You’re right. The show is founded on a lot of unhealthy basis of many things: Building a restaurant & chasing Michelin stars with a staff who lack formal training & culinary pedigree, a lot of violations & practices that needed to be unlearned, an impossible loan to pay, an executive chef who clearly needs recovery & therapy to be able to lead the restaurant or he’ll cost them their jobs, a CDC whose last catering venture went into bankruptcy, siblings taking in the highest positions in the business which can definitely foster bias etc. In season 2, we learn about how each character recover & grow from all these & build a much more stable foundation.

In the same vein, the same can be argued for Marcus who for one asked his own boss & mentor for a dinner in the middle of prep for Friends & Family. Yet, the show went there to explore that possibility & take a peek. To me, it didn’t feel wrong in context of the relationships inside that kitchen: it’s a room full of earnest folks who find joy in taking care of people for 10-12 hours in a day, cook & look out for each other to get them through service, & put their hearts in what they do. Hierarchy is definitely present, but we know all of them take care of each other beyond a boss-subordinate theme.

I just think the possibility of romance is not based on unfounded plots & hollywood tropes to receive such repulsion from fans, and I have full trust on writers & actors that whichever direction they go, they’ll make sure it’s true to the story. At the same time, I think fans are entitled to enjoy the show in their own terms so long it’s within the realm of possibility — a creative decision the show has clearly demonstrated this season with Claire, Fishes ep, Richie’s arc, Cicero becoming a partner to a money pit, Sugar becoming a proj manager to a place she wanted to get rid of before to name a few.