“𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭... 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.“ gritty, unrelenting, honest, and deeply personal. this is a season that from its opening few moments had me so fully captivated that i took the time night after night to put an episode on despite how chaotic and painful life was at the time. the atmosphere is so comforting and inviting, mostly thanks to its characters, which are handled with unreal levels of precision, subtlety, and care. each one is presented at first as a stereotype before their shells are peeled back and we peer into what makes them act how they do and we begin to watch them change. take richie: after the first episode you could safely assume he’d be the belligerent and obnoxious asshole creating conflict everywhere he goes. but then comes the second episode, and we linger without any cuts on a three minute phone call between him and his daughter, and out of nowhere we see this completely new side to him. he’s vulnerable, emotional, and soft. that’s all it took to get an attachment with him going, and as the episodes go on these moments of humanity continue to shine through the cracks in his angry tough guy facade, and by the end his arc has still only just begun, but he’s already one of the most sympathetic and complex characters on the show with a tremendous amount of development. this sentiment applies to every character, because none are left who they were at the start, everyone evolves and nobody is allowed to remain a flat or simple character. even more interesting and impressive though, isn’t how these characters develop, it’s when. most of the change and subtlety comes in the midst of the heart-pounding, overwhelming anxiety of the kitchen. when the shit has hit the fan and characters and dialogue are piling on top of one another. those are the moments that define the show, and what it’s known for. and while yeah, they are intense, they are also shockingly controlled and intentional with every tiny thing they do. i won’t go too into it because i’d just be blatantly plagiarizing thomas flight’s video on the show, but it’s astounding just how coordinated each word of dialogue and each shot is. its use of tight, cluttered framing to emphasize the claustrophobic nature of the kitchen, but also to strengthen the viewer’s connections with the characters as we never stray from their sides. or, the way different branches of dialogue overlap each other to build that suffocating feeling, but also aren’t filler noise, and are entirely relevant and connected to the overarching problems facing the restaurant. if a character is talking, they are saying something important, even if it doesn’t seem so at first. a character will be in the background of an nail-biting scene telling some shitty story about a night they got blackout drunk, and while that could’ve been left as just a device to increase tension, it’s turned into something heartbreaking as you later learn that story is one with grief and loss attached to it. little things like that permeate the show and are what makes it feel so hand-crafted and efficient. this show didn’t choose between style or substance, instead it uses its style to create its substance. and substance is something protagonist carmy has in full force, because my what a fantastic character he is. it takes not even half the pilot for it to become clear he is a man faced with insurmountable amounts of trauma and lingering pain, pain which isn’t revealed in some overly sentimental and expositional dialogue, but carefully built up in the background through subtle exchanges and breadcrumbs. offhand mentions of recently deceased brother michael, and the strained relationship they had, or the subtle change in his expression at the mention of his mother. nothing needed to be said directly because the raw talent of jeremy allen-white was enough. he portrays carmy’s quiet desparation with ease, and deserves the praise he’s received for the role, especially after that gorgeous seven minute monologue in the astounding season finale. and astounding is really all i can say for the way this season ends. radiohead’s masterpiece “Let Down” playing as plot lines converge and culminate in one of the most wholesome and moving conclusions to a premiere season i’ve ever witnessed… couldn’t help but cry. this season fucking rules. “𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐮𝐝𝐞. 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐩.“