The Bearhas officially released its fourth season, and there’s a lot to love about it: a well-written character arc for Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), multiple strong concept episodes, and even more delicious-looking plates of food. Still, though,the season is bogged down by the fact that the show continues to force the romantic relationship between Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Claire (Molly Gordon).
After Carmy and Claire’s breakup in the Season 2 finale, she was painted as this haunting figure in his memories for most of Season 3, and she plays even more of a role in Season 4. The season sees Carmy apologize to her, and then the two spend more and more time together again, seemingly setting the stage for their reunion inthe already-confirmed Season 5. Still, though,it’s tough for many fans ofThe Bearto get on-board with this pairing, and to actually like Claire as a character. Here are the reasons why.
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young chef from the fine dining world, returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after a tragedy. As he navigates the chaotic environment of the small kitchen, Carmy must manage the struggles of turning around the failing business while dealing with his own grief and personal demons. The series dives deep into the intense world of culinary arts, highlighting the challenges of running a restaurant, the bonds formed among staff, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.
5Claire Lands Into the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope
Claire doesn’t feel as developed as the other characters.
In a TV show full of incredibly well-written and realistic characters, Claire just does not feel as developed as many of the others. The main traits of her character are her history with the Berzattos, her job as an Emergency Room doctor, and her whimsical yet edgy personality. She feels a lot like the classicManic Pixie Dream Girl trope; after one chance meeting in a grocery store,Claire hunts Carmy down and pursues a relationship with him, even though he initially gives her a fake number. Through this relationship, Carmy gets a second chance with someone who he pined after when he was in high school, and he ultimately feels torn between his happiness with herand his commitment to the restaurant.
In a TV show full of incredibly well-written and realistic characters, Claire just does not feel as developed as many of the others.
Claire always has the perfect sarcastic comment or deep thought to deliver at all the right moments,and these lines rarely feel natural for the moment in which she says them. She brushes off Carmy’s mention of Mikey (Jon Bernthal) with an insensitive joke that it doesn’t feel like the two are close enough for her to make. She takes a casual conversation about the days of the week and turns it into a much deeper philosophical question. She appears in flashbacks to Carmy after their breakup,haunting him in a way that seems to be meant to feel poetic. Everything about Claire’s character feels more like a certain type of character, leaving the viewers to know very little about her beyond the basic facts of her character.
4Claire’s Romance With Carmy Is Forced
Claire feels like an obstacle to Carmy and Sydney’s potential romance.
It would be understandable for Carmy to build up his relationship with Claire in his head after having a crush on her for so long, but it’s odd that she isn’t mentioned at all until her character’s introduction in Season 2. Viewers are made to believe that he’s been pining after her all this time, but Carmy doesn’t seem to remember Claire until he runs into her.Everything about their relationship feels forced, particularly after Season 1 spent so much time focusing on the growing closeness between Carmy and Sydney. Even ifThe Bearnever planned to have a romantic storyline with Carmy and Sydney, they have a much more natural connection than Carmy and Claire, makingCarmy’s romantic scenes with Clairefeel even more out of place.
Viewers are made to believe that he’s been pining after her all this time, but Carmy doesn’t seem to remember Claire until he runs into her.
Claire is supposedly the person who makes Carmy the happiest, and who knows him the best, butthat it is spoken in dialogue more than it is actually given any real evidence on-screen. Even their deeper conversations where he opens up to her about his most personal secrets don’t feel earned, and her responses to them don’t seem fitting for what their bond is supposed to be. The more Carmy talks about this connection that he has with Claire, the more difficult it is to see that connection,especially in contrast to his much subtler and more meaningful scenes with Sydney.
3Claire’s Backstory With the Extended Berzatto Family Is Too Convenient
This piece of backstory has always felt like a retcon.
