Feed The Beast - General Discussion

[candall]

3 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Tragic childhood aside, I don't know how much more of Dion I can take.  He's determined to take everyone down with him.  

I'm okay with Dion, but I feel the petulant Ross Geller vibe creeping in.  No bueno.

I hated the whole "Screw you, Randy" pep rally and oh, look, they named the episode for it.

You know what I love?  Every snarky article ever written about sophisticated wine experts failing their blind taste tests.  Bonus points if there's an eyemask and they confuse reds and whites.

[Dowel Jones]

Unfortunately, I don't see this one making it to the second course.  Bad joke, yes.  None of the characters have that necessary television quirkiness to rise above their innate unlikeability.  The "Screw You, Randy" moment lost me any shred of sympathy for either of these two. 

[Ohwell]

Yeah, bad joke aside, I don't see them making it to the second course either. : )

I don't know why, but when Dion starts going batshit crazy about food and starts cooking, I get really annoyed.  I don't care about the damn food.

I do see Tommy becoming Ross Gellerish, but at least he's not dangerous.  I think his son is adorable and I wish he had a better life with a nice, sane family.

[Cosmocrush]

I feel like this show had so much potential and maybe it still does; IF Dion can calm down (unlikely since he's clearly a coke addict) and RossTommy can stop impersonating a doormat.   I like the premise - I just don't like the characters.  I need someone to care about besides the little boy. 

Edited June 16, 2016 by Cosmocrush

[bilgistic]

They lost me at Dion walking around with $75K in cash, large portions of which he was giving out, left and right. You don't just walk into, as Dion put it, "The Bank of America" and cash a check for SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.

[thuganomics85]

Woichik: "Hide these drugs somewhere, and if you snort any of it, I will pull the teeth out of you and everyone you love!"

(Few minutes later)

Dion: "Whelp, it's drug-snorting time!"  Fucking hell, Dion.

Sorry, David Schwimmer.  You did what you could, but that whole "Screw you, Randy!" moment was as awkward as can be.  I can't blame him or Jim Strurgess too much, since the writing was just so bad in that bit, but no one really came out looking good there.

I'm not sure what confused me more: that Dion could blow through $75,000 that quickly, that Tommy did at least take half of it or something, or how they don't think anyone will eventually put the pieces together over them suddenly having the same wine that had just recently been stolen.  Any future audits are going to hell for them.

For the life of me, I don't think I have ever been more baffled by the acting choices of someone like I am with Lorenza Izzo as Pilar.  I really can't tell if she's simply crushing on Tommy or she has some kind of major, deep, dark secret.  She is just all over the place.

Moran and TJ surprisingly are becoming one of the most interesting pairings on this show.

Felt like this episode took a step back from last week.  I get that leads don't have to be likable, but I just can't see how Tommy and Dion can pull this off.  They may be experts on wine and cooking, but everything else?  Oh, boy...

[Primetimer]

Lord knows Feed The Beast's ostensible protagonists are in no shape for romantic relationships. So why not assess a much stronger prospect for Pilar?

View the full article

[thuganomics85]

Ha, I can't believe they might actually be thinking about making Pilar/Woichik a thing.  I'd actually be down with that just to see Tommy and Dion's faces, when they find out.  But I'm guessing even if they do get romantic (hee!), Pilar would freak out once she finds out what Woichik really does for work.  And I felt bad that I was laughing over Pilar almost killing her sister by accident, but that just strikes me as something that Pilar would totally do.

This episode mainly felt like filler, since it was obvious that they had to get rid of this Kevin guy, in order for Tommy and Dion to make the restaurant they and Rie "envisioned."  Even if this works and no one finds out that Dion and Giordano were in on it together ("quid pro quo"), I'm not sure what would stop Aidan from just hiring someone else.  Also, I still don't if he really thought Kevin was needed or did he just want to fuck with the guys.  He seems mainly to be all about business, but he also kind of hates Tommy enough that I can buy him just wanting to hurt him.

