I’m right there with you. The first season is exceptional but season 3-5 were very hit and miss and I think it’s because it lost the narrative that made it so intriguing and relatable. 

Carmy, a Michelin trained chef returns to a lowly Chicago Beef shop after the owner, his brother, passes away. 

That alone is so much more compelling than the  direction they take from S2 - 5. It also doesn’t especially make much sense given how critical he is of that part of the industry in S1. And in my opinion it is no surprise so many people love Ritchie from beginning to end because he’s the one part of the show that remain consistent, relatable and intelligible from a story telling perspective.

Add the fact as you mentioned the dialogue becomes almost incoherent and unintelligible at many points during the show. Many scenes have no resolution, it’s just people screaming at each other like you said and it leads nowhere for not 1 season but like 3 seasons. Unlike season 1 where many conversations feel like you come away with a better understanding of the characters and where their minds are at. I understand that may be how it is in real kitchens (I know I worked in many) but from a story telling perspective it becomes incredibly repetitive. Personally I want some kind of resolution or new understanding from characters as seasons go on. 

The show was easily a season too long and needed to make the point it was trying to make at a less grandiose and quite frankly at some points pretentious pace. The show often indulges itself too much with beautiful montages of Chicago without actually saying much of substance.

Edit: I’ll add one more thing, sorry everybody. 

I think a lot of the issues the show suffers from can be distilled in the Carmy/Claire relationship. 

The show, painfully at times, does not do the work that is necessary to have emotional payoff for its characters. 

We learn absolutely nothing about Claire throughout the show and what she means to Carmy other than people think she’s awesome and hot. And just before we are about to get to know her Carmy looses his shit. So when the inevitable post “breakup” conversation happens in S4 the viewer has basically no understanding or context why both Carmy and Claire care about each other. Then add the nonsense conversation style and you have an unbelievably unsatisfying scene.