'The Bear's Carmy and Sydney Dont Need To Be a Couple

The Big Picture

• Carmy and Sydney's relationship in The Bear doesn't need to be romantic, as Season 2 focuses on their growth as business partners and friends.
• As they navigate opening a restaurant together, they grow closer and establish trust.
• Making Carmy and Sydney a couple would be a lazy development in The Bear . Their individual journeys are distinct, and the show highlights healthy working relationships between men and women without needing to turn them into couples.

We waitied a long time for it, but Season 2 of The Bear did not disappoint, giving us lots more of our favorite kitchen drama and—this time—romance. But while some may have been expecting to see Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) getting involved with each other romantically, that's not really what we get. With the introduction of Claire (Molly Gordon), Carmy finally gets some happy moments before that great Season 2 ending, but, with Sydney, things are very well-defined: they're business partners and friends, and neither of them even consider becoming more than that. That's great for the show, but some viewers may have expected something a bit different.

Season 1 of The Bear ends with Carmy and Sydney establishing a business partnership and deciding to close The Beef, the scrappy old joint that Carmy's older brother Mikey Berzatto (Jon Bernthal) left him, to open a new restaurant named The Bear. Shortly earlier, though, tensions were high between the two and the staff at the restaurant, which only settled after a letter left by Mikey to Carmy pointed him in the direction of the money he kept in tomato sauce cans. So, for Season 2, Carmy and Sydney were definitely bound to straighten up their bond, but that doesn't mean it should grow into anything romantic at all—especially not in Season 3.

The Bear

Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.

Carmy and Sydney’s Relationship Doesn’t Need To Be Romantic in 'The Bear'

While Season 1 of The Bear focuses mostly on the reasons behind Carmy's grief, Season 2 begins to explore how he could grow past it, and Sydney is one of the most important parts of his life in that sense. Every relationship and character in the series is fleshed out in Season 2, and theirs goes from being one of mentorship to one of equal partnership; the series doesn't make a single move in a romantic direction, which only makes both of them richer as characters.

Character relationships are what drive the story forward in The Bear, and it's only natural that Carmy and Sydney's relationship takes center stage as the show goes on. From what we saw in Season 1, they certainly have taken it to the next level by opening a restaurant together, and that comes with a ton of positive changes. They're both attempting to grow closer to one another and establish a relationship of trust by openly asking personal questions, teasing each other, and cooking together. They even develop their own ways of communicating, with the "I'm sorry" gesture that Carmy introduces as a way of letting each other know that their arguments are not personal, only professional.

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That's the natural flow of things, especially because their line of work is a deeply personal one. Cooking for someone is one of the most personal gestures there is, and The Bear makes a point of using this to the max (remember when Sydney makes an omelet for Abby Elliott's Sugar?). If the dynamic between the owners of a restaurant isn't good, it's going to be reflected in the meals they serve; it's not about being in sync in the kitchen, but rather about taking on a shared approach to leadership, something that requires them to be in sync with each other.

A Carmy-Syndey Romance in 'The Bear' Is Too Easy

It's easy to think that having this kind of glimpse into another person's thoughts and feelings the way that Carmy and Sydney do could lead to romance. Most of the time, it's not even wrong to assume that. However, this isn't what either of them display towards each other. When Carmy takes Sydney to create the chaos menu in his apartment, for example, the look in her eyes is nothing more than surprise at finding out that a renowned chef could be as messy as him (he uses his oven as drawers!). When they have their conversation under the table before the opening night of The Bear, it's the same feeling: they're being honest about who they are to each other and who they want to be—sans the romance, though.

It's almost impossible not to root for Carmy at this point, as we've seen how much he's struggled with Mikey's loss and all his efforts in trying to keep The Beef afloat. We've also seen how much Sydney has changed his life for the better. The two are truly a solid pair in Season 2, constantly pushing each other forward in ways that only they can. Making them a couple, however, would betray that and be a rather lazy development for the series. Sure, The Bear would be giving quite a chunk of the audience what they've been begging for since the beginning of the series, but giving in to what the audience wants is rarely the best move for a series.

'The Bear's Characters Have Always Had Dynamic Relationships

The Bear manages to portray working relationships between co-workers without any hints of romance. Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) and Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) attend chef school together, but there's no shipping from anyone. That's because two people can healthily coexist in any kind of environment (especially work) without there necessarily being other intentions. Of course, relationships at work can evolve into something romantic, and that's what could be happening with Sydney and Marcus (Lionel Boyce).

Carmy and Sydney's individual journeys are nothing alike, and were it not for the restaurant, they probably would never have met. Carmy is a depressed yet successful chef who's trying to get his life in order, while Sydney is a rising star in the field. Carmy already has most of the experience that Sydney is still developing, but he still lacks the balance and maturity that she has. When Claire is introduced to the staff of the restaurant, everyone is curious to see how Sydney will react—not because of jealousy, but because she's working hard at building their business, and personal developments in Carmy's life can get in the way of the restaurant.

Making Carmy and Sydney a couple would betray the very principle of The Bear, which is to explore how people can move on after experiencing trauma, both individually and collectively. If somehow they do end up as a couple later on in the series, it would require much more development than simply being two people who work together, and it shouldn't take away from their individual growth. With Season 3 on the way, it's anyone's guess whether the two will be romantically paired up, but here's hoping that The Bear will stick to its roots and keep things heated in the kitchen only.

The Bear is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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