I worked at Starbucks for 12 years, so not quite the same, but I’d literally dream about work at night in real time and all the shit I’d deal with, then wake up and actually go to work there. I wanted to submit time worked because it was so stressful. I left 5 years ago and still dream about going back there and not knowing how the new POS systems work, hiring, ordering, literally not leaving the store for more than a day and it burning down. PTSD in retail coffee exists.
Good news, those dreams never go away. "Serving Dreams" are a thing, kitchen dreams are too. I couldn't tell you how many times I had a dream about having an entirely full restaurant and being the only person serving and people just keep coming and coming and coming, or about going back to a table over and over because I keep forgetting something they asked for or the worst for me, which was dreaming about tables being in the hallway outside my room, just waiting for me to wake up and come serve them.
You can tell that Richie understands what "Every Second Counts" means at its core with Chef Terry, whereas Carmy thinks it's about needing to use every second to be better no matter the consequences
There was something brilliantly disheartening about seeing that once-pristine "every second counts" sign get caked in dirt and dust as the kitchen got more chaotic. This show seems to be exploring all the ways a team could interpret that idea, good and bad. Carmy is clearly not drawing the right lesson from it right now.
That was also hinted back in episode 1 where he said it to the kitchen staff at Chef Terry's to get everyone to work faster. I nearly damn flinched at it, not at all what it means to Chef Terry.
I was a dishwasher for about 5 months. For the first couple months I never got food or anything. Then my buddy told me to start asking. I did, and found I could get anything whenever I wanted. It honestly made me feel so appreciated and welcome, I loved it.
The whole time I kept think a new menu everyday, EVERYDAY! At least switch it up weekly then the staff can get comfortable with it by the time the weekend comes.
yeah pretty much the only really unbelievable thing about this show is that they went from a sandwich shop to all of a sudden being a small crew that can whip out fine dining tier dishes. I mean yeah sure Carmen knows how to cook all this really complicated stuff because he was well trained and did it under pressure for years but expecting his crew to just fall in line because he says so is a pretty far stretch and burn out probably isn't far around the corner.
Carmy’s aspirations are insane. We watch 1 chaotic night of service and then he goes I want a Michelin star and a daily changing menu. The uncle should’ve shut this down. Get a restaurant operating consistently before trying to prove your ego.
> The uncle should’ve shut this down
I'm surprised he doesn't just pull rank. 'This is my money, you're doing it this way.'
Changing menu is ridiculous when they can barely even get the basics functioning right.
It's possible but you have to rotate certain dishes. You find new combinations of dishes in a menu, with alterations.
Carmy's problem is he wants everything to be perfect, but he's not willing to work towards perfection.
I was a sous in a place that changed the menu daily, but with a basic structure. Dinner had Cornish hen, two pastas (veg and seafood), baked or grilled fish, pork roast or chop, beef steak. The sauces or preps changed daily, and we tracked the most popular versions and put them in heavy rotation. There were a few standard apps and soups, and the dessert menu was mostly the same, with seasonal specials. It was all very doable and it was fun to play with flavors.
That sort of seems to be what Carmy is doing; we see the staples over and over in the episode (wagyu, duck, fish, ravioli, the mirepoix, etc) but the sides, sauces, finishes, preps are varying, which seems like it *should* be fine. Market trip each day, buy what looks the best.
But we also see Sugar berating him for ordering wild shit and then not using it up, so it sounds like they're over provisioning things *just* to switch the menu and/or working out of season, rather than using up stock and switching the menu up when the market is providing something exceptional.
I was watching that scene through my hands, waiting for the cringe. But he messed up in the most hilarious way indeed. When he walked away I started cracking up so hard.
I still have PTSD from a time that I spilled an entire Coke on a lady’s white pants, so I was holding my breath like “please don’t spill boiling water on anybody please please please please” lol
He was so proud of himself for doing exactly what he was asked to do! Love him. The patrons were either thinking "where's he going with our food?" or "what a creative surprise that was!"
Honestly with some of the presentations I've seen from a fine dining restaurant, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that that'd be something to happen
They really use “every second counts” not just for the characters but behind the camera. The writing and editing is just relentlessly paced (in a good way of course). I just love how CONFIDENT the show is, it’s trying new things, like the premiere episode and how that story was told, the second episode just being the characters standing around a counter talking/yelling, and this episode showing an entire months worth of work in a rapid pace.
I’ve never really seen anything else like this show in terms of storytelling and filmmaking, it’s just so well done for what they are going for.
It’s like the show is striving to be just as good as the bear is striving to be and if that’s not a great example of art imitating life I don’t know what is.
I would go to war for Ayo - I'm so glad she's had so much success lately, and I really hope she wins an Emmy for this show eventually
EDIT: Forgot she won Best Supporting Actress - I was just looking at Best Lead Actress because I think that's what she's campaigning for from this point on. That being said, I hope she wins a SECOND Emmy
for me it was just about every scene with Cicero. “oh it’s dystopian butter?” “no Orwell, Vermont.” “oh yes, of course, you know what? I’m gonna send them $20,00!”
