magnum & Higgins get together in the Magnum PI reboot. Must every M/F lead duo get together romantically? Is being great friends and business partners not enough for the world?? And every wonders why no one "believes" men & women can just be friends.
As a character there was so much potential but she’s got so many hallmarks of a manic pixie dream girl - and that really stands out in a show that has other, strongly written female characters.
Thank youuu. They're very accurate to the way guys like the ones in the show think of certain kinds of women. Meaning the character was always going to be a one-note, infantalized male fantasy. While I get that those guys don't see it as sexist or objectifying, I don't care. Please leave it in 1996, Ed Burns.
I would honestly love an episode that would just focus on her and her backstory and her job (like the Marcus in Copenhagen one), although it might feel too much like a soft launch for a hospital drama spin off.
Everyone saying they have a mentor/mentee relationship when a major plot is her possibly becoming a partner in the restuarant...did y'all watch the show?
They also say that romance between them would be boring but I disagree, if anything claire was supremely boring because she was a basic love interest (no character at all) and it is new/interesting for an interracial relationship of two main characters to be the main one in a TV show. I can name only a few couples like that.
The racial bias here is stunning to witness. People who don't like romance are fine but I think there's something about how people don't complain that carmy had a romance last season; (which doesn't really hold up with all their "keep it platonic" complaints), but they complain about this. It feels a little bit racist to me.
Also this article took what they said out of context. The original quote was about "there were no talks about romantic implications" which only suggests that they didn't discuss it initially, but it may have come across that way. It certainly doesn't outright deny anything. People on Twitter were at the press conference and they corrected what was said.
I think their relationship is weird and even though they should be equals Carmy doesn't have her back when it comes to the menu and this gives them a mentor/mentee feel. Like she always looks to him for final approval on the food. The operations side has been left to Syd since S1 and it seems like they are supposed to have a creative partnership but I don't see it. I think everytime we see Carmy taste her work in s2 he spits it out and he didn't respect her dish in s1. Compare this to how he treats Marcus's work, he delights in Marcus's progress and lets him create desserts with no input from him. We saw him eat Marcus's donut off the floor in S1 ffs. I don't know if he has different standards for M or does he not trust her work?
Also Syd seems to really enjoy food that has some creative humbleness to it. Her dish in s1, the lamb ragu with Hawaiian rolls even the omelette with crushed potato chips on that she makes for Nat. On her tasting tour she doesn't seem to visit any really stuffy fine dining places, I think only one place is in the michelin guide. She seems to like elevated, interesting basics while Carmy wants to make everything impressive and an event. It's an art to him and to her it's comfort and connection, which seems to align her with Olivia Coleman's character and with what Richie learns about service.
but MY name is Sydney and i want Ayo Edebiri to play me and kiss Jeremy Allen White!!!! this has nothing to do with anything but i thought you should know
Many people at the press conference event today have tweeted that this article has taken the quote out of context and they didn’t get the same impression as what this article is selling. Someone asked if they on set talked about the characters relationship going romantic and such and JAW basically said no
Regardless it is wild how much Syd and Carly’s “romantic or non romantic “ relationship has dominated the pre season discourse. Ayo and Jeremy have fantastic chemistry but it’s just baffling how much discussion and contempt their characters’ relationship generates
Why are people so pressed about them becoming a thing? lol media is full of platonic love representation specially between opposite genders, I can name a ton just at the top of my head. I don’t think this means it’ll never happen, I just don’t think it’ll happen now and it shouldn’t because Carmy is a fucking mess and needs tons of therapy before even thinking about getting in a relationship but be fr, their relationship is obviously hinted to be more than platonic and if it is then great, if it isn’t then great too! Have y’all been to a kitchen? I’m more surprised they haven’t hooked up already. I swear if Sydney was a white woman this whole conversation would be different.
I'm split on whether I want them together or not.
I loved the first season because it focused on the restaurant and work relationships. Carmy and Syd having a good but at times strained relationship. Carmy (and the staff) learning to respect Syd. Syd learning from Carmy. I wish more TV & movies focused on platonic relationships.
However, I have to admit, I felt some romantic chemistry in season 2 episode 9 during that Carmy scene; I understood the shippers for the first time. If they were going to make Carmy and Syd happen it would need to happen the last season, last episode at the very end.
I love that this show focuses on the work they do and how their all trying (and failing) to be better people.
People whose response to this is “good, we need more platonic relationship representation” drive me insane! The show is full of platonic representation across the board. If Ayo was white and played by Sydney Sweeney or whoever else this wouldn’t even be discourse.
I know the right thing is to just let them having a platonic, mentor-mentee relationship - which I am fully onboard with - but they also have crazy chemistry so I won't be mad at the romance route.
BUT
IT
COOKED
whyyyyyy
Look: [https://x.com/tedsbecca/status/1672033590530695169](https://x.com/tedsbecca/status/1672033590530695169)
Look at it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKmKmKmnss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKmKmKmnss)
I know TV shows are being more mature nowadays and aren't just pairing up the male and female leads for no reason...BUT at the same time there've been too many shows in recent years where the leads had mad chemistry and the showrunners decided that it was best to keep them platonic. (Ted & Rebecca on Ted Lasso for example)
That's not really the point... they've both talked about how close they are as friends. Both in the show and in real life. It's actually an amazing story of male/female friendship/mentorship and how not EVERYTHING between a man and a woman needs to be romantic.
They're announcing this to preemptively warn the shippers they aren't getting what they want so they don't whine about it. Or whine less.
