Is it weird that despite Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri confirming there’s no Syd and Carmy romance in The Bear season 3, some of us are still holding on to hope?
Probably not. I mean, you’re talking to a Destiel shipper here. We’re good to stand firm by our ships and wait for as long as it takes to feel validated. But it is funny that the two lead actors of the award-winning FX dramedy had to actually spell it out. That’s how eagerly fans are waiting for their characters to get together.
But on the other hand, there are enough fans who’re okay with Sydney and Carmy staying platonic besties and/or workwives. On X, as soon as the news about White and Edebiri’s clarification dropped, several The Bear fans advocated for more platonic friendships on screen and hoped Syd and Carmy’s relationship wouldn’t get shoehorned into a romantic one simply because some fans have interpreted it as such.
Is the Syd and Carmy ship a figment of fan imagination or something more?
There have been breadcrumbs, my friend!
You know that internet phrase, “Be his/her peace”? Well, since The Bear season 1, Sydney has been positioned as the buoy that Carmy holds on to when it gets too stormy or chaotic inside his head. This becomes most obvious after season 2, episode 9, “Omelette,” when Carmy has a panic attack, and conjuring up an image of Syd helps him relax. She does bring a sort of calm to his life, steadying him, and also makes him want to not fall back into the toxic patterns that he picked up from his family and his old workplace.
Sydney is perhaps in many ways filling the void his brother Michael left, but in a much healthier way. He can rely on her because she straddles both worlds—the fancy kitchens and a hot mess like The Bear—just like Carmy does. I think the first time I remember watching Carmy smile or laugh a little in season 1 is when he’s smoking outside with Syd and she makes that “brunch service” joke.
Carmy, in turn, challenges Syd. He makes her want to be a part of something that could succeed, which Syd needed after she somewhat lost faith in herself after her past failures. Working in his kitchen, you also see Syd grow aware of what she wants for herself, what she deserves, and how to speak up and ask for it. She calls out Carmy for losing focus because she’s now leaning on him to not fall back, so close to the first of many finishing lines in their plan. They both keep each other honest.
And then, of course, there’s the creative and sexual chemistry between the two, most potent during the scenes where they’re trying out recipes for the new menu, and in the highly quoted “under the table” scene. The vulnerability on full display between the two, the fact that there’s some figurative “screwing” happening under that table while they’re baring their feelings, and Syd apologizing for being jealous of Carmy’s attention for Claire …
I know that Jeremy Allen White has talked about this scene and called it a “partnership” and “nothing romantic,” between Carmy and Syd. But would it be so bad if they did get together? Their partnership at work, which is pretty much their life, too, would translate beautifully into a relationship that’s full of compatibility, mutual respect, and love. After all, some of the best relationships are based in friendship.
I am okay with not getting a Syd and Carmy romance … for now
I, for one, totally ship Syd and Carmy. Neither am I a big advocate for “more platonic relationships on screen,” because, erm … I think there are many. I’d love a good, healthy workplace romance instead, where the drama comes from other things, and not the romance itself. Besides, why deny such good sexual chemistry between the lead pair?
That being said, I have my reasons for supporting the platonic argument—for now, at least.
The Bear is one growing baby, folks. (I mean the restaurant.) And it needs Mommy and Daddy to give all their attention to it, without any distractions. Carmy’s already gotten a lecture from Uncle Jimmy and Syd about not getting distracted and messing up this big opportunity. And he’d do well to heed it. With every other member of their team upping their game, we can’t afford to have these two get on the back foot, now, can we?
Which is why I am okay with it if we don’t get a Syd and Carmy romance right away, and the slow burn burns low a little longer before going full-on inferno. These two characters still have a few individual issues to overcome before they can come together in a healthy way that won’t jeopardize their baby, the restaurant. I don’t want the show to go anywhere near a divorce arc where things get awkward in the kitchen.
So, go ahead, Bear, let it rip. I’ll be here waiting, writing Syd + Carmy = Endgame in glaze on the serving dish, ‘kay?