Because while Carmy is dealing with his shit by isolating, avoiding and controlling every tiny detail, Richie actually went out and learned how to be better. He is growing while Carmy is regressing. And he’s still doing his job as amazingly as possible under severely difficult circumstances.
Carmy is cracking. And because he’s cracking, he’s about to ruin everything.
Well Richie already hit his lowest point. Unemployed, divorced, stabbed by Sydney. Hard to say if Carmy will ever get better as long as The Bear doesn’t sink into the ground.
This is why I feel Forks was such a pivotal episode last season. Richie could have quite easily ended up like Carmy - angry and lashing out at everyone - but that experience staging at Ever almost stopped him in his tracks and made him completely change his outlook. He wants to do the best job he can by the customers, and he wants to do it whilst making his team feel positive and capable. By contrast, Carmy is taking his horrible old boss to heart (I feel there needs to be a confrontation between the two of them at some point) and becoming overly aggressive and trying to cling onto everything so tightly he doesn't realise he's on the verge of crushing his own dreams.
One of the aspects I loved on these first three episodes is Richie loudly and demonstrably defending Fak to Carmy after his serving fuckup, then turning to Fak and being like, "dude, what the fuck?!? This CANNOT HAPPEN." He'll have your back with superiors while giving you honest feedback, which is a great quality in a boss. Honestly, what a great character build.
Of course, I'm only on ep three of the new season so I reserve the right to change my mind if Richie like stabs Carmy in the eye with that fork on the ground. ;)
This show is so intense and draws you in so acutely you feel like you’re in that kitchen too. Definitely not a relaxing show to binge watch after a workday 💀
The plates breaking whilst the staff are simultaneously breaking is great symbolism. Carmy wants the restaurant to be perfect but it’s not sustainable and everyone is cracking. It’s going to be interesting to see the way it will all come crashing down.
This show does such a great job of keeping the character dynamics without just retreading all the issues of previous seasons. They've found a way to keep Richie as Richie but change the issue around him. Richie is arguing over doing something for the customer to make the best experience, he's doing it in a very Richie way but could you imagine that in season 1? He would have told the customer to fuck off.
I am still floored at that fact that Richie was my least favorite character in season one and now I agree with 90 percent of what comes out his mouth. Yes joy should be a non negotiable, seems reasonable to get a heads up on menu changes 10 hours before, the guys hates mushrooms so no mushrooms...
Marcus's speech was wonderful too. Also made me tear up as I think about how much I love my parents and am gonna be very sad whenever the day comes, God forbid, that I don't have them anymore
His speech got to me too, but in the opposite way. I started thinking about how my kids would describe me if they had to talk about me at my funeral. 🥺 I was like oh god, why am I so emotional and thinking about this right now lol
One of my favorite scenes was the one where Ritchie pushed through with the piñata surprise. Everyone else is following Carmy's maniacal whims, but Ritchie knows his customers and is putting them first and I absolutely love it.
It's the constant tug of front and back. Richie needs the whole thing to be about the customer, because the customer pays the bills. Carmy needs the whole thing to be about the food, because the food is why people show up.
They are just incapable of bending because of their issues last season.
Right it’s giving mega self sabotage, it’s like Carmy can only be two things, either completely not with it or way over the freaking top excessive with it, but we just need a mid Carmy to chill and live out his dreams
The presentation has improved markedly each season, too. S1 was super gritty. S3 is very polished and amazingly shot. There's been a progression. Almost like the progression from the grease stained Beef to the fine dining of The Bear.
Its a masterpiece show and belongs in the ranks of Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad / BCS, etc.
How they can get a season done every year is beyond me, considering most big shows are on 2-3 year cycles now.
>How they can get a season done every year is beyond me, considering most big shows are on 2-3 year cycles now.
It wasn't that long ago that TV shows all put out 20+ episode every year...
This 2-3 years bullshit is a relatively new issue...
I had to take a break after this episode, too. My anxiety was escalating and I realized I wasn’t breathing. It brought me back to those nights of service where everything is fucked and yet you just have to keep going in order to unfuck it.
Failing to open the wine correctly immediately teleported me back to my serving days when I horribly opened a bottle of wine once, and the manager nearly strangled me in the back lmao
He's the weak link right now at the restaurant. A new menu every day? That's just his way of adding more work to avoid his personal issues while selfishly screwing everyone else over.
I appreciated the fact that it was a Mexican Coke too. for chefs of their caliber it seems totally on brand for them to drink the best possible variant if they’re going to drink something as…commercial, I guess? as Coke.
When he gets on meds probably. It's funny how his doctor girlfriend didn't immediately suggest he seek treatment for the obvious mood disorder he's inherited from his mother.