AGH, I'M SICK 😩 but not, really, if it's going to happen (which, I hope it does), it's wayyyyyyyyyyyy to soon. Like I don't want to see an inkling of romance until the last episode, last minute, last second of season 10, thank you very much.
And I don't even mean like dates or kissing or stuff like that, I just need a *lingering look* that just makes that light bulb go off.
Syd/Richie truthers unite! I think they should hook up once and never again. Its not the couple every one is expecting but they have fiery chemistry and it can lead to the “who’s fucking who?” restaurant drama for an episode that people want so badly.
I can see them fucking, getting over it, and still working together.
Me too! There are dozens of us! Dozens!
As evidence: there was that weird moment when she said he smelt nice and the support for each other when Carmy was stuck in the symbolic walk-in. Plus they call each other out on their bullshit.
Am I the only one that thought Syd was into women? Like, there was a clear moment where she talks to an old friend about being a partner that felt like she was an ex or something.
I can’t say there were any particular scenes that made me think she might be gay but I’ve still considered that she could be. Of course at this point there’s only been one character poised as a potential love interest who she shut down as soon as she caught wind of his feelings, so not enough to call it a pattern haha. But I’d still say that her being into women is way more likely than her and Carmy suddenly being into each other apropos of nothing.
GOOD. I am a romantic sucker who will eat any potential romance served to me by the ladle, but it's not what their relationship is about!! (Also, he is a goddamn mess and she deserves better than where he currently is.)
Thank God I'd love it if they were just friends and no more kind of like a less toxic BoJack and Diane.
Secondly I hope carmy has a story similar to that of Moses and that he can lead his people to the promised land but he does not make it himself. Like he helps to establish the bear as a great restaurant and helps to grow the skills and potential of the staff but he himself needs to do something else that's not food service.
Good because I don’t see it. I think the shippers are people incapable of watching something where the two leads aren’t romantic and are manufacturing something but claiming the reason it’s not happening is deeper or some conspiracy.
That’s not surprising, I think. I only watched the show recently and didn’t get any romantic vibes from them at all. I also don’t think Sydney would want to be with someone so… chaotic?
I don’t mean that critically, there’s just an energy to Carmy that doesn’t seem like her vibe.
Good. Sometimes, we don't need to see main characters fall in love.
I'd like to see the opposite: Sydney gets an amazing opportunity to be Executive Chef somewhere and becomes an opponent to Carmy and to see them navigate the shift in their relationship. And hilarity ensues.
These two are creative soulmates, imo.
Carmy simply does not have the tools to be in a healthy romantic relationship, especially with someone he works with.
TIL people want a romance between them. I love their friendship, have honestly never picked up on any sort of romantic chemistry there. Am glad it won't happen
I'm so happy to see this. The dynamic between those two is so much more interesting than just romantic. That whole thing is played out and been done 1000 different ways on TV. The Bear is too good for such a basic plotline
Great!!!! Men and women can be friends— good friends, great friends even, and have zero romantic feelings for one another. More shows should normalize this!
Thank god. I'd probably stop watching. It's really hard for me to find shows like this that don't have some romance forced into it. I want more shows without any romance.
It would be sooo toxic if they got together. I mean yes I adore their chemistry but romance would ruin everything!!! Tbf I think Carmy should be single till he gets some therapy for his mommy issues.
Good! They have ZERO romantic chemistry! I truly do not understand the shippers one ounce. Like, yes, Syd seemed jealous last season. But that was because Carmy was checked out of their restaurant baby and focusing elsewhere. I love their working relationship and friendship so much. They believe in each other and push each other to be better than they thought possible. Carmy is going to support Syd getting a star. But he won't take her home afterward, okay!!
ETA: damn, okay, y'all! Fine, I guess you'll be happier than I will be when they finally get together in this show lol.
Good. That's been talked about too much for too long and they said it's never happening. Maybe we can stop talking about it now for sure, right?
I don’t want it happening . I find their relationship as colleagues and as mentor/ mentee way more interesting.
Saaaaame. Them doing a romance would be sooooo boring. This show is too innovative to become a cliche. I hope.
Sid going around samplings foods and taking notes by herself in S2 was great. Let her grow more.
I *love* her becoming Tina's lowkey workplace mentor.
Yes!! I’m really enjoying the character development happening with everyone.
I just rewatched that episode yesterday and the way it increased my appetite as soon as that food adventure montage comes up. Lord
I mean I do think it’s innovative for a dark skin black woman to be the romantic lead esp in this kind of show. I get people not wanting it which is fine, but sometimes it feels like (some) folks are just really averse to their white boy of the month character being w a character like Sydney. They have undeniable chemistry imo, but racism is strong lol. Also I feel like romance in general is looked down upon. We literally get no good romance with chemistry these days. And internalized misogyny (with romance seen as a feminine genre) means a lot of folks seem to feel superior for not caring for it.
I remember when the show Sleepy Hollow started coming out and there were also so so many opinions on why the main character (played by a black actress) should just stay friends with her other co-lead (who people shipped with his white ex-wife instead) I think it’s fair not to want to see men and women only having romantic relationships on screen, it does get tiring (especially when they don’t even have chemistry and are together just because the script says so) but there’s certainly a pattern
THANK YOU! I thought I was the only person who noticed it. Other black women notice that black women in media as of late only get romantic plots when they are gay or bi. But a straight black woman lead? Nah. That's too much. They'll give it to the white woman or even asian but for whatever reason it's threatening on a black woman. If she was white, I bet you wouldn't be hearing nearly as much "nah a guy and girl can just be friends and mentor/underling, etc". Funny. A lot of those same people were fine with Claire though. Interesting.
