"Ok, fuck you, watch this"

So um, wtf? Wtf because this episode was good and ✨️so much better✨️ than anything in Season 4.

But also wtf? Was that ending supposed to be like, canonical to the story ? I hate it so much. Are they trying to get us to worry that a beloved character is hurt or dead so we tune in for season 5? Please 🙄🫠.

If this is supposed to be like, just a special one-off episode that Ebon & Jon wanted to share with the world, why would they choose an ending like that? I hate "dArK & eDGy" shit just as much as the weird overly sentimental bs like talking about your fears under a table with a bunch of irrelevant faks & cameos. That shit doesn't match the tone of the show I love.

Minus the ending, I really loved this. I've driven through Gary on the way to & from Chicago several times, and couldn't believe what a beautiful love letter this episode was to that specific journey & place. Ebon is such an unbelievably talented actor, Richie is such a masterpiece of a character, and this episode is an entire love letter to Ebon's strengths and Richie's bone-deep pain. If you have ever loved someone like Michael, you will see yourself in every rise & fall of hope, humor and hell written all over Richie's face and it is deeply powerful. Jon does a great job too, but because his character is so much less fleshed out in the show, I sometimes struggle to connect with what feels real and what feels too much or not enough? I noticed him mirroring a lot of Carmy's mannerisms which I really loved, and he made me cry like 4-7 times which happens every time I watch Mikey on screen.