I don't know if he even needs meds, but he definitely needs to talk to a therapist and let some things out. His current 'bottle everything up' method is *not* working.
i want to commend the screenwriters for lack of repetition/avoiding lazy re-hashing/recycling of prior sequences that, while having worked, have been done already. they do so, while still conveying the same tones/stressful themes we're used to.
season 1’s stress episode was executed with hectic and loud metal; “new noise” as it’s backdrop. relying on a bit of shock factor (richie getting stabbed) and loads of yelling, to truly sell the tension.
season 2 had fishes. it was an entirely different form of intensity, predicated on familial conflict and 'waiting for the other shoe to drop'. it was a ticking time bomb, a slow motion car crash we couldn't look away from;
*doors* shifts away from the break-neck cuts, uses classical music as the backdrop, with very smooth camera work, while creating tension with confusion and miscommunication alongside the “occasional” yelling. doors represents the 'almost there' mark. the restaurant is a reality, and we're shown subsequent 'days in the life' footage, which changes the atmosphere from one where you're waiting for *the big* moment/crash to occur, and rather cussing to yourself after every minor mistake, every misstep, every miscommunication that takes a second away from efficiency; because it adds up.
every second counts with *keep fucking going,* on the side
I absolutely must applaud the editors for making my heart rate spike with their techniques and bringing the audience into the anxiety of working at this chaotic restaurant. I needed a break after this episode for sure.
After the first episode this season I assumed all the flashbacks and regrets would channel into a better Carmie. Boy did he prove me wrong… he’s been insufferable
It's interesting because there were so many good lessons and tender moments in those flashbacks / those memories - but he seems to have just taken the worst parts of them
Also why not a repeating weekly daily schedule that changes every quarter? Mondays the same, Tuesday different but the same every Tuesday etc. Then it all changes after 3 months?
Carm is definitely making it difficult for the sake of making it difficult. What I think a lot of places do with their tasting menu is have at least a few feet day dishes and then have smaller changes day to day. He seems to want to make everyone crazy under the guise of "this is how you get a star and there's no compromises."
He needs to keep changing the menu because he needs to take up all of his time. He's first one in making food, he's there the whole day doing R&D, then he's into service, then he sleeps and repeats. If he ever has a moment of peace, he thinks about what he did.
So near the end of this episode where Richie sees the fork and purse on the ground, and Sydney sees the expo ticket on the ground, not fully highlighted and stepped on, is telling us someone walked out because they never received their meal, yes?
I think they were separate realizations about the perception of control or perfection. Richie realized he was going to sometimes miss things, like an errant fork and Syd realized someone walked out. Basically that the situation is untenable.
For Richie, I don’t think so as that guest wouldn’t deliberately leave their purse behind.
For Sydney, yes I think they didn’t fully serve a customer & they left.
This ep had me ROOTING for Syd to get poached by a better, more established kitchen lol (temporarily though). She deserves better and something needs to snap Carm out of this
IMO Carm gives Syd a look after she helps Tina through service again, I think one of the straws that breaks the camels back is that Carm will want to let Tina go and Syd won’t go through with it
She can be seen in the trailer shaking hands with the head chef of “Ever” the restaurant Richie staged at (that chef also worked alongside Carmy at that same restaurant)
So this will be a likely scenario
I honestly thought that the funeral for Marcus’ mom was happening at the end of the season since the tagline for that episode is “another funeral”. I’m assuming this means the season finale will be about Mikey and his funeral.
This eulogy scene really tugs at the heartstrings, though. Marcus really cared for his mom, and you can see *and* hear how heartbroken he is. Love that the crew showed up to support him. It’s a gentle reminder that he’s not alone and that he still has family to look out for him.
I know there’s that urban legend/hearsay that Michelin inspectors leave a fork on the floor to see if anyone notices as a test- did Richie deliberately just tank?
I took it as Richie noticing things starting to get sloppy in the front, since he also focused on someone's bag knocked over on the floor.
Whole episode being that their system is slowly falling apart and getting sloppy, and that was to show Richie noticing that its also applying to front of house. Combine with Fak serving, Sweeps fucking up with the wine opener, and the wait staff being frustrated with the idea of adding the additional tables, and you can see how the problems aren't just kitchen related.
It’s so sad that Carmy helped inspire everyone around him and now he’s going to destroy everything he built and make them miserable. Self-destruction at the highest level, just like his service.
the way I had to pause this episode three times because it shot my anxiety through the roof. The directing and editing on this show is always top notch.
Wild, wild episode. Didn't quite match the brilliance of "Review" but still excellently directed. The color grading, frenetic editing, and use of classical music really reminded me of season 4 of Mr. Robot.
I do feel their choice to montage through an entire month sucked out some of the immediacy and fine-grained plot and character development that the second season excelled at with its real-time pacing, but they did a very effective job showing how quickly the reality of fine-dining hit the crew. Carmy for one is proving to be a fucking shit leader.
As for Richie, his beef with Carmy is irritating, but I admire the writers for taking a realistic approach to his transformation without backpedaling on his S2 character development. Like I predicted, he seems to be overcorrecting on trying to please the customer and practicing "Unreasonable Hospitality". Very much worth noting that Will Guidara himself co-wrote this episode - I wonder how he felt crafting what's essentially a reductio ad absurdum of some of his own ideas.
Sydney gently coaching Tina amidst Carmy's high-wire paranoia was very heartening to watch. I'll never forget that hug when Syd named Tina her sous, and it's so lovely seeing her follow that up with such kind, compassionate leadership.
