One of the few things I peeked at about season two of The Bear before devouring the newest 10 episodes was discourse on shipping. The politics of shipping, antishippers, what your ships say about you and larger society, and more involves a lot of stuff I’m not interested in rehashing because this will happen again with another show before you can say “Yes, Chef!” Instead of wading into that discourse, let’s get into fun ships from The Bear. (By doing this, I guess I do signal that I’m not against shipping, which is taking a side, but I digress.)
For the uninitiated, “shipping” is the desire to see two characters in a work of fiction have a sexual and/or romantic relationship. These ships from The Bear will be mostly in most-loved to least-loved order and take the actual plot into consideration somewhat—only enough to ground us, because honestly, who knows what can happen in an episode or two? I started writing this article when I was six episodes into season two, and lots has changed by the end, so I couldn’t do this without a spoiler. Be warned! We’re doing it live!
**Spoilers for Season 2 of The Bear ahead.**
Sydney and Marcus
Who are we kidding? This is in everyone’s top two favorite ships. (Until that episode, at least.) Just like our main character, Carmen (Jeremy Allen White), these two are brimming with excitement and eagerness to prove themselves. Ayo Edebiri‘s Sydney and Lionel Boyce‘s Marcus have One True Pair energy. This was evident throughout season one, but I loved her FaceTime with him while he was training in Amsterdam during season two.
All that said, yeah, the final episode of season two was rough to watch for a number of reasons. Marcus shooting his shot and Sydney saying no wasn’t even the worst part of their whole tension. It was him confronting her when she was trying to lead the kitchen for the rehearsal night. Marcus should have waited until after the night to ask her out, even if that meant waiting a long time because he likely had devastating news coming. Of everyone in the kitchen, he can be the most socially awkward, and everything was high stakes/stressful, so him wanting to nip that weirdness in the bud makes sense.
I’m hoping that things between these two get resolved in season three. If not an actual relationship, then a friendship once more.
Fak and Richie
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. There’s a suggestion of a little something more than old bros there in season one. However, in season two, they’re on the brink of ripping off each other’s clothes. The desire is palpable. The latest season has them butting heads like an older couple consistently, as the restaurant goes through its renovations. It’s very easy to swap out “restaurant” with “the house” if you are so inclined. Do you see it now?
After episode seven, I was very afraid that Fak was going to see Richie as a changed man and take it as a rejection of their relationship—a “sell out” if you will. Instead, like everyone else, Fak supported him. The scene of them straightening up in the mirror during the finale? Yes they put that scene in for me and all other Fak x Richie shippers, specifically.
Carmy and Sydney
I’m obligated to acknowledge this because I know people are rooting for this. It’s part of our compulsory indoctrination to ship the main women and men leads. Their relationship is probably among the most intimate in the show, as they come closest to understanding what the other is feeling. They seem like best friends who deeply respect each other. We need more (hot) platonic, different-gendered single people in friendships on screen.
However, I wouldn’t mind this entanglement if and only if it slowly built up over several seasons. (Though don’t hold your breath.) I’m saying this as a person that loved season one so much that I wouldn’t have hated for it to be a mini-series. If Syndey and Marcus don’t work, I’d fight for this pairing. Regardless of my inclination to entertain this ship, the “this isn’t Netflix” response from a naysayer to this romance has not left my mind for days. Even as someone in a similarly aligned 10+ year relationship and childhood, I feel this tweet.
Hot Cross Buns
Shout out to fellow TMS writer Rachel Leishman for introducing me to this idea. All she had to say was “Marcus and Luca the Dutch pastry chef,” with no explanation, for me to see the vision.
It’s not just the fact that they’re both unbelievably attractive. That’s most of this list. It’s that they both bring out the best in one another. Marcus obviously gets better at his craft and gets the closest thing to formal training ever. Luca (Will Poulter) is so vulnerable with him and is able to balance that with the directness required to push Marcus. This is the closest I will get to shipping someone in a mentor and mentee type of role. My headcanon says they hooked up once and were totally cool with staying in touch afterward, as culinary peers.
Carmy and the new girl (Claire)
Despite being the only couple in this list at some point in time, this is the relationship I’m most iffy about. Claire’s writing is among the weakest, and she gives off a little bit of Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibes. The cousins fill in the backstory about her a bit, but it doesn’t help that they aren’t exactly honest or able to read the room. Knowing she is basically a doctor and used to be bigger (what ever that means) isn’t enough information. However, there’s a long list of reasons I’m rooting for this.
Firstly, Carmy can’t catch a freaking break, and he is so happy with her—so much that he thinks it’s going to go bad at any second and seriously can’t bear more pain. Secondly, regardless of her Nepo Baby status, Molly Gordon is a talented actress. Shiva Baby and Booksmart are among my favorite movies of the last decade. Even if she were a bad guy, I would be there rooting for her character. Finally, I’m a sucker for the childhood crush sort of relationship.
(featured image: Hulu)
