Do Carmy and Claire End Up Together in The Bear?

FX’s ‘The Bear’ follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto’s quest to build his dream restaurant from the ground up and turn it into one of the best establishments in the city. This dream leads him to make all sorts of sacrifices as he obsessively chases things like the Michelin star. One of the things that falls victim to his ambition is his relationship with Claire. They get together at the beginning of the second season, but things end rather eventfully between them as Carmy unintentionally says some very hurtful things to Claire. However, the break-up does not mean that they have parted from each other’s lives for good. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Carmy Finally Apologises to Claire

One of the major hurdles in Carmy’s life is Carmy himself. He tends to make things impossible when they don’t need to be so, and by twisting things up, he makes things worse for himself as well as his loved ones. This is what happens to his relationship with Claire. The other thing that stops him from getting anywhere is his ego and his issues with communication, which prevent him from doing the right thing for such long periods of time that it worsens whatever situation he has landed himself in. This is why an entire third season goes by before Carmy bundles up the courage to talk to Claire and apologise to her.

The fourth season begins with a humbling for Carmy, where the Tribune’s review makes him realise that he might be the reason why his restaurant has not been able to reach the heights that it should have. His constant need to be better has become the very problem he was trying to solve, so he decides to take a different approach with things. He decides to be less set in his ways and be more open to what others want to do with the restaurant. Once he starts to take the advice of Sidney, Tina, and others on the team, things actually start to get better. And this eventually allows him the perspective to go to Claire and talk to her about what happened between them.

Clearly, his months-long silence has not sit well with Claire, who is not happy to see him. But she gives him the chance to speak his turn, and he apologises for his harsh words, confessing that when things started to get too good with her, he got scared and pulled back, as he always does with the good things in his life. While Claire leaves in tears, this interaction breaks the ice between them so much that the next time they see each other, things aren’t so bad.

Carmy and Claire’s Reconnection Might Open the Space for Romance

Carmy’s apology to Claire clarifies that he is still in love with her, but he is too messed up to appreciate this great thing in his life. By the time they meet again, he has moved forward in his journey, and this time, he shows her how he is trying to be more open about things and is willing to participate. She appreciates his efforts, and the night ends with them having a dance together at Tiff’s wedding. By now, it is clear that whatever bad blood existed between them has been removed from the equation. Claire is not likely to forget all the things Carmy said when he was locked in the refrigerator, but she is also willing to give him a second chance to make things right, if he is willing to take it.

By the end of the season, the interactions between them have become more frequent, so much so that when he visits his mother, he calls Claire to tell her about it. Apart from talking about the apprehension of meeting his mother again and Claire telling him about her green sweatshirt she left behind at the house the last time, he also expresses his appreciation for her, something he wishes he had done when they were together. This interaction shows that they are getting back into each other’s orbit the way they were back in Season 2. While it might take some time, there is a good possibility that they might get back together.

Claire and Carmy’s reunion becomes even more plausible after the revelation that he has decided to retire from the culinary world to focus on himself and his life. Following the apology talk, he realises how much his career has taken from him, and he doesn’t want to keep doing that. While he doesn’t tell anyone about it at the time, it comes to light at the end of the season, and there is a chance that he will share this news with Claire, at some point, most likely in an effort to get her back and assure her that he is mending his ways and himself, in general. Given her soft spot for Carmy, it wouldn’t be surprising if Claire gives him and their relationship another chance, even if it’s the last time.