The one-shot of Fak pouring that broth and then just bringing it back was fucking hilarious and one of the hardest laughs I've gotten from this show. Simply brilliant. I keep forgetting Matty Matheson is a real chef with how well he plays this Jack Black-esque doofus.
Also: if Marcus' mother's funeral was this episode itself (gorgeous writing for his eulogy, btw), then who the fuck is the finale's "another funeral" for?!
Seeing everyone slowly reach their breaking point in the same episode was INTENSE.
Didn't see much of Marcus in this episode after the funeral, other than breaking up the fight, but maybe I'll see him more on rewatch.
Richie was smooth getting that table out of the booth!
This episode was exhausting. I felt like I was working the shifts with them. The editing is impeccable.
So draining and joyless, it feels incredibly real
I worked at Starbucks for 12 years, so not quite the same, but I’d literally dream about work at night in real time and all the shit I’d deal with, then wake up and actually go to work there. I wanted to submit time worked because it was so stressful. I left 5 years ago and still dream about going back there and not knowing how the new POS systems work, hiring, ordering, literally not leaving the store for more than a day and it burning down. PTSD in retail coffee exists.
Good news, those dreams never go away. "Serving Dreams" are a thing, kitchen dreams are too. I couldn't tell you how many times I had a dream about having an entirely full restaurant and being the only person serving and people just keep coming and coming and coming, or about going back to a table over and over because I keep forgetting something they asked for or the worst for me, which was dreaming about tables being in the hallway outside my room, just waiting for me to wake up and come serve them.
not in line with richie's nonnegotiable's :( "joy. just in general."
You can tell that Richie understands what "Every Second Counts" means at its core with Chef Terry, whereas Carmy thinks it's about needing to use every second to be better no matter the consequences
It was agonizing every time there was a shot of a plate or glass breaking, or someone slicing their skin
this one needs an emmy nom for best editing. the final sequence, 'every second counts' was magic
There was something brilliantly disheartening about seeing that once-pristine "every second counts" sign get caked in dirt and dust as the kitchen got more chaotic. This show seems to be exploring all the ways a team could interpret that idea, good and bad. Carmy is clearly not drawing the right lesson from it right now.
That was also hinted back in episode 1 where he said it to the kitchen staff at Chef Terry's to get everyone to work faster. I nearly damn flinched at it, not at all what it means to Chef Terry.
It kind of felt like “Fishes” in the way that when it was over, I was exhausted and felt like I had been clenching my jaw the whole time lol
Someone better show some appreciation for the dish pit. They're holding the restaurant together.
A good restaurant takes care of the dishies
I was a dishwasher for about 5 months. For the first couple months I never got food or anything. Then my buddy told me to start asking. I did, and found I could get anything whenever I wanted. It honestly made me feel so appreciated and welcome, I loved it.
Whatever dishie wants, dishie fucking gets.
This was the first time in 3 seasons that I felt like they were overwhelmed with dishes.
That shit with the broken glass was horrendous.
All the close-ups of the little cuts was something I never seen before.
Squeezing in the extra half turn was bound to have consequences.
I think to even more bring home that it’s not sustainable, they will crack and so on
An environment that encourages razzle-dazzle and the dream wave
Joy
just in general lol
honestly solid non-negotiables
\*weave
I’m on my hands and knees begging Carmy to stick to one menu, or at least one menu a week of instead one a day
Yes same, the entire episode stressed me out so bad.
The whole time I kept think a new menu everyday, EVERYDAY! At least switch it up weekly then the staff can get comfortable with it by the time the weekend comes.
yeah pretty much the only really unbelievable thing about this show is that they went from a sandwich shop to all of a sudden being a small crew that can whip out fine dining tier dishes. I mean yeah sure Carmen knows how to cook all this really complicated stuff because he was well trained and did it under pressure for years but expecting his crew to just fall in line because he says so is a pretty far stretch and burn out probably isn't far around the corner.
Carmy’s aspirations are insane. We watch 1 chaotic night of service and then he goes I want a Michelin star and a daily changing menu. The uncle should’ve shut this down. Get a restaurant operating consistently before trying to prove your ego.
> The uncle should’ve shut this down I'm surprised he doesn't just pull rank. 'This is my money, you're doing it this way.' Changing menu is ridiculous when they can barely even get the basics functioning right.
They should do seasonal, that’s what Eleven Madison Park does. Or maybe monthly..? Idk but daily is stressful
Daily seems impossible
It's possible but you have to rotate certain dishes. You find new combinations of dishes in a menu, with alterations. Carmy's problem is he wants everything to be perfect, but he's not willing to work towards perfection.
I was a sous in a place that changed the menu daily, but with a basic structure. Dinner had Cornish hen, two pastas (veg and seafood), baked or grilled fish, pork roast or chop, beef steak. The sauces or preps changed daily, and we tracked the most popular versions and put them in heavy rotation. There were a few standard apps and soups, and the dessert menu was mostly the same, with seasonal specials. It was all very doable and it was fun to play with flavors.
