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Welcome to the Pop Culture Junkie Podcast. I'm Olivia, here with my fellow Junkie. I'm Shauna. And I'm so excited. I haven't seen you in a long time. I want to hear what you've been up to, what you've been obsessed with in my absence. I missed you so much. I feel like there's a big space between us. It's the hole in our heart for Nicole. I'm going to pretend like we haven't just spent the last two hours catching up with each other. Oh my god, it's good to see you.
I love you so much. I haven't seen you till right now. I am almost done with Bridgerton. I'm on the finale of season three. Okay. You know, I'm not enjoying season three as much as I thought I would. Yeah. I can't quite pinpoint what it is in my brain that I'm not liking about it as much. Because I really like Penelope. Her and Colin, I'm convinced by them as a couple. I don't know. They went from being like just friends to deeply f***ing in love to, oh my god, I'm really mad at you.
Just very quickly. Yeah. I don't know. Well, I think pacing was very weird. They built their friendship. And I can see like a genuine like caring there. Yeah. For each other. But they didn't give us enough time to be like, oh, like Colin sees her in this way now and that way. I totally agree. I guess we were supposed to think over the course of two or three episodes. Because I think they kiss at the finale of what episode three or the very end of episode three or four or something.
Yeah. They kiss. Well, they kiss them and there's the carriage scene. Oh, you're right. You're right. Okay. So the carriage scene is until episode four. Yeah. That's like the cliff. Yeah. And then all of a sudden, they're wildly in love. And we know that she's been in love with him. But yeah. He's fully on board devoted to her. I don't know. It seems it felt a little rushed. Yeah. I just felt like they were doing too much. Like, why do we need another family member or all that?
Another family? Like, normally it's like one love line, one story line. I agree. That's why texted you and I was like, are we supposed to care about Francesca? Because I really, yeah. She was like a genuine baby in the last frame when I watched that. Yeah. They recast the actress, I think, from last time we saw Francesca. And now all of a sudden we're supposed to remember. Oh, yeah, there's another Bridgerton daughter you should give a f*** about. She's kind of bland. Yeah. She's
an interesting one. I think she looks like the Phoebe, what's her name from the first season, enough. But she's beautiful. One of my friends said she looks gorgeous, but she has like an Instagram face, not like I'm a Regency Beauty face. I think that's kind of where I could see that. I could see that. And they could definitely tell this season. Like, I think, oh gosh, the actress who plays Penelope, Nicola Coughlan. She's got like acrylic nails on,
it falsies. Girl, come on. Blow up time. Season one, they didn't have, it was very light makeup, very realistic. And now they're like, we're leaning into the fantasy a little bit here. She's gonna have some acrylic. Yeah. We're just gonna go with it. I don't know. I'm enjoying it. And so I figure I'll finish the finale in the next day or two or whatever. And then I started reading Fourth Wing, which is a novel that I know you have already made your way through. Let me pull up
the author on the scene. Rebecca Yarros. Thank you, baby. Thank you. Yes. I'm really enjoying it so far. I am only on chapter seven, but I did start last night. So I'm trying to read fast. You don't yell at me like usually. Yes. You've picked up the pace. I'm trying. I'm trying. I feel you. I'm like, shoulder. Why are you so straight, Master Trinidad? You're training. Yes, Mommy. I'm like, that one really means chef in the bear who's like, you'll never amount to anything. Oh my god.
Show him a kill. Yes. I have never seen Joe McHale be so mean as he is in ‘The Bear.' Because he's actually so funny. Yeah. You see him in ‘The Bear' and you're like, oh, Daddy Chef, no. Yeah, you're like, but yeah. So I'm enjoying Fourth Wing so far. Again, everyone who's listening watching, I just started. So I don't want anyone to get mad at me. But it does give me Divergent vibes. Really hard. I agree with that. I think that there's only so many fantasy ways to play it. I don't
know why. No one can think of another one. There's so many. There's so much. So much. So into the yeah, like the magical college kind of thing. Because that's Divergent as well. That's Harry Potter. I mean, I'm okay with a magical college, I guess. And it kind of reminds me of anime. Instead of Umbrella Academy, my hero academia and a lot of anime, they all go to like a hero college or a magician college or a soul reaper college and then learn their training and then level up.
