ashleynotevil
Joined Jun 2023
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ashleynotevil's rating
Episode opens with people unfocused and distracted.
It's supposed to be rehearsal for opening night but we know it's the last episode.
The chef and sous chef leveling a table in the dining room instead of prepping was suspicious but covered as a heart-warming scene that proved to be affirmation that what was said was not true. Aspirational but empty.
As soon as Sydney the sous started expediting (calling out orders) in her monotonous drone and not responding to calls for "all day" (a total of orders for a particular dish) from the staff, I knew the train was definitely off the tracks.
It was a similar real experience that made me understand Ozzy's song "Crazy Train" and how you can know what's coming but unable to change it and only do as much damage control as possible while not being able to get off the doomed train. This can happen with just one person out of sync but we quickly learn that it's not just one here.
Carmen isn't completely to blame for all his shirking of tasks fundamental to operation; the others knew he wasn't following through yet treated them each as isolated minor issues without considering their cumulative effect. They were waiting for their "I told you so" moments as with Natalie and having enough forks.
The only one who had received training to deal with that situation was reveling in his newfound talents on the floor (dining room with customers) until no amount of denial could prevent him finally stepping up.
Speaking of that, Sydney didn't get any stage ( _stawj_ , temporary internship) to help her find her voice in the kitchen. Why?
She and Carmen remained cursed by their tragic self-belief, as if determined to accomplish their worst fears.
(Damn! I can't tell you how frustrated I was as soon as she started calling orders and realized that no magic was going to happen for her and no one was ready to step up till much later. Even the heart-rubbing code sign exchanged between Carmen and Sydney was meaningless since nobody learned anything.)
Then - the idiot locked in the walk-in (and yes it can happen!) came up with zero ideas to get himself out. A crowbar, tire iron, or heavy duty pot handle could have pried the door open but he was obviously where he needed to be in order to doom himself further with Claire and everyone else who tried to love him.
Self-pity was disgustingly thick and about the only ingredient Carmen the chef could come up with as he looked around at the most bitter vegetables in the walk-in (that's all I could come up with for what the camera was doing with the radicchio, etc).
After loving this season, celebrating it as genius, thinking I'd paid my trauma dues with the "Fishes" episode, I was so angry that this was the final episode; though it was "practice night" there is no coming back from much of it.
Even the obvious analogy with the meth smoking employee having a milder addiction than others in prominent roles got only a smirk from me. As Marcus pointed out, he did do his job.
Mom showing up with her crap issues was just another weakly symbolic event that really meant nothing and didn't contribute to any of the problems. There wasn't an adult present anywhere (maybe Clair for leaving?) and the reduction of key people to their pettiest childish selves was too frustrating for me.
Yeah, the diners thought it was great. Been there with an imploding staff and somehow pulled that off. But the main players not being able to shut their mouths is fatally unforgivable/forgettable.
I haven't forgiven them.
Or the writers and makers of the show.
Today I hate them all.
It was probably a great episode somehow so I gave it a 7 though my heart has no rating low enough.
It's supposed to be rehearsal for opening night but we know it's the last episode.
The chef and sous chef leveling a table in the dining room instead of prepping was suspicious but covered as a heart-warming scene that proved to be affirmation that what was said was not true. Aspirational but empty.
As soon as Sydney the sous started expediting (calling out orders) in her monotonous drone and not responding to calls for "all day" (a total of orders for a particular dish) from the staff, I knew the train was definitely off the tracks.
It was a similar real experience that made me understand Ozzy's song "Crazy Train" and how you can know what's coming but unable to change it and only do as much damage control as possible while not being able to get off the doomed train. This can happen with just one person out of sync but we quickly learn that it's not just one here.
Carmen isn't completely to blame for all his shirking of tasks fundamental to operation; the others knew he wasn't following through yet treated them each as isolated minor issues without considering their cumulative effect. They were waiting for their "I told you so" moments as with Natalie and having enough forks.
The only one who had received training to deal with that situation was reveling in his newfound talents on the floor (dining room with customers) until no amount of denial could prevent him finally stepping up.
Speaking of that, Sydney didn't get any stage ( _stawj_ , temporary internship) to help her find her voice in the kitchen. Why?
She and Carmen remained cursed by their tragic self-belief, as if determined to accomplish their worst fears.
(Damn! I can't tell you how frustrated I was as soon as she started calling orders and realized that no magic was going to happen for her and no one was ready to step up till much later. Even the heart-rubbing code sign exchanged between Carmen and Sydney was meaningless since nobody learned anything.)
Then - the idiot locked in the walk-in (and yes it can happen!) came up with zero ideas to get himself out. A crowbar, tire iron, or heavy duty pot handle could have pried the door open but he was obviously where he needed to be in order to doom himself further with Claire and everyone else who tried to love him.
Self-pity was disgustingly thick and about the only ingredient Carmen the chef could come up with as he looked around at the most bitter vegetables in the walk-in (that's all I could come up with for what the camera was doing with the radicchio, etc).
After loving this season, celebrating it as genius, thinking I'd paid my trauma dues with the "Fishes" episode, I was so angry that this was the final episode; though it was "practice night" there is no coming back from much of it.
Even the obvious analogy with the meth smoking employee having a milder addiction than others in prominent roles got only a smirk from me. As Marcus pointed out, he did do his job.
Mom showing up with her crap issues was just another weakly symbolic event that really meant nothing and didn't contribute to any of the problems. There wasn't an adult present anywhere (maybe Clair for leaving?) and the reduction of key people to their pettiest childish selves was too frustrating for me.
Yeah, the diners thought it was great. Been there with an imploding staff and somehow pulled that off. But the main players not being able to shut their mouths is fatally unforgivable/forgettable.
I haven't forgiven them.
Or the writers and makers of the show.
Today I hate them all.
It was probably a great episode somehow so I gave it a 7 though my heart has no rating low enough.
I've cried more to this season of The Bear than any other movie or show I can remember and I'm not a crier. Once again the restaurant scenes are realistic and more than anything a restaurant is made of people. You spot talent and nourish it. Often they don't even know what their real talents are. I've been there to see transformations and sometimes it was something simple and sometimes it took a village but always a person is made of moments where another is open to them.
"Forks" in just 35 minutes shows this journey which often takes months, even years, without cliché as I can verify having many nearly identical myself and we realize it's not about making the person useful to us, it's about setting the stage where there talents can shine for anyone to see, especially themselves.
Restaurants are often the forge where this can happen if a master is present. We get to see all that is wonderful about Richie. And we also get to know why he has been there all this time, why the Chef, the Bear, kept him there: he is and has been essential to the mission.
The writers and makers and actors and everyone else that makes this show work did what often can't be explained to others in just 35 minutes. I've waited far longer for a meal unworthy of the wait. This was as nearly perfect as humans get.
If you don't get it, start your life over or take a break and go beg for a job as many times as it takes at a restaurant and hope there are artists and maybe a master around.
"Forks" in just 35 minutes shows this journey which often takes months, even years, without cliché as I can verify having many nearly identical myself and we realize it's not about making the person useful to us, it's about setting the stage where there talents can shine for anyone to see, especially themselves.
Restaurants are often the forge where this can happen if a master is present. We get to see all that is wonderful about Richie. And we also get to know why he has been there all this time, why the Chef, the Bear, kept him there: he is and has been essential to the mission.
The writers and makers and actors and everyone else that makes this show work did what often can't be explained to others in just 35 minutes. I've waited far longer for a meal unworthy of the wait. This was as nearly perfect as humans get.
If you don't get it, start your life over or take a break and go beg for a job as many times as it takes at a restaurant and hope there are artists and maybe a master around.