I just finished watching Season 1 and wow. What a great show.
I like reading Reddit discussion threads right after I've watched an episode, but I felt like I had to write out my thoughts now when it's still fresh after watching the finale.
It was so intense and stress-inducing but it was also funny as hell and felt cozy in some moments, like the close-knit "family" feel of the restaurant and those flashbacks of when Michael was around? Yeah, they did a really good job illustrating the urgency and stress of the kitchen and also the warmth and security everyone felt around Michael.
Another thing that really stood out was the pure anger. The rage. Everyone was yelling, face scrunched up, glaring, yelling... Just chaotic.
So I think the three biggest characters were Carmen, Sydney, and Richie (sorry if I'm wrong), and I think all of them raised their voice in anger quite frequently (except maybe Carmen, him not as much as the other two), but I can't recall any scenes where they had a truly hearty laugh about something or cried out their hearts.
The overarching storyline of Carmen (and Sydney) trying to change the restaurant for the better was really satisfying to watch. There was a stark difference in the chefs' attitudes from the first episode to the last, and you could tell that Carmen feels more relaxed in this new environment now and is comfortable enough that he spoke in the Al-Anon meeting and also finally participated in the family meal thing. Speaking of those contrasting moments, this season started with Carmen being stressed about money and welcoming(?) Sydney in as a new sous chef, and it ended with Carmen discovering a whole stash of money and welcoming Sydney back in. Nice.
The fact that all the characters seemed to have a rich backstory really contributed to them coming across like actual human beings and not caricatures. Like I'm already looking forward to knowing more of everyone's backgrounds and what they did before working at The Beef.
I think I'll write what I thought about each of the characters next.
Carmen
He's clearly full of unresolved trauma and hurt. He's full of pride and has the tendency of trying to do everything himself and not really opening up to people about his emotions. I liked that he seemed like a pretty reasonable boss; didn't raise his voice unnecessarily, was courteous, overall seemed a pretty chill guy to be around. I thought it was commendable he didn't get angry at Marcus for getting the electricity down, so I understood that he was past his pressure point during that episode (the second to last one) and could sympathize with how he reacted.
Sydney
She's clearly really smart, has lots of good ideas, but lacks experience. That's not her fault at all, nor the fact that she's young, and I was constantly annoyed at how people belittled her and acted like she was being irrational (mostly Richie) when she was just trying to do her job.
I read a lot of comments saying they didn't like how she acted in the second to last episode and I get where they're coming from, but I just want to say, have you guys seen all the past episodes!? Cause like, people were so rude to her for no reason. Tina disregarded her orders and went out of her way to sabotage her stock, Richie kept on acting like a spoiled toddler, Carmen didn't take her advice seriously, the list goes on.
And can you think of any other instances where she made a big mistake? I think excluding the stock spillage incident (I could see that coming from a mile away and I hate those kinds of scenes so I skipped it), she was like a model employee. After all that devotion, Carmen just goes off on her after this one mistake. Not to say I blame Carmen, but I also don't blame Sydney.
Richie
Sorry but I kind of hate him. Does he have any redeeming qualities as a restaurant worker? Maybe his people skills and that he's not reluctant to resort to guns if necessary? I don't know. He acts similar to the boys in class that I hated with a passion, so that might be a part of why I don't like him.
He's sometimes funny and he's a good character, but I never want to be friends with him.
Marcus
Okay I had to write about him because he was so cute. The way he was so passionate about baking and how he was supportive of Carmen and Sydney from the start? Perfection. He did come off as a bit clueless when he asked about the donuts to Carmen, but we all make mistakes. I want to try that donut so bad.