etee's Blog

Hell's Kitchen
May 7, 2009

This week... in HELL'S KITCHEN:

Follow up:

The show starts with a recap of how each of the former contestants got that way. Episode by episode. For eleven painful minutes. Guess this means we have a two-part finale. Oh well *sigh*

Finally, we get back to the present. After announcing that Paula and Danny are the Final Two, HELL'S KITCHEN is split in two by screens onto which are projected giGANtic pictures of the two contestants. Danny and Paula then retire to the dorm where they begin to work diligently on the design of their restaurant space and menus proceed to try and drink each other under the table - an endeavor that Paula proves to be more adept at than her younger, less-experienced challenger. After putting away several bottles of the bubbly stuff, they both finally hit the sack. When they regain consciousness awaken, Paula is able to start work, while Danny is having more of a problem shaking off the effects of the previous nights revelry.

They finally meet with the architect, and start planning the space. Both of them display some quirkiness: Danny wants fish mounted on the wall, while Paula goes for real candles on the wall, which should please the Fire Marshall (not). Both then meet with their sous chefs (Scott and Gloria) to go over the menus. Here the differences become more apparent: Paula prefers to keep it simple and focus on taste, while Danny wants to get creative with new dishes like Caribbean Jerk Lobster. My opinion: Paula's experience shows here, as she is focusing on what is most important (the taste), and keeping her menu in line with the skills of her likely kitchen staff (for those who haven't watched previous seasons, some of the recently-discharged former contestants are recalled to serve as kitchen help. At least one or two utter nincompoops are included, just to keep things 'interesting'.)

Chef Ramsay then intervenes, and tells the two that they are to return to the Borgata: in a slight twist, he brings in some of their family members to act (and make decisions) in their abscence. Then, it is onto the private jet for another cross-country junket. Who knows, maybe these two have a future in politics?

While the contestants are away, the architect (and the family) will play - with the design, that is. The architect tells Paula's family that, alas, real candles are a violation of the Fire Code, and so they will have to settle for fake ones. Interestingly, he didn't know about this when he and Paula had their initial discussion!? For Danny's side, his girlfriend decides to put her stamp on the design, to the point of becoming more than a little overbearing.

Meanwhile, at the Borgata, Paula and Danny spend the evening enjoying a luxury suite, along with a video conference (thoughtfully arranged by Chef Ramsay) with their families back in HELL'S KITCHEN. Danny's girlfriend stirs the pot a little, while Paula's kin avoid mentioning the whole arson-as-a-decorating-theme thing with the candles. The next morning, Danny and Paula head off to a meeting - only to be surprised by 500 soon-to-be-coworkers. They are introduced to the man one of them will call "boss": Larry Mullin, the "Creative Operations Officer". Chef Ramsay shows Larry the menus they have prepared, and asks him to select three dishes - from each. I smell a Challenge! Sure enough, Danny and Paula have 45 minutes to prepare the dishes, and Larry Mullin is going to be the judge!

They change into their brand-new jackets, and get busy cooking. When the time is up, they bring their completed dishes back. Round one, judged by Chef Michael Schulson, goes to Paula (Guess that Caribbean Jerk Lobster didn't work out so well, eh Danny-boy?) This means that Round two has to go to Danny, and it does, thanks to judge Chef Jeffrey Zacharian. That sets up the final round, where Larry Mullin judges the entrees. It's Danny's fillet of beef vs. Paula's blackened sea bass, with the winner being... Danny!

With the fun and games finished, it's time to hop back in the private jet and spew out more tonnage of greenhouse gas into the already-overburdened atmosphere, getting back to HELL'S KITCHEN to see how the work is progressing. Paula is satisfied, even with the artificial candles. Danny, on the other hand, likes the mounted fish on the wall, but doesn't like the position of the bench, and insists it be relocated. A quick good-bye to the family, and it is off to the dorm for the two contestants. Learning their lesson from earlier, they bypass the bubbly and head straight to bed.

The next morning, they hurry down to the kitchen to find Chef Ramsay, Scott, and Gloria waiting for them, along with six serving domes. On orders of Chef Ramsay, the domes are lifted, to reveal the heads of six former contestants: Andrea, Carol, LA, Ben, Giovanni, and... Lacey. My guess here: Danny's winning the challenge means Paula gets Lacey. Each contestant gets to pick their kitchen help, with Danny going first. He ends up with Ben, Giovanni, and Carol, which means that Paula picked Andrea and LA, and got stuck with Lacey. This should prove interesting, as Paula is already a bit worried. It's now time to head to the dorm, and prepare the new staff for the Last Supper in HELL'S KITCHEN.

A remarkably ****-free episode, but I am not sure that will carry over to next week. Who will take it all: Danny with his more daring menu, or Paula who is Keeping It Simple? Will the combined egos of Ben and Giovanni be too much for Danny to handle? Will Paula live up to her bio, and make Lacey 86 herself by "yelling at her and making her feel like crap"? The Lacey factor aside, my money is on Paula: she has more experience, and has displayed more leadership skills during the season. However, at this point it is anybody's game. Tune in next week, when we learn the identity of the one for whom the door opens... in HELL'S KITCHEN.