That's what I'm kind of trying to go with it as. Yeah, it's just like, I'm not like all the other girls. I have silver in my hair. This is my childhood best friend. We don't want to have sex. Yes, we do. Oh, there's a guy over there who wants me dead. We're definitely not going to have sex in 15 chapters. Yes, we are. Yeah, I don't know. But I'm enjoying having. I really like it. Iron flame was such a popular book release last year. Second. Yes, it's a second book in the fourth
wing series. The series has a completely different name though. It's not even like the fourth wing series. It's like another thing. But it's super good. The third one's coming out in I think October. No, don't quote me on that. It's time in the fall. I think it's actually at the very beginning of 2025. But it's very time to finish this one and the second one. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you can do that. I'm going to take that long because I really am enjoying it. I've been making my
breakthrough. You're never. Yeah, they do also. I don't know. Okay, I am new kind of to this fantasy romance genre. I know you are a veteran. Yeah. So they have the signets in fourth wing, which are like the dragons. Give them. I don't know. I'm just like, does every fantasy book have to give you a tattoo? It's one of a bond. But yeah, there's always a touch of darkness. Yeah. P.D. skips her the tattoo. Until like, I don't know. And then obviously in a quarter of the
words in wrote, I don't know. Maybe it's like a popular thing in Greek mythology or like North Norse mythology. Because a lot of fantasy books are retellings of Greek Roman and Norse mythology. And that's ultimately what they are. Yeah. Why a lot of them become similar. Yeah. I'm not complaining. I love me a good trope. Yeah. And it means to lovers. Come on. I just think it's so interesting. What were the Greeks on it? They we've really been like, that was a hit.
Let’s keep replaying it! The Greeks were horny and bisexual. And I love that. Yeah. I love it. But for us to be retelling stories from then. I see. So all we need to do is just retell that Greek story over. Yeah. And it could be that it's the most inherently human thing. And before the horny and bisexual. No, you that too. I do believe that. But like this type of storytelling is just inherent because what if the Greeks like learned it from other people, you know, that I think that stuff's pretty
cool. I think that is so interesting too. And not to get too deep and weird. But like if you look at the Bible as a piece of literature too, it's like there are so many ancient texts that kind of follow the same tropes for so many of those because humans just kind of inherently crave a certain plot point and start type of storytelling. Yeah. A lot of them are just borrowing from like other cultures. Yeah. Yeah. So very interesting. Squirrel! Squirrel! So we're talking about the Bible.
No, but I really like fourth wing. I think that I like. A guitar more, but I am really excited. I think Rebecca Yara's does a great cliffhanger and setting things up really well. But that also makes you really angry that you don't immediately have the next book. So it does kind of creep that void within you. I mean, that just reminds me when we were all used to be waiting for the Harry Potter books
that you know, and you finish want to be like, what the f***? I think you have to wait for the next Sunday come out. Yeah. Wait for the date all that. But yeah, it's been really, really good. I'm excited. A touch of darkness was good because it was just so filthy. It was filthy. Yeah. Which I love. But the plot was little. They were really leaning into the Greek side of it. Yeah. They were really like, you know, this the story arc we're telling. We're not adding anything
else. I was, I mean, do we tell the story of why we're listening to it? Okay, we did because you were listening to it. And it made it made it got me go and my engine's rev. I love that for you. I love that for you. Fourth wing has engine revving. I yes. Yeah. It's pretty good. It's better than that. I think in doing it. Yeah. I'd say it's in between the two of those. Yeah. Don't tell me who does it. I know. Okay. What have you been up to? So I have been traveling in the skies
speaking of engines. We've been traveling a lot for work. And I normally fly American. And so I have been perusing those movies and TV shows. And it got me to start Palm Royale, which is with Christian Wigg Laura Dern Ricky Martin Ricky Martin? Yeah. And a ton of other really, really famous actors. And I'm happy with Laura Dern. Oh, I love her so much. But like Ricky Martin's in it too? I'm here for it.
Yeah. It's it's so good. And I'm escaping the other actors names. But they only have the first three on on the plane. And it's it's so interesting. It's such a like a silly little funny first person kind of narrative within a murder mystery. Okay. But it does in like Palm Beach, Florida within a country club. So it's a very like silly kind of premise. I just flash back to my last job for a second. Sorry. Working car auctions in Palm Beach, Florida. Yeah. And so it's kind of like the story
of like these elites. And it's a little bit of like a murder mystery who done it. But I think they do such a good job at bringing in all of the politics and in class and wealth disparity. The public. That's like right by yes. Maralago? Yeah. And so it's so good. It was so funny. So I watched the three on the plane over my various travels. And whenever I go to town, my mom watches my dog for me. So I spent the day there. And we just binge the entire rest. Yeah. That's so cute. It was so
good. Honestly, everyone should watch it. What's it on Apple TV? That is the one. No one. I know streaming platform that I don't have. And I'm getting there. They're making really high quality television to try to get people to come in. I would say do it because I selfishly really want a second season. It was so good. I mean, I haven't watched Ted Lasso still. You know, same. Morning show is very good. I know it was Nicole's favorite show was she's passed on. Yeah. That is the
call for instant in it. So that that checks it out to me. Yes. Yes. I don't know. I need to get on it. I don't know. I have an app. If I have an iPhone, can I just. Is it like, does it have anything to do with Apple? You just pay for it? Just any other platform. You can download it on anything. But yeah, you have to pay for it. It's a subscription. Yeah. I don't know. I just, I just demand this to be free.
