SydCarmy and Subverting Romance

The highly acclaimed dramedy series from FX, The Bear, is back with a fourth season. And while the season currently has an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest from the series by a mile, there are still epic highs to the season. These moments are mainly thanks to the leading stars, Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Carmen Berzatto (Jermey Allen White). 

Credit: Variety

Fans have been speculating for seasons that Sydney and Carmy are being set up for a slow-burn romance. Unfortunately for us, both actors confirmed in a press conference that there were no plans for such a romantic arc between the two. Still, Season 4 did not stop fans from expressing their hope that the pair, dubbed “SydCarmy,” would get together. 

While the show intentionally blurs the lines between co-workers, friends, and romantic partners, the relationship between Sydney and Carmy offers emotional intimacy, mutual admiration, and undeniable tension, making their relationship a subversive exploration of modern love beyond traditional labels.

The beginning of the season featured more light-hearted interactions between the two characters, who were both busy supporting the show’s main setting, the restaurant “THE BEAR”. In these scenes, the audience was almost led to believe that the restaurant had a fighting chance, despite receiving a bad review in The Chicago Tribune, leaving the restaurant with only two months to demonstrate positive change. Sydney and Carmy make it a goal to get a Michelin star within those two months.

In Episode 2 of the season, entitled “Soubise,” Sydney tries to explain their agreement with local farmers to Carmy. Scenes like this show why the two characters are shipped together. Gen Z values their equal partnership and ability to understand each other’s goals. Their banter and interactions flow naturally, and the tension between them leaves viewers wanting more. 

One the other hand, there is the relationship between Carmy and Claire Dunlap (Molly Gordan). By the end of episode 3, entitled “Scallop”, fans on social media were clear about  their dislike for the character Claire. Carmy and Claire almost have a much-needed conversation to clarify their conflicts from the previous season, making it clear that the issue wasn’t that  Carmy can’t communicate at all with her. The two characters are meant to be the main romantic storyline on the show, but the writers have made Claire a leading issue in Carmy’s anxiety and riddled their relationship with miscommunication, so it’s hard to go along with it. Her scenes feel disingenuous and Claire’s entire character is dependent on her interactions with other characters. Claire is written one-dimensionally, we only see her through the eyes of others and leaves the audience with no emotional connection to her. 

The show suggests that Claire should be a source of peace for Carmy, but that is never shown on-screen. The conversations between Claire and Carmy are meant to be deep, but the set-up is awkward and Claire’s responses to Carmy’s personal issues are not fitting. The more their connection is shown on the show, the less believable it is.  And, while the other characters discuss how great Claire is, the audience rarely gets to see her outside of her relationship with Carmy. 

When you compare this relationship to the much more meaningful and subtle scenes that Carmy and Sydney share, it's understandable why an audience would want to see that explored, rather than giving Claire more scenes that take away from the main characters of the show.

Specifically the season finale, titled “Goodbye,” featured some of the best dialogue in the entire season. It was a long time coming for Sydney and Carmy to have an open conversation, after it was revealed that Carmy was going to be leaving the restaurant. The big argument between the two was 13-minute dialogue before Richie entered the room, adding fuel to the fire as he often does. 

Sydney feeling like Carmy was abandoning her, Carmy reassures her that he believes he is doing what is best for the restaurant, and tells her: “Any chance of any kind of good in this building, it started when you walked in, and any possibility of it surviving, it’s with you.” 

This raw and emotional scene between the two felt like a break up: it is the beginning of the end of their relationship and partnership. However, it is done in a way where the audience can engage with the two characters and see how emotionally connected they are. This is a stark difference to the earlier conversation between Carmy and Claire – here, Carmy is able to communicate exactly what he is feeling. 

Sydney knows that she doesn’t necessarily need Carmy, but still says he is “supposed to be there,” insisting that they are partners. Earlier in the season, Sydney rejects an opportunity to leave the restaurant to have a larger role at a new restaurant,  deciding to stay with Carmy because she sees a future with him and the restaurant. To Sydney, Carmy giving up the restaurant is the same as giving up on her and all that they’ve built together. 

So while there are arguments that these two are not written to be romantic, it is impossible to deny that most of their scenes together can generate romantic undertones. Specifically the moment in which Carmy lights Sydney’s cigarette in her mouth mid-argument, the relationship feels  intimate. And from the audience’s perspective, it isn’t unreasonable for audience members to interpret these types of scenes as inherently romantic c. 

Both Carmy and Sydney deal with a lot of internal struggle, their hesitance to name their feelings or get closer reflects how Gen Z, a generation shaped by uncertainty of the future, often approaches love with caution. Their relationship shows love as a space of emotional safety and mutual healing, which subverts the trope of love as the solution to their struggles, in the way that the Claire and Carmy subplot does.

Season 4 left a lot of issues open and in need of solving, so it’s a good thing that the show has been renewed for another season. Sydney and Carmy’s romantic tension will be a central conflict that Gen Z viewers look forward to in the next season.