I really enjoyed Season 2, probably more so than Season 1, even. Episode 7 was fantastic, as others have noted.
One thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the relationship with Claire. I definitely liked parts of it but a lot of it seemed too much like a teenage boy’s dream come true.
The nerdy girl down street grows up to be a beautiful doctor and guess what? She’s always had a crush on you. Not only that but you’re a bit of an interesting guy with a complicated past, trouble commiting, and never been able hold a relationship together. No problem, she gets that too, she’s basically perfect.
Then after all that, I felt like her “break up” after the fridge scene was a little weak. I obviously expect her to be hurt by the things he said but given all background the writers gave us, I felt her just walking out on him in that moment didn’t really reconcile.
This is the real problem I had. The entire season kind of builds up why they would be a resilient couple. And then one moment of someone wallowing in self pity and *poof It’s all gone? Not sure I love that.
I really just feel like the last episode of the season had a great atmosphere, but ultimately is pulling us down a path that isn’t super believable. I liked the last episode. Just don’t like what actually happened in the last episode because it makes me fear for the future of the series.
I definitely felt the same and thought it was a weird way to end, but I think I reconciled it by assuming they would get back together at the start of season 3
I didn’t have an issue with Claire always having a crush on him despite/because of his flaws. Everyone is attracted to folks for a myriad of reasons.
The monologue in the finale that Claire overheard was a bit too broad for me too, felt too predictable, etc. and almost plot driven than anything else. Assume Season 3 is about both the restaurant and Carmy finding some sort of happiness and homeostasis, and for him that should involve Claire.
Finally was able to watch season 2 as it was released in Canada last Wednesday. Just finished the finale and still trying to process my thoughts but wow what a season. I liked season 1 well enough but not nearly to the extent that most seemed to. Don’t know if that’s because I never worked in a restaurant or what. Either way thought that it really levelled up this season. Richie’s gotta be the season MVP in my book.
The last episode of season 2 worked really well for me. The paradox of what Carmy should be feeling while locked in the fridge compared to what he is feeling as the team he assembled successfully manages family and friends night without him was a great plot.
He should feel excited and relieved that there might be a world when he can own a restaurant but not be needed 100% every day which allow him to pursue life and relationships outside the kitchen. However, past traumas of his family and job don’t allow him to see the forest from the trees and he can only focus on the bad in the situation costing him his life outside of the kitchen (namely Claire).
The restaurant will be successful partly because his skills as a chef but mostly his maniacal focus on operating a perfect operation. But it’s that same fact that will doom him from ever being happy outside the kitchen.
Claire leaving so quick felt a bit weak but on the whole loved what they were doing there. If we never see Claire again then that would feel like a miss but highly doubt that.
This is owning any business to a T. You don’t want to buy yourself a job. Yes you’re invested in every single aspect, yes you want to put as much effort as possible in to making it succeed. But the smart ones make it so it’s not entirely on you to make it run. Pay the good people, keep them happy, write the checks and keep the balls in the air. You shouldn’t have to be there every single minute you are open/running. PUT PEOPLE IN PLACES TO SUCCEED AND GIVE THEM THE TOOLS NEEDED TO DO THEIR JOB AT A HIGH LEVEL.
This is all very true and also hilarious to read and think back to what most of the small business owners I’ve worked for have been like. Constant micro managing, never trusting the employees, penny pinching on every possible thing except their own luxury and compensation. Hell, one restaurant I worked at, the owner would house a bottle of gentleman Jack every day, and give tons of free drinks away to his friends, but he’d lose his shit on any employee who ate food they didn’t pay full price for. Toward the end (the restaurant went under, if you can believe that), he was in jail for something I can’t even remember, and he’d have call his girlfriend, who was a server, and have her try to discreetly set her phone down in the kitchen so he could listen and try to hear if the two cooks he would have work an entire dinner rush were wasting any time on the clock