Kind of weird seeing Dion actually be realistic and close to normal with TJ about how he will be treated differently due to the color of his skin.  I can understand why Tommy was annoyed, but he really probably should have had that talk earlier.  Then again, maybe it wouldn't have been needed this early on if Dion didn't decide to take TJ to his drug deal.  Classic Dion! 

Dion might even have his own child on the way, if that pregnancy test Marisa/Erin Cummings was looking at is any indication.  I bet she, Dion, and Giordano would make a great little family!

[riverheightsnancy]

Most interesting character on the show: TJ. Great little actor. Says so much with his eyes and body language. But seriously, the kid has some built up rage. That bully is gonna get it. I hope it isn't with the grandfather's gun though. 

[Ohwell]

The show is getting much more interesting so I'll stick around.

I have a love/hate feeling about Dion (mostly hate), an example being I loved his talk with TJ, but hated him endangering TJ by taking him on the drug deal.   

I'm not one to encourage fighting among kids but I'm looking forward to seeing the bully pick on TJ again, so that TJ can kick his ass, once and for all. 

[qtpye]

Quote

Lord knows Feed The Beast's ostensible protagonists are in no shape for romantic relationships. So why not assess a much stronger prospect for Pilar?

Did anyone see the irony of crooked cop arresting Kevin for trying to beat up Dion for disrespecting his daughter, when cop's own daughter might be pregnant with Dion's child?  I have a feeling cop is not going to be happy about that.

The article mentioned Dion's misogyny.  I have noticed that Dion treats Pilar like crap and does not seem to appreciate that she is helping them out for free.

He was also disrespectful of Kevin's daughter.  He thought someone that looked like her would not know how to cook...why, because she is a pretty blonde?  I would rather taste her food then stuff from druggie Dion, who looks like he never showers.

He is so pissed that Kevin was hired, but it was him who goaded Pilar in not bringing up the issues with the contract.  They could have bargained for a better position, because I think angry grandpa does want to be in his grandson's life.

What I hate most is that we are supposed to believe that Dion is quite the ladies man.  Kevin's daughter is supposed to be charmed by Dion inappropriately hitting on her when she comes in for a job (not to mention acting like a jerk when he finds out who she is), that she sleeps with him and gives him sexy pictures?

The lawyer lady can not keep her hands off him or take necessary birth control, because she just has to have some of that Dion love?

I like the kid who plays T.J.

[Ohwell]

6 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Most interesting character on the show: TJ. Great little actor. Says so much with his eyes and body language. But seriously, the kid has some built up rage. That bully is gonna get it. I hope it isn't with the grandfather's gun though. 

Oh Lord, I forgot about the gun.  Writers, please don't have TJ use the gun on the bully kid.  I was hoping that since TJ's doing the boxing, he would just beat the kid up.

[ChipBach]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

Oh Lord, I forgot about the gun.  Writers, please don't have TJ use the gun on the bully kid.  I was hoping that since TJ's doing the boxing, he would just beat the kid up.

This show sucks.  Of course they use the old unsecured gun by an redneck old white guy trope.  It's like frickin' David Schwimmer, the whitest man alive, explaining to his kid why he's going to always get arrested for nothing because he's black.  And there is nothing likable about any of the main characters.  The best people on the episode was the chef and his daughter.  Hard working, trying to make the best of the crew (who could fuckin' quit anytime they wanted) that hated him.  I also liked the throwing of the glass containers off the building into the street next to your new restaurant because broken glass and flies are prefect for getting your new place up and going.  They are pigs.  Dion hustles and exploits the poor girl to set up a dad who has done nothing but accepted a job...

This show sucks. 