You know, it'd be great is if we could invent something where you could just watch any television show you want. And you could just flick through it like with a remote and just be like, I don't like that. And then like, go to the next one. I'd be like, I don't like that. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, yeah, I think a lot of people knew what you meant. What if we could just get back to that? Or I
mean get to that. Where do you think we are? I know. We got to spend more money than we have. Okay. Oh, you weren't making a joke. I was making a joke about cable. And how cable would be cheaper than all of these platforms. But the way you described it was streaming. No, because for streaming, you have to pay like $19 here. $19 for that one. $19 for that one. Cable is all just mushed together. And did you
think cable was free? No. Okay. I'm like, parents tried for it. It was for me. Cable was cheaper than paying 15 bucks a month for what five different streaming services that we all have now. I think Cable is now cheaper. But at the time, it wasn't. I'm not talking about flex and all those got creating. Okay. So it's not Netflix. Disney plus Apple TV. Crunchyroll. How many more do we have? Crunchyroll. That's the anime one. Okay. Well, that's a little niche. No. Lots of people like it. And
you're going to like it soon. Okay. A little spoiler for an upcoming episode. Yeah. I love your watches. I love you. I watch his anime for the first time. Yeah. Why did I read that in my head is like you are always sunny title the gang watches anime. There you go. I love it. producers will like that. You'll be like giving them the episode title right there. The gang watches the anime. Write that down. Write that down. Write that down. How the top? Well, my other obsession,
where again, going to spend a lot of time talking about today. Shawna has twisted my arm or should I say my stomach and your inter submission in the coma in the best way because she is cookin' some stuff up. We are going to talk about the bear. Yes, chef. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to get cookin'. The bear recently dropped all 10 of its third season. A fourth season has already been greenlit so hopefully we don't have to wait very long. But the show has been
amazing with critics, viewers, tons of social media hype throughout this process. And if you have heard us talk throughout this episode, Shawna has been trying to get me to watch this for a very long time. It's so good. And I don't know what it was about it that I don't think it was the right time or the right place. But I will tell you over this last weekend, it was more like a day and a half. I binge.
This is so fast. I told you slow down the fans will understand. You're like, no, I'm doing it. I'm doing it. And so once I got to the second episode, I was pretty hooked. It gets you really quick. It's like breaking bad in that way when the first episode you watch and you're like, well, shit. Here we go. And I'm curious, did you ever watch shameless? You know, I haven't. But I've seen a lot of clips on
Instagram, which is stupid, which make it look really funny and interesting. Yes. I think it might happen eventually. But I've also heard that shameless is kind of like weeds, which started out really strong. And then I despised by the end. And so that kind of sits in the water. When Emma, you're rossum leaves who's like the main character. It gets bad. Any show that continues on after main character. I see. And I think that it like no wind to stop. No, wind to call it. And that's why I'm
so glad like the boys is ending next season breaking bad new into it. Yeah. Call it before it sucks. Yeah. I was a avid shameless fan. It's eight seasons. I'd watch it after an already. It was in its last season when I watched it actually. So by the time I got through eight seasons and this was back when television was not eight to 10 episodes per season, it was a lot. So it was a 22. It is a yeah, it is a very big commitment. But it is some amazing television. And that is actually
how we met the world met Jeremy Allen White who is the main character in the bear. Now shameless is set in Chicago. And it's also about a very dysfunctional family. So it's very similar to the bear. It is very similar to the bear. And so it was a little bit difficult for me to see him as carmy and not as lip from shameless because it is kind of similar. And we both Chicago. I'm real quick for someone who hasn't watched the bear. It's an American comedy drama television
series. Do you think it's a comedy or a drama? That's so funny to me. It was like it's one comedy awards. But I would say it's a drama series. Me too, right? Like it feels there are funny moments. But for the most part, you end an episode and I'm like a kind of need to cigarette and some whiskey and a steak. It was created by Christopher store for FX on Hulu. Jeremy
Allen White stars as carmy, Brasado, an award winning chef. You returns to his hometown in Chicago to manage the chaotic restaurant that his deceased brother left him a sandwich shop called what the beef the the beef in the north side of Chicago. There it is. North river. The supporting cast includes Iban Moss back rack, a yo edgy beer, Lionel boys, Liza Collins, Zias, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson, John Bernthal who plays the dead brother and many more celebrity cameos.
