Overview of The Watch
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald cover a packed episode of TV and movie talk, starting with a strong reaction to the trailer for Tony—a new Anthony Bourdain film—before debating the “Tom Holland American accent” discourse around The Odyssey trailer. The bulk of the episode is spent on three TV topics: FX’s surprise-drop The Bear episode “Gary,” the creepy-but-funny third episode of Widow’s Bay, and the latest Top Chef challenge, which they found uneven and increasingly budget-constrained.
Tony Trailer: A Smart, Focused Biopic Approach
The hosts are optimistic about Tony, Matt Johnson’s film about Anthony Bourdain’s formative Provincetown years.
What they liked
- They praised Matt Johnson as a filmmaker, especially after BlackBerry and Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie.
- The cast helped sell them on it:
- Dominic Sessa
- Leo Woodall
- Antonio Banderas
- Sarah (Stavi) and Amelia Jones
- They liked that the movie appears to focus on one meaningful slice of Bourdain’s life rather than trying to cram in his entire biography.
Why it works
- They argued this is a better biopic model than the usual “entire life story” approach.
- The film seems to capture Bourdain’s transformation from aimless young man to someone who finds purpose in kitchens.
- They noted the Bourdain estate’s support, which made the project feel more respectful and grounded.
Bigger takeaway
- Bourdain’s life is too complicated, messy, and emotionally layered to fit neatly into a conventional biopic.
- A narrow, character-driven story feels artistically smarter and more humane.
The Odyssey Trailer and the Tom Holland Accent Debate
The hosts then digressed into the debate over Tom Holland’s American accent in The Odyssey.
Their view
- They mostly think the criticism is overblown.
- Chris argues that familiar accents can actually make classical material more accessible.
- They compare the reaction to past debates over:
- Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare films
- Naturalistic modern speech in period works
Their main point
- Christopher Nolan is too precise a filmmaker for this to be an accident.
- If Nolan wanted the performances to sound this way, that’s part of the design.
- They joke that internet purists should relax and let the movie be a movie.
The Bear Surprise Episode “Gary”
This is the main discussion of the episode: FX dropped a standalone Bear episode without warning, centered on Richie and Mikey.
What happens in the episode
- The episode takes place after the events of “Fishes,” and before the final season.
- Richie and Mikey are sent on a day trip to Gary, Indiana.
- They spend the day:
- eating hot dogs
- playing basketball
- doing coke
- hanging out in a dive bar
- Richie thinks he has to get back to Chicago by 5 p.m. because Tiff may go into labor.
What the hosts liked
- Jon Bernthal gives a more vulnerable, layered performance than usual.
- The episode deepens Mikey as a character:
- funny
- erratic
- charismatic
- deeply empathetic
- Maren Ireland’s guest performance as Sherry was singled out as excellent.
- The final scenes in the dive bar were, for them, the emotional high point.
What they thought about the structure
- They liked the idea of Eben Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal helping to write the episode.
- They found the episode very “Bear”-like:
- mythmaking
- family trauma
- humor as a defense mechanism
- fact vs. fiction in memory and storytelling
Their critique
- They’re less enthusiastic about The Bear’s habit of using flashbacks to neatly package major emotional inflection points.
- They think this style can sometimes feel like the show is over-explaining a life into a few iconic beats.
- Still, they felt “Gary” was one of the show’s better examples of using flashback to reveal character.
The ending
- Richie is hit by another car after sitting in his vehicle in the rain.
- They see this as a major setup for the final season.
- It may pull Carmy back toward the restaurant in a new way, possibly forcing more responsibility onto him.
Release strategy discussion
- They were also struck by the strange way FX released the episode:
- surprise drop
- no clear promotion
- difficult to find
- no immediate press rollout
- They found the show’s relationship to its audience and its own format increasingly opaque.
Widow’s Bay Episode 3
They also liked where Widow’s Bay is going, especially because the show now seems willing to commit to its mythology.
Key developments
- Tom is no longer a skeptic.
- Wick is no longer the only believer.
- The island’s supernatural weirdness is becoming harder to dismiss.
Main plot points
- It’s the first day of summer and tourists have arrived.
- Tom is supposed to do a ceremonial ocean swim.
- He meets Marissa, a mysterious visitor who may or may not be exactly who she says she is.
- He later encounters the sea hag, who scratches him and seems to curse him.
What they liked
- The show continues to balance comedy and horror effectively.
- It’s willing to be both goofy and genuinely eerie.
- The sea hag mythology is working because the show commits to the bit without undercutting itself.
One funny real-world note
- Chris tried watching the episode with his daughter, who got spooked after thinking about a cat scratch, which became an accidental sea-hag moment.
Top Chef Season 23, Episode 9
The hosts finish with a brisk but pointed critique of Top Chef.
Their main complaints
- The show seems to be operating under tighter budget and production constraints than before.
- Challenges are increasingly indoor, pantry-based, and underpowered.
- The judges are still acting like the show is in a luxury-fine-dining mode, even when the cooking conditions clearly aren’t.
Specific issue from this episode
- Contestants had to cook a multi-course meal on a strict budget.
- Rhoda, returning from Last Chance Kitchen, was placed at a disadvantage by being assigned dessert.
- They thought the judges were inconsistent:
- harsh about some dishes
- forgiving about others
- sometimes blaming chefs for limitations created by the challenge itself
Their read on the season
- Lawrence and Anthony feel like the clear front-runners.
- They think the overall field has been a bit underwhelming.
- Even so, they still appreciate the judges and editorial side of the show.
Themes Running Through the Episode
Storytelling and mythmaking
- Across The Bear and Widow’s Bay, they keep returning to how stories turn people into legends.
- Memory, rumor, and family history are treated as powerful, messy forces.
The value of artistic specificity
- They favor creative projects that zoom in on one meaningful moment instead of trying to be everything at once.
- That applies to Tony, The Bear, and even the structure of Widow’s Bay.
Frustration with TV distribution
- They’re increasingly annoyed by release strategies that make shows harder to discuss and cover.
- The surprise-drop model may create buzz, but it also creates confusion and limits conversation.
Bottom Line
This episode of The Watch is a mix of trailer reactions, TV recaps, and industry commentary. Their strongest enthusiasm is for Tony and for the inventive, emotionally rich sections of The Bear’s “Gary,” while Widow’s Bay earns praise for deepening its spooky mythology. Top Chef remains watchable for them, but they think the show’s constraints are starting to show.