With the stakes as high as ever, episode 2 slows things down amidst the stress of maintaining the restaurant being in business. The chaos of the kitchen is still present, but this episode pulls back the camera to focus on the quieter players who keep the operation running — and in the process, reveals a lot about where Carmy and his team stand in their uphill battle to survive.
Immediately to open, we see Sydney stepping in to help Marcus clean up his messy station, a moment that’s both practical and symbolic. In a kitchen where time is literally ticking down — the countdown clock now showing around 900 hours left to turn things around — teamwork and mutual support aren’t optional; they’re survival tactics.
Despite the restaurant struggling, there is a glimmer of hope brought by Ebraheim, who is quietly working on something in the office. He doesn’t explain himself to Carmy, promising only to show it when it’s ready. Everyone wants to step up to keep the restaurant alive and carmy admires his effort and vows to be better himself. Carmy continues to self-sabotage and be hard on himself as he feels he needs to be better to help support his team around him.
Meanwhile, Richie senses the disruption that Carmy’s constant menu tinkering causes. The two have a late-night exchange with one another where the silence between the two speaks volumes. Clear tension is still brewing between the two, yet they both have a common objective in keeping the restaurant alive. Richie calls out the instability, Carmy replying with a cryptic “I’m thinking about mistakes” — is a small but loaded beat between two men who’ve built a business on unspoken tensions.
The episode also throws a wrench into the restaurant’s plans: produce shortages force a rethink of the menu. Sydney proposes simplifying the plates by reducing components, and in a notable shift, Carmy actually agrees. Carmy is trying to be better and be more open, as shown in this episode, yet he still struggles to loosen his grip, though he is trying. He is forced to open his eyes even more to his ways when Tina confronts him about not calling his sister regarding the birth of his newborn niece.
This forces him to be more aware of his actions and he begins to slowly loosen his grip when he later calls his sister Natalie to apologize for not meeting her baby. The two have an open and sweet conversation as Sugar is able to provide a gentle observation to her brother — that it’s okay if he doesn’t love cooking anymore. This causes a turning point into the mind of Carmy amidst the chaos and stress of maintaining this restaurant.
Still, the team can’t escape the looming pressure of a Tribune food critic. Unable to pinpoint the mystery diner’s identity, they make the only logical decision: treat every guest like the critic.
There is hope for the team through the success of Ebraheim. His beef-sandwich window continues to thrive, providing a rare point of stability and income. It’s a reminder that even as the main restaurant struggles, small wins can keep morale alive.
This was a nice follow-up episode that slows things down for the team after the chaos of the first episode, where they are racing against the clock. The episode shines best in the small conversations amongst the characters as we see them interacting and coming to grips with the reality of their situation. The performances were great all around, and the writing is as sharp as ever. This show continues to shine bright with the small character moments that highlight the light amidst chaos.
Rating: 8/10