#chris storer

[mod-doodles]

As a wise man once said

‘Whole Team Eating’

#the bear #sydcarmy #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #richie jerimovich #we up #chris storer #award season sweeps #ayo edebiri #jeremy allen white #crying with Quinta

[whenmemorydies]

Preliminary thoughts on The Bear, race, power and privilege

I’m a non-Black woman of colour who has spent all of my life in the west…so I’ve consumed a lot of television media that is produced by and for the white gaze. The most obvious way that gaze plays out is when people of colour are non-existent in a cast, or when they are included, are tokenistic, bit players.

A more insidious manifestation is where POC are cast to play parts that could just as easily be played by white folks: characters that have no interiority or external relationships related to their cultural identities, wider communities or individual or collective histories (for example, Mindy in The Mindy Project for most of its run, or the characters of colour in Season 1 of Bridgerton).

I've had some thoughts about how The Bear (thankfully) avoids tokenistic and "colour-blind" representation. I also have some thoughts about how the show models meaningful allyship. I'm so keen to discuss this with folks and hear what others think about it too.

Unambiguous and unapologetic

The Bear is confined in its universe, particularly in season 1 where it’s focus is tightly bound to the physical location of The Beef as the setting for almost every scene. Episodes of The Bear are generally not very long, so time is precious (every second really does count). These factors necessarily limit how deep we can get into each character. But the show is so good at drawing on different means of communication: images, lighting, score, soundtrack, phrasing, callbacks to previous episodes, other cultural references etc, that each episode is like a jewellery box with gems waiting to be unpacked and pored over. I've said that I have started reading this show like a tarot deck because of how rich the symbolism in each episode is.

So despite the constraints of time and setting, characters of colour in this show are also so very rich in their realisation and portrayal. These characters are unambiguously and - this is important - unapologetically racialised: through language (see: Tina’s use - and occasional weaponisation lmao - of Spanish), physical appearance (see: Sydney’s two-tone braids and her stunning, prolific collection of headscarves throughout the show), culturally distinct names (see: Sydney Adamu, Ebraheim, Tina Marrero, etc), food (see: Carmy’s peace offering to Syd in ep 1x03 of Ebra’s family chicken suqaar - a popular dish in the latter character’s birth country of Somalia), etc.

GIF by @chefkids

These may seem like small and inconsequential details to some. In fact I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary from folks online saying that what they like about The Bear is that race isn’t mentioned at all on the show. But make no mistake: race is all over this thing. The examples I've given are only some of the many references to racialised histories and cultures that build out the broader fabric of multicultural Chicago here.

What is not present in The Bear is a script that is wasting time explaining the characters of colour and their rich inner and outer lives to white folks. Those things are just a given and we are invited to witness them being brought to vivid life by this cast and crew. And I am fucking here for it.

Respect and allyship

Another thing I LOVE about this show is the respect given to, and the recognition of, the experience, talent, drive and ambition of its characters of colour.

This is most obvious in the relationship between Syd and Carmy who are signalled as complementary equals in many ways. Others have written on the importance of the representation embodied by Sydney’s character and you should search out that analyses, especially when its authored by Black women. The only other thing I’d say about it is that I love Sydney’s character and I also love endgame Sydcarmy (even if it’s only hinted at in the last second of the last frame of the last ever episode lmao…I will take whatever I can get of these two 😭).

I also see the show’s respect and recognition manifest in The Bear's investment in its staff, particularly in season 2. Everyone who worked at The Beef has a role at The Bear and Carmy, Syd and Nat fund the ongoing training and upskilling of their largely racialised staff to make sure this happens. Ebra and Tina are paid to attend culinary school (Carmy also gives Tina his prized knife for her studies and beyond). Marcus is sent to stage in Copenhagen to develop his skills as a patissier. And then we have The Bear itself - what started as Carmy and Michael’s vision, is now the whole team’s baby, with Sydney literally being made the captain of the ship by Carmy at the end of ep 2x09.