John Borentos just. I love him so much. He's such a good and honest underrated actor. Like this man's going to get an academy award someday. He's such a good actor. Yeah, I don't think he's he's an amazing supporting actor that I've seen him in everything. Like he's really really good at that that role. I haven't seen him in a lot of leading. He was in the Punisher TV show. Which I made through the first season of and really finished the second one. He's again a supporting character
in the walking dead. Yeah. But he's such an important supporting character that he dies so early on the show and fans are still like get this more shame. Yeah. My toxic trade is I would date chain in real life. Absolutely. We would. He is a cop but I wouldn't date him but I would sleep with that. If I met him not knowing he was a cop and I there's like, oh, I kind of like this guy then I figured it out. I might wouldn't like I'm already hooked. I've already been in me.
I didn't see that. I just said, I mean look at him. He's so handsome. He's a good looking guy. He's a perfect guy. He's the Punisher. And so the reason that I brought up shameless is Jeremy on why was my favorite character in shameless. Was he dummy hot in shameless? Yes, but he's a little bit younger in it. And so the same character and it's so interesting. It's a really simple one. tightly wound like short fuse Chicago boy and like kind of driven in a way but to the point where
prevent themselves from success. That's the thing is they're getting in their own way. Carmi is so focused on being a good chef that he gets in his own way of being a good chef, right? Like we know that he's talented in the show. But okay, we're going to obviously talk about spoilers throughout this episode. Yeah, so I haven't watched the very yet. Yeah. The same thing we did for House of Dragons. Exactly. Season one and season two. We are going to talk about season three
episode one. Yes, I've only watched the first episode. Do this bitch. You powered through it so fast that now you're ahead of me. I know. Well, first of all, if I say I'm going to do so, everyone would do it. This is true. And it was really good. I went to sleep last night probably midnight watching it. And then I woke up in the morning and was like, I need to know what happens today. So I just had it up on my second screen and was like writing marketing emails. There might be
me. There might be like a yes chef and email news. Whether somewhere. I don't know. I need 55 beeps. 55. Well, jokes. Wait, I can't show. Yeah. So I will say from first impressions, I had seen a lot of TikTok clips and claim around it. And I knew everyone said, yes, chef, but I did not realize how much like I thought it was just about Jeremy Allen. Why it's true. He calls everyone chef and everyone calls him chef. Sheffa cousin. Yeah. I love people cousin.
No one goes just cousin. You can't like, he can't get a name. No, she's just cousin. Yeah. And so I was like, wow. And in the first season, it was used enough second season. I was like, whoa, we turned the dial up on that. Because at that point, everyone is chef kind of right? Like by the end of second season, they have the bear open. And he wants it to be a Michelin star restaurant. And so I think in his mindset, he's already running the beef as in his mind, a Michelin star restaurant.
And I know how he's treating everyone. And that's how he's making them all on the ship. And obviously, they're used to Mikey's way of running the ship, which is a little more chill and probably drug and do ship is on fire. The ship is on fire and holes coming up throughout it. And there's drugs everywhere. It's all over the ship. Everything's on fire. So the helm beating a guy. I know what they do it in
the kitchen. But at the very end of season two, aO a debris father says, yes, chef. Well, she's like, I have a good day, chef. And I'm like, the dad doesn't even work in the kitchen. Why is he so sure? Respect. She earned that respect. So starting season one, I hated Richie. I thought he was such a dick. I thought he was so obnoxious as like this character is just needs to leave. He can't stop screaming.
