penningtron wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:17 am The tension between the Cordon Bleu (or whatever) trained cooks and the old school 'spaghetti dinner' guy is a big part of the show (especially the latter, who starts to question his sense of purpose). I wouldn't look to the show for realism, especially the twist near the end with the tomato cans (still scratching my head over it).

The Ecto Cooler cracked me up.

6 episodes in now and I'm curious whether they ever actually explain the restaurant. It's driving me nuts. All this footage of the French kitchen prepping stock and mashed potatoes and boiling langoustine shells into a bisque and chopping herbs...but during service, all we see is blue collar dudes standing in line for chicago dogs and beef sandwiches (that look dry as fuck, btw).

jeff fox wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:43 am

penningtron wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:17 am The tension between the Cordon Bleu (or whatever) trained cooks and the old school 'spaghetti dinner' guy is a big part of the show (especially the latter, who starts to question his sense of purpose). I wouldn't look to the show for realism, especially the twist near the end with the tomato cans (still scratching my head over it).

The Ecto Cooler cracked me up.

6 episodes in now and I'm curious whether they ever actually explain the restaurant. It's driving me nuts.

It's definitely confusing. Other than the newer cook telling the main dude the restaurant wasn't making money, the reality of the situation isn't further addressed. Also, why is the one dude off in the corner perfecting his pastries? Who goes to a beef stand for an 'elevated' jelly donut or whatever??

I still liked the show for the adrenaline rush/stress factor, but.. yeah.

penningtron wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:54 am

jeff fox wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:43 am

penningtron wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:17 am The tension between the Cordon Bleu (or whatever) trained cooks and the old school 'spaghetti dinner' guy is a big part of the show (especially the latter, who starts to question his sense of purpose). I wouldn't look to the show for realism, especially the twist near the end with the tomato cans (still scratching my head over it).

The Ecto Cooler cracked me up.

6 episodes in now and I'm curious whether they ever actually explain the restaurant. It's driving me nuts.

It's definitely confusing. Other than the newer cook telling the main dude the restaurant wasn't making money, the reality of the situation isn't further addressed. Also, why is the one dude off in the corner perfecting his pastries? Who goes to a beef stand for an 'elevated' jelly donut or whatever??

I still liked the show for the adrenaline rush/stress factor, but.. yeah.

Spoilers, maybe, so be warned.

I finished the season. I suppose I just wanted to "see what would happen" as we say. I do think it's well cast.

As far as Marcus (pastry), he was inspired by something Carmen did, one of the books. Easy enough to figure out. You never know who is gonna be inspired by what. Elevated lunch sandwich followed by elevated dessert is pretty common these days.

It was obvious that Mikey was into some shady shit, and the tomato cans were the answer to Carmen's concerns about his relationship with Mikey.

Ecto Cooler episode was awesome. I like Oliver Platt in whatever he does.

It's definitely got some realism, I think, about restaurant life in general, and the tension of old guard vs new happens IRL for sure.

I wish Richie would fuck off. There's a name/label for these characters/archetypes (which I have forgotten) in "how to write a screenplay" books , and this character type just bores the the fuck out of me, but they get ratings I'm sure. When he landed in jail I was hoping for a manslaughter charge.

The thing that pissed me off the most was when Carmen texted Sydney "No acid" for the explanation why her dish wasn't ready. I don't believe for a second that it completely lacked acid. Maybe was out of balance, but I bet someone like Sydney would not leave it out completely. "Needs more acid" would have been much more realistic.

I'm curious what happens next season.

enframed wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 9:41 am I wish Richie would fuck off. There's a name/label for these characters/archetypes (which I have forgotten) in "how to write a screenplay" books , and this character type just bores the the fuck out of me, but they get ratings I'm sure. When he landed in jail I was hoping for a manslaughter charge.

Unfortunately a type of guy I dealt with in Chicagoland a few times (these assholes probably exist in other places too, but that's where I lived when I attempted 'trade work'). Hot head alpha male bullshit that had everyone else on edge, cuz you never knew which version of that guy you'd get that day. Pretty accurately portrayed IMO, and from glimpses it seems like Mikey was maybe a slightly more charismatic version of that too.

I just finished season one of 'The Bear' based on you folks discussing it here. I don't have kitchen experience like some of you, but overall I enjoyed it. But it's not without its frustrations. The constant tension and angst is tiring. Richie is indeed a pain in the ass, but I suspect they are gonna change it up with him next season, maybe. I hope there are more Jon Bernthal flashbacks next season. Total man crush for me.

Stranger Things, Season 4, Part 2

I liked the way the season started better than how it ended, but I was still entertained.

losthighway wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 6:36 pm

tommy wrote: Wed Jun 08, 2022 2:22 pm

jfv wrote: Mon May 30, 2022 8:13 pm The youngest daughter has us binging Stranger Things, S4. I like it much better than S3.

AGREE! Especially the further it gets, but I also liked that it started out more horror and darker than the previous seasons. I'm also enjoying some of the direct visual refences to movies of the time, but can see how that might grate on some people.

Man, when they first entered the Creel house it was pure 'It'. I imagine there have been countless references I've missed. Definite nods to Spielberg at his best in Season 3.

Watched episode 8 last night and there's definitely a parallel to the opening scene in the OG 1977 Star Wars.

Started Season 3 of Barry and it's even funnier and darker than the other two. I'm excited.

andyman wrote: Sat Jul 16, 2022 6:26 am Started Season 3 of Barry and it's even funnier and darker than the other two. I'm excited.

Yeah I binged it pretty quick. All of the chatter about it emphasized how dark it is, but I wasn't prepared for how funny it would be at the same time. They hit a Coen brothersesque tone at times with the absurdity of the violence and the eccentricity of the characters and circumstances. The journey to the dinner party was amazing. I also loved Sally's arc. My brother in law is in TV in LA (he actually worked on season 2) and the comedic exaggerations of the industry are hilarious to me.

HBO Max

The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder's new show: