Summary
The Bearstars Jeremy Allen White and Abby Elliott explain the season 3 premiere’s Carmy and Sugar flashback. The FX series is back with new episodes, continuing to chronicle the young chef, Carmy, who returns to his hometown of Chicago to take over his late brother’s Italian beef sandwich shop, which he transforms into a fine-dining restaurant.The Bearcastincludes White as Carmy and Elliott as his sister Natalie, nicknamed Sugar, who takes on an active role in managing the restaurant.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter,White and Elliot explained the heartfelt flashback between Carmy and Sugar inThe Bearseason 3 premiere. The actress explains how the scene represents Sugar struggling with fear of abandonment, while White explains how Carmy is unable to empathize with his sister, which is something he’s trying to improve on in the present. Read their full explanations below:
Elliot: Sugar is so desperate for Carmy to stay and not abandon her. That level of abandonment, which I knew was always there… she missed her brother so much, starting in episode one — but there’s this level of: He’s really leaving me here with these people. She loves Mikey (Jon Bernthal), but she’s seeing his spiral [which leads to his death by suicide]. It’s very apparent she’s just going to call him and call him and he might not pick up — and she knows that, and that’s so scary for her. The fear is a new thing for Natalie.
White: He has a hard time communicating. He has a hard time understanding other people’s experiences. I don’t think at all times, or at any time really, he’s meaning to be hurtful in the way he exists. But I do think in this season, there is this realization, specifically with Sugar and Carm, that they did have this shared experience. They grew up in the same place. Carmy ran, and Sugar stayed. Carmy is starting to make room for others’ experiences and really see and listen to other people for the first time.
The Bear Season 3 Premiere’s Carmy & Sugar Flashback Explained
The Scene Adds Context To The Siblings' Relationship
FollowingThe Bearseason 2 ending, which saw Carmy suffer a meltdown while trapped inside the walk-in refrigerator during the restaurant’s soft opening,the season 3 premiere acts as a meditative exploration of Carmy’s past. The episodes largely flashes back to his time working for renowned chefs at some of the best restaurants in the world. There are also flashbacks to Carmy’s family life, including his Christmas trip home as seen in the season 2 episode “Fishes” and Mikey’s funeral, which Carmy watches from his car but does not attend.
The Bearseason 3 episode 1also flashes back to a poignant moment before Carmy departs for New York to begin the next phase of his career. At the O’Hare airport in Chicago, Sugar sees him off, and she is apprehensive about him leaving and, in a bout of desperation, begs him to say.Sugar is especially afraid of being left alone with their dysfunctional family and, especially Mikey, seeing his downward spiral that eventually leads to his suicide. The flashbacks also reveal the moment that Sugar calls Carmy to inform him that Mikey is dead.
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On the other hand,Carmy is hyperfocused on his culinary career and is unable to empathize with Sugar, a personality trait that often causes Carmy to unintentionally hurt those closest to him. However, this is something that Carmy is trying to improve on in the present. Though he previously ran away from family and shared background with Sugar, Carmy is now beginning to acknowledge and understand her experience, representing significant character growth.The Bearseason 3 premiere’s Carmy and Sugar flashback doesn’t necessarily reveal anything new, though it does provide important context for the siblings' relationship.
