THE BEAR Co-Showrunner Thought About Having Carmy and Sydney Hook Up
The Bear is one of the best shows on TV right now. With its second season having just finished airing, fans are stoked for where the series is headed, and with awards season heading our way, it’s only a matter of time before the show is lauded with all the recognition it deserves. The impeccable cast portrays a group of very real-feeling people with trauma and scars, beauty and talent, and a drive to make a successful restaurant with really good food.
One storyline driving the fans has been the possibility of a romance between the show’s main characters, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, played by Jeremy Allen White, and his restaurant partner Sydney Adamu, played by Ayo Edebiri. I don’t get this at all. I felt a little of the tension and a touch of will they or won’t they in an episode or two, but their drive to make this restaurant work and their love of the job is what connects them. It’s not romantic, and a romance would totally destroy them!
The show’s co-showrunner, director and writer, Joanna Calo, did consider the idea early on in making the series, but said even she was surprised by the viewers’ reaction in wanting them to get together, telling THR:
It really surprised me. And I will say, at one point, very early on, I was like, “Maybe they do hook up.” And Chris was like, “No!” (Laughs.) And he was totally right, but I think what I was getting at was that these relationships are complicated. I’ve heard people use the term “work wife” — there are relationships in our lives that have all different meanings, and we sometimes really rush to characterize everything very cleanly and there’s something beautiful about acknowledging how messy our lives really are and just how enmeshed so many of our relationships are.
It is unusual to see two people on a show who have a common goal, are entrenched in a highly stressful situation, and are both young and attractive, and you’re not rooting for them to get together. I know it’s a weird place to be in, but I love that it’s a relationship beyond a romance. It treads into weird territory, like when Sydney was jealous this season. But she wasn’t jealous because Carmy was in a relationship, she just wanted his time, as she was feeling uneasy about their partnership and his dedication to this next huge step. And he is so incredibly good-looking with his bright blue eyes and sign-language “sorry,” it feels like she should fall for him, but I’m rooting for her to realize that Marcus (Lionel Boyce) is really into her, and for her to reciprocate that.
The Bear seasons one and two are available to stream on Hulu. Stay tuned for news of season 3.