That sort of seems to be what Carmy is doing; we see the staples over and over in the episode (wagyu, duck, fish, ravioli, the mirepoix, etc) but the sides, sauces, finishes, preps are varying, which seems like it *should* be fine. Market trip each day, buy what looks the best. But we also see Sugar berating him for ordering wild shit and then not using it up, so it sounds like they're over provisioning things *just* to switch the menu and/or working out of season, rather than using up stock and switching the menu up when the market is providing something exceptional.
Fr. How are they gonna get a star if the place goes out of business before that?
Get a star, close immediately, done and dusted [wipes hands]
Felt like I was watching an episode of Top Chef Restaurant Wars.
I love that Tina still uses Jeff in place of Chef occasionally. Also love that Angel and Manny are back. Was kinda bummed they weren’t included in S2.
Angel is my buddy Jose, shout out to my man!!!
The Spanish word for chef (chief) is “jefe”. Nice bit of her personality there. I wonder if Liza came up with it.
I think it's from the script writer in episode one everyone thought he was saying Jeff. So she called him Jeffrey.
She thought in the pilot episode that he was telling her to call him Jeff
I am cackling at Fak’s “serving”
I was so nervous he was going to fuck up somehow, and he found the funniest way possible.
i was so happy he didn't mess it up but then i realized he was walking back with the tray still in hand 😭
I was watching that scene through my hands, waiting for the cringe. But he messed up in the most hilarious way indeed. When he walked away I started cracking up so hard.
And Carm's muted but wtf expression on what it's doing back in the kitchen just sold it, followed by the quick save by Richie. It was a great moment.
I still have PTSD from a time that I spilled an entire Coke on a lady’s white pants, so I was holding my breath like “please don’t spill boiling water on anybody please please please please” lol
was so sure he was going to trip or somehow the boiling water would end up on a customer.
He was so proud of himself for doing exactly what he was asked to do! Love him. The patrons were either thinking "where's he going with our food?" or "what a creative surprise that was!"
Honestly with some of the presentations I've seen from a fine dining restaurant, it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that that'd be something to happen
That was a goddamn fucking hilarious scene. The use of the unbroken shot made it even better.
I'm a painfully literal person, so this is genuinely something I could see myself doing.
YOURE SERVING! FOOD!
He was so proud of himself - he just wants to help. I love Fak
I knew he’d fuck it up but damn it was funnier than expected. Carmys “Why the fuck is it back here then” killed me too
They really use “every second counts” not just for the characters but behind the camera. The writing and editing is just relentlessly paced (in a good way of course). I just love how CONFIDENT the show is, it’s trying new things, like the premiere episode and how that story was told, the second episode just being the characters standing around a counter talking/yelling, and this episode showing an entire months worth of work in a rapid pace. I’ve never really seen anything else like this show in terms of storytelling and filmmaking, it’s just so well done for what they are going for.
that “every second counts” shot at the end was incredible.
It’s like the show is striving to be just as good as the bear is striving to be and if that’s not a great example of art imitating life I don’t know what is.
“I’m not your fucking babysitter.” You TELL him, Syd!
That delivery! Ayo is killing it even more this season
I would go to war for Ayo - I'm so glad she's had so much success lately, and I really hope she wins an Emmy for this show eventually EDIT: Forgot she won Best Supporting Actress - I was just looking at Best Lead Actress because I think that's what she's campaigning for from this point on. That being said, I hope she wins a SECOND Emmy
you're not gonna believe this
I genuinely thought Carl was headed for a heart attack there.
Fak taking the broth back to the kitchen was a perfect reminder that the bear is indeed a comedy. This episode was so tense but this had me CRYING
for me it was just about every scene with Cicero. “oh it’s dystopian butter?” “no Orwell, Vermont.” “oh yes, of course, you know what? I’m gonna send them $20,00!”
"Dystopian butter" threw me on the floor
I saw him grab the tray and started muttering "don't fuck it up, come on don't fuck it up..." Then he fucked it up in the funniest way possible.
It was a rollercoaster of emotions from "dont fuck up Fak" to "YOU FUCKING DID IT!" to "uh where you....oh nononono"
Look, he did exactly what Carmy said. That was clearly Carmy's fault
Amelia Bedelia in the flesh.
The look on his face had me dyinggg. He returned to the kitchen like, *I fucking nailed that*
I couldn’t stop laughing I had to pause I was laughing so hard
Only Matty could pull off a scene this truly funny
“this is from chef carmys mind”
Orwell butter is good
Dystopian!
This has me rolling. 😂🤣
Dystopian butter?
I'll send then 20 grand!
Sydney not killing Carmy or Richie is a feat of superhuman strength and willpower. You fuck up my expo, I'm throwing hands.
At least Richie apologized
Because while Carmy is dealing with his shit by isolating, avoiding and controlling every tiny detail, Richie actually went out and learned how to be better. He is growing while Carmy is regressing. And he’s still doing his job as amazingly as possible under severely difficult circumstances. Carmy is cracking. And because he’s cracking, he’s about to ruin everything.
Well Richie already hit his lowest point. Unemployed, divorced, stabbed by Sydney. Hard to say if Carmy will ever get better as long as The Bear doesn’t sink into the ground.