Edited June 22, 2016 by ChipBach

[Dowel Jones]

The irony of the entire situation this episode is that they probably could have found an attorney who, for a reasonable fee, would review the contract.  They probably think all attorneys charge $300-$400 per hour for everything.  However, it would still be on their laps to actually dispute the items in the contract, which would bring us to an equally dismal outcome, given Tommy's negotiating "skills".  Speaking of which, if Aidan has refused to furnish working capital, as specified in the contract and noted by Tommy, wouldn't that be a breach of contract?  A more assertive person might argue that as leverage to get rid of Kevin, but of course that wouldn't jive with the plotline.

When Woichik killed the CO in the parking lot of the prison, the first thing I thought was, "You realize there are cameras covering every single inch of prison property, right?"

[candall]

There is not one character on this show who has the sense God gave a goose.

 

But, otoh, when I finally forced myself to queue it up, I was so happy it was the two losers with the restaurant and not the two losers with the exorcisms.  With all the new shows, I got confused about exactly which beast we were feeding.

[KaleyFirefly]

On 6/22/2016 at 0:11 PM, qtpye said:

What I hate most is that we are supposed to believe that Dion is quite the ladies man.  Kevin's daughter is supposed to be charmed by Dion inappropriately hitting on her when she comes in for a job (not to mention acting like a jerk when he finds out who she is), that she sleeps with him and gives him sexy pictures?

The lawyer lady can not keep her hands off him or take necessary birth control, because she just has to have some of that Dion love?

I don't get it either. The actor can look cute in other roles, but here he just doesn't look attractive.

On 6/22/2016 at 5:06 PM, ChipBach said:

This show sucks.  Of course they use the old unsecured gun by an redneck old white guy trope.  It's like frickin' David Schwimmer, the whitest man alive, explaining to his kid why he's going to always get arrested for nothing because he's black.  And there is nothing likable about any of the main characters.  The best people on the episode was the chef and his daughter.  Hard working, trying to make the best of the crew (who could fuckin' quit anytime they wanted) that hated him.  I also liked the throwing of the glass containers off the building into the street next to your new restaurant because broken glass and flies are prefect for getting your new place up and going.  They are pigs.  Dion hustles and exploits the poor girl to set up a dad who has done nothing but accepted a job...

This show sucks. 

Umm, at this point I don't think you are supposed to like the Dion character. He is supposed to be a jerk.

[KaleyFirefly]

I just don't buy that grungy Dion is some sort of genius master chef, or that cheerful Pilar is a grieving widow.

Nevertheless, I am willing to give this show a chance to get off the ground, because I like the concept and I like David Schwimmer well enough.

[Ohwell]

If I saw Dion in the kitchen preparing the food, I wouldn't eat it.

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

As he struggles through Rie's birthday for the first time since her death, Tommy lashes out; Dion receives life-changing news

[Ms Lark]

Chekov's gun! I give you 10 to 1 that TJ is gonna take the gun to school and shoot the bullies. And I'm also taking odds that (dun dun dun) TJ isn't Tommy's kid, but Dion's. Yikes! Hopefully Tommy will stop moping around. Looks like Pilar may get lucky with him after all, if you think of that as luck.

This show is tiring. So many stupid, strung-out people making so many stupid mistakes. The restaurant is doomed, like so many before it, to fail in the first year. Hell, before it even opens it's already a failure thanks to mega-mismanagement. We're only halfway through. I'm not exactly hate-watching, I just want to see how stupid it will get. Tuesday TV is pretty bleak!

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

And I'm also taking odds that (dun dun dun) TJ isn't Tommy's kid, but Dion's.

Yup.

