Careme – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
Buy the Crown!
Episode 4 of Careme begins with General Georges executing rebels. It's a grim prelude to the episode, which sees Talleyrand determined to try and buy the crown. The Royalists won't stop until Louis XVIII is on the throne, but if Talleyrand can convince Louis to relinquish his claim, it could simmer down the crowd and stop the hostilities toward Bonaparte. This would put Talleyrand in prime position for a big slice of the proverbial pie.
Speaking of pie, all of this political manoeuvring culminates in a fateful dinner with Louis XVIII in Poland, which naturally puts Careme front and center as the chef for this big event.
Careme shows up at the police station to see his father. The latter warns his son to be careful given they're both in over their heads. They don't have much time to speak, but Bailly warns Careme against continuing his pursuit, as trying to get the guy out of prison could be his undoing.
Careme though is stubborn and his whole motivation here revolves around freeing his dad. Finding out Talleyrand's letter was a fake though has done nothing to help Careme be in the forgiving mood with the string-master Talleyrand.
When Careme confronts him about this later on, Talleyrand admits he's got the power to help get Bailly out, claiming a coup to rescue him from behind bars. Careme, predictably, believes him.
This works to get Careme in the kitchen, preparing the meal for Louis XVIII, but in reality, it's another one of Talleyrand's games. He just wants to keep using the guy to do his scheming.
On the subject of scheming, Fouche continues to use Henriette to do his bidding, giving her fake letters from foreign princes promising to fight for him to get the guy on the throne. Naturally, all of these are fakes and it's something that works in complete contrast to Taleyrand's mission, where he wants the King to abandon his claim to the throne.
In the midst of this, Careme is still having his affair with Henriette, whose letters are almost spotted by him during one of their lovemaking sessions when it spills out her bag.
The trip to Poland eventually ends with the group showing up at Louis' palace. They want to bargain for the crown with him, and that stems from making sure this meal is perfect. Unfortunately, some of the food from the jars are rotten and they need to improvise.
Joséphine and Henriette are here to help out in the kitchen, thanks to Louis' instructions, while our star chef heads to the market to pick up some emergency ingredients.
The meal is a hit with Louis, who wants to know exactly what Careme has used here. He promises to divulge… but only when Careme has spoken to Joséphine. Well, the pair do talk and go back and forth on the subject of relinquishing the crown. Josephine's words fall on deaf ears, while Louis XVIII speaks to Careme about his influences in the kitchen.
The pair have a surprisingly warm rapport together, as they both talk about what it means to be a King. As it stands, Louis XVIII is a king without a kingdom, while Careme is a king in his kitchen… but not really his own master given he works for others.
Oh, and Josephine is gay by the way, which we find out right in the midst of their chat when we cut to see her in bed with another woman.
In the morning, Henriette shows to see Louis XVIII and hands over the foreign letters. This is enough to make his mind up, kicking out Talleyrand and the gang, forcing them back to France. He also points at Careme and decides that he should cook for him in the future.
Careme figures out what Henriette's role to play in all of this is, and realizes she's working for Fouche. She's being blackmailed into submission given she killed a man when she was 13 and Fouche knows. The only way to keep that a secret is to work for the detective. Fouche spared her life back then, and given his hatred of nobility, and is using her to do his bidding.
Unfortunately, Bailly's refusal to speak behind bars to the detective does not go over well. Fouche decides to torture the guy but as Bailly wrestles with the soldiers, finding a golden opportunity to flee, he winds up shot in the back by a trigger happy soldier. He's dead, and when Careme finds out, he's overcome with grief.
The Episode Review
So our star chef is caught right in the middle of this now and without an anchor to weigh his moral compass, Careme looks set to explode and go after those responsible for killing his father. That, of course, being Fouche.
However, Careme is still being portrayed as this perfect protagonist who can do no wrong, and this sort of character is boring to watch. There's also the usual modern spin on the storyline too, where Josephine is gay now I guess, while Henriette is just misunderstood.
The drama involving Louis XVIII is a nice touch though, especially as we learn more about his life and motivations, but beyond that, there's not much to sink your teeth into here. Hopefully the episodes ahead improve.
