[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Bear Season 3, Episode 10, “Forever.”]
The Bear‘s third season may not have delivered the SydCarmy storyline some fans were rooting for, but it did serve up another delectable option in the form of Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) and Luca’s (Will Poulter) blossoming connection.
Admittedly, when watching this series, I’ve never seen the bonds between characters as romantic. Sure, there’s a definite connection between cooks Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney, but perhaps it’s more about culinary soulmate-ism than actual romantic potential. I even predicted that the series might venture into less romantic and more convenient avenues for possible shock value, but my perspective shifted a bit in the third season’s finale episode, “Forever.”
During the installment which saw Carmy, Sydney, and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) attend the “funeral” for Chef Terry’s (Olivia Colman) restaurant, Ever, several other chefs were featured, including Luca, who makes his first appearance stateside after his Season 2 introduction during Marcus’s (Lionel Boyce) apprenticeship in Copenhagen.
As the evening unfolds, Sydney and Luca find themselves in the kitchen chatting over a drink about their personal lives. The banter and buzz between them—including awkward smiles and shy glances—is palpable through the screen, delivering a strong romantic vibe, particularly when Sydney asks Luca how long he plans to stick around Chicago.
Luca’s reveal that he’ll be around for a few months suggests that there’s room to further explore this surface connection between him and Sydney to build something deeper, and I’m all for it! Yes, Sydney and Carmy have a definite bond, but Sydney deserves to explore some carefree connections outside of The Bear kitchen, which has provided her with more stress than anything else in Season 3.
Carmy spent most of Season 3 hung up on Claire (Molly Gordon), whom he has yet to apologize to for his comments made in the fridge at the end of Season 2. Whether Carmy sees his connection with Sydney as romantic or not, we doubt he’ll make such a revelation anytime soon, meaning there’s no point in having Sydney wait around if there’s a chance she might find some reprieve from her stressful situation with Luca.
Again, it must be reiterated that I’ve never seen The Bear as a show that would focus on romances, but there’s something so appealing about the idea of Luca and Sydney. Among the pros of such a romance is the fact that Luca is seemingly unproblematic in his approach to the kitchen. He doesn’t wield his knowledge with the same iron fist Carmy had been throwing around this season, which suggests his personal life might be a little less complicated.
Luca’s lack of connection to most of The Bear team allows for an outlet outside of work that Sydney can vent to and discuss her inner conflicts with, particularly her dilemma surrounding whether or not she’ll leave the restaurant to pursue a new opportunity. Additionally, the two make an adorably cute pair. How could you not root for such a positive romantic pairing?
When it comes to whether these two should or shouldn’t pursue some kind of relationship, I stand with the former. But how do you feel about the possibility?
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