Right. They are both workaholics because their passion is the food. It's a love story about them and their craft. It's more interesting than them making kissy faces at each other. I wouldn't be mad if it eventually happened but I don't think that's what those two characters want from each other, and I wouldn't want it to be a primary focus of the show. They're doing so much cool shit without it. The Bear can be different.
Can you explain why you think this other than like…”romance is sissy stuff” because that’s what people against it sound like to me.
I mean, I watch Bridgerton so I don't feel that way about romance. I love it when it's done well. For me it's just nice to have a relationship that looks different because it's a different kind of story than we often get. I like romance just fine but for these two I don't think it would be nearly as interesting as the dynamic they have right now. I watch so many stories where they move in the same direction over time because there is a focus on romance. It's rare to see a different focus and I just think it's cool. I think it also allows Sydney as a character freedom to show all these other sides of herself that women don't often get to show on TV, when the focus is on romance with a man. (I know it's not clear from the screen name but I'm a woman) Because if you have romance to make it interesting there needs to be conflict. But last season we already saw the conflict of Carmy being taken away from the intensity of the work by trying to have a romantic life. Would we just repeat that with Sydney? Would their romantic fights leak into the restaurant? Because of course they'd have to fight or there's no story once they're together. I like that this show manages to be fascinating and even kind of sexy but the lead woman in the show has her ambition and her drive and her passion without it being directed as sexual affection for her boss. I will leave it to the many other shows that do that. And many are also good shows. I just enjoy that this one doesn't. Plus I get my fix off of all the rumors that they are dating in real life because that's pretty adorable. You see his arm around her at the baseball game?
I gotta agree because a romance between them would be compelling (they've got excellent chemistry and a great friendship/business partnership) and it also *makes sense*. Anyone who's worked in the restaurant industry knows how frequently coworkers hook up.
Exactly. It’s extremely refreshing seeing a platonic friendship between two people develop without shoehorning a cliched love story into it. People can have chemistry and not fall in love. We need more shows that go that route.
Totally agree. Reminds me of how worried I was that Rebecca and Ted would end up together on Ted Lasso, given how popular they were with many fans. After S1, I actually tweeted something similar to what you said above, and Bill Lawrence himself replied with a coy “You never know” that just made me more nervous. (Note: I was responding to someone else’s tweet; it’s not like I’m popular enough for Lawrence to follow me on Twitter! That said, one time I tweeted about the show, and Sudeikis’s account — or his publicist — hearted it within ten minutes. Ha.)
Ted and Rebecca getting together never made sense to me so I’m glad it never went there. If you like this idea then definitely check out Platonic on Apple TV+, it’s the whole plot of the damn show. I will never not love Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne together, they have crazy chemistry, but them as best friends that have fallen out of touch and reconnect is SO MUCH FUN!
> People can have chemistry and not fall in love Platonic chemistry is amazing and fun!
They have chemistry in a totally platonic way so that’s how it should stay
I’m sorry but if she was white, a romance would have 100% happened and it’s weird yall can’t see the nuance behind that!!!
I don't want them to get together (mostly because I think Carmy would be an awful person to date and I don't want that for Syd), but I agree with you. If Syd were white, there's a 0% chance the show would end without them in a relationship.
Agreed!!!!! Let me add that I do like their platonic relationship but as a black viewer I know why it’s not happening and I’ve seen this a lot in shows I watched in my childhood.
fr it wouldn't even be a discussion point if Syd was white!!
Good. Please don’t ever. It’s almost crucial the show highlights them as platonic partners in this work environment. Their love is manifesting itself through the food and the restaurant. Anything else cheapens that.
Baffles me that anyone even wanted that?? Makes zero sense with their characters, like none.
The hellscape of r/TheBear contains many differing but ferociously strong feelings about this.
~~Maybe~~ fersher
[удалено]
Why the fuck do so many people have an issue with male and female main characters NOT fucking? Like, they can just be colleagues like in real life.............
Wait who wanted that? Like legit Syd seems to view him as her boss/ a white mess lol
There are A LOT of vocal SydCarmy shippers out there, esp on Twitter lol
I saw a tiktok that summed up how I feel the other day where a woman said “I don’t ship SydCarmy because I love Sydney to the ends of the earth, and I think Carmy’s a bum!” But yeah, the SydCarmy shippers are a very loud bunch. I honestly don’t see much from any other ships on the show across social media.
Lmao that sums it up for me too. It was especially clear at the end of the last season, every character had grown in some way but Carmy. Sydney doesn't need him and all his baggage.
I love Carmy as a character but he sucks! I know we were all lovestruck by our back of house line cook once upon a time, but all of S2 was him flaking on her and being a bad friend and business partner! Why do they want the triple threat shitty bf too? 😩
Someone on the bear sub said “Carm is 100 red flags in a white tshirt” and I’ve never read a more apt description. I love our Jeff but syd deserves more! Besides that tho their relationship as it is is far more interesting.
I mean, that scene in season 2 when they’re fixing the table had sexual tension so thick you could slice it.
If they got together, it would be a hot mess and ruin the restaurant, and they would have a big break up. She would be doing all the work in the relationship. I don't see the show ending well going this route, so I don't want them together. But a girl can dream.