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The Review Geek
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Has Careme been renewed for Season 2? Here's what we know:
Renewed Or Cancelled? Careme is the latest steamy and action-packed French drama on Apple, complete with lots of romance, twists, turns and historical scandal. So after watching it in its entirety, you may be wondering if this has been renewed or cancelled. Here's what we know: What is Careme about? Careme centers on an ambitious, young chef called Antonin Careme who uses his seductive charm to work as a spy so he can save his father—and make his name. However, things are not always as simple as they seem, and Careme soon finds himself caught in a precarious position. We have ongoing coverage of Careme on the site including recaps of every episode. You can find those HERE! Has Careme been renewed for season 2? At the time of writing, Careme has not been renewed for season 2. Generally Apple would gauge numerous metrics before renewing a show, including how many people initially watch it and then looking at the drop-off rate. With some shows, cancellations or renewals happen quickly. Other times, it can take months before a decision over a show's future is made. So far, Careme has had a mixed reaction from critics and audiences alike, with many commenting (including ourselves) that the plot tends to meander a bit and the show could have done with a more structured storyline. Given the way this show is set up, we're predicting that this will not be renewed for a second season. The series does have plenty of potential but given the storyline, and the lack of buzz online, it does seem unlikely. However, we could be completely wrong, given Apple do love to renew a lot of their shows, so take our prediction with a pinch of salt! What we know about season 2 so far: Barely anything is known about season 2 at this point as Apple haven't officially renewed this one. Should it be renewed, we have some big questions. What will happen to Careme after the events of this season? Will we see a return of the same characters as before? What about the seismic shifts in the French political landscape? It seems unlikely but if this series is renewed, we'd expect it to be green-lit with another 10 episode order, and bring back a lot of the old cast too. Do you want to see Careme return for a second season? What did you think of the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Careme – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review
The Contest Episode 5 of Careme begins with our titular character being handed all the possessions left from Bailly. Unfortunately, the shop is being handed over to the State, given the charges he faced of treason. With very little to live for now, Careme's motivations have gone and this causes his food standards to drop too. At the kitchen, he shouts and demands nobody mention his father's name – including Agathe. Furthermore, there's a big competition coming up and they need to practice because right now, they're not going to get anywhere with Careme in this mood. Agatha lashes out at the head chef, reminding him that it's her food that's helped make him the best chef in France and he's ready to throw it all away. This competition is closed off to the public and Reyniere is the one judging matters, along with a couple of other food critics. Talleyrand tries to convince Careme to play ball, but he's blinded by rage and wants Fouche's head. In order to get what he wants, Talleyrand will not play ball with the chef unless he cooks at the competition. As Agathe studies the competition, she realizes that one of the men bound to attend is Auguste. He's the man who gave Agathe her first shot in the kitchen and she meets with him outside, discussing old times. The warm vibe is immediately squashed though back in the kitchen when Reyniere shows and starts the competition. There will be an initial round of eliminations and first up, they need to make a dish from Corsica. Careme is not in the kitchen with Agathe though, who decides to work with Auguste instead. Partly for her own career, but also to prove to Careme that he needs her. Careme certainly gets that wake-up call though when he comes second place to Auguste and Agathe's dish. The second dish cooked happens to be chicken marengo. There's drama behind the scenes but Careme's inventive idea of using veal wins the critics over. Josephine gets involved and swings the vote back to Auguste though. Elsewhere, Henriette meets with Fouche who plans to arrest Careme. She has that night to hand him over, otherwise Fouche will come himself. Now, Talleyrand has his men tailing Henriette and when she catches wind of this, she speaks to Talleyrand and plays dumb, claiming that Fouche approached her and acted like they were friends. Talleyrand's spy approaches Henriette after, knowing she's cunning, and finds coins stuck down her bra. Unfortunately, he forces himself on her too, prompting Henriette to smack him upside the head in self-defence. The blow though, unfortunately, kills him. Careme finds what Henriette has done and helps her cover up the murder, wrapping the man up in the bedsheets and hiding him in the stables. While Talleyrand manages to get hold of the map, Careme speaks to Agathe in the kitchen. He's leaving and decided to hand over everything to her. He embraces her and thanks the girl for everything she's done. However, he needs to cook for Bonaparte as he'll never accept a woman to do this. This distraction is enough for Talleyrand to catch up and confront Careme. He burns the map, and even helps give him some ideas over how to kill Fouche. However, it would mean cooking for Napoleon and working the poison into Fouche's dish in the process. Interestingly, it seems there's drama involving Careme's mother and while Talleyrand seems to know who this is, he refuses to give up the information to Careme. As the episode closes out, Fouche decides to double-down on the informants and spies across the city, wanting to turn it into a mousetrap. The Episode Review So Careme is back this week and with it, an episode that focuses a lot more on the cooking side of things. The show is juggling a lot of different elements here and it is a bit messy at times in its execution. Careme doesn't come out on top in the cooking competition, which is a nice break from him constantly winning and doing no wrong. The show does at least try and mix things up, but it also struggles to give the show some much-needed pace. It's not all bad but compared to the early episodes, this one's not quite firing on all cylinders now. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
