Review by amyjo-1111

Clearly, mental illness runs in the family and wow, this episode did a genius job of unpacking that. Mom most likely has Bipolar Disorder and it seems that Mikey inherited it. Both are obviously self-medicating. Carmy and Nat are dealing with their own symptoms simply from being raised around extremely mentally ill relatives. The genius of this episode is the dynamics of all of it, between everyone. What especially interests me is why Nat can't stop herself from asking her mom if she's ok and triggering her mom, even though she knows better. It kind of makes me wonder if part of her is doing that on purpose? Like it's her own passive aggressive way of asserting some control in an environment that constantly makes her feel powerless. And then she plays innocent? Interesting psychology there. I do think she has a good heart. She's just perhaps not as harmless and innocent as she tries to appear. Or maybe she is. Who knows. This family is as complicated as the dishes they prepare.

Clearly, cooking is a real art in this family, to the point of madness. There's a fine line between genius and insanity, as they say. They are the bears. And also mad chefs.

And then there are the tender moments sprinkled throughout. The moments of sanity that provide a breath of fresh air. The quiet, beautiful, loving conversations in the corners. It's a family of contradictions... rational one second and irrational the next. They can be so loving and genuine, but also so angry and hateful. They are ruled by emotion. They're passionate. These people are not monsters, they're just human. And Italian.