GIF by @savagegood

Part of what was so tragic about Carmy's fridge spiral at the end of season 2 was that he didn't get to see how beautifully the team came through in a crisis. Instead we had him internalising, regressing and lamenting how he had let everyone down. This language centred Carmy as the be all and end all of The Bear (saviour vibes) when this couldn't have been further from the truth (particularly in a season where the man spent so much of his time not in the restaurant but chasing manic pixie no-last-name-having Claire....but I digress).

Carmy is his best when he checks his ego, takes a step back and realises that he is not alone. He is part of a whole chosen family supporting one another at The Bear. And I get the sense that the folks creating this show know that we need more white folks using their power and privilege to step back and facilitate access, and less gatekeeping white saviours taking credit where its not due.

After all, and paraphrasing Viola Davis, the only thing that separates people of colour from anyone else, is opportunity.

12/04/24 Note: I’ve amended this post because I forgot to mention the most pivotal example of Sydney along with her relationship with Carmy. Also made some slight stylistic changes to phrasing cos i fixate on errors lol

#the bear #the bear hulu #the bear fx #white gaze #critical race theory #carmen berzatto #sydney adamu #tina marrero #ebraheim #marcus brooks #allyship #white privilege #power #chris storer #joanna calo #sydney x carmen #sydcarmy #carmy x sydney

[compromised-emotionally]

Saw this post on Twitter comparing the table scene to the later convo Syd and Marcus had, and it's crazy how they can have such similar info/conversation being had but still be so wildly different.

Like the gravitas and intimacy of the sydcarmy scene! The reciprocity! The way Syd rejected the "corny" back and forth with Marcus but didn't even flinch doing with Carm?!!

I feel like its undeniable that whatever else the team says, production seems to view the Sydney Carmen relationship as the most important on the show, at least on a thematic level. I started S2 not shipping, or vaguely shipping SydMarcus (mainly cause Marcus is a cute lovely sweethear), and the text of the show turned me into this!

You've made me this way Chris Storer, don't go denying your actions now!!

#sydcarmy #the bear #the bear fx #sydney adamu #chris storer #youll pay for your crimes or be rewarded for your blessings you choose

[dailygillianjacobs]

Chris Storer Emmy win sweep!

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear cast #chris storer #courtney storer #gillian jacobs #jeremy allen white #ebon moss bachrach #ayo edebiri

[gingerylangylang1979]

Remember when Ebra's future at The Bear wasn't certain?

gif courtesy of @heardchef

Remember when this trailer hit and we freaked out?

I was worried about Ebra. I thought he would quit or maybe get fired because he couldn't keep up with the new pace. In season one he was a bit dismayed by all of the components in the chicken piccata. In the moment above there was foreshadowing that he wasn't confident about his place in the future. Things moved forward rapidly. He didn't thrive like Tina in culinary school. In a crueler kitchen he may have been forgotten when he disappeared but he wasn't. He was given space but he wasn't cut loose. People were concerned. Carmy asked about him. Tina reconnected with him. He still had a spot on the team, just one reimagined. I'm glad.

Edwin has high billing despite a small role. He's a legend in Chicago. I honestly think Ebra's the funniest character even though he doesn't get the big goofy, flashy moments. Please let him be funny again! But there is a story of immigration, sadness, and loss for him that is ready to be told. I don't think they will ever give him a big storyline but I do hope he at least gets a monologue to explain the whole thing or it gets revealed in bits and pieces along the way. Also, I think his style doesn't get enough love. He dresses like the older fly African and Caribbean men I see in my Brooklyn neighborhood. Bright colors, bold patterns, boho accessories. It's a vibe. I bet he smells good, too. And he's attractive. If I was his age...

I think Ebra's arc last season says a lot about the show and the people behind it. Carmy could have let Ebra go. There was a lot going on and he could have just saw a rogue element and dropped that ass. But who would Carmy be to judge? He was the most rogue element all season and was the weakest link at Friends & Family. Instead, Carmy still found value in him. Tina could have rubbed in her all star status and promotion but she didn't. She saw a friend struggling, not competition. She had the vision for him in his current position.