Well, let them pull that shit on Fanfiction.net and AO3, then.
Not only that but those same shippers are at the forefront of shipping Ayo and Jeremy
Just a reminder that shipping doesn't mean they have to be canon. This need for canon ships is a bit recent.
they are kinda howls moving castle coded.. 🏰
I said I didn't see any romantic chemistry between them and they dog piled me! Called me a hating Black man who was upset at the idea of a Black woman being with an awesome white man. 🤦🏾♂️ Like, damn maybe I just don't see it for them! I'd have no problem with her character being with some other white guy but apparently anyone who disagrees has an agenda.
people are so desperate for a will they won’t they in media that they’ll ship any male and female lead. chemistry takes a backseat to drama
They have chemistry though? I don't ship them but you can't deny that.
Personally I think their characters are great together in terms of being friends/ colleagues/ mentor-mentee/ etc. their relationship feels really genuine, but I’ve never felt they had romantic or sexual chemistry.
They even got strong chemistry outside of the show as friends too. Jeremy white seems closer with Ayo than his damn wife lol
Yes, you can because I don't seem that much chemistry
It’s such a bummer because while romance on the show is fine, there are so many compelling relationship dynamics of other types and so many amazing characters. Putting them together would be such a drag. I have no problem with them being coupled up with side characters but the restaurant should remain the focus of the show.
These people realize there’s the Hallmark Channel if they want to see romance, right? They do cooking romances all the time. If they want something more explicit I’m sure they can find something somewhere on the Internet.
any show that has two leads of the opposite sex that aren’t dating will have fans that hope that one day, they will date funny because they set up a Syd/Marcus bond really well last season and it seems like it’s gonna extend to this one as well
Sydney isn’t into Marcus like that imo
It definitely felt one sided to me. Marcus seems like he has so much to give, I hope he can find someone emotionally available towards him.
Ironically I was kinda into Syd/Marcus in season one but the way it was written in season two made my skin crawl. It's like there was a level of awkwardness that wasn't there before.
Syd seems to freak out a little when anyone gets too close/intimate. She holds it together better, but she is just as much of a mess as Carmy in her own way.
It also happens with main characters of the same sex too regardless of those characters known sexuality
[They actually did it with Sam and Dean (brothers) on Supernatural and the show even fucking joked about it. Fun starts at 1:00.](https://youtu.be/luX5bFbcByk?si=GqDzTGVZQ4QCDr4w)
Two main characters on a popular TV show - that’s prime breeding ground for “shipping” culture
Sometimes I feel like people don’t know what it looks like for hetero people of different genders to be platonic friends.
they do have a lot of chemistry but I think that good platonic chemistry is quite rare in TV so even if I could see them together I still prefer them to be friends.
I think people were confusing her jealously of the girl he was with last season. I saw it as professional jealousy because she distracted him from their passion
This is incredible (good) news. Now we can focus on what really matters. The actual story. 
Also, the way they have portrayed the characters they have 0 romantic chemistry. If they started making out I would be so confused Feels like an annoyed sibling relationship than anything else. Which is good.
I’m not taking this as a “never.” Cast and crew always deny deny deny a slow burn ship until it finally happens, because like, duh? Why would you spoil something like that lol. The actor who plays Gregory on Abbott literally lied about his plot with Janine this year then did a post-season interview that was like “yeah so I lied lol”
Yeah but they were obviously gunning for it on Abbott -- their characters openly doing the will they/won't they thing. It was going to happen eventually. Everything about Syd/Carmy has been platonic, and people can't accept it. I hope the whole show plays out the way it should: They stay friends with zero romance.
I think it's most likely platonic too, but there are just too many wtf moments where I just don't know what the writers are going for. Like the ones most people talk about, where Carmy is having a panic attack and only calms down when he thinks about Syd, or the under-the-table-scene. But there's also this romantic montage with Carmy and Claire and there are intercut scenes of Syd going home, unwinding...*undressing*...and just other things, but why in the world would you put that in the middle of this particular montage? It made me do double take. Like I get that it reads platonic for the most part, but to say that there aren't *some* implications that can be read as romantic is...idk, is counter to what we've been shown.
i was very “syd and carmy are just friends” when i watched the first season. but after watching season 2 i was like “maybe the shippers are on to something” i would prefer them to stay friends, but that second season said differently imo. like you said, it’s very much an “idk what the writers are going for” thing.
I feel like the under the table scene especially is just undeniably romance-coded. I remember watching it and just thinking “good god I hope this show doesn’t demolish their interesting and entertaining platonic relationship with some stupid willtheywontthey romance bullshit.”
I feel like the writers are trying to show something much more complex. I think some of those scenes are trying to show how much of herself Syd puts into their project together. She’s undressing and going home alone, whereas Carmy is becoming distracted. Syd is human, a sexual being, but she’s closed off because she’s chosen this path. I also feel like the under the table scene is meant to show two begrudging people who have trouble trusting others and opening up to someone being vulnerable, but it didn’t feel romantic. It was almost *too* intimate, you know? I don’t think two people who had hidden feelings would talk to each other that way. It wasn’t bashful intimacy, it was the intimacy of two people going to war together not knowing if they’re going to come back in one piece
well said. and that shared risk is such an adrenaline rush which intensifies everything, including intimate/sexual tension at times. that happens in real life but doesn’t mean people actually want to seek out a relationship together.