[riverheightsnancy]

Tommy just cannot see that he is hurting TJ. He is wallowing in his alcoholism and grief (not that that isn't valid-he needs more than the grief group-maybe medications), that he cannot see that his son is dying on the vine. He only smiles with Dion and the grandfather (as misguided as that is). I know a little about how child teams work on that level and why is it that no one is talking to TJ to find out why the fight started? That little girl saw the whole thing, she can verify why and how it started. A whole team would be assigned to the child and the father would come in for a meeting with the TEAM. Not just a solitary social worked/counselor would make decisions in his case. Unless this is a school that doesn't follow any of the "no child left behind" federal guidelines. TJ would be seeing the district/city/town child psychologist because he isn't speaking and it happened after a traumatic event. I totally think that he is angry at his father about his mother's death or maybe how he treated her or the drinking and that is the reason he isn't speaking. In addition, usually the principal would call would news of suspension. Tommy doesn't even try to get to the bottom of what happened. Can't he and TJ write notes back and forth?  Thing is Tommy is being a neglectful parent. I call it that he gets removed into the care of the grandfather and (said it last week or before that), that the gun absolutely comes into play either with the bullies, or someone else who comes into the restaurant and wants their money or drugs back. TJ is the only reason that I am watching this show. 

[Ohwell]

Also, I don't like the social worker/counselor AT.  ALL.  She is no help to TJ and I wonder how helpful she is with the other children.  She just doesn't seem to have the disposition to be working with at-risk children, and I think she should be fired for incompetence.  I really fear for TJ.

[qtpye]

I think if T.J. turns out to be Dion's kid, I am done.  This show is like trying to take every shocking twist from soap operas and crime dramas from the last twenty years and hoping something sticks.  There is potential, but the execution is lacking. 

[Ohwell]

I'm surprised that Tommy hadn't caught on much earlier that there was something going on between Dion and Rie.  I mean, the fact that he finds Dion at her gravesite should have been a sign.  

[Dowel Jones]

Tommy couldn't think his way out of a wine-soaked paper bag; he's that self-absorbed.

I had the ugly thought at the time of Dion's dinner date with Woichuk that the ingredients were more Woichuck than he let on.  And the throwaway line when Detective Grampa met up with his daughter about the recently departed cousin?  Did that mean that Daddy set the cousin up to take a fall, so as to keep his real source protected?

Does Pilar have a sideline (besides bad fashion) in running other people's lives?

We'll see what the next episode brings on the weekly Thr-weep-io fest.

[thuganomics85]

OK, this might have been the episode that lost me, with the potential Dion/Rie affair (if true, TJ will so end up being Dion's), and the laughably way Pilar somehow got Marisa to automatically go from abortion to keeping the child, after she found out she was pregnant.  Had they been friends or something, maybe I would roll with it.  But they literally just met, and somehow Pilar convinces Marisa to change her mind after one speech?  Yeah.... no.  

I know the counselor was in the right and everything, but it still feels like she really hasn't done much to help TJ, so it just feels like a whole lot of blaming going on, and no fixing.  And while he did throw the first punch, I would have thought the girl would have told someone that it was because the bully shoved her.  Might not excuse it, but it means he didn't just start wailing on someone for no reason.  As bad as it is, I can almost see why TJ is drawn to Aiden, because me might be an angry, racist old man, but he is at least spending time with TJ; even if it's to do things like teach him out to punch or how to shoot a gun.

Maybe the finale is going to end with them hiring Woichik as well, since he seems like a decent cook.  Although the might need to find another refrigerator for him to store all the severed heads.

Edited June 30, 2016 by thuganomics85

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

While revisiting the past, Tommy questions Dion's friendship with Rie; uninvited guests cause trouble during the soft opening.

[riverheightsnancy]

Well, whoever said it last week was right, Dion and Rie may have been a thing. I don't get the CPS worker and maybe someone who knows more about their policies can comment. TJ did not look upset or distressed while working at the restaurant. He was well dressed and had a little job to do. That is not a negative.  Their apartment (his room looked nice), is right upstairs. How is that a negative? His father and grandfather were right there. I get if the CPS worker wants to observe, but she was disrupting thier livelihood. It is a very attractive restaurant. It is not like it was cheap food truck slinging 50 cent hot dogs all night long when the child should be in bed.  Many children work in the family restaurants. I have seen in many times at Asian restaurants and with other small businesses. The CPS worked just came off like an asshole and the environment was not like a crack house. 