And I have like ADHD and I have no way sensitivity sometimes. So if I'm at a place and there's too many sounds at once, sometimes I get so overwhelmed that I have to like go to the club bathroom. And I'm just in there with my own thoughts. You would die. I would die. But for some reason, this show still I can still watch it. And everyone is screaming. Everyone's screaming entire time. You start and you're like, Richie's a dick. We don't like him. By the end of season two, Richie's
my favorite character. I adore him. I want to use my favorite. But I think he's a great character. So when he goes to the cooking school, it is so it is so. Working to work that restaurant. Yeah. So I was essentially live texting Shonda throughout this because I watched it a day and a half. But I just texted her when I was going through it. And I was like, Marcus and his love for pastries is making me want to cry. I did cry for the record. I was boo. And I'm like, it was just over this man's
pure love for pastry art. And I was like, it's so. Marcus is so pure. I am. I feel like her. I'm just going through the angel. And so we're going through and like I think third an episode goes by. And I go, the guy who plays Richie is so good at douche. You can't take accountability. But somehow you still like it. I just said, oh girl, just you wait. Just you wait. And she is Marney's boyfriend in the girls. I totally forgot that he was in the girl. I thought you were going to say
you haven't seen the girls. No, I watched the girls. Which is the piece of white fence. Oh, it's just girls. You're right. Not the boys. Yeah. Girls. It's peak white feminism. But I watched the first. I think the only season I watched was the final season. Because I was just no character on that show is a good person. It's terrible people and I couldn't do it anymore. Yeah. But I forgot he was on it. Yeah. But you're right. He's absolutely the same character.
He is very good at playing that specific guy who's like loud, boy, stress. Do you know he's in the MCU now? He was cast and fantastic for it as the thing. Yeah. You see the original or not the original. But the fantastic story about the day. You know the thing then. That's exactly what I was getting at. You see the jazz gal. Yeah. He's the thing. And the coming one. Okay. So excited for his entry into the MCU.
Yeah. And if you've never seen the show, little bit of a trigger warning, it does start with someone on a live. They're themselves. There are a lot of references throughout the show. I mean, I think the show itself is honestly, I mean, it's about cooking and owning a restaurant. I can just struggle to go through it. But honestly, it's a show about trauma and family generational trauma. Generational trauma. I think that is the overarching theme here.
Yeah. Generational trauma, PTSD and mental health. Yeah. Absolutely. So the show starts with Carmies brother Mikey completing suicide. And he leaves the beef. The original beef. I'm just going to call it the beef. Yeah. To Carmies. And it's this family owned sandwich shop. And then we get like flashbacks throughout this series about like their family dynamic. Very messed up. Oh my god. Same as shame. It's like it's this really, really messed up family where they don't really deal with
anything. Lots of alcoholics, lots of dysfunctional family relationships. And I think it does a good job at personifying the different ways that that kind of chaos has in a family. And you can really see it within each of those different siblings. And I think very, very interesting. I think our parents are all my generation at least of millennials. Like our parents were raised to really disassociate, ignore. And those patterns do show up within your children. I think it's a really
good examination of that. We can talk about mental health and my family growing up. Yeah. Are you a little stressed today? And like it manifested itself. Like it, right? And I feel like that's and that's the age group that Carmies in. And you can tell that he's totally processing all of the trauma that he went through the Christmas episode. Yeah. I kept waiting for you to get to that. It's the most stressful episode of television I've ever watched. And I like Jamie Lee Curtis plays
their mom. She kills it so good at it. She's so good at it. Is she so just drunk and angry and sad? Yeah. And you know, it's like not about the kids all about her. Yeah. I had a family member who who passed away from, you know, taking their own life about a year ago. And I thought it was a really great representation of how people go through that grief. How families try to support each other. Like almost they're not okay. So they're not asking how each other okay. I thought it was beautiful.
Yeah. The ending of season one with the note and all of that. Like, oh my god. Let's, okay, let's break that down. Go ahead. Because you just watched it. What like six hours ago? Yeah. And so the entire time, Carmies like, why did he leave me this restaurant? Like, I don't understand. They had a kind of a rocky relationship. They loved each other so deeply. But Mikey was so into drugs. Yeah. Mikey was his idol like that older brother that you want to be and look up to.
Got a little rocky at the end. He said, you can't work in this restaurant, which I think was really just his way of trying to get him out of staying in Chicago for a work of course. So he wanted him to go to New York and do those things. Learn about cooking until like if you're just stuck here at the beef. Yeah. And I think it was that moment, but he can't recognize that at that moment. And so he's like, why did he leave me this? And he's spending this entire time trying to figure it out.