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Careme – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
Buy the Crown! Episode 4 of Careme begins with General Georges executing rebels. It's a grim prelude to the episode, which sees Talleyrand determined to try and buy the crown. The Royalists won't stop until Louis XVIII is on the throne, but if Talleyrand can convince Louis to relinquish his claim, it could simmer down the crowd and stop the hostilities toward Bonaparte. This would put Talleyrand in prime position for a big slice of the proverbial pie. Speaking of pie, all of this political manoeuvring culminates in a fateful dinner with Louis XVIII in Poland, which naturally puts Careme front and center as the chef for this big event. Careme shows up at the police station to see his father. The latter warns his son to be careful given they're both in over their heads. They don't have much time to speak, but Bailly warns Careme against continuing his pursuit, as trying to get the guy out of prison could be his undoing. Careme though is stubborn and his whole motivation here revolves around freeing his dad. Finding out Talleyrand's letter was a fake though has done nothing to help Careme be in the forgiving mood with the string-master Talleyrand. When Careme confronts him about this later on, Talleyrand admits he's got the power to help get Bailly out, claiming a coup to rescue him from behind bars. Careme, predictably, believes him. This works to get Careme in the kitchen, preparing the meal for Louis XVIII, but in reality, it's another one of Talleyrand's games. He just wants to keep using the guy to do his scheming. On the subject of scheming, Fouche continues to use Henriette to do his bidding, giving her fake letters from foreign princes promising to fight for him to get the guy on the throne. Naturally, all of these are fakes and it's something that works in complete contrast to Taleyrand's mission, where he wants the King to abandon his claim to the throne. In the midst of this, Careme is still having his affair with Henriette, whose letters are almost spotted by him during one of their lovemaking sessions when it spills out her bag. The trip to Poland eventually ends with the group showing up at Louis' palace. They want to bargain for the crown with him, and that stems from making sure this meal is perfect. Unfortunately, some of the food from the jars are rotten and they need to improvise. Joséphine and Henriette are here to help out in the kitchen, thanks to Louis' instructions, while our star chef heads to the market to pick up some emergency ingredients. The meal is a hit with Louis, who wants to know exactly what Careme has used here. He promises to divulge… but only when Careme has spoken to Joséphine. Well, the pair do talk and go back and forth on the subject of relinquishing the crown. Josephine's words fall on deaf ears, while Louis XVIII speaks to Careme about his influences in the kitchen. The pair have a surprisingly warm rapport together, as they both talk about what it means to be a King. As it stands, Louis XVIII is a king without a kingdom, while Careme is a king in his kitchen… but not really his own master given he works for others. Oh, and Josephine is gay by the way, which we find out right in the midst of their chat when we cut to see her in bed with another woman. In the morning, Henriette shows to see Louis XVIII and hands over the foreign letters. This is enough to make his mind up, kicking out Talleyrand and the gang, forcing them back to France. He also points at Careme and decides that he should cook for him in the future. Careme figures out what Henriette's role to play in all of this is, and realizes she's working for Fouche. She's being blackmailed into submission given she killed a man when she was 13 and Fouche knows. The only way to keep that a secret is to work for the detective. Fouche spared her life back then, and given his hatred of nobility, and is using her to do his bidding. Unfortunately, Bailly's refusal to speak behind bars to the detective does not go over well. Fouche decides to torture the guy but as Bailly wrestles with the soldiers, finding a golden opportunity to flee, he winds up shot in the back by a trigger happy soldier. He's dead, and when Careme finds out, he's overcome with grief. The Episode Review So our star chef is caught right in the middle of this now and without an anchor to weigh his moral compass, Careme looks set to explode and go after those responsible for killing his father. That, of course, being Fouche. However, Careme is still being portrayed as this perfect protagonist who can do no wrong, and this sort of character is boring to watch. There's also the usual modern spin on the storyline too, where Josephine is gay now I guess, while Henriette is just misunderstood. The drama involving Louis XVIII is a nice touch though, especially as we learn more about his life and motivations, but beyond that, there's not much to sink your teeth into here. Hopefully the episodes ahead improve. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