[KaleyFirefly]

Good thing she doesn't know about the cocaine hidden on the roof...

I'm glad Tommy has finally caught on to the fact that Dion lies pretty much all the time.

I REALLY hope the show does not go there, with Tommy's now-dead wife having had an affair with Dion. So far, it still just looks to me like they were good friends that worked together. I don't think the videos were incriminating. Anyway, I would hate that sub-plot, partially because it seems they want to show that no woman can resist Dion's supposed charms. I don't get it. He's not that good-looking or that charming.

I really dislike the cliche of: guy kisses girl; girl shows displeasure (in this case, she punches him in the face); then 2 seconds later, girl changes her mind and is kissing him back/sleeping with him. UGH!! Can we stop with scenes like this already, in TV shows and movies? The whole "girl says no when she really means yes" thing is disgusting and a total male fantasy.

[Ms Lark]

I was really pleased when Pilar decked Dion. Then extremely disappointed when she screwed him, probably without a condom. "No means yes," indeed. I don't get Dion's attraction, he looks like he never bathes, lies 99% of the time, there's the little nose candy problem, not to mention he'll bang practically anything alive. Pilar weaseled her way into a management position because she was after Tom. She's a lousy, inept manager, and, clearly, not very bright. Probably contracted an STD and won't be surprised if she's knocked up, too. Ugh. Hope Tom gives her the boot. Can't wait to see what further stupidity next week brings. Dion, now serving a steaming heap of child support for 3 (that we know of)?

[qtpye]

9 hours ago, KaleyFirefly said:

Good thing she doesn't know about the cocaine hidden on the roof...

I'm glad Tommy has finally caught on to the fact that Dion lies pretty much all the time.

I REALLY hope the show does not go there, with Tommy's now-dead wife having had an affair with Dion. So far, it still just looks to me like they were good friends that worked together. I don't think the videos were incriminating. Anyway, I would hate that sub-plot, partially because it seems they want to show that no woman can resist Dion's supposed charms. I don't get it. He's not that good-looking or that charming.

I really dislike the cliche of: guy kisses girl; girl shows displeasure (in this case, she punches him in the face); then 2 seconds later, girl changes her mind and is kissing him back/sleeping with him. UGH!! Can we stop with scenes like this already, in TV shows and movies? The whole "girl says no when she really means yes" thing is disgusting and a total male fantasy.

 

4 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

I was really pleased when Pilar decked Dion. Then extremely disappointed when she screwed him, probably without a condom. "No means yes," indeed. I don't get Dion's attraction, he looks like he never bathes, lies 99% of the time, there's the little nose candy problem, not to mention he'll bang practically anything alive. Pilar weaseled her way into a management position because she was after Tom. She's a lousy, inept manager, and, clearly, not very bright. Probably contracted an STD and won't be surprised if she's knocked up, too. Ugh. Hope Tom gives her the boot. Can't wait to see what further stupidity next week brings. Dion, now serving a steaming heap of child support for 3 (that we know of)?

 

BIG WORD to everything in bold. There is nothing appealing about Dion and if a woman punches you in the face, that does not mean she wants you.  What the hell! 

Are we supposed to believe the skeezy way Dion hits on everyone woman alive is charming?  The way he was talking to Rye while filming the video was totally inappropriate.  It makes me think that Dion does not look at women as people, but future notches on his bedpost.  I wish there was a video of Rye telling him to shut up and hold the damn camera.  When a chef (even a female chef...imagine that) is trying to showcase her food with video, maybe she would like for to actually focus on her skill, instead of talking about how beautiful she is in sleazy voice every five seconds.  Can you imagine if someone did that to Dion...he would filp his shit, because someone was disrespecting his "high art".