Storer saw Edwin in a local play when he was a kid, thought he was the most magical actor he'd seen, remembered him, kept up with his Chicago career, and sought him out for this role. He didn't have to do that. He could have hired a more widely known talent but he gave his childhood favorite actor the opportunity. He remembered and honored him.

I see a lot of how Storer is with his talent in how Carmy is as a leader. Carmy is deeply flawed but he does invest in his people. He could have fired the old crew from day one. But he didn't clean house and hire a bunch of Sydney's (he only needed one). He could have started with an entirely new crew when he decided to rebrand, but he didn't he decided to fast track his found family. Storer wanted people he had worked with to work on The Bear. Jeremy (his award winning lead), Ayo (breakout star, IMO romantic lead, and future director thanks to Chris), Ramy (director), and Molly (romantic interest) are people he worked with in the past, sought out again, and saw how they could build on what he saw in them before.

Anyways, this was partially an ode to Ebra/Edwin and partially me getting warm fuzzies over Storer as a generous show runner and Carmy as a generous anti-hero.

#ebra the bear #edwin lee gibson #carmy berzatto #jeremy allen white #ayo edebiri #sydney adamu #ramy youssef #molly gordon #the bear fx #chris storer #kindness #immigrant voices #somalia #somali stories #liza colón zayas #tina morrero

[historicizing]

from monday and tuesday. JAW didn’t have a lot of carmy’s present-day tattoos on & obviously there’s the slight variation on the classico carmy outfit, all looking like Flashback. but then there was fak and suit era richie and most intriguingly GARRETT. hard to guess what it could mean if they are filming for two seasons at once, but 👀

in case it’s not clear, the person JAW was taking the picture of with crew was courtney storer

#no will poulter sightings but I am the biggest & most stressed out proponent of luca inadvertently fucking all carmy’s shit up even more #esp given the end of season 2 and carmy committing himself to the walk-in the differences in his and luca’s approaches to life #are so like on the nose but in a good way #& to have not only carmy but everyone around him come face to face with that is gonna beeeeeeeee really hard #whenever I try to convince my friends to watch the show I say one of the themes is How To Live and this is that and it is stressing me OUT #andrew lopez #jeremy allen white #the bear #chris storer #ebon moss-bachrach #matty matheson #courtney storer

[ayoarticulate]

i’m sitting here getting actually mad at people saying the bear isn’t a comedy then i realized… these are little people in my phone! this means nothing to me!

i’m gonna go.. read or something 💀 congrats to jeremy and ayo and ebon and chris!! they’ve done so beautifully and i’m so happy for them!!

#realizing literally none of that matters is so freeing #ayo my queen so happy for her #black women 🔛🔝 #the bear #sydney adamu #carmy berzatto #ayo edebiri #jeremy allen white #ebon moss bachrach #chris storer #emmys 2024

[radgalniya]

does anyone else feel like they’re being gaslit by the creators writers and actors about this carmey and sydney romance

#i feel personally victimized by all of the above #carmen x sydney #sydney x carmy #chris storer #ayo edebiri #jeremy allen white #chronicles of niya

[emmanelson]

Mr Gillian Jacobs is an Emmy Winner!!! congrats Chris Storer for winning TWO Emmy’s back to back

#emmys 2024 #emmys #chris storer #christopher storer #the bear #the bear fx #the bear cast

[theroyalmisfitmess]

Oh y’all deep SydCarmy truthers are CONVINCING me. If Chris Storer is, in fact, pulling a healthier Mindy Kaling, I cannot argue against it! If Carmy is Chris and Syd is Gillian, I cannot argue!

#i’m really close to being a truther #BUT #i’m still at the hmmm stage #i’ll let you know my status after season 3 #sydcarmy #the bear #carmen berzatto #sydney adamu #chris storer #gillian jacobs

[yezzyyae]

If you think Carmy & Sydney are “secretly in love” or “soulmates” you are not watching “The Bear” properly. I mean this with all my heart PLEASE STOP WATCHING “THE BEAR” IF YOU THINK CARMY & SYDNEY ARE SECRETLY IN LOVE!!! PLEASE REEVALUATE HOW YOU THINK LOVE IS GIVEN OR RECEIVED. AND PLEASE GROW UP BECAUSE MEN & WOMEN CAN BE FRIENDS!!

