I laughed out loud when I saw the description for season two’s penultimate installment on Hulu: Carmy thinks about apologizing That just sums up this season, doesn’t it? Navel-gazing followed by more navel-gazing. Look, some of the greatest TV episodes in history have been all introspection with very little plot; itself made a delicacy of it in last year’s “Honeydew.” But watching Carm (and Sydney and Richie and Marcus and the friggin’ ) dwell on the same stuff for an entire season without making any moves isn’t just unsatisfying, it’s boring.
I’m not saying I need to see these people make choices; I just want them to make any choices at all. There are two apologies on the table here: The one Carmy owes to Claire in regards to being a toxic boyfriend, and the one he owes to Sydney in regards to being a toxic coworker. While his ex doesn’t end up hearing from him, his business partner does.
One night after closing, as he’s fussing with a gorgeous plate of food that no one will ever get to try, Carm acknowledges that he’s why the vibes are terrible. When Syd tells him it’s hard to keep up with him, he assumes she’s talking about their relative skill level and not about the way he’s driving himself into the ground. It’s the perfect moment to drop the news that she’s leaving The Bear to CDC at Adam Shapiro’s new restaurant.
Yet when she sees the profound exhaustion and sadness in those big blue Berzatto eyes, she puts it off again. (If you want.