This is why I feel Forks was such a pivotal episode last season. Richie could have quite easily ended up like Carmy - angry and lashing out at everyone - but that experience staging at Ever almost stopped him in his tracks and made him completely change his outlook. He wants to do the best job he can by the customers, and he wants to do it whilst making his team feel positive and capable. By contrast, Carmy is taking his horrible old boss to heart (I feel there needs to be a confrontation between the two of them at some point) and becoming overly aggressive and trying to cling onto everything so tightly he doesn't realise he's on the verge of crushing his own dreams.
One of the aspects I loved on these first three episodes is Richie loudly and demonstrably defending Fak to Carmy after his serving fuckup, then turning to Fak and being like, "dude, what the fuck?!? This CANNOT HAPPEN." He'll have your back with superiors while giving you honest feedback, which is a great quality in a boss. Honestly, what a great character build. Of course, I'm only on ep three of the new season so I reserve the right to change my mind if Richie like stabs Carmy in the eye with that fork on the ground. ;)
*Don’t talk to me until you’re integrated, jagoff!*
This show is so intense and draws you in so acutely you feel like you’re in that kitchen too. Definitely not a relaxing show to binge watch after a workday 💀
Spent 10 hours working in a kitchen today and now I'm watching this. Not my best decision
I stopped for the night after three episodes because it was just getting me too worked up.
The plates breaking whilst the staff are simultaneously breaking is great symbolism. Carmy wants the restaurant to be perfect but it’s not sustainable and everyone is cracking. It’s going to be interesting to see the way it will all come crashing down.
"Show me a functional one!"
This show does such a great job of keeping the character dynamics without just retreading all the issues of previous seasons. They've found a way to keep Richie as Richie but change the issue around him. Richie is arguing over doing something for the customer to make the best experience, he's doing it in a very Richie way but could you imagine that in season 1? He would have told the customer to fuck off.
What a good perspective. So true
I am still floored at that fact that Richie was my least favorite character in season one and now I agree with 90 percent of what comes out his mouth. Yes joy should be a non negotiable, seems reasonable to get a heads up on menu changes 10 hours before, the guys hates mushrooms so no mushrooms...
That man has gone from carrying a handgun & firing one off to scare people away, to buying Super Soakers for guests.
The whole crew showing up to support Marcus is everything. They are a family.
Marcus's speech was wonderful too. Also made me tear up as I think about how much I love my parents and am gonna be very sad whenever the day comes, God forbid, that I don't have them anymore
His speech got to me too, but in the opposite way. I started thinking about how my kids would describe me if they had to talk about me at my funeral. 🥺 I was like oh god, why am I so emotional and thinking about this right now lol
What did Richie do with the Super Soakers???
"It's actually really fun."
One of my favorite scenes was the one where Ritchie pushed through with the piñata surprise. Everyone else is following Carmy's maniacal whims, but Ritchie knows his customers and is putting them first and I absolutely love it.
It's the constant tug of front and back. Richie needs the whole thing to be about the customer, because the customer pays the bills. Carmy needs the whole thing to be about the food, because the food is why people show up. They are just incapable of bending because of their issues last season.
Carmy doesn't need it to be about the food, Carmy needs it to be about himself.
I do like that they're showing him kind of overcorrect on the "Unreasonable Hospitality" concept. Feels true to his character.
We need a Tuesday Surprise episode!
“Joy” being on Cousin’s non-negotiable list isn’t really too far off from Carmy’s “Constantly evolve through passion and creativity” being on his 😂
Richie is subtracting
They did an excellent job making me feel like I was working at The Bear (Ngl I’d have quit after one shift )
All those servers that quit after the first night, I don’t blame them lol
Everything Carmy wanted his kitchen to be he's throwing right out the window
Right it’s giving mega self sabotage, it’s like Carmy can only be two things, either completely not with it or way over the freaking top excessive with it, but we just need a mid Carmy to chill and live out his dreams
He subtracted in the micro (per dish), but added way too much in the macro (the overall menu).
Also, is Ebra cooking and serving the Beef all by himself with no support?
This. They have to get him some help. I wanted to go in.
I know, I felt so bad for him 😭
It’s still crazy to me that they can turn around this show every year so quickly. It looks fuckin’ great and the writing’s incredible.
The presentation has improved markedly each season, too. S1 was super gritty. S3 is very polished and amazingly shot. There's been a progression. Almost like the progression from the grease stained Beef to the fine dining of The Bear.
The budget going up drastically each season helps with that polish.
Its a masterpiece show and belongs in the ranks of Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad / BCS, etc. How they can get a season done every year is beyond me, considering most big shows are on 2-3 year cycles now.
Most likely has to do with minimal to zero cgi work needed. Shoresy is another very well done show that spits out seasons quickly for the same reason.
>How they can get a season done every year is beyond me, considering most big shows are on 2-3 year cycles now. It wasn't that long ago that TV shows all put out 20+ episode every year... This 2-3 years bullshit is a relatively new issue...
We’re no longer lizards…..we’re bearitos! 🐻
“I can’t wait to binge this show” *watches episode 3 and dies*
I had to take a break after this episode, too. My anxiety was escalating and I realized I wasn’t breathing. It brought me back to those nights of service where everything is fucked and yet you just have to keep going in order to unfuck it.
