S14.E14: Comida Final

[chiaros]

On 3/16/2017 at 5:58 PM, dleighg said:

I agree- I think a lot of us on the sidelines are quite over this.

Ha ha.  I finally (and reluctantly) watched this episode.  My opinions, from what was shown, did involve how entitled Brooke W did seem to be and her nose-in-the-air attitude towards claiming her spot as The Top. She seemed an ungracious winner for that matter, concentrating on her "justification" as a "Top Chef".  And no, her attitude is not just reflective of her skills - after all, as many have also commented on, Stephanie Izard did not display the same attitude even while she demonstrated her prowess. Or Kristen Kish, for that matter. It's reflective on her (Williamson's) persona - and one reacts to it as one will.  

Neither of the finalists, in my books, are "Top Chefs" without an asterisk; but for different reasons. I have described them before here on this forum. Many folks feel differently, of course.

Edited March 18, 2017 by chiaros

[Gbb]

So I just finished binge-watching season 14, and I need somewhere to go with all my feels. I hope some of you are still watching this thread for sign of life. Most of my feelings are swirling around Sheldon, Brooke, Shirley, Katsuji, and to a lesser extent, John. Most of my comments will be about the finale, but there I have a few about the season as a whole. 

For example, JIM!!! ????? Losing him to a sudden-death quick-fire while Emily of all people stayed was 18 kinds of wrong. This season soured me a bit on all-stars but if they do another one with a full roster of all-stars, I hope they have him back. 

Speaking of Emily, my feelings about her evolved a little over the series. I dislike when people revel in their bad attitudes, so her intro of herself put me off. By the time she left the show, I realized she's just kind of an Eeyore who sees the world in a "this won't work out for me" kind of a way and she's probably doing the best she can. 

On to the finale. I really, really, REALLY wanted Sheldon to win it all. To the point that my heart was hardly in watching the finale at all. I don't understand how they could say his flavors were so much better than Brooke's and  send him home over butchered fish. It seemed like it was Tom and Graham against the rest on that one, and whatever Tom wants...

Which brings me to the grassy knoll. I barely remembered Brooke at the beginning of the season. I didn't remember whether I wanted her or Kristen to win in Seattle, but I remember being upset when Kristen was sent home over Josie. And as Brooke racked up win after win this season, I didn't think much about it, because she's clearly an excellent chef. At some point, however, it started to feel pre-ordained. A win or two that seemed suspect, a dish issue glossed over here or there, something just whispered "golden girl." To the point that when she was sent home, my immediate thought was, "Of course! So she can win LCK and come back and take it all like Kristen did to her." (I didn't realize at the time that I wasn't the only one wearing that particular tin foil hat). I think at some point it began to feel like hers to lose to Brooke too, or maybe it was just that she was never going to be satisfied with anything less than winning this season, but I did get a sense of entitlement from her that bugged, especially with the pork belly.  The way I saw it, when they were in the cooler checking supplies and she realized she hadn't ordered pork belly (which is what she said at the time, revisionist history notwithstanding) she went straight to Shirley and asked for some of hers. No pausing to ask herself if she should, no wondering if she was putting Shirley in an awkward position (really, how does Shirley say no without being a bitch?), just "are you going to use all your pork belly?" I don't think Brooke is a bad person or a bad chef, I just think in many ways she's an anti-Emily and expects the world to accommodate itself to her because it usually does. And I wish the finale hadn't felt to me like there's nearly nothing Brooke could have done to lose it. 

The other person I just have to weigh in on is Katsuji. I know feelings about him are pretty strong, and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but I do feel compelled say that I like him. As much as his edit and his own words and actions might try to convince me otherwise, there are several things that tell me there's far more to him than a shit-stirring ass. I remember the way Dougie used to describe him, something like "the nicest asshole" or words to that effect. There's the fact that he was chosen over and over again to be a sous in both seasons, and when he was he worked hard and did everything he could to help his chef, even when it was John. I think he's a complicated guy, but there's a lot of good there. 

So when does 15 start? ?

[WearyTraveler]

1 hour ago, Gbb said:

and she realized she hadn't ordered pork belly (which is what she said at the time, revisionist history notwithstanding)

What she said at the time was that they did not deliver the pork belly she had ordered.  The kitchen messed up. Not her. Watch again.

As to whether she was entitled, and if asking Shirley was ok, and so on, it's been discussed to death on this thread already.  I'm going to guess that 4 out of the 6 pages of this thread talk about that.  So, it's probably best if we let that rest.  Beating a dead horse and all that.

Edited July 3, 2017 by WearyTraveler

[Gbb]

6 minutes ago, WearyTraveler said:

What she said at the time was that they did not deliver the pork belly she had ordered.  The kitchen messed up. Not her. Watch again.

8:50 into the episode:

Brooke: "I don't see pork belly."

Sheldon: "Was pork belly on your list?"

Brooke (TH): "I cannot believe I forgot to order the main ingredient on my pork and beans."

[cooksdelight]

Brooke got away with a lot of things others would have been dinged about. Not adhering to a challenge, etc. But yes, it's been discussed to death. @Gbb, I agree with many of your points. I love Katsuji, I know him personally and he's anything but an asshole. But I've not competed against him, however. :)