The business was in debt. The taxes weren't being paid. He's trying to figure this all out and he gets this letter at the end that cousin's been hiding from him, right? Yeah. Cause it became real in the family. And so throughout his entire life, because he uses role model, he would go to him and say, it doesn't matter. Let it rip. Let it go. Your anxious. Such as a matter of let it rip. And that would always be what he talked to him. Like he said, it's a car. Yeah. Yeah. To get him out of a
panic check or get him out of his head and just go with it. Go with the flow and be in the situation. And in his letter, it basically says let it rip. And it says the bear. And which is essentially the title of the show. And it's going to be a name that call him bear. And it's the restaurant that they were supposed to open together, but they had their falling out and never happened. And so a lot of
the first season is him grappling with how do I honor his legacy? How do I turn this business around? Do I even want that? How do I bring my current life into my old life? I thought it was just so well done. I really like that they showed Karmie going to an alcoholics anonymous meeting too. Because addiction is a family disease. Yes. So it affects the entire family. It's not just the person who's ill. And so him going to these meetings and his he's full of a family of addicts.
Yeah. And then he's finally able to open up and talk about his story. I thought that was just so beautiful because a lot of people probably don't realize that you can go to these meetings as a family member of somebody who's you know an addict, something like that to get support. So I thought that was just such a nice touch. And Jeremy Ellen White, it's like a monologue in that scene. It's just so well delivered. He's such a good actor. It's so good. So I assumed he was from Chicago.
He loves Chicago. He's from New York. He's from Brooklyn. Is he really a Brooklyn? I was like, I was a little upset by that. But again, I grew up in Chicago. So love Chicago. Okay. I do love I love New York City. I've been in Chicago twice. New York City once. I've actually never been to New York City, but I'm going in October. They're both just so amazing and so good in their different ways. Right. The pizza. This show made you so hungry, right?
Yes. Thankfully I did all in one day. So I just won't be craving. I did end up like making some crazy like, crazy, like, pet chat a mushroom thing because of the fucking pasta. But I'm over there making like easy Mac. Yes. My dogs like me like you stupid bitch. I consider putting real cheese in like one of those easy Mac little cubs. I consider that cooking. I consider if you make instant like ramen noodles, but you crack an egg in it and you chop up some green onion.
Yeah. It's in like some spice cooking things. I've checked. I've checked. I've checked. I've checked. Yeah. We have to find cooking. Like is it the act of heating food? You know, that's a great question. Microwave in because then all of those easy bake ovens. Did you ever have an easy bake oven growing? I did. Did you eat them? Yeah. They're good. I have in the food. The oven itself. Did you bring down those metal pieces? It just consumed it. No, no, no, no.
Carmi. Carmi served it to me. I didn't know. Do you know? Carmi could serve me shit and I would eat it. Oh my god. Jeremy Ellen White in his like underwear campaign. Yeah. Well, while we were talking, I also just remember he took iron claw, which is also a very just social family. It was so good. But by the end of it, I was like, I'm so sad. I want to watch something funny. Yeah. Now I'm just like
really curious. I want him to do an interview and suddenly give a little breakdown about whether I get so great, especially like a actor or actress who's been in the industry for, you know, 50 years. I've so many good insights about directors of their process. I agree. I really like those. Maybe not as much as like hot ones does. As Jeremy Ellen White been on hot ones, if not, he definitely needs to be. So does Ayo. I think she's incredible. She honestly is such a good actress
in this. I know she's a great writer as well. Like she wrote bottoms, which is with what's her face, Rachel, Senate. So good. So good. I think she's just incredibly talented. She's incredible. That episode where she kind of goes like restaurant to restaurant and tries all the and it was his restaurant. I love this. So serendipitous. Okay. So amazing. I guess the very end of episode one of season three, that's where I left off. Episode one is very artsy. There's very little
dialogue. It's set to just a musical score. And it's a flashbacks. It's a lot of flashbacks mixed with like him apologizing to Sydney about being locked in the freezer and calling cousin. So what I thought in season three, episode one against spoilers is that we were seeing him after he had like left again and he just decided he was going to leave the bear restaurant. Yeah. And then we were kind of flashing back in between. But you said that you thought it was
them flashing back to him first left. Exactly. And that's why his sister was, you know, flashback to his sister being like, I love you. Here, take money. He's like, it's fine. I don't need your money. It's fine. He's trying to leave the bear. She'd be like, are you fucking kidding? Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. No, she was like, take money. Please, please. Yes, it's fine. And then it flashes back to him and he's training under Joel McHale who just walks by and goes,
fuck you. Yeah. I can't imagine you're working at any job in your posh to smoke. So I was like, hey, hey, fuck you suck a dick. Yeah. You're like, shit. All right. I did give me a PTSD to working in a restaurant where you're like, God, the amount of unprofessionalism that happens. I'm sure that I and not like you and I were ever cooks, but like the food industry is just insane. I've worked decade long in the food industry, right? Before I found like my career now, but I worked at this place.
