Was a little unsure of how this would play out having only recently watched the movie; the character direction wasn't immediately clear but they all become mostly fleshed out in this.
Yes, at times the script is a little predictable. The first episode is a culprit of this but the drama itself is well orchestrated and feels real enough. I've seen complaints that a kitchen could never run and be successful like this but 1) it is a drama! And 2) they literally get closed down at the end...
Aside from Liam, it is very well cast and acted. Robinson puts in a terrific performance and the cast add plenty too, especially Ogg on his eventually introduction. Nice to see him play someone other than his archetypal psycho character.
It is a BBC production, so it IS a bit BBC-ified. Not egregiously so but just a touch. Let's use the non-binary character, whose name I genuinely don't know as an example. There is nothing wrong with having an NB character! They exist. But the biggest scene given for this character was just one where staff overuse the correct pronouns during an argument. It's just very on the nose look at us being progressive writing, rather than actual progressive and interesting writing. Or Freeman being on the end of very unlikely seeming casual racism during a business meeting. It just didn't feel sincere.
On the flip side, the writing of Jamie's mental struggles are exceptionally well done and the development arc of Jake was enjoyable too. Gary Lamont's portrayal of Dean was also a lot of fun, I suppose he is something of a stereotype in this but he reminds me a lot of someone I know which again added sincerity to the performance. Emily managing to not totally descend back into a drink issue was a shrewd move to and a reminder that falling off the wagon once does not spell the end of a journey.
The road is open for a second series and it could well work, though I wonder how much more can we get out of the current characters given the intense levels of drama already displayed. The series largely delivered, especially on the drama front. The writing at times could be better and the episodes could feel a little cramped with such seismic events constantly happening.
The Good
The Not So Good
Yes, at times the script is a little predictable. The first episode is a culprit of this but the drama itself is well orchestrated and feels real enough. I've seen complaints that a kitchen could never run and be successful like this but 1) it is a drama! And 2) they literally get closed down at the end...
Aside from Liam, it is very well cast and acted. Robinson puts in a terrific performance and the cast add plenty too, especially Ogg on his eventually introduction. Nice to see him play someone other than his archetypal psycho character.
It is a BBC production, so it IS a bit BBC-ified. Not egregiously so but just a touch. Let's use the non-binary character, whose name I genuinely don't know as an example. There is nothing wrong with having an NB character! They exist. But the biggest scene given for this character was just one where staff overuse the correct pronouns during an argument. It's just very on the nose look at us being progressive writing, rather than actual progressive and interesting writing. Or Freeman being on the end of very unlikely seeming casual racism during a business meeting. It just didn't feel sincere.
On the flip side, the writing of Jamie's mental struggles are exceptionally well done and the development arc of Jake was enjoyable too. Gary Lamont's portrayal of Dean was also a lot of fun, I suppose he is something of a stereotype in this but he reminds me a lot of someone I know which again added sincerity to the performance. Emily managing to not totally descend back into a drink issue was a shrewd move to and a reminder that falling off the wagon once does not spell the end of a journey.
The road is open for a second series and it could well work, though I wonder how much more can we get out of the current characters given the intense levels of drama already displayed. The series largely delivered, especially on the drama front. The writing at times could be better and the episodes could feel a little cramped with such seismic events constantly happening.
The Good
- Very well cast, realistic acting
- The drama hits home
- Characters well developed
The Not So Good
- Lacklustre writing at times, some subplots not really wrapped up
- Episodes can feel cramped.