Ella Purnellhas stolen the spotlight with a number of roles in recent years, most notably as the ultimate Queen Bee, Jackie, in the hit horror-mystery seriesYellowjackets, as well as voicingLeague of Legendsmainstay Jinx in Netflix’s hit animated seriesArcane. Recently, she successfully took the reins of Prime Video’sFallout, a hit adaptation of the video game of the same name. Purnell’s been buildinga resume full of projects that showoff the full range of her talents, including the short-livedSweetbitter. Based on the novel of the same name byStephanie Danler,Sweetbitterfollows Tess (Purnell), who moves from Ohio to New York in the summer of 2006. Tess eventually becomes the back waitress at a prestigious restaurant and slowly starts befriending other members of the staff. Her biggest relationships involve fellow waitress Simone (Caitlin FitzGerald) and bartender Jake (Tom Sturridge);Tess is attracted to Jake and idolizes Simone,but matters are complicated because of Jake and Simone’s relationship.
It would be fairly easy to compareSweetbittertoThe Bear, especially as both shows center around how the restaurant industry can affect your life for better or for worse. ButSweetbitteris more interested in the personal dynamics of its heroine’s life, especially when it comes to romance. Despitehaving a short runand flying under the radar at a time when “Peak TV” was hitting its stride,Sweetbitteris still worth a watch because of its cast andhow it portrays a lesser-known side of fine dining.
Sweetbitter
Sweetbitter is a drama series based on Stephanie Danler’s novel. It follows 22-year-old Tess, who moves to New York City and lands a job at an upscale restaurant. The show explores her journey as she navigates the chaotic and demanding world of fine dining. Tess encounters a colorful cast of characters and faces challenges that push her to grow both personally and professionally. Through her experiences, she learns about the complexities of life, love, and the intricacies of the restaurant industry.
‘Sweetbitter’ Perfectly Captures the Chaos and the Camaraderie of Working in Fine Dining
Sweetbitterstands out from mostcooking showsby exploring an element of food service that’s rarely shown on television: the waitstaff.Having worked in food service, I can tell you that any restaurant, whether it’s a fast food joint or a five-star experience, relies on much as its staff as its food. The chefs prepare the food, but it’s the waiters who get it out. It’s the waiters who verify the customer is satisfied from the moment they walk into the door to the moment they leave. It’s the busboys who keep the restaurant looking nice and spiffy.Sweetbittermanages to capture all of this in its pilot episode, “Salt,” and Tess - alongside the viewer - is constantly learning the ins and outs of food service.
As the series continues, she learns that most of the staff often engage in some wild behavior, including drugs and alcohol; this ends up impacting the last two episodes of Season 1, “Weird Night” and “It’s Mine.” After a stressful night of work, Tess decides to burn off some stress with fellow waitstaff member Sasha (Daniyar), which hurts her preparation for the final part of her trial period at the restaurant. The hedonistic elements ofSweetbitteralso play into the strange relationship between Tess, Jake, and Simone.
The Love Triangle in ‘Sweetbitter’ Brings Plenty of Spice (and Drama) to the Table
ThroughoutSweetbitter, Tess starts learning more about Jake and Simone’s relationship, and it’s pretty wild.Not only do they have an on-and-off relationship, but Jake seems utterly devoted to Simone despite the fact that he wants to try to open his own restaurant with Chef Scott (Jimmie Saito). As Tess grows closer to Jake, she ends up becoming less enamored of Simone - especially once she reads a short story by the older woman that reveals more details about her and Jake’s relationship. Things come to a head in theSeason 2finale, “Bodega Cat,” when Tess tells her manager, Howard (Paul Sparks), to fire Simone after she and Jakefinally act on their feelingsand sleep with each other. It’s a massive cliffhanger that leaves the audience on the edge of their seat - and mirrors the Season 1 finale where Simone voted to kick Tess out of the restaurant, but Paul decided to keep her on.
None of this would workwithout the immense chemistry that Purnell and Sturridge have.Nearly every scene they have together is charged with sexual tension, particularly a moment where they share oysters. Tess, at that point, is still in the dark about certain types of foods, so she is left hanging on Jake’s every word as he shucks oyster after oyster, explaining how they taste. Factor in the tidbit about oysters being an aphrodisiac, and you have a recipe for a budding relationship. Multiple episodes also place Tess and Jake at a distance, closing in on her face as she stares at him longingly. Purnell’s doe-eyed expressions really sell the fact that Tess is deeply attracted to Jake - and she doesn’t even have to say a word!
The ‘Sweetbitter’ TV Series Improved Upon Its Source Material
Sweetbitterdidn’t just capture the ups and downs of working in the food industry and navigating your early 20s. It alsomade a number of improvements to the novel it was based on, as both Danler and showrunnerStuart Zichermanweren’t afraid of expanding or shaking up plot points from the book. “I never felt any fidelity to the book,” Danler explainedin an interview withSlate. “I wanted to take key scenes and moments, but I definitely could not have tension between Tess and Simone in the first season because that gives no room to their love story, which is the backbone of the book.”
A key example is how Season 1 approaches Tess' trial period at work. In the novel, this is covered within the space of 50 pages, but in the show,it’s a season-long plot pointthat allows Tess to learn more about the people she works with and the industry itself. It also works to build the romantic tension between her and Jake, which boils over in Season 2. Another advantage to taking time with Tess' trial period is how it shapes Season 2. Once she starts figuring out the ins and outs of the industry, Tess also gets hit with some hard realities, particularly in the Season 2 episode “Entropy,” where Howard changes the structure of how the waitstaff is tipped and triggers a fierce backlash. These storylines wouldn’t have been possible if Danler and Zicherman had stuck to the novel.
‘Sweetbitter’ Was Cancelled When It Was at Its Best
Sweetbitterdidn’t just have an insanely talented castbut a top-tier collection of talent behind the scenes.Brad Pittserved as a producer on the series via his Plan B banner, while Danler was also an executive producer and wrote a handful of episodes, including the pilot. Starz even put the series in fast-track development; then-presidentChris Albrechtsang the praises of theSweetbitternovel.“When we heard it may be a project, I literally had some of my colleagues come and say this is one we’ve got to get; it plays into young female demographic but as we know women of all ages will certainly be attracted to great stories,” he said. Despite all this support,Sweetbitterwas canceled after two seasonsdue to low ratings.
Despite this,the cast went on to more high-profile projects. Sturridge currently stars inThe Sandman, Netflix’s adaptation of the classicNeil Gaiman-scripted comic. Sparks went on to star in dramas, includingHouse of CardsandBoardwalk Empire.Even one of the directors,Geeta Patel, would direct genre fare, including episodes ofHouse of the DragonandAhsoka.The Bearmight have taken the world by storm, butSweetbitterdefinitely deserves a second look as it manages to balance the world of fine dining with the chaos of figuring out life when you’re in your mid-twenties. It’s also another reminder that Ella Purnell has been delivering great performances long before she enteredFallout’s sandy wastelands.