I won't shout them out in case they listen and they decide to sue. I don't even think they're in power anymore in power. It was a Greek restaurant. And the name of the restaurant was based off of a popular romcom movie. Okay. And they would literally shout at me, Sean, you're so stupid. Sean, are you keep fucking up? I was 19 years old to be very, probably worth fucking up. But I was like a 19 year old waitress. I went to freshman at college. I just got through life
tragedy. Yeah. And I was such a fragile baby angel. And I remember driving home one day from this job. I had my little waitress apron on and I saw my checkbook in it and I was just trying to get home and just weeping. And this cop pulls me over for speeding. And he comes up to me and like, yes, he's just like, you know how fast you're going? And he just looks at me and he sees my little apron. And I was weeping and it probably helped. But I was like a 95 pound platinum blonde
baby girl. And he's like, just slow down, sweetie. Life will get better. Don't worry. I would yes, chef. But yeah, the restaurant industry is brutal. And I can't imagine what it's like working in those like Michelin Stark wrote trying to prove yourself kind of shit. Because if it was that bad working in my big Greek place that I won't say the name of, then my big, gricky place, like big Greek wedding restaurant.
Yeah, that place does suck though. I've been there. I have a word to there, but food's not good. So it's definitely no bear. Don't eat the tiziki. Yeah. Oh god. Yeah. Don't do it. I'll add to the inner work. Do you know? Legically donate the tiziki. Allegedly. I've 20 years or yeah. We're like 15, but we'll do a six years. I am Jesus Christ.
An ancient being. I worked there 65 years ago. Yeah, I think it's really going to be interesting. I keep thinking about Sydney and how they're going to deal with her anxiety and her process of kind of seizing control as a woman within a very male dominated and true thing as a woman of color. Yeah. As a woman of color. Absolutely. I think it is just so well done. The side characters where I talked about Marcus, Tina, the other one. I love Tina's. Because in the beginning too, I was like,
Tina's a bitch. Yeah. You're like, oh my god. I get it. And she, you know, and I heard in Sydney's relationship. I think they just did a really good job about workplace insecurity and the feelings that come with them and trying to prove yourself. Yeah, prove yourself and work over in posture, syndrome and ask for help and like realize those things. I thought it was just an amazing well done series. So I'm glad you forced me to watch it. That is another important overarching theme that I
think you just hit on is imposter syndrome. Yes. Like no one in this entire show thinks that they're good enough at what they do. I mean, maybe that's just part of we see the flashbacks obviously to Joel McHale's character. I don't even know if they get his character in name. And if they do, please fans, let me know besides just New York chef or new. Yeah. Like his head chef teacher, but he just convinces him the whole time that you're buried some suck. You get stuck.
I got it literally like. And then when the bear is opening before a car me locks himself in the freezer, he thinks that he sees him, right? And it's just that imposter syndrome that we all feel no matter what we do for a living that you suck at this. Like, yeah, why did they hire you? But you have to keep telling yourself actually like, I don't know what I'm doing here. Yeah. Well, also if you want a
James Beard award, like you're really good. And so yeah, I thought it was just so good. I'm so glad that you liked it and that you watched it. Yeah. I think that again, it really connected with me because my family member, like the dynamics. I'm from there. I love to cook. Oh, the Chicago B roll too. Yeah. It's like you must be loving this. Just all the beautiful shots of Chicago and all just the food
and the subway or not the subway, but the train or whatever. Yeah. Like the like the the uncle who's kind of like mob adjacent like local journey. Yeah. Yeah. Reminds me of my dad so much looks like my dad. Did you say it in an episode that I was your dad at some point? Yeah, you guys have really similar taste and things. I love that you really like. Yeah. Yeah. That's funny. So I remind you of Uncle Jimmy too.
No, because that's more an appearance. Okay. That's good. I don't want to look like in like background. Like yeah. Yeah. I mean, you remember. You remember, dad, doesn't he look like? I do not remember. You just drunkenly asked him for a cigarette. Oh my god. I forgot. That's your tap. It was on my 30th birthday. We're talking sick casino and Sean has never met my dad before. Okay. Let me preface this. I only spoke cigarettes when I'm really drunk.
