Thanks for breaking this season into chunks and not just doing a single spoiler filled review--or no review at all. While I personally wouldn't be against watching all of these quickly to dive into the conversation, my wife (who likes the show more than me, to be fair) prefers spreading them out. So it'll be nice to check in here every few episode batches.
Anyway, I just wanted to say my wife and I could not stop laughing at the scene where Fak tries to serve the mirepoix broth but only pours the broth before taking the tray back to the kitchen. So funny! Well shot too.
I gotta admit, I was frustrated by episode one not moving things forward. A character piece is all well and good, and I deeply admired the craft that went into it (imagine being the composer for this episode!), but as you said I didn't feel like we learned very much new.
That said, my heart leapt into my throat when they revealed that Sydney was the customer at the end. That was really lovely, and felt like an earned bit of mythmaking.
Especially considering that she told Marcus last season that her meal at Carmy's old restaurant in NYC was the best meal she'd ever had. Excellent bit of follow through there.
This really resonated with me: "I feel confident saying that the “Non-Negotiables” are not there to hold everyone else to Carmy’s standard. They’re there as a form of self-discipline, a twisted idea of what it takes to make it as a chef that foregrounds his most traumatic experiences in the interest of never repeating them. I’m not saying that Carmy isn’t an asshole, or that he’s being reasonable—I just believe at the end of the day that he’s more worried about failing than being failed, and everyone else is just collateral damage to his self-destruction."
Luckily, these are the exact same episodes I allowed myself last night. Great write-up that really solidified some of my own feelings. Thank for the cool info that 'Batista' is her real life husband!
I'm hoping others will chime in with all the real chefs in the first episode. Nothing blew my mind more than when Fak (Matty Matheson) turned up as a guest judge on Top Chef. How had I missed that he's a famous chef with 2 cookbooks?
My brother alerted me that episode 1 had some wild cameos which I assumed meant more actors on a John Mulaney/Bob Odenkirk level of surprise and fame. I was in no way prepared for that to mean Daniel Boulud (head chef at two Michelin star Restaurant Daniel) and Rene Redzepi (head chef at three Michelin star and multi time best restaurant in the world winner Noma). There were also a few shots filmed at The French Laundry (three Michelin stars, multi time best restaurant in the world winner), which means that a Thomas Keller cameo must be coming at some point this season.
Thanks for covering this show! I agree that the binge model is pretty tired these days, as smart streamers have realized their shows go further and last longer when released week by week, but what can ye do 🤷♀️
Episode 1: I was not a fan of the "stream of consciousness" format. Once I realized what the gimmick was, it was less "oh, cool!" and more "oh, THAT'S what they're doing? Why?" And holy fuck Joel McHale. How many people have killed themselves (maybe at his suggestion) after working for him.
Episode 2: I like the stage-play comparison here. So it appears this season will be about Carmy's ill-guided quest to Get a Star. I'm really not a fan of that, since he just kind of appears as the overlord or tyrant making up these rules that everyone has to abide by or else. Why didn't he talk with his staff first and they could 'ratify' a list of non-negotiables that made sense to everyone? This episode also brought back the unwelcome Richie v Carmy yelling (FUCK YOU, NO FUCK YOU must have been easy to write).
Episode 3: Somewhere in this beautiful mess of an episode I think Sydney murmured "I can't do this every day" in the middle of yet another Richie v Carmy verbal slapdown, and she's right. I haven't finished the season yet, but it appears that this toxic environment is exactly why she hasn't signed the DocuSign yet: why would anyone want to be financially tied to a restaurant run by someone who cannot harness his unbridled emotions, despite his genius?
Oh, plus, Marcus is the best. The actor plays the character so quietly but so affecting, and he's such a welcome source of warmth in every line.
Not sure if the screeners didn't have the credits, but David Zayas was credited! He'll always be Batista to me too so I was happy to see him for a brief second AND THEN WONDERED IF HE HAPPENED TO BE RELATED TO LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS!!
Thanks for breaking this season into chunks and not just doing a single spoiler filled review--or no review at all. While I personally wouldn't be against watching all of these quickly to dive into the conversation, my wife (who likes the show more than me, to be fair) prefers spreading them out. So it'll be nice to check in here every few episode batches.
