Two Claire myths that need to be demolished

***1. "Everybody wants Carmy to be with Claire and his family knows what's good for him."***

Richie, Neil & Ted, Mikey's ghost, Stevie 5 years ago & maybe Jimmy ≠ "everybody"

Natalie doesn't care either way. If she thought Claire was good for Carmy she would be on Carm's ass about it daily. She shrugs.

If Tina thought Claire was good for Carmy she would be on Carm's ass about it daily. She shrugs.

Marcus said "oh damn Claire's gonna be there." Sweeps thinks it's a nuisance but also doesn't care.

Carm's most washout friends are pushing the Claire agenda. Mikey is dead. Stevie very does not care either way.

Richie is the number one Claire stan. Tiff thanks him for "looking out for her." Neil obviously has a huge crush on her. Ted is dating her roommate and thinks they'll all go on double dates if only Carm gets it together. Jimmy thinks it would be nice if the dumb weird nephew had a healthy personal life. Stevie goes along with whatever show the Berzattos are doing.

Richie, Ted, Neil, and dead crashout Mikey are not good romantic role models. Of the four Ted is the best (just pay no mind to the herpes infection).

To quote from Say Anything, a poster of which is on the wall in the basement:

Lloyd Dobler: I got a question. If you guys know so much about women, how come you're here at like the Gas 'n' Sip on a Saturday night completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere?

Joe: By choice, man.

***2. "Carmy has been in love with Claire since high school and this is just returning to an existing love."***

He denied being in love with her in 2018. Richie said "You used to have all those drawings." We see these drawings over and over again in his panic attacks that feature Claire. Claire told us in "Pop" that "I sat behind you in Algebra freshman year...And you were always drawing something."

Carmy said he was drawing pants. Maybe.

Anyway, remember when Marcus was looking through one of Carmy's notebooks and Shug said he would never show her his secret life of art? And how Carmy brought his Sistine Chapel drawings once and they've never been seen at work again?

Carmy does not readily share his art with his friends or family. Why?

The obvious explanation is that in 9th grade, which is ONE YEAR or maybe one semester of one school year he was drawing Claire on school notebook paper. His bully older brothers found the drawings and literally never shut up about it, continuing on for years.

This is Carmy's immediate reaction to them mentioning Claire in 2018: "That’s what I’m fuckin’ talking about, though. That’s what I’m fucking talking about. That’s why I think you’re fucking with me. You’re bringing up this thing you used to give me a fucking hard time about it. You used to give me a fucking hard time about it. Don't fuckin' touch me."

When Carmy and Claire were 14 years old, Carmy's older brothers, who were late 20s, almost 30, found out he had a crush and teased him about a girl he liked.

This is not in any way equivalent to Carmy himself holding a torch for Claire since childhood. Unlike his brothers he left home and moved on with his life.