It’s much harder to like a character when it feels like the show is telling you to like them, and this is one of the biggest things that Claire has against her. Right when Claire re-enters Carmy’s life, his whole extended family, from Neil (Matty Matheson) and Ted Fak (Ricky Staffieri), to Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), to Nat (Abby Elliott), can’t stop talking about how great she is.She is suddenly given this complex backstorywith the Berzatto family,in which she calls Richie “Cousin,” eventually gets an invitation to Tiff’s (Gillian Jacobs) wedding, and even acts as an aunt to Eva (Annabelle Toomey). In the most egregious example of this, Mikey even gives his approval of Claire during the “Fishes” flashback.
…Her close relationships with the extended Berzattos ultimately don’t feel that believable.
For someone who is supposedly another member of the extended family,it’s odd that Claire was not mentioned at all in Season 1, and that she and Carmy really didn’t properly get to know each other until they started dating as adults. Each season adds more lore to Claire’s history with his family, like her presence at various family events, and her relationships with his extended relatives. Still,this all just feels a bit like an elaborate retcon meant to get viewers on-board with both Claire’s character and her relationship with Carmy, and her close relationships with the extended Berzattos ultimately don’t feel that believable.
2Claire Is Portrayed as a Flawless Ideal
Claire tends to fall into the trap of the Mary Sue trope.
It would be one thing if both Carmy and his family built Claire up as this ideal love interest for him, simply because of her history with them, and it was called out onscreen. Instead, though,Claire is written without any clear flaws.She is effortlessly charming and funny, she is loved by everyone who meets her, and she quite literally saves lives for a living. Additionally, Claire is made out to be the scorned party in her breakup with Carmy, even though he didn’t know that she was in earshot duringhis moment of raw honesty in the fridge. His entire family takes her side in the breakup, and he is nearly chased away when he eventually goes to her doorstep to apologize.
She is effortlessly charming and funny, she is loved by everyone who meets her, and she quite literally saves lives for a living.
Claire gets a number of heroic moments outside of her relationship with Carmy as well,in which she often just so happens to be the only person who can save the day. When Sydney’s father (Robert Townsend) has a heart attack, everyone from the restaurant pretty much just takes what she told Carmy at face value, and they don’t show up for her at the hospital. Instead, Claire sees Sydney while working during that shift, and she ends up being the one to comfort herwhen Sydney falls apart. This scene is easily the most down-to-earth and real that Claire has ever felt, butit seems like an odd choice forThe Bearto use Sydney’s moment of pain to gain some likability points for Claire. Later in the season, when Eva hides under the table at Tiff’s wedding, Claire is the only one who’s able to negotiate with her and figure out what she wants. It ultimately just feels too contrived for Claire to be written as the one to jump in and fix things yet again.
1Claire’s Screentime Takes Away From ‘The Bear’s Existing Characters
‘The Bear’ has sidelined so many great characters in the past two seasons.
As it stands, it’s certainly frustrating when a show keeps centering on an underdeveloped side character, but the really disappointing part of this is thatClaire takes screentime and focus away from characters who have been around since the very beginning of the show. Ebra (Edwin Lee Gibson) is sidelined in Season 3, and while Season 4gives him a little more to do, Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) ends up getting sidelined instead. Many ofThe Bear’s most important characters only get one main recurring storyline per season, but don’t get to play as much of a role in the show as they used to. Instead,a lot of this time is given to Carmy and Claire’s relationship.
At Tiff’s wedding, Claire plays a major role in the under-the-table mediation, while Marcus’ (Lionel Boyce) presence there ultimately feels pretty pointless. Pete (Chris Witaske), too, barely plays a role in Season 3 and 4 beyond the supportive husband and father, and the resident lawyer. Instead,Claire seems like more of a Berzatto in-law than Pete does, particularly at the wedding. She weaves in and out of conversations with ease, and pulls Carmy out of his shell under the table. Ultimately,The Bearcould keep Claire around as a likable side character if it lets her romance with Carmy fizzle out, and gives more attention to the characters whom it’s been sidelining in favor of her screentime. As it stands right now, though,Claire’s role on the show just isn’t working.
