I want the world for Syd. She came in and elevated everything. Just the progression of her relationship with Tina did it for me. Syd was able to earn the respect of someone who was so set in their ways. The scene where Tina is expecting Syd to diss her potatoes but she praises them instead actually made me tear up. You could see how much Tina had grown to respect Syd's knowledge & opinion in such a short period of time. It was beautiful. I also loved that Richie was the first to break the tension when Syd came back "Syd, quit effing around & get a can opener!" accepting her back & letting both she & Carmy keep their pride intact. That was perfect 🥹
The more you think about it the more you realise Sydney was probably lying about her dad liking the Beef. 1) She says it was his favourite spot, and we never see him mentioning it with her even in scenes with just the 2 of them. In season 2, at friends and family night, it's really not obvious he's been here before and he doesn't show any sign of remembrance. 2) Carmy mentions at one point that Mikey used to make braciole every Sunday. That would mean the place wouldnt be open then? So why would Sydney's dad "come here every Sunday"? Add to this JAW and Ayo's sublime acting. You can tell in Sydney's expression that she's making something up on the spot. JAW's acting is so subtle, layered, precise. He brings so much with just a look, you can actually see Carmy's train of thought: - 0:05 wow she is so pretty, what is this gorgeous woman doing here (looks like he forgot he was expecting someone named Sydney, he even forgets what UPS means) - 0:45 ok so now she's straight up lying to me, interesting - 1:15 oh she knows me, that makes more sense - I guess I'm flattered but also I'm no shit lol. Let's see what she can bring to the table I love this show so much. It's full of spot on human interactions and layered moments that make later scenes even more powerful (hello table scene).
Sydney is one of my comfort characters like I love how real she is, like its nice to see an unambiguous awkward black women portrayed on screen (flaws and all), and Ayo plays her so perfectly!!!
No wonder Carmy is crushing on Sydney. Wut. Y'all know it's true. She's the game-changer. She has mad culinary/artistic genius to match Carmy's. And she's all of that. He knows it. We know it. The world knows it. And she's on his mind. That shot of him looking at her--the mighty, brilliant, mercurial Carney conceding, surrendering, proposing partnership ...in THEIR restaurant...with that stunned, absolute realization that Sydney is the game changer in the life of The Bear -- which is Carmey himself Jess Sayen'
Fun Fact. The actor playing Sydney's father, Robert Townsend gathered together some big-name stars to direct and star in the comedy/action 1993 movie The Meteor Man. One of the stars was the great James Earl Jones.