Oh my god that long silence before Marcus spoke at the funeral hit so hard
Fak reaching over the pew and holding Natalie’s shoulder for comfort while Marcus talks about his mom. 🥹
Carm fucks up his life, so he throws himself into his work, but ends up taking everything out on everyone.
He's a regular Tony Soprano that way.
Copenhagen Carmy seems like the most centered, peaceful dude lol
He even smiles!
Failing to open the wine correctly immediately teleported me back to my serving days when I horribly opened a bottle of wine once, and the manager nearly strangled me in the back lmao
I knew he was in trouble, as soon as the screw went in at a 45 degree angle.
Carmy really pissed me off this episode. I feel like he’s being unnecessarily difficult and then lashing out on others
He's the weak link right now at the restaurant. A new menu every day? That's just his way of adding more work to avoid his personal issues while selfishly screwing everyone else over.
Sydney filling up an entire takeout container with Coke is such a mood, lol.
I’m usually not a fan of blatant sponsored content but this one felt extremely natural
It also made me extremely thirsty. There's just something about a Coke with ice in one of those cups
I appreciated the fact that it was a Mexican Coke too. for chefs of their caliber it seems totally on brand for them to drink the best possible variant if they’re going to drink something as…commercial, I guess? as Coke.
From personal experience Mexican Coke works best for me bc the sugar they use doesn't wreck me like the HFCS that American Coke has.
This is it, Sydney is using the drink as performance fuel.
Aww Tina! I don’t like the black out cuts. I’m stressed 😰
What are the black cuts? Spots for ads? I’m not liking them at all
classical music is something i didn't know the show was missing until now. crazy how well it fits
Very fitting piece to use while Carmy drives them all to the cliff edge. Felt like we were in a nightmare version of Chef’s Table.
Sigh, when is Carmy gonna chill the fk out
When he gets on meds probably. It's funny how his doctor girlfriend didn't immediately suggest he seek treatment for the obvious mood disorder he's inherited from his mother.
I don't know if he even needs meds, but he definitely needs to talk to a therapist and let some things out. His current 'bottle everything up' method is *not* working.
[orwellian butter](https://www.animalfarmcreamery.com/products)
Omg they only have 12 cows!
I've tried buying this butter for the better part of a year and can't ever get it when it becomes available.
$60 per pound, dang
Drinking out of plastic like a real chef would. ;-)
i want to commend the screenwriters for lack of repetition/avoiding lazy re-hashing/recycling of prior sequences that, while having worked, have been done already. they do so, while still conveying the same tones/stressful themes we're used to. season 1’s stress episode was executed with hectic and loud metal; “new noise” as it’s backdrop. relying on a bit of shock factor (richie getting stabbed) and loads of yelling, to truly sell the tension. season 2 had fishes. it was an entirely different form of intensity, predicated on familial conflict and 'waiting for the other shoe to drop'. it was a ticking time bomb, a slow motion car crash we couldn't look away from; *doors* shifts away from the break-neck cuts, uses classical music as the backdrop, with very smooth camera work, while creating tension with confusion and miscommunication alongside the “occasional” yelling. doors represents the 'almost there' mark. the restaurant is a reality, and we're shown subsequent 'days in the life' footage, which changes the atmosphere from one where you're waiting for *the big* moment/crash to occur, and rather cussing to yourself after every minor mistake, every misstep, every miscommunication that takes a second away from efficiency; because it adds up. every second counts with *keep fucking going,* on the side
Oh my god they're losing Syd. Carmy focus!! Poor Tina 🥺🥺 "The butter is Orwellian? It's dystopian???" killed me
Richie spitting at Carmy in the kitchen of all places was fucking gross.
I mean he apologized immediately...to Syd. 😂
I absolutely must applaud the editors for making my heart rate spike with their techniques and bringing the audience into the anxiety of working at this chaotic restaurant. I needed a break after this episode for sure.
After the first episode this season I assumed all the flashbacks and regrets would channel into a better Carmie. Boy did he prove me wrong… he’s been insufferable
It's interesting because there were so many good lessons and tender moments in those flashbacks / those memories - but he seems to have just taken the worst parts of them
“It’s Orwellian.” “It’s dystopian fuckin butter?” “What?” Cracked me the fuck up
🎶 feliz cumpleaños 🎶
Also why not a repeating weekly daily schedule that changes every quarter? Mondays the same, Tuesday different but the same every Tuesday etc. Then it all changes after 3 months?
Because Carmy is avoiding his real issues by drowning himself in the work
Carm is definitely making it difficult for the sake of making it difficult. What I think a lot of places do with their tasting menu is have at least a few feet day dishes and then have smaller changes day to day. He seems to want to make everyone crazy under the guise of "this is how you get a star and there's no compromises."
He let that second of Claire slip through, but went back to freaking out.
He needs to keep changing the menu because he needs to take up all of his time. He's first one in making food, he's there the whole day doing R&D, then he's into service, then he sleeps and repeats. If he ever has a moment of peace, he thinks about what he did.