WHAT SCENE ARE YALL WATCHING WHERE LOVE IS OOZING FROM CARMY & SYDNEY?? TWO ADULTS WHO HAVE MULTIPLE EMOTIONAL ISSUES PLEASE TELL ME WHAT SCENE IT IS? I watch “The Bear” every 2 weeks and I don’t see no romantic love between Carmy and Sydney. It’s becoming annoying and I think y’all need to stop watching the show. Because yall not watching it properly & that’s annoying!

Carmy gives every member of his crew proper attention. Carmy literally says “okay” to every person in his life. Sydney is not the only person Carmy gives his attention too. Sydney is not the only person Carmy says “I’m sorry” too either. Carmy either runs or agrees when confronted with an issue. Sydney is not turn on when she talks to Carmy. Sydney has emotional issues also if you don’t see them then y’all need to stop watching the show. Sydney is not the driving force behind Carmy’s desire to cook or revamp “The Beef” into “The Bear”.

Sydney never apologized to Carmy after she quit in season 1 episode 7 when she was at fault. Literally Sydney was the one who created the issue of the “pre-order” option being on & she picked with Richie after Carmy sent Richie over there to help make the sauce. Smh where is Sydney daydreaming about Carmy like she is so in love with him. Sydney was complaining about Carmy w/ Claire because she is the “only child” & she wants attention and constant praise. And Carmy thought of Sydney during his panic attack because he was overwhelmed about the restaurant opening & he knows he did not give Sydney his all. Carmy knows him & Sydney can really be a great team while Sydney tells him the truth when he needs to hear it. And that is love!! Friends have to love each other because it has to be respect & trust. Everything is not always romantic and if you are an adult over 25 y/o & you think Sydney & Carmy is secretly in love, I suggest you seek therapy. I expect children 25 & under(yes you are a child in my eyes, I’m 35 y/o but feels 55 y/o 😂) to see romantic love in each person who talks to the other sex/same sex longer than 2 mins.

PLEASE GROW UP & STOP WATCHING MY FAVORITE SHOW IF YALL GOING TO RUIN IT!

#the bear #the bear fx #the bear hulu #sydcarmy #carmy x sydney #sydney x carmy #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto #jeremy allen white #jeremyallenwhite #ayo edebiri #chris storer #PLEASE STOP THE SHOW! #it insults the writers and actors w/ this fake romance! #The Bear is not a show who is running out of ideas so they make the main characters fall in love #The Bear is not Friends smh #cheesy ass shows #The Bear is dealing with real life issues! #go watch Riverdale or something

[gingergofastboatsmojito]

Flavor profile symbology

Is there a chef around here? Like a real pro one, I mean. I think I’m cooking something here in terms of Storer-symbology, which in literal terms I had already figured out by my 3° re-watch, but I only recently learned how to separate the yolks from the whites, so I'm not 100% sure about the symbolic meaning behind it yet, maybe just 90% (?)…

OK, so hear me out:

When a dish is too acidic, what does it need to balance out the flavor profile? Sweetness? You tell me. IDK.

When a dish has too much salt, what does it need to balance out the flavor profile? Other than less salt. I know that sometimes it can be saved by adding another ingredient. What ingredient is that? Does sugar neutralize salt? Or could any other ingredient save it for that matter?

The two dishes Syd screwed up in Carmy’s kitchen were either too acid or too salty and the “tremendous” dish she created at The Beef, was not acid enough.

We don’t know what was wrong with her pasta here, but we do know good stuffed pasta is all about the time you put on the kneading and how thin can the dough be without tearing, right? You have to hit the exact spot with the dough. Unless the sauce she made was outta balance, and that was what ruined the dish, which is also a possibility but still linked to the imbalanced flavor profile which seems to be the block that keeps preventing her progress.

