Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is the working woman’s Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong).
No observation, cleverly pointed out by Twitter stans, has ever struck me with such accuracy. The Bear‘s ever-so melancholic lead is an echo of Succession‘s also miserable Kendall Roy; he’s what Roy could or would have been if he weren’t a billionaire. But what does the internet mean, exactly, with this succinct observation? And why have two characters from polar opposite shows found shared ground as the internet’s favorite sad boys?
To some, Carmy and Kendall are the same character in different fonts: unhappy men chasing after dreams with only themselves as obstacles (funnily enough, they’re also both played by Jeremys). But while the Kendall Roys of the world are harder to stumble upon (at least for most of us), the Carmy Berzattos of the world are everywhere. They’re in your local deli. Coffee shop. Bookstore. They’re your friendly neighborhood sad boy, just a meet-cute away.
Credit: Matt Dinerstein / FX / Courtesy of HBO
Despite their class differences, Carmy and Kendall exist on two sides of the same coin. They’re the main characters in their own tragedy, edging toward their goals before the sheer weight of their emotional baggage brings them down as their fatal flaw. For Kendall, that goal is being Waystar’s CEO, but his complete lack of skills and daddy issues made that dream obsolete. For Carmy, the dream is opening his own restaurant, but he literally got stuck in a fridge on its opening night.
They’re also harrowingly bad at being boyfriends, with their careers ultimately ruining every relationship they try to get in. And they both come from dysfunctional families, with questionable relationships with their brother and sister (admittedly, Carmy has a significantly better relationship with his siblings than Kendall). But more importantly, and perhaps most pressingly, Carmy and Kendall rarely smile. Sure, a lot of TV characters don’t smile, but the duo have perfected a specific type of sad gaze. It goes like this: Stare off into the distance, completely disassociate, let the longing in your eyes speak a thousand words on your terrible childhood, and let every one of your face muscles sink into complete, crushing mopeyness.
‘Succession’ ends with a new CEO, but no real winners
Kendall and Carmy never win. In fact, constant loss is expected from both of them. The cycle rinses and repeats itself each time. You think they’re getting better, then a season finale completely undoes them. It’s what makes (some of) us attracted to them. It’s what makes us babygirl them. And it’s why we describe them as teenage girls in their 30s and 40s. No trademark of girlhood is as universal as that feeling of being misunderstood by everyone. Kendall and Carmy manifest that pitting vulnerability, and it’s part of why a lot of women not only love them but also feel seen by them.
The infatuation speaks to a new kind of onscreen heartthrob. Farewell macho nice guys! Goodbye alluring anti-heroes! The new sexy is sad losers who’ll scream into their pillow before pretending like everything’s fine. It’s what we deserve to watch, and what they deserve to be, unapologetically.
Credit: Claudette Barius / HBO / Matt Dinerstein / FX
Now I know I’ve spent an ample amount of time saying the two characters are similar, but I feel an important distinction needs to be made. Carmy is Kendall-coded, but he’s not necessarily another iteration of Kendall Roy. Unlike the titular babygirl, Carmy’s actually worked for his career, and he’s working on himself. Season 2 of The Bear should attest to how much Carmy’s trying to get his shit together, and although he has his moments, Carmy’s never done anything out of ill intention.
On the other hand, Kendall Roy is an asshole. We all know it. There isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to get what he wants, and while Kendall’s behavior is understandable when we remember he’s Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) offspring, it’s still messed up.
So, who is the ultimate sad loser? Who wears the heavy crown of being the internet’s favorite sad, alarmingly parasocial, boyfriend?
I think it’s both of them. Kendall wins as the ultimate sad king, but Carmy wins as the ultimate sad boyfriend. No recent character encapsulates Shakespearean tragedy as well as Kendall Roy, but he’s a walking red flag. Carmy on the other hand, although sad in his own ways, is clearly not that bad at being a boyfriend, as seen with the better days of his relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon) and his slow-burn romance with Sydney (Ayo Edebiri).
Season 2 of ‘The Bear’ steps out of the kitchen, and it works.
If I had to choose the healthier sad boy, it would definitely be Carmy. But Kendall will always hold the title for the most chaotic, miserable eldest boy. What we really need to do is put Carmy and Kendall in the same room, because what better solace is there for either of them than each other? Let them merge into a giant puddle of sadness and weave their red flags into a waving banner. How has the slash fic not been written yet?
When all is said and done, no matter which character is your personal favorite, there’s one thing for sure: It’s the summer of sad boys. And what a delightful season it is.
How to watch: The Bear is now streaming on Hulu, and Succession is now streaming on Max.