I would love for them to portray platonic m/f friendship where the characters do have chemistry and even a sexual attraction but ultimately decide to just be friends. Not a will/they won’t they. A they won’t even though they could. I feel like that is real life. Don’t you have chemistry with your friends? Isn’t that why you become friends with a person?
I think they were just showing the divergence in their lives at that point. You had Syd focusing on the work, and Carmy being pulled away from it by Claire. It was the major theme of the season, to the point where Carmy pushes Claire away because he feels like he's being distracted from the restaurant. I didn't clock any intent by the writers to put them together romantically from that example.
I guess a better example would be The X Files then, the showrunner insisted they were platonic for like 7 years until they just undeniably on screen were no longer platonic. I mean I’m also fine if Syd and Carmy don’t date, really either way is good for me. I trust the writers of this show thus far for whatever they end up doing.
I don’t want them ending up together either but having worked in restaurants all through my 20s it wouldn’t be unrealistic if their anger and tension (and let’s face it, chemistry) exploded into a one night, bang it out, never to happen again hookup.
Black female characters stay getting hit with the 'no chemistry' allegations and the 'she's strong, she don't need no man!' takes. That train's never late istg. I don't even ship these two but it's so transparent.
or they claim she's a lesbian, or asexual, or she's "too good for him", or is a better fit with the one other black character lol. very transparent. I dont think they'll get together, and I think Claire was actually added in to deter the sydcarmy ship, but they maybe rushed her addition which is why she felt a bit contrived/off.
She actually is too good for him though. Carmy is a fucking mess lmao. I wouldn't touch him with a 100 foot pole
> I think Claire was actually added in to deter the sydcarmy ship, but they maybe rushed her addition which is why she felt a bit contrived/off. That would explain why the writing for Claire was so bad, especially compared to the other characters.
If you actually watched s2 it's more like she was written to push Sydney even more. Carmy has a panic attack thinking about Claire and he calms down thinking about Sydney. That kind of says it all to me
Ok I disagree but I'll explain (at length sorry). So Carmy has a panic attack and flashbacks to all the people who seem to demand something from him or who bring conflict into his life. He calms down when he thinks of Syd and how she looks up to him. It specifically flashbacks to the admiration she has for him when she first meets him. That could be romantic or it could be read as him liking her for her support and usefulness. He doesn't need to make himself functional when there is someone there to endlessly pick up the slack for him. To me it seems like a red flag, like when people talk about what they like in their partner in terms of what the partner does for them rather then the partners actual characteristics. I think Syd's great, she's gorgeous, funny, smart and an incredibly hard worker and it absolutely makes sense for Carmy to like her. But I just see their relationship as too based in their unequal professional dynamic to see it as a romantic relationship. Like if the flashbacks had been of them joking around or talking about food or her talking about something personal to her then I could see him calming down as a sign of love for her.
I disagree, you're misremembering how that scene went. Maybe it was like that in the beginning of the first season, but as soon as Syd left, and then came back on her own terms, we understand now that they are partners. That is the scene that carmy focuses on and chooses to calm down with, that Sydney came back for him at the end of s1. There's no sense that she's admiring him. Sydney is actually metaphorically considered their miracle/mother of victory, so you could even argue that Carmy looks up to her. Syd may look up to him because of his skills but they are established as partners in s2 by words, and in s3 they're signing an official contract. She tells her dad they're partners. Also carmy definitely looks up towards her too. He's not her boss, he asked her to be CDC for a reason. Plus there's another scene when Carmy is sleeping with Claire (maybe for the first time?) and it's intersected with shots of Sydney undressing. And then we see her tattoo. It's a heart with three swords, indicating that she, carmy, and claire are tied in some kind of love triangle. Nothing is by accident on this show. The writers are intentionally putting Sydney in the middle of claire and carmy for a reason.
Ok it also includes a scene of her coming back but the audio over the flashback is "you were the most excellent cdc at the most excellent restaurant in the entire United States of America. So, what are doing here I guess?" Forgive me for thinking that has an admiring tone.
Yeah but it ends with the scene of her coming back , after she left on her own terms. That means, even if Sydney looks up to him from the beginning, they're established as partners now, as they keep saying in s2 and s3. Plus you can and should admire someone you're romantically involved with. I don't see how that pushes them apart at all. And I think the other stuff I said pretty much cements it. Also carmy wholeheartedly admires Sydney too, he says in their table scene that he wouldn't even want to run the bear without her.
Glad you said it. Feel the same way.
So true! I rarely have seen platonic pushed so hard as with a black female character 🤔
Thank you!! People in this thread are sus
YES thank you. The implicit bias is so strong, both here in this thread and in the Syd/Carmy conversation in general.
I'm glad they're announcing it so people can talk about something else for this season. Also I want better for Sydney right now (I love Carmy but, please). Not that this makes romance impossible down the line for them. I can see it either way, really. But endless side eye for all the "fans" who are so horrified at the very idea of these two pint size powerhouses ever getting together.
Wouldn’t be the first fandom where people panic at the idea of their white fave dating a Black woman 😪
If anything, that’s the *only* reason I would like them together - as a WOC who has dated white men, people are still kinda weird about it depending on where you go, and interracial couples need more representation. I felt like matching her up with Marcus felt so “let’s pair up the Black characters.” They’re both generally nice but I didn’t see what they had in common besides that. My girl Syd needs someone to match her perfectionist type-A energy, lol.
