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This show is a lot, and I come from a loud and similarly insane Italian family.

First, the acting is excellent, despite the occasional bizarre writing. It's funny, but the lines sometimes land really unnaturally. The Faks steal every scene they're in. Richie grows on you. You root for Carmie to just get it together already. While the drama is the point, it is often too much. The screaming and the profanity and the emotional constipation can sometimes combine into an uncomfortable dish that ceases to be entertainment.

But ultimately, my biggest issue is that they take a show about one person - "the Bear" - and then shell game it with the another person; That person being the smug, insufferable young chef who has to constantly put Carmie in his place. It's exhausting. Sydney is the least likable character on the show, yet they give her a whole episode about getting her braids done. At this cultural moment, it feels purposeful a more intentional than it was. Maybe.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: Is it interesting? Yes.

Is it well done? Mostly.

Will I recommend it? Maybe.

Will I ever watch it again? Absolutely not.

I have been a fan of the Jack Reacher books and have generally been happy with the series. The acting is fine, even if the writing can occasionally be a little flat. My problem with this episode is that the character they introduce is totally unbelievable. She's supposed to be an outdoorswoman who grew up hunting with her dad. Yet she says "I grew up hunting elks with my dad." In the next sentence, Reacher even uses the term "elk" correctly. Hollywood is so out of touch with the real world. How hard is it to have someone who actually has outdoors experience to proof a script for authenticity? This is the kind of stuff that comes across as lazy writing and insulting to the audience. Ultimately it takes the viewer out of the immersive experience of fiction and just makes you roll your eyes.

I have been a fan of Steven Rinella for a long time. I appreciate that he has a philosophical approach to hunting and conservation, and he has always integrated history into his books, podcasts, and shows. He has done so much to raise awareness for conservation, and I have a lot of respect for him. Is he a historian? No. But that doesn't disqualify him from exploring the questions on this show from his unique perspective as a hunter and conservationist.

Don't go into this expecting these mysteries to be solved. That's not the point. The goal is to ask different questions about the historical events we thought we knew as well as we could have known them. There were several things I learned about the D. B. Cooper skyjacking, and I had only just heard of the plane crash that killed Begich and Boggs in Alaska. Rinella is looking at these events from the perspective of an outdoorsman - could Cooper have effectively navigated the woods at night in November? Could anyone survive the water of Prince William Sound? Rinella's assessment reminds us that even if we can't solve these mysteries, they should inspire us to be in awe of nature and have humility in our approach to it.

I am looking forward to the rest of the season. If you find this show compelling, check out Rinella's books on the Long Hunters and the Meat Eater and Bear Grease podcasts.