Sweetbitter

Just finished season 2 on the starz app and loved it! Give us a season 3 with more episodes!

This is a great show that simmers slowly and takes its time building the plot and characters over two gorgeously filmed seasons situated primarily in a restaurant modeled after Union Square Cafe in NYC in the early 2000s. It reminds me a bit of the series Felicity with Keri Russell from the late 90s: a shy, beautiful young woman moves to the big city looking to explore all the possibilities life may offer while she slowly discovers who she is and who she really wants to be. It's moody and thoughtful and gives us an accurate look into the life of young servers, bar and kitchen staff working in a high-end, high pressure restaurant. The episodes are only 30 minutes long, so things never get too deep and I think I appreciate this aspect. I can immerse myself a little, get the feeling and the vibe of the time and place and romance of it all; good escapism with a talented cast that serves up courses of relationship drama, intimacy and sex while bringing in well researched and even informational aspects of food and wine. If you enjoy coming of age stories and love food, you'll enjoy all the sweet and bitter this show has to offer.

A marvelous series that shouldn't have finished (cut off) so soon and quickly. It was ripe for at least 4 seasons. The build up, endearing and juicy intriguing developments in that tight world and on top of that the acting and the marvelous score.

Loved Simone above all. Her magnetism, soft commanding voice and superb fragile presence. A pity that mumbo soap operas last for two-digit seasons while that gem of a restaurant world bearing so much dramatic realism breathed out its last gulp of air after just 14 episodes.

New York is magical. Even the poster makes you dream.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 7
• Production value/impact: 7.5
• Development: 8
• Realism: 7.5
• Entertainment: 8
• Acting: 8
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
• VFX: 8
• Music/score/sound: 8
• Depth: 6.5
• Logic: 5.5
• Flow: 7.5
• Psychological/workplace drama/coming of age/comedy/drama: 7
• Ending: 7.

I just watched this to pass the time, but I thought it was intriguing enough and found myself finishing the first season. It has the sweetness of a chick flick and the bitterness of an angsty indie film. The main actress is very beautiful and she is captivating to watch. The supporting actors played their parts well. It leaves me feeling empty watching it...there's something sad about the atmosphere of the show...but at the same time it has a dream-like quality about it that makes me long for it. The only thing I don't like about it is how angry or tired of life everyone is, but I think that's what the show wants to evoke. I do look forward to season 2 and more character and storyline development. And I do crave the show.

A familiar story of a young girl heading to the big city to find herself and grow a personality. Ella Purnell is the sweet girl who has not yet revealed the bitter but shows hints of a steel core. She is taken on to train at Howard's (Paul Sparks - last seen in Waco) posh restaurant and her future family (one guesses) is there in the kitchen and front of house. Speaking as a former restaurant manager, she is given a surprising amount of freedom as a probationer (scoffing oysters in the cold store while quaffing champagne?) but I guess that can be called poetic licence. All told I will be giving it a chance to grow on me.