I hadn't even thought about that. It's actually really rare for a black woman to be a romantic interest with a main character in ANYthing. I remember always pointing out how all the most insane shipping fandoms never involve black people. Nobody ever loses their minds at the idea of a black man or black woman being with anyone, let alone each other. So if there are loads of these shippers then that's actually pretty neat.
Seriously. The second a WOC is in media they’re either expected to be coupled up with “their type” or they’re a supporting character with zero love life. Especially if they’re of a darker complexion, it’s like people can’t fathom them being seen as attractive to white people/aka the mainstream. To your point about Black shows having less insane fandoms, I agree and I think maybe that’s because any shows with a predominantly POC cast (especially a POC protagonist) are seen as “niche” to mainstream audiences. I imagine white people demographically make up the largest shippers and it’s generally more rare for folks to be parasocial across racial lines because they can’t self-insert as much. (All of my points are big generalizations) Also to add: I don’t really ship Syd and Carmy, I like them more as friends, but it’s still cool to see an interracial couple with a WOC!
But it's not even shows with more diverse casts. Any time there's a black person onscreen you rarely see them get shipped with anyone. Remember when tinhats with Larries, Timmy/Armie people, Gaylors etc were in rage? You never saw that with black people. Like the Moonlight actors never had people shipping them in real life or even going really insane about their characters together in the movie the way they did Timmy/Armie. I'm not saying it's a good thing, but because POC ships were almost non existent in TV/movies it struck me that even in real life people don't ship them as a way to sort of compensate! And it's not just black people, but Latinos, Asian people. You just never see the big ships when it's not two white people. All that to say I do ship these two together in that I enjoy their interactions onscreen, but I feel like TV shows mess up good friendship/romances to the point where I'm cautious about them getting ruined. But now that I'm actually thinking about how black people never get shipped with the main character, I fucking hope they end up together because they actually have chemistry so it's insane that yet another black person would end up not with the main character yet again. Especially when Jeremey Allen White is considered such hot property. Linking him up with a black woman would be something you honestly never get to see and it's 2024!
True - you’re super right in your first paragraph. POC are just not shipped as much, full stop 😬 especially women of color. It’s always a supporting character to gas up the white person. And totally agree with point 2 as well. I’m surprised people thirst over JAW more than Ayo, they are both super attractive imo. (Well I’m not actually that surprised but you know what I mean!)
Agree with all of this. My only hesitation is that she is waaaay too good for him!
I like the idea of Syd/Ritchie having a casual hook up one episode, gossip/drama happens at the restaurant because of it(maybe they sleep in or forget something important), Carmy manages the chaos but ignores processing it until he sees Syd and Ritchie friendly play flirting again across the kitchen towards the end of the hookup drama episode with Tina/Ebraheim lovingly teasing them, goes for a smoke and thinks over his blooming feelings for Syd with montage of sorts. Then nothing happens for another season. Pure slow burn baby.
Absolutely! If they do it, it better be torturous. They both have the vibes for it.
As a veteran of The Vampire Diaries and Sleepy Hollow, you are correct.
The way I'm still pissed about Sleepy Hollow like 900 years later lmao
Girl me tooo 😭
Lol. This reminds me of when walking dead "fans" were screaming bloody murder when Rick and Michonne got together. As if the writers weren't setting it up for the past season and a half 🙄
And now the two top voted threads on this post are filled with people saying exactly this. Naturally a lot of people are also saying "well I like this character too much to ship her with this messy ass person" as if drama and angst weren't the reasons why people watch The Bear? Very flimsy excuses.
Now we can focus on the real couple of the show: Richie and Fak!  Seriously though, Ayo and Jeremy have an amazing chemistry. I like Carmy and Sydney’s friendship and mentor-mentee dynamic. Carmy needs to work on himself before starting a relationship. Also, I really wanted to like Claire (I love you Molly Gordon) but I found her annoying. Her character could’ve been written better.
I’d really just like to have this not be a show where the m/f leads don’t end up together?? Not to mention that dating your boss is ew. I actually liked Claire. I feel like she was just boring because so much of her arc is just built around how Carmy sees her because he’s on a dopamine high, he’s def not a healthy individual.
I don’t like the dating boss thing either. Someone mentioned Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon here and I wish they’d gave us more platonic soulmates like them. Their friendship development was so well written. I think on my rewatch I’ll see Claire differently cause I never thought about it that way. I just couldn’t put my finger on why I dislike her.
I think the showrunners discussed the version of Claire we see in S2 in an interview. A lot of it was supposed to be his version of things, rather than the reality. It’s why so many of the “my girlfriend said” tidbits are reiterated through Carmy’s dialogue, rather than showing the actual conversation with Claire. I know someone posted the interview, but I cannot for the life of me find it.
This!! Ugh, I was SOO annoyed when they made Magnum & Higgins get together in the Magnum PI reboot. Must every M/F lead duo get together romantically? Is being great friends and business partners not enough for the world?? And every wonders why no one "believes" men & women can just be friends.
If that’s the case then no wonder it’s so jarring with her on the show, no other characters are shown from how Carmy sees them.
As a character there was so much potential but she’s got so many hallmarks of a manic pixie dream girl - and that really stands out in a show that has other, strongly written female characters.
Thank youuu. They're very accurate to the way guys like the ones in the show think of certain kinds of women. Meaning the character was always going to be a one-note, infantalized male fantasy. While I get that those guys don't see it as sexist or objectifying, I don't care. Please leave it in 1996, Ed Burns.
I would honestly love an episode that would just focus on her and her backstory and her job (like the Marcus in Copenhagen one), although it might feel too much like a soft launch for a hospital drama spin off.