Also, Dion has treated Pilar horribly.  Yes, she is not the best manager, but she is doing everything for free and he is the one stealing from the restaurant.

Dion is not a bad boy genius that plays by his own rules.  He is a disgusting loser and the fact that no woman can resist his diseases looking track marked self is starting to get annoying.

[Ohwell]

I'm beginning to think that racist grandpa, asshole that he is, really is warming up to TJ.  I like that he's teaching him to fight and toughen up, but hate that he's teaching him to use a gun.

I'll say no more about Dion because it's already been said. Ugh.  

The kitchen crew is sticking around because of Dion's "charms," but I wonder just how much longer they'll stay around, constantly worrying if they'll get paid.   If they're that good in the kitchen they should be able to get jobs in other restaurants.  I loved PTSD guy turning the gas on.

[qtpye]

PTSD guy might be my favorite adult male on the show.

[KaleyFirefly]

10 hours ago, qtpye said:

There is nothing appealing about Dion and if a woman punches you in the face, that does not mean she wants you.

Yes! Exactly.

I'm trying to like this show, I want to give it a chance, but I'm not so sure about it now...

7 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I'm beginning to think that racist grandpa, asshole that he is, really is warming up to TJ.  I like that he's teaching him to fight and toughen up, but hate that he's teaching him to use a gun.

I'll say no more about Dion because it's already been said. Ugh.  

The kitchen crew is sticking around because of Dion's "charms," but I wonder just how much longer they'll stay around, constantly worrying if they'll get paid.   If they're that good in the kitchen they should be able to get jobs in other restaurants.  I loved PTSD guy turning the gas on.

I think that was the only part of the episode I liked -- the grandfather helping out with the social worker, because he has grown to like his grandson.

[Dowel Jones]

Some of the antics involved here might even be bearable if it weren't for the complete unlikeability of Dion and Tommy.  Stealing gas from the (conveniently close by) propane cylinder?  Hey, let's do it!  Frittering away money and hiding the trail?  Ha ha! Everyone does it!  We'll fix it later.  And on and on.

I did like the scene where the matron comments about "those whores" and one of the women waves to her husband.

No Detective Asshat this week?  Didn't notice. 

I'm hungry.  I think I will make some mac and cheese from the box.

[Madding crowd]

I'm still watching, but there are things I hate about this show. Mostly anything to do with Dion and the mobsters. Tommy is still grieving his wife so I give him a pass at being a really together person. I think he really does love his son. The whole story with CPS and the school social worker has bothered me from the first episode. Anyone can report cases of abuse or neglect to CPS, but a school social worker has no authority to take TJ away from his dad, demand support people be assigned to his home, go to his home, or threaten the dad. Anyone who did that would be promptly fired from the school I work at. A child having difficulty in school after the death of a parent would probably be assigned an aide and possibly a team set up including a special ed teacher. The child's home life would not be the business of the school unless the child was found to be abused or neglected.

CPS would not intervene and send inspectors to the home unless they received a report of abuse or neglect. Calling because a child isn't coping well with a parents death would not be a priority for them. They also cannot take a child away from a parent because they live in a apartment above a place of business. i have students who live in one room apartments, trailers, or their grandparents basement. Once a child is in the system because of abuse or neglect, CPS maintains more contact and rules about living etc. I also see nothing wrong with a kid helping a parent with a task in the parent owned business. Kids help their parents all the time with grocery stores, bakeries etc. 

I also dislike Pilar and I don't know how old she is, but she seems too young to be interested in Tommy, and she doesn't seem right in her part at all. 

Edited July 7, 2016 by Madding crowd

[Ohwell]

Thanks for the insight about the school social workers.  I had a feeling she was overstepping her authority and, frankly, I can't understand why she's so hard on TJ and Tommy, especially considering the fact that TJ has lost his mother.   I just think she's awful.