The obstacle she needs to conquer to fully become the chef she's meant to become and realize her full potential (Michelin star potential).

My point is: Syd is looking for balance. Or needs it. And guess who can give her that. Yeah, they balance each other out. And Storer is planting symbolic crumbs all over her dishes, which will eventually lead to a Sydcarmy development when they hit the right note together probably. Otherwise, why else would he be hiding them in plain sight? Foreshadowing much, Chris?

#gingerpovs #syd x carmy #sydcarmy for life #sydcarmy #sydney adamu #carmen x sydney #sydney x carmy #the bear #the bear fx #chris storer #symbology

[standupcomedyhistorian]

Today the Emmy nominations came out and some of my favorite comedians and shows made the cut! 🥳

Let's take a look at a few specifics, shall we?

The Bear: 13 nominations, including Outstanding Supporting Actress for Ayo Edebiri and Outstanding Writing for Bo Burnham's frequent collaborator Chris Storer—I am currently working on a detailed post about the show, particularly its celebrity-packed second season, and it should be up by this weekend!

Baby J: John Mulaney's amazing comedy special about rehab was nominated for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Variety Special. Plus, it's got a fantastic reference to Bo! Haha

Parks and Recreation alumni: Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman, and Ben Schwartz all got noms today. Fun fact: Nick directed the episode Bo's in as Chipp McCapp!

Sam Richardson: one of my favorite comedic actors received another nom for Ted Lasso. He'll always be Richard Splett to me!

Donald Glover: Sadly, Atlanta's phenomenal last season was snubbed except for one cinematography nom (How did the Goofy Movie ep not get anything? It was genius). However, his new show Swarm did pretty well, garnering 3 noms including one for Dominique Fishback (well deserved!)

Kate Berlant and John Early: While A League of Their Own was snubbed (it did get an HCA nom yesterday for Best Costume though), the stunningly talented Kate received a nom with John for their hilarious Peacock show Would It Kill You To Laugh?

Kumail Nanjiani: Bo's good friend and co-star in The Big Sick received a nom for his Welcome to Chippendales show. Fun fact: Kumail and his wife Emily V. Gordon were nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for that film but lost to Jordan Peele for Get Out.

SO many successful comedians—congratulations! 🙌🏼

#the bear #the bear fx #these noms are for the first season lol #bo burnham #chris storer #ayo edebiri #jerrod carmichael #john mulaney #baby j #parks and rec #aubrey plaza #nick offerman #ben schwartz #donald glover #swarm prime #dominique fishback #kumail nanjiani #sam richardson #emmy nominations #emmys

[thegirlwhowatchedeverything]

I love season 2 shows Chris Storer just loves Home Alone. From Richie comparing Mikey to Kevin "McCalliper" (2x1) to the longest episode of the series being the chaotic Christmas tableau of extended Berzatto family members running around the house a la the McCallisters (2x6) lol.

#the bear #the bear hulu #the bear fx #the berzattos #chris storer #christopher storer #the bear season 2 #the bear s2 #home alone #Christmas #kevin mccallister #mccallister sculpture

[gingerylangylang1979]

Where the hell were Storer and Calo?

That is all.

#chris storer #joanna calo #the bear fx #golden globes

[ruethrills]

Was thinking about them today (the precursor to my Sydcarmy fixation) and how what happened to them was a crime so Ima need Chris Storer to let me have this one thing 😭

#I was in the trenches circa2020 #Truly one of the best slow burns on tv at the time #Like I really told myself this was the last slow burn I would ever get invested in 😭 #and the fact that my hyperfixation with Sydcarmy is worse then it was with them….lord help me #David Shore is the gremlin responsible for this crime #Like I truly hope his pillows are CONSTANTLY warm (both sides) #I hope he bites his tongue at least once during every meal #I hope every carbonated beverage he opens explodes all over him #He deserves a stuffy nose YEAR ROUND #Chris I know you’ll treat us better bae #Melendaire #chris storer