Has anyone mentioned that this sequence is akin to the horror genre? At the beginning of the episode, 13 Ghosts by Nine Inch Nails is played. (The last time we heard NIN was the love scene with Claire and Carmy.) The Faks in the next scene talk about a haunting, and Carmy eerily stares at the plate and the Tuesday surprise before going in the walk-in to think about Claire, punishing himself for almost allowing Claire to haunt him instead of just ending it.
But with the transition and the camera angle, as we transition to Sydney, the music still plays, and because Carmy won't let things go to rest that doesn't serve him, Sydney is being haunted by the same people.
You know I’ve been rewatching one of my other favorite shows of all time, The Haunting of Hill House, and I actually DO see so many parallels between it & The Bear. And I mean that in the best, most flattering way. I’ve been thinking about making a meta about it honestly.
Hill House, the TV show and the book honestly, used horror to tell a love story. The analogies were about how a marriage can be like a haunted house. How grief can be like a ghost. And I see so many threads that are mirrored in The Bear, it’s always played with the idea that grief can haunt you, can destroy you even.
So it makes sense The Bear would also play with the idea that what seems to be Love on its face, is revealed to be horrifying, damaging, hurtful even. Harmful. Especially with the idea Claire, has shades of Donna in her characterization. What’s more horrifying than realizing your mommy issues led you to fuck a woman who reminds you of your mom?! 😬 Nightmare fuel my good man!
But Hill House also played with how trauma and grief can basically consume a whole family. Just like this haunt is consuming The Bear. Syd is suffering, so Carmy has to cut off the haunt so it can’t feed anymore!
Omg so I thought of Haunting of Hill House when I watched this!!! Because Claire reminded me of this image...
So that means we're onto something also how both shows tell about dysfunction and addiction. Need to rewatch that show. So good your opinion of this haunting.