I think the actress who plays Pilar is just not a very good actress, at least in this role.  It's also pretty fake to be interested in Tommy in one scene, then soon thereafter (was it the same day?) she's rolling around with Dion.

[qtpye]

Heck, TJ seems the most content when he is helping out with the restaurant, as it was his mother's dream, and probably makes him feel connected to her.

[heavysnaxx]

Selective mutism is a real thing and no joke but: I kept waiting for the kid to suddenly say, "Could it BE any weirder seeing Paul Kinsey as a scary mobster?"

The One Where Ross Loses Another Wife

[thuganomics85]

Pilar and Dion hooking up... sigh.  They just really had to do the whole "all that hate leads to secret lust!" thing, did they?  To be fair, I don't see it actually going anywhere long-term, but I'm sure this stupid shit is going to lead to more drama later on; especially the day when Tommy finally gets it together and tries to finally go for Pilar, and this "news" will somehow get up and screw things up.  Especially since he still thinks Dion and Rie are cheating on him.  I'm not sure, yet.  The videos did show they had a close relationship, but I can still see it being revealed that they never went that far, although they did seem to have a bond that Tommy never would have understood.

In the end, the soft opening is a success despite some missteps, only for a shoot out between Woichik's men and the Chinese gang, to cause everyone to panic and start canceling their reservations for the actual opening.  OK, then.

I still can't believe that the racist, arrogant, asshole known as Aidan is one of the few characters I'm kind of interested in.  The power of John Doman, I guess.

My main issue is that I just feel like this show really wants to be other AMC shows on some levels, but aren't working.  Dion being a sleaze and somehow getting away with feels like they're going for a scruffier Don Draper set in the Bronx.  Dion and Tommy dealing with Woichik and all the other issues reminds me of some of the stuff Walt and Jesse had to scramble out of in Breaking Bad.  The problem is none of these characters here are as compelling as they are.  Granted, it's still only six episodes, but by episode six of Mad Men or Breaking Bad, I was at least curious about those characters.  Can't say the same here.

[AmandaPanda]

Quote

Facing a restaurant with no patrons, Dion reluctantly seeks help from his former mentor. This leads Tommy to a startling revelation.

[editorgrrl]

Quote

Facing a restaurant with no patrons, Dion reluctantly seeks help from his former mentor. This leads Tommy to a startling revelation.

"Startling" would be a woman not finding Dion irresistible. Or someone not forgiving him for stealing their recipes (or drugs) or burning down their restaurant.

The "life-altering flourless chocolate torte that maybe came from heaven" was gross.

So, Rie and Dion had headboard-banging sex in the Hamptons one Valentine's Day. But which year? Is TJ's birthday in November?

[Ohwell]

It would be nice to know exactly when Dion and Rie had sex.  Was it before she and Tommy began dating her/got married?  If it was before, I could understand Dion not telling Tommy about it.  Actually I can understand him not telling Tommy even after he and Rie were married, to keep Tommy's memories of her as positive ones.  Dion is scummy, but I can't hate on him for this.  It's tricky.

I thought Dante was kinda hot and I loved how he made Dion sweat, not knowing that Dante was posting rave reviews as he ate.  Served Dion right.

It's nice to see the other chefs getting more speaking roles, even though I don't remember their names.  PTSD guy getting it on with the woman in grief counseling:  Good luck, you two.

I still do not like Pilar.  She's a twit.

I sincerely hope the writers are faking us out with TJ and the gun. 

[Ohwell]

Also, maybe it's because I'm not used to "fine dining" on a regular basis, but I don't get excited about the food and Dion being this amazing chef.  The only thing that made my mouth water was the chocolate cake/mousse thingy. 

[Dowel Jones]

Was I wrong to be laughing as Dante launched into his "throw Dion under the bus" story?  So what, I don't care.  Even though it was telegraphed, it was an appropriate ending to that episode.  Maybe Tommy can move on in a different direction now.