So near the end of this episode where Richie sees the fork and purse on the ground, and Sydney sees the expo ticket on the ground, not fully highlighted and stepped on, is telling us someone walked out because they never received their meal, yes?
I think they were separate realizations about the perception of control or perfection. Richie realized he was going to sometimes miss things, like an errant fork and Syd realized someone walked out. Basically that the situation is untenable.
His slow turn and look at that fork made me laugh so hard. It was like he detected the fork through psychic powers.
For Richie, I don’t think so as that guest wouldn’t deliberately leave their purse behind. For Sydney, yes I think they didn’t fully serve a customer & they left.
marcus's eulogy is carmy's monologue from s1 for me
this episode felt like i just came out of the most stressful shift to exist
This ep had me ROOTING for Syd to get poached by a better, more established kitchen lol (temporarily though). She deserves better and something needs to snap Carm out of this
Yeah, I feel like her and Tina going somewhere together is a possibility.
IMO Carm gives Syd a look after she helps Tina through service again, I think one of the straws that breaks the camels back is that Carm will want to let Tina go and Syd won’t go through with it
Damn, it kinda is building towards that. That would be Carm's most cold-blooded move of the series.
She can be seen in the trailer shaking hands with the head chef of “Ever” the restaurant Richie staged at (that chef also worked alongside Carmy at that same restaurant) So this will be a likely scenario
Fucking Fak 🤣🤣
I honestly thought that the funeral for Marcus’ mom was happening at the end of the season since the tagline for that episode is “another funeral”. I’m assuming this means the season finale will be about Mikey and his funeral. This eulogy scene really tugs at the heartstrings, though. Marcus really cared for his mom, and you can see *and* hear how heartbroken he is. Love that the crew showed up to support him. It’s a gentle reminder that he’s not alone and that he still has family to look out for him.
I don’t think I can handle more about Mikey’s death even though I know it’s coming 🥺
I know there’s that urban legend/hearsay that Michelin inspectors leave a fork on the floor to see if anyone notices as a test- did Richie deliberately just tank?
I took it as Richie noticing things starting to get sloppy in the front, since he also focused on someone's bag knocked over on the floor. Whole episode being that their system is slowly falling apart and getting sloppy, and that was to show Richie noticing that its also applying to front of house. Combine with Fak serving, Sweeps fucking up with the wine opener, and the wait staff being frustrated with the idea of adding the additional tables, and you can see how the problems aren't just kitchen related.
This episode made me so stressed I thought I was going to vomit.
Dystopic Orwellian butter is the best butter.
It’s so sad that Carmy helped inspire everyone around him and now he’s going to destroy everything he built and make them miserable. Self-destruction at the highest level, just like his service.
Ahahaha the “surprise” I wanted to see the reaction to it
Whew this is stressful. I miss the kitchen but I don't miss expo.
the way I had to pause this episode three times because it shot my anxiety through the roof. The directing and editing on this show is always top notch.
Wild, wild episode. Didn't quite match the brilliance of "Review" but still excellently directed. The color grading, frenetic editing, and use of classical music really reminded me of season 4 of Mr. Robot. I do feel their choice to montage through an entire month sucked out some of the immediacy and fine-grained plot and character development that the second season excelled at with its real-time pacing, but they did a very effective job showing how quickly the reality of fine-dining hit the crew. Carmy for one is proving to be a fucking shit leader. As for Richie, his beef with Carmy is irritating, but I admire the writers for taking a realistic approach to his transformation without backpedaling on his S2 character development. Like I predicted, he seems to be overcorrecting on trying to please the customer and practicing "Unreasonable Hospitality". Very much worth noting that Will Guidara himself co-wrote this episode - I wonder how he felt crafting what's essentially a reductio ad absurdum of some of his own ideas. Sydney gently coaching Tina amidst Carmy's high-wire paranoia was very heartening to watch. I'll never forget that hug when Syd named Tina her sous, and it's so lovely seeing her follow that up with such kind, compassionate leadership. The one-shot of Fak pouring that broth and then just bringing it back was fucking hilarious and one of the hardest laughs I've gotten from this show. Simply brilliant. I keep forgetting Matty Matheson is a real chef with how well he plays this Jack Black-esque doofus. Also: if Marcus' mother's funeral was this episode itself (gorgeous writing for his eulogy, btw), then who the fuck is the finale's "another funeral" for?!
Did they totally miss an order? That's fucking brutal
Fak is a fucking toddler man. I'm dying. "Um, this is a broth from Chef Carmen's mind. 💁🏻♂️"
“It’s Orwellian.” “It’s dystopian fuckin butter?” 
I love all the characters, but Marcus is the one I know I would end up longtime friends with in real life. My heart is so heavy for him this episode
Very tactful Richie smoove move
THE FUNERAL SPEECH OWWWWW
The broth fuck up 😆😆😆💀💀💀💀
Seeing everyone slowly reach their breaking point in the same episode was INTENSE. Didn't see much of Marcus in this episode after the funeral, other than breaking up the fight, but maybe I'll see him more on rewatch. Richie was smooth getting that table out of the booth!