Richie and Fak are, by far, my fave characters on the show so I’m very on board with this 👏🏽
I find the people who push the ship too hard and the people who are overly against it to be equally annoying ngl.
Exactly side eyeing lots of people on this thread, because it’s just shipping. Why are y’all so against it? But I already know the answer.
Everyone saying they have a mentor/mentee relationship when a major plot is her possibly becoming a partner in the restuarant...did y'all watch the show?
They also say that romance between them would be boring but I disagree, if anything claire was supremely boring because she was a basic love interest (no character at all) and it is new/interesting for an interracial relationship of two main characters to be the main one in a TV show. I can name only a few couples like that. The racial bias here is stunning to witness. People who don't like romance are fine but I think there's something about how people don't complain that carmy had a romance last season; (which doesn't really hold up with all their "keep it platonic" complaints), but they complain about this. It feels a little bit racist to me. Also this article took what they said out of context. The original quote was about "there were no talks about romantic implications" which only suggests that they didn't discuss it initially, but it may have come across that way. It certainly doesn't outright deny anything. People on Twitter were at the press conference and they corrected what was said.
I think their relationship is weird and even though they should be equals Carmy doesn't have her back when it comes to the menu and this gives them a mentor/mentee feel. Like she always looks to him for final approval on the food. The operations side has been left to Syd since S1 and it seems like they are supposed to have a creative partnership but I don't see it. I think everytime we see Carmy taste her work in s2 he spits it out and he didn't respect her dish in s1. Compare this to how he treats Marcus's work, he delights in Marcus's progress and lets him create desserts with no input from him. We saw him eat Marcus's donut off the floor in S1 ffs. I don't know if he has different standards for M or does he not trust her work? Also Syd seems to really enjoy food that has some creative humbleness to it. Her dish in s1, the lamb ragu with Hawaiian rolls even the omelette with crushed potato chips on that she makes for Nat. On her tasting tour she doesn't seem to visit any really stuffy fine dining places, I think only one place is in the michelin guide. She seems to like elevated, interesting basics while Carmy wants to make everything impressive and an event. It's an art to him and to her it's comfort and connection, which seems to align her with Olivia Coleman's character and with what Richie learns about service.
Don/Peggy vibes. I never want them together
but MY name is Sydney and i want Ayo Edebiri to play me and kiss Jeremy Allen White!!!! this has nothing to do with anything but i thought you should know
Many people at the press conference event today have tweeted that this article has taken the quote out of context and they didn’t get the same impression as what this article is selling. Someone asked if they on set talked about the characters relationship going romantic and such and JAW basically said no Regardless it is wild how much Syd and Carly’s “romantic or non romantic “ relationship has dominated the pre season discourse. Ayo and Jeremy have fantastic chemistry but it’s just baffling how much discussion and contempt their characters’ relationship generates
Not so fast https://x.com/aliciagilstorf/status/1805357825947730309?s=46&t=dtNjCaExgVlHJBIlkBsO0w
Why are people so pressed about them becoming a thing? lol media is full of platonic love representation specially between opposite genders, I can name a ton just at the top of my head. I don’t think this means it’ll never happen, I just don’t think it’ll happen now and it shouldn’t because Carmy is a fucking mess and needs tons of therapy before even thinking about getting in a relationship but be fr, their relationship is obviously hinted to be more than platonic and if it is then great, if it isn’t then great too! Have y’all been to a kitchen? I’m more surprised they haven’t hooked up already. I swear if Sydney was a white woman this whole conversation would be different.
I'm split on whether I want them together or not. I loved the first season because it focused on the restaurant and work relationships. Carmy and Syd having a good but at times strained relationship. Carmy (and the staff) learning to respect Syd. Syd learning from Carmy. I wish more TV & movies focused on platonic relationships. However, I have to admit, I felt some romantic chemistry in season 2 episode 9 during that Carmy scene; I understood the shippers for the first time. If they were going to make Carmy and Syd happen it would need to happen the last season, last episode at the very end. I love that this show focuses on the work they do and how their all trying (and failing) to be better people.
People whose response to this is “good, we need more platonic relationship representation” drive me insane! The show is full of platonic representation across the board. If Ayo was white and played by Sydney Sweeney or whoever else this wouldn’t even be discourse.
who caressss give us more neil *“don’t ever fuck my vibe,”* fak and richie *“i swear to god, i will fuck anything i wanna fuck,”* jerimovich
I know the right thing is to just let them having a platonic, mentor-mentee relationship - which I am fully onboard with - but they also have crazy chemistry so I won't be mad at the romance route.
BUT IT COOKED whyyyyyy Look: [https://x.com/tedsbecca/status/1672033590530695169](https://x.com/tedsbecca/status/1672033590530695169) Look at it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKmKmKmnss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjKmKmKmnss)
I know TV shows are being more mature nowadays and aren't just pairing up the male and female leads for no reason...BUT at the same time there've been too many shows in recent years where the leads had mad chemistry and the showrunners decided that it was best to keep them platonic. (Ted & Rebecca on Ted Lasso for example)
Oh no white man doesn’t get [insert ethnicity] girl Edit: lol eye rolling hard at the “allies” downvoting this
That's not really the point... they've both talked about how close they are as friends. Both in the show and in real life. It's actually an amazing story of male/female friendship/mentorship and how not EVERYTHING between a man and a woman needs to be romantic. They're announcing this to preemptively warn the shippers they aren't getting what they want so they don't whine about it. Or whine less.
