My issue was it felt like it was only introduced to be a conflict point and it felt obvious the second she showed up.
Richie's episode was incredible. I'm about 99% sure they filmed a lot of that at Alinea and that's what it was supposed to be a fictional version of. Ever since I saw Grant Achatz on Chef's Table, I've been fascinated with that restaurant and would love to go some day. Richie driving way too fast singing Taylor Swift was great.
The guy that plays Richie is great. I first remember him from playing Alison Williams boyfriend in GIRLS and getting paid to do this scene... NSFW Spoiler
I was surprised that Bayliss says this show is going to keep people from going to work in restaurants. I think it will do the opposite. Sure it shows how fucked up a lot of people are in the industry but they do a great job of showing the drive and ambition and skill they have too.
Almost everyone has shown a lot of personal growth and seems to be really enjoying their situation. Sydney/Carm are just dealing with the insane stress that comes with trying to create a restaurant to their standards but again I would say both of them are in a good headspace too. Even Carm's breakdown was pretty minor given the situation. So yes I think the industry is portrayed positively. The first season was more negative.
While I can certainly appreciate the skills it takes to do what these people do, it is far too hectic for me.
I'll come back to read everything when I'm through, but I just finished episode six and it was one of the best episodes of TV I've ever seen.
Episodes six and seven back to back was an insane 2 hours of TV, some of the best I remember recently.
It’s like the basic litmus test for a classically trained chef, a French omelette, 4 ingredients, 4 utensils, 4 minutes. Syd nailing it after she was fucking up recipes all season was her proving to herself she was ready.
Speaking of familial relations, I think Jimmy Cicero is Carmy’s dad’s cousin. In the birthday party episode he mentions to Carm that they were so close in age that they were more friends than family.
However, I mostly think they haven’t really hashed out how anyone is related because (1) they don’t want to get boxed in casting wise, and (2) it lends itself to everyone at The Beef/Bear being a family regardless of blood ties.
My only qualm with ep6 is they've talked the whole show about how everyone loved Mikey but when Lee was continuing to talk shit about him everyone sat quiet and watched. If someone was saying that to my brother about 1/4th of the way in I'm telling Lee if he says one more word I'm breaking his jaw.
Also I liked episode 7 a little bit more than episode 6 seeing Richie’s growth was amazing and him blasting Love Story while speeding through Chicago was a top tier moment in TV also we got the Queen herself to do a cameo
One thing Phillip Gallagher can’t get away from in Chicago is a crazy ass mom also Syd is like my least favorite character. She just whines so much.
Her arc is weird to me. Like what triggered her to completely fall apart during friends and family, Marcus asking her out? Seems way too fragile two full seasons into this.
We’ve all talked about the great music choices in this show. What hit me on this “Forks” rewatch is there’s a ton of silence, lots of ominous backing tracks to convey the dread/monotony, they ramp it up while running the expo then silence again while Richie delivers the Pequod’s and then they break that silence by the intro to Love Story. Such a crazy tonal shift that is nailed expertly from the slow build up from the start of the episode. I bet you could watch that episode with no dialogue and end at the same place emotionally. Richie went from the biggest fuck up and most annoying character to the show and restaurants all star in 30 minutes and we all bought it no questions asks. So good.
Or fist pump when he was saving everyone's ass to Pearl Jam's Animal. That was one hell of a "fuck yeah!" moment.
Absolutely love the ending of the episode. The Every Second Counts and then boom more Taylor Swift. Maybe one of my favorite episodes of TV ever. Certainly in recent memory. Also on the music having George Harrison's I've got my Mind Set on You in the background during the chaos of episode 6 felt perfect.
Should pretty much guarantee a season 3. https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-bear-season-2-ratings-viewership-fx-hulu-1235655760/
I don’t think he was an expert. He just found his purpose and took the time to watch, listen and learn. I’m assuming he also continued to learn after that week
Perhaps a bit of a stretch but he had also worked in restaurant settings for a long time prior. I took it more as the idiot gear kicking out and working more toward his potential.
It was a pretty swift switch eta not so much to an immediate expert. but his calm, cool demeanor That's a pretty immediate metamorphosis from the powder keg, in everyone's face Richie
be willing to suspend a little disbelief when watching fictional shows, it makes it more fun, I promise.
With all due respect to fish, I didn’t take it as Richie being some expert. He even told Fak he couldn’t really do it but that’s where he was. It might sound corny but he had the capacity so all he had to do was believe in himself.