Sundae

I had a long and incredibly detailed review, ready to be posted. Then in typical imdb fashion, their app glitches and it is lost.

So here's the liner notes.

Ms. Ayo is far too young for this role and was horribly mis-cast.

This episode lacked rationale. The actions of our female lead were not only questionable at best, but unethical and illogical. Absolutely bewildering.

Just like having a teenager in a role that should be filled by a 25 year old. She is literally unbelievable in this role.

For some context:

Jeremy Allen White was older than Ms. Ayo is now, when he was playing the role of 'Lip' Gallagher on Shameless, nearly 15 years ago. A character who was younger than the one Ayo is playing now. (Did you get all that?)

There is ZERO chemisty between the two. And the whole 'daddy's little girl' angle does her NO Favours, at all. It is a HUGE detriment.

Also, if buddy was supposed to go help his new/old friend, how did he end up at the shop; while she was taking an eating tour of Chicago, that he was supposed to be with her on?

Poor writing, editing, and casting.

The show has a lot of promise, but the entirety of season 2 so far has been painful, to say the least. In season 1 the makeup and wardrobe were enough to take away from the fact that she is far too young for this role. But thus far in season 2, its absolutely unforgivable.

To repeat: She would be too young for a role that Jeremy played 15 years ago when he was older then, than she is now.

Somebody dropped the ball big time.

This is the first episode i have rated below its average rating. So clearly I had been enjoying the show up until this point, more than most, obviously, since i have rated it higher than the average viewer.

So disagreeing with me would defy logic. Proving that you can't have your cake and eat it too. That euphamism has always been idiotic in any rhetoric, but so is casting someone grossly underage for the role. It seemed poetic.

I don't care for "opinion", I only deliver the real. And everything i've said, is real.

Short form: You re-cast her, people lose their heads about it, show gets cancelled.

You keep her, and faster than you can imagine people stop watching, and no number of awards is gonna save them.

You would have to fire so many people from production. In the end its just not worth it. I'm sure they will tough it out for 4 or 5 seasons despite the dwindling viewership.

But don't take my word for it.....actually, absolutely take my word for it. I've never been wrong, don't see how I would start now.

(Also writing the character out of the show would save it as well. The "easy way out". Check it)

So Sydney contributes zero money, has nothing to lose but some crappy food dishes that no one seems to like (not even herself) she has no resume or reputation yet is worried about Carmen!?? Can someone please give this chic a reality check!? It's a total entitlement of a generation expecting things and pieces of something that belongs to someone else or another family because they demand it! She literally walked into a family restaurant off the street and begged to work there and she thinks she's something special. I just don't like her and it's making the show less fun to watch.

I give the rest of the stars for Richie and Carmie and literally anyone else besides Syd!!

I have never been so disappointed in a season 2! The first season was full on, pumping with action. So far all the characters are meandering through, eating food and complaining about rotting wood.

I do not understand how these episodes are rating so high. I am waiting for something, anything, to happen, and it is not.

There's no plot, and the actors seem like they're just saying the words. The soul of this show has been torn from it's still-beating heart, broken down and stomped on, returning to a lifeless corpse that is season two.

And the music! Oh my god. There's a new song playing every thirty seconds. It is annoying and adds nothing to this slow motion train wreck.

The montage-heavy nature of this episode was fun, as were the scenes with people who I assume are real Chicago area chefs. It also conveyed the idea that the restaurant business is a dicey one, accentuating Sydney's misgivings.

I don't quite get the nature of those misgivings yet, though. As I understand it, the restaurant is half owned by Carmen and half by Nat. Mickey left the restaurant in his will to his two siblings. Sydney isn't in a position to make a financial investment that would give her the right to expect something like profit-sharing. Is she just young and clueless?

The scenes regarding the mold were funny. Sydney's reaction to not being consulted was irrational but a product of her rather clueless fears. They would have torn down the walls anyway, no choice.

I love a montage as much as the next person, and this episode jam-packed as many into 25 minutes as possible.

This works on some levels; I particularly loved the montage set to 'Future Perfect' as the different dishes flashed across the screen, alongside images of the developing city across time and its urban sprawl. However, it maybe sacrificed a bit too much of its runtime to achieve this almost music-video-esque aesthetic.

What saves it? The brief but endearing conversation between Carm and his ex-girlfriend (I'm forgetting her name, Claire?). And the facial acting of Ayo Edebiri throughout, who conveys her character's doubts, frustrations and sadnesses effectively to ensure that minimal dialogue is required.

Still, a good episode that was certainly never boring to watch. The cinematography was a particular highlight, and if individual characters are getting individual episodes in this season? That may be something I can get on board with.