It can't send you family members are listening. But yeah, your dad gave me a cigarette. Yeah. Yeah. Great guy. Love him. Love that guy. Oh, Johnny. I'm like a little uncle Johnny. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's the freaking gobbagool with my freaking cigarette. Oh, now you're getting New Jersey. Oh, shit. Yeah. What's a Chicago accent? Kind of like what they're doing. But like it's less like you. You. You. You guys. It's more like big like kind of yeah. We seem fucking cigarette. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. It's a little closer. It's like a mix between a Minnesota and a New Yorker. I say that felt a little bit more so. Yeah. We're speaking cigarette. Wait. No, that was average. Yeah. We got it. We got a mystery. We got a mystery part. We got a mystery accent to her. Yes. So it seems like the season three again, we're only gonna talk about episode one. I've seen the second one so far. But it seems like they're really gonna go for kind of dismantling
this car me as this perfect good guy, really making him not necessarily like an anti-hero. Or would you kind of see that from the first episode? You know, I just hope that car me repairs the relationships in his life. Because in the first episode, we see him making that phone call to Richie and apologizing for the way that he spoke to him the restaurant night or the opening of the bear night, I should say. So like Sidney and Richie and the staff
held down the opening night of the bear. Because car me's in the walk in the entire time. I've got existential crisis. Yeah. And they held it down. Yeah. And so I think we're gonna see him the first couple episodes really try to like amend those relationships. Especially like the one with his girlfriend too. His friend, that's a girl. Oh yeah. His friend with benefits girl like that he kind of dumped from like the other side of the cooler door. Yeah, that was that was pretty crazy.
So I hope we see him mend some relationships. I would love to see car me have some sort of personal life. I mean, and we kind of touched on that in season two with him getting a girlfriend. Yeah, or exploring a relationship with a woman. So I hope that we get to see more of that in season three. Because he's just he's actually a young guy and he's so stressed out. Dude's gonna have an aneurysm by the time he's 40. Do you really? He's smoking enough cigarettes. So, oh yeah.
So much. It's just so angry. Just angry and just veins popping and smoking and just like. Yeah, I think the season's gonna be, you know, I think in his mind they survived with out of him. So they don't need him. And that's gonna just send him down a spiral. He's valuable. He's like, do they even need me here? Can Sydney do all this shit herself? Because their partners in the restaurant like they might even necessary here. And then help definitely feel
the imposter syndrome. Yeah. I think we're definitely gonna see him and Sydney's relationship of all a lot. And a lot of people have been saying like, do we ship them? And just because there's a man and a woman on a show doesn't mean that they need to be shipped. Yeah, right. We don't have to love them. Like they don't need to be in a romantic relationship. They can be business partners and friends. Marcus and Sydney though. I better get to the other. Oh, also. Marcus. Is mom?
Oh, that's right. But man, I get my heart shrieks. If you're a pastry chef and you look like a little gentle giant teddy bear. Come, come find me. You'll find her. Come find me. And show me your pastry. Show me your pastry puffs. Oh, okay. I just want to know what makes me like actually a pastry. Yeah. What makes him so cute is his like purity for his pastries. I know. It's just so sweet. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm excited. I like him. I'm excited to see where everything goes. I'm excited to see
I'm just everyone evolve more and as is the bear grows and oh yeah. I'm excited to see of Jamie Lee Curtis shows back up and actually steps foot inside of the restaurant and eats some food. I think that they've been priming her. So I think she'll be back. She's primed. She's finished all those Halloween movies. So she's she's out of contract. She's ready. She's ready. But it's his mom ready. No, no, neither of them are ready. Yeah. Well, that about wraps up this episode. And I must say,
I think it deserved at least one Michelin star maybe two. Don't you think I'm so hungry. We're gonna make some food. We'll make that omelette with the potato chips. Now, where do they find you on social media? You can buy me Shauna Trinidad on Instagram and TikTok @shaunatrinidad and you can find me, Olivia, on Instagram @livimariez L-I-V-I-M-A-R-I-E-Z and you can send us your thoughts, hopes, wishes, recipes, dreams, whatever you like. Pastries. Pastries for sure. Bye first going to the
Pop Culture Junkie Podcast social media links. You can find them and so much more on our website at popculturejunkie.com. From there, you can find the podcast on all platforms, follow, rate, subscribe and review the show, giving us that sweet sweet validation, we crave and come back next week for another hit of pop culture. The Pop Culture Junkie podcast is produced by Jeff Markin and Cheryl Lightfoot for the Pop Culture Entertainment Network. So entertain me, entertain me right now.
I need it bad, I need it bad. I need it bad, I need it bad. [Music]