Responsibilities. Money. Food. Hospitality. Those are essential words for the restaurant industry and I am loving the fact that "Sweetbitter" is tackling all of these issues, especially when it comes to the conditions of workers in restaurants like the one on the show.
Is Howard trying to do the right thing because he wants to or because he has to? I honestly think he is trying to be a respectful boss and a decent person, even though his actions always seem to have a second agenda. But I have to be honest and say that I appreciated his efforts in regards to giving the kitchen staff a raise.
Howard deciding that the kitchen staff (the dishwashers, to be precise) will get a 5% from the tip pool doesn't bode well with the other members of the restaurant. And that's when hell breaks loose; not literal hell, a very poised and elegant kind of hell, one suited for that restaurant. Service gets slowed down by someone or something. Howard notices it right away and asks Will to see who is doing that. Of course, Simone has a sixth sense for almost everything and figures it all out. It is Manny, being upset about the fact that he never got anything when he was a dishwasher; he undercooked the meals so that Scott will have to send them back and have them cooked all over again. It was clever plan, almost impossible to spot, but Simone was able to understand what happened.
Jake decides to invite Tess to a bar where he is supposed to step in for the bartender; I'm not sure whether he is interested in her or he's just playing with her. I noticed that Tess seems to be someone who knows what she wants, but is somehow afraid to ask. Simone told her to understand what she likes in order to be satisfied, in general, not only when it comes to intimacy. I have to be honest, I'm not a fan of Jake and Tess toghether, I would really like to see her with Will, and not just because he seems to be the "good guy", because I feel like he actually cares about Tess and what she thinks.
I loved the confrontation between Howard and Simone; not a confrontation as an argument per se, but they both presented valid points to their conversation. I also loved how Howard was so right about Will, telling him that he's not like his friends, that he is an adult through and through and that he should train as manager.
Simone is right when she says that she wants peace, she wants to work in an environment where she knows everything and what everyone is doing. She wouldn't know where to go if she left the restaurant, as Howard points out. They are both keeping a balance that's really hard to maintain. I wonder how long it will last.
Favorite line:
Ari: "I wish I were that devious or invested".
What did you guys think about the episode? Let me know in the comments below!