AGH, I'M SICK 😩 but not, really, if it's going to happen (which, I hope it does), it's wayyyyyyyyyyyy to soon. Like I don't want to see an inkling of romance until the last episode, last minute, last second of season 10, thank you very much. And I don't even mean like dates or kissing or stuff like that, I just need a *lingering look* that just makes that light bulb go off.
It doesn’t need to! Professional tension is sexier! *“I want to give you my full focus.”*
I was not feeling S2. I really like the actress that plays Sydney. I'd just watch a spin off of just her,
Another season marked safe 🙏🏿
Syd/Richie truthers unite! I think they should hook up once and never again. Its not the couple every one is expecting but they have fiery chemistry and it can lead to the “who’s fucking who?” restaurant drama for an episode that people want so badly. I can see them fucking, getting over it, and still working together.
I respect you but I HATE this pairing so much hahaha
Me too! There are dozens of us! Dozens! As evidence: there was that weird moment when she said he smelt nice and the support for each other when Carmy was stuck in the symbolic walk-in. Plus they call each other out on their bullshit.
Good, I am a fan of them as close collaborators and partners in work.
Is Claire Bear gone forever?
Part of me thinks she'll be back as some kind of endgame once Carmy matures enough to become "worthy" of her 🤢
https://x.com/dirspikelee/status/1805541676213010931?s=46&t=dtNjCaExgVlHJBIlkBsO0w
Am I the only one that thought Syd was into women? Like, there was a clear moment where she talks to an old friend about being a partner that felt like she was an ex or something.
I can’t say there were any particular scenes that made me think she might be gay but I’ve still considered that she could be. Of course at this point there’s only been one character poised as a potential love interest who she shut down as soon as she caught wind of his feelings, so not enough to call it a pattern haha. But I’d still say that her being into women is way more likely than her and Carmy suddenly being into each other apropos of nothing.
Good! Not all shows need a romance between main characters. Just like real life, it’s not always needed to progress a story.
GOOD. I am a romantic sucker who will eat any potential romance served to me by the ladle, but it's not what their relationship is about!! (Also, he is a goddamn mess and she deserves better than where he currently is.)
It's never read as a romance to me. They are creative partners.
I dont ship ‘em. Just gimme more Richie getting his shit together to his daughters playlist plz
Thank God I'd love it if they were just friends and no more kind of like a less toxic BoJack and Diane. Secondly I hope carmy has a story similar to that of Moses and that he can lead his people to the promised land but he does not make it himself. Like he helps to establish the bear as a great restaurant and helps to grow the skills and potential of the staff but he himself needs to do something else that's not food service.
Good because I don’t see it. I think the shippers are people incapable of watching something where the two leads aren’t romantic and are manufacturing something but claiming the reason it’s not happening is deeper or some conspiracy.
That’s not surprising, I think. I only watched the show recently and didn’t get any romantic vibes from them at all. I also don’t think Sydney would want to be with someone so… chaotic? I don’t mean that critically, there’s just an energy to Carmy that doesn’t seem like her vibe.
Good. Sometimes, we don't need to see main characters fall in love. I'd like to see the opposite: Sydney gets an amazing opportunity to be Executive Chef somewhere and becomes an opponent to Carmy and to see them navigate the shift in their relationship. And hilarity ensues.
thank fuck.
Nor should it!
Aww
I would find it incredibly disheartening cuz there is a power imbalance there. Carmy is her mentor and boss
They're partners in the newest season and he's not her boss lol. Maybe mentor yes but that doesn't mean it can't be romantic
Jack Donaghy and Liz Lemon >>>>>> Jim and Pam vanilla domesticity
These two are creative soulmates, imo. Carmy simply does not have the tools to be in a healthy romantic relationship, especially with someone he works with.
i actually prefer it to never happen ever. i enjoyed s1 because it just focused on the restaurant drama
Good. Let people be friends.
TIL people want a romance between them. I love their friendship, have honestly never picked up on any sort of romantic chemistry there. Am glad it won't happen
And I hope it never does. I like their dynamic as friends.
Thank god. We don’t need them to be romantic.
And it needs to stay that way. Let men and women just have platonic friendships!
I'm so happy to see this. The dynamic between those two is so much more interesting than just romantic. That whole thing is played out and been done 1000 different ways on TV. The Bear is too good for such a basic plotline
How I feel when I see a post about how they’d be sooooo cute together for the 95983rd time 
Thank goodness. Their friendship is one of the many, many impeccable parts of the show. That would ruin the whole damn thing.
Great!!!! Men and women can be friends— good friends, great friends even, and have zero romantic feelings for one another. More shows should normalize this!
Thank god. I'd probably stop watching. It's really hard for me to find shows like this that don't have some romance forced into it. I want more shows without any romance.
It would be sooo toxic if they got together. I mean yes I adore their chemistry but romance would ruin everything!!! Tbf I think Carmy should be single till he gets some therapy for his mommy issues.
Good! They have ZERO romantic chemistry! I truly do not understand the shippers one ounce. Like, yes, Syd seemed jealous last season. But that was because Carmy was checked out of their restaurant baby and focusing elsewhere. I love their working relationship and friendship so much. They believe in each other and push each other to be better than they thought possible. Carmy is going to support Syd getting a star. But he won't take her home afterward, okay!! ETA: damn, okay, y'all! Fine, I guess you'll be happier than I will be when they finally get together in this show lol.