Anyway, I just wanted to say my wife and I could not stop laughing at the scene where Fak tries to serve the mirepoix broth but only pours the broth before taking the tray back to the kitchen. So funny! Well shot too.
He looked so proud of himself as well! I could easily watch a spinoff of Fak and Fam
I gotta admit, I was frustrated by episode one not moving things forward. A character piece is all well and good, and I deeply admired the craft that went into it (imagine being the composer for this episode!), but as you said I didn't feel like we learned very much new.
That said, my heart leapt into my throat when they revealed that Sydney was the customer at the end. That was really lovely, and felt like an earned bit of mythmaking.
The score for the episode is "Together" from the Nine Inch Nails album Ghosts V. It wasn't written for the episode, but it fit perfectly.
Especially considering that she told Marcus last season that her meal at Carmy's old restaurant in NYC was the best meal she'd ever had. Excellent bit of follow through there.
This really resonated with me: "I feel confident saying that the “Non-Negotiables” are not there to hold everyone else to Carmy’s standard. They’re there as a form of self-discipline, a twisted idea of what it takes to make it as a chef that foregrounds his most traumatic experiences in the interest of never repeating them. I’m not saying that Carmy isn’t an asshole, or that he’s being reasonable—I just believe at the end of the day that he’s more worried about failing than being failed, and everyone else is just collateral damage to his self-destruction."
Luckily, these are the exact same episodes I allowed myself last night. Great write-up that really solidified some of my own feelings. Thank for the cool info that 'Batista' is her real life husband!
I'm hoping others will chime in with all the real chefs in the first episode. Nothing blew my mind more than when Fak (Matty Matheson) turned up as a guest judge on Top Chef. How had I missed that he's a famous chef with 2 cookbooks?
My brother alerted me that episode 1 had some wild cameos which I assumed meant more actors on a John Mulaney/Bob Odenkirk level of surprise and fame. I was in no way prepared for that to mean Daniel Boulud (head chef at two Michelin star Restaurant Daniel) and Rene Redzepi (head chef at three Michelin star and multi time best restaurant in the world winner Noma). There were also a few shots filmed at The French Laundry (three Michelin stars, multi time best restaurant in the world winner), which means that a Thomas Keller cameo must be coming at some point this season.
Thanks for this info!
Thank you so much! I was sure that was the chef from Noma, but I couldn't remember his name.
Thanks for covering this show! I agree that the binge model is pretty tired these days, as smart streamers have realized their shows go further and last longer when released week by week, but what can ye do 🤷♀️
Episode 1: I was not a fan of the "stream of consciousness" format. Once I realized what the gimmick was, it was less "oh, cool!" and more "oh, THAT'S what they're doing? Why?" And holy fuck Joel McHale. How many people have killed themselves (maybe at his suggestion) after working for him.
Episode 2: I like the stage-play comparison here. So it appears this season will be about Carmy's ill-guided quest to Get a Star. I'm really not a fan of that, since he just kind of appears as the overlord or tyrant making up these rules that everyone has to abide by or else. Why didn't he talk with his staff first and they could 'ratify' a list of non-negotiables that made sense to everyone? This episode also brought back the unwelcome Richie v Carmy yelling (FUCK YOU, NO FUCK YOU must have been easy to write).
Episode 3: Somewhere in this beautiful mess of an episode I think Sydney murmured "I can't do this every day" in the middle of yet another Richie v Carmy verbal slapdown, and she's right. I haven't finished the season yet, but it appears that this toxic environment is exactly why she hasn't signed the DocuSign yet: why would anyone want to be financially tied to a restaurant run by someone who cannot harness his unbridled emotions, despite his genius?
Oh, plus, Marcus is the best. The actor plays the character so quietly but so affecting, and he's such a welcome source of warmth in every line.
Not sure if the screeners didn't have the credits, but David Zayas was credited! He'll always be Batista to me too so I was happy to see him for a brief second AND THEN WONDERED IF HE HAPPENED TO BE RELATED TO LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS!!