Woichuck's "mob" seems to be the two guys who drive him around in the Van O' Dentistry.  If they wanted him off their back, they could easily sell him out to another gang, presumably one more competent than the Asians.  And Dion casually admits he stole some of the cocaine and instead he gets the Community Chest card from Woichuck?  Come on, there's more than a few great chefs in New York that could staff that proposed waterfront restaurant and make Woichuck his money.  For a plot device, that just doesn't work for me.  And the detective?  Why didn't he just arrange a shooting after his tooth got pulled?  Mob guy dies, so what?  Next.

I agree with the food part of the show.  If that is going to be an underlying theme to the plots, at least go into more detail, or make it somehow more interesting, rather than showing Dion shouting at his crew to go go go, and somehow these elegant dishes appear on the table.

[thuganomics85]

Getting on Dion's nerves alone makes Dante one of the better characters to appear on this show, but when they first mentioned the word "celebrity" at the beginning, I was so hoping for Gordon Ramsey.  I would watch an entire hour of Gordon just berating Dion and calling him a fucking donkey over and over again.  A scruffy fucking donkey who probably doesn't even bathe.

So, it looks like Dion and Rie did sleep together, but I do wonder if it was before she met Tommy, because that could explain why Tommy never found out, why neither felt it was right to mention it, and they didn't cheat on him.  Plus, I guess it will kind of mirror Tommy and Pilar, since they are finally making a go of it, right after what happened last week.  But, whatever.  Tommy hates Dion again.  Nothing new here.

TJ is so going to shoot that bully, right?  Or at least threaten him with the gun?  Nice going, Grandfather Aidan!

Detective dude is now just going to try and kill Woichik, and it involves Dion somehow.  This should be lovely!

[qtpye]

I love you Dante.  Dion is such a piece of shit, that I would not be surprised if he stole those recipes.  Yeah, we need to know when Dion slept with Rie to figure out if she was cheating.

Dion steals cocaine from the mobster and the mobster then offers him his dream job....okaaay?

Again we have to believe that Dion gets away with a lot because of his amazing skill as a chef.  It was sort of like how Don Draper got away with everything by being handsome, charming, and an extremely talented creative force in his field.

However, the show has absolutely has failed to show us what (particularly, in NY city, the land of a thousand great chefs) makes him so damn special.

There was a movie out a while ago called Waitress.  In this movie Keri Russel played someone who had a magic touch with pies.  The way they filmed it, you were absolutely sure that what this woman could do with pies was very special, even though as an audience member you could never taste them.

Another great example was Pixar's Ratatouille. They figured out how to plausibly make a friggin rat a great chef and the audience had no trouble believing it.

The show has failed to to this with Dion or maybe it is the acting.  There is nothing in him that would make me believe that the gangster would want to give Dion the head chef position at his swanky Manhattan restaurant, when he stole some cocaine and burned the mobster's first restaurant down.

That Dion keeps getting second, third, and fourth chances with everyone he screwed is laughable.

[meep.meep]

But why was Harold Dietterle in the kitchen?  When they come back to start making the meal for the food critic, he is randomly standing among the other chefs.

The number of people in that kitchen goes up and down.  Sometimes there are four people, other times it looks like twelve.

Waitress, the Broadway musical, was expected to do well at the Tony's until that lousy Hamilton showed up to win everything.....

[Ohwell]

7 hours ago, qtpye said:

The show has failed to to this with Dion or maybe it is the acting.  There is nothing in him that would make me believe that the gangster would want to give Dion the head chef position at his swanky Manhattan restaurant, when he stole some cocaine and burned the mobster's first restaurant down.

Plus, the last person I'd want running my kitchen is a drugged-out chef.  Sometimes, if the meal is really delicious, the patrons want to meet the chef.  If Dion came out of the kitchen, scummy-looking as he is, people would throw up.  I'm just not buying that he's this fantastic chef.