Does it answer every question asked over the 5 season run? Not necessarily. Is every character’s arc wrapped up well? Mostly. Is it as stressful and cathartic as every season before? Oh hell yeah.
If you’ve never seen the show it follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a world-class chef who he returns to his family’s sandwich shop in Chicago following the death of his brother, the owner. Over 5 seasons, he works to change it into a high-class establishment alongside other professionally trained chefs, namely Sydney “Syd” Adamu (Ayo Edebri). Now, it’s a show I highly recommend, so if you don’t want it spoiled, throw it on and come back when you’re finished.
The season starts with Syd fully in the role of head chef, shortly after Carmy tells her he plans on quitting being a chef. It’s a tense feeling that carries through most of the season, the first 7 episodes of which take place on what may be the restaurant’s final day open. They’re dealing with flooding as Chicago is hit by a massive rainstorm, their reservation system is down, and they’re so low on funds they can’t fully stock their walk-in. It’s stressful, much like the entire 5 season run of the series, but under Head Chef Syd’s guidance they manage to keep their heads above water.
That stress is where the show excels, finding just enough moments of calm to keep the show firmly in the realm of “thrilling” instead of “heart-attack inducing.” The show also came under the past couple seasons for what can only be described as pure narcissism. They won a ton of awards, actual chefs and restaurant workers praised it for its accuracy, and the show suddenly became about how making food is the greatest and most important endeavour humans can engage in. None of that is here. Which isn’t to say it isn’t pretentious, it is about a fine dining establishment charging nearly $200USD a head for dinner after all. So if your idea of fancy is chicken nuggets to go with your cheeseburger, it probably won’t hit for you.
The finale is weaker than the rest of the season. I’d tell you more about it but honestly nothing really interesting happens. They get Michelin stars, some people hook up, some people leave, more than anything it just feels perfunctory. Like, “hey it’s over, putting the chairs up slowly, but you should probably leave” kinda vibe.
All in all? Maybe not as strong a season of television as the first or second were, but definitely leagues above most of what you see on TV, and easily one of the greatest series of the 20s so far. Let me know what you think in the comments!
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