so insane of jaw and ayo to say that this season had no sydcarmy romantic implications when the very first episode we learn that the best dish sydney ever had was the first dish carmy ever put out that was entirely his. like yeah okay you’re right that’s not an implication thats a bullet to my head is what it is
going from them always being on the same wavelength with food and literally finishing each other’s sentences to this like jesus christ that just broke my heart
Wait, so what was the best one? Best what? Best meal you ever had. Yeah, it was, it was Carmy's.
THE BEAR (3.01)
yes im having conflicting thoughts abt the bear s3 just like everyone else and their mothers and no i dont think that sydcarmy can exist as they are now BUT to be loved is to be known and sydney literally reprinted the tickets with wider margins solely because she noticed and knows that carmy likes to write in them. so. tell me how i’m supposed to jump ship when such a simple moment says so much about how good they can be?????
saw some discussion about how the message of s2 seems to go against s1 in that s1 was about the toxicity of the fine dining industry as a whole while s2 undoes all of that work, and id just like to write down some thoughts about that.
it definitely is true that the fine dining experience for many a chef sucks ass. this is perfectly portrayed in carmy, who is a ball of anxiety due to chef jeff winger (and his family but thats a different conversation for a different day), and sydney, whose trauma from her catering business and the to-go order debacle serve as the root of her debilitating fear of failure. but despite all of that, the ptsd the panic attacks the health issues the lack of a social life, they still love food. every chef at the beef/the bear does. you can see it in the way that tina is genuinely excited to hone her skills, the way sydney delights in making the simplest dish for a friend in need, and in the way carmy tries so hard to not fuck everything up. even richie, loud crude shithead richie, finds purpose as a server/host.
so while there is so much to be said about how the restaurant represents carmys past, that isnt the main social commentary of s2, and neither is the sentiment of “fine dining is the standard.” where s1 exposed all of the dark nooks and crannies hidden inside of a restaurant, s2 serves to remind us what a restaurant is supposed to be about, that it is so much more than what the industry has twisted chewed and spit it out to be. to work in a restaurant is to put your blood sweat and tears into pots and pans, put it on a plate, and then give it to someone. plain and simple. it is the oldest act of service, and is exactly what richie comes to respect in ep7, where chef terry tells him something along the lines of how she wants people to see all the work that went into one dish just to make them happy because it makes them feel special and people should be able to have that experience. to be a chef, to be a server, and to be a part of all of the work that goes into making and sharing a meal, is to love.
ultimately, the overarching plot of changing the beef into the bear is not saying that simple sandwich shops made by regular people arent good enough. season 2 is a reminder that as dark as the fine dining industry can be, if you go into it with an actual love for the craft, an aptitude for service, and remember that everyone is a human being before they are an employee, working in a restaurant can be beautiful.
tldr: the “deep” social commentary of s2 is that capitalism and competition ruins food service by turning it into something horrible when its supposed to be about showing and receiving love through a good meal. the end.
