Loveday Writing

We then cut to Easton and Viv discussing Diana and the restaurant, when Easton notices Denise and Diana having a heated discussion with a man. Denise tells Easton that the local Council is shutting down the restaurant as Easton hasn’t filed the proper paperwork, obtained the required licences or fitted the restaurant with wheelchair access. Easton and Denise argue about it, where it’s revealed that Denise is self-appointed manager of the restaurant, and she tells Easton that he has created the problem and he needs to deal with it. Diana tells Easton that they need to ask Viv for help.

We then cut to Easton and Diana eating at Zhao’s with Viv. Diana relays the situation to Viv and asks her to back the restaurant. When Viv points out to Easton that he still owes her 25 percent of his earnings, he lashes out at her (and one of Zhao’s waiters after he drops food on his chopsticks on his shirt) and leaves. Viv then offers manage Diana and put her in a top kitchen in London, and offers the same opportunity to Kwame after he shows up and gives them some of his Hot Cross Bao Buns.

While Easton is trying to wash the food stain out of his shirt in the bathroom, Zhao comes by and gives him a clean shirt. Zhao offers Easton the capital for a 50 percent stake in Jim’s so he can use the money to get the restaurant up to code. Easton accuses him of reporting the restaurant’s issues to Council. Zhao tells him that he’s not out to screw him over as Easton does it all on his own, and asks him if he’s capable of doing the grunt work required to keep the business going. When Easton puts the shirt on, he discovers it has Zhao’s face on it, and Zhao teases him, so he lashes out again by urinating on it. Zhao in turn urinates on Easton’s shirt.

As Diana and Easton are on their way home, Diana tries to tell Easton about Viv’s offer but he stops her and walks home. Diana and Kwame then discuss Viv’s offer in Easton’s ute, where they argue as Kwame accuses her of selling out by considering the offer. Meanwhile Easton is discussing his and Diana’s careers with Margot in her barrel room, ignoring Margot pointing out the fact that Diana is outshining him and not the other way around. He then asks Margot if he should move in with her and retire. Margot rebuffs his idea and he leaves.

The next day, Brett catches Diana looking up UK passport application requirements and she tells him about Viv’s offer. Later, Denise and Easton are arguing about Easton’s attempts to build a ramp when Diana comes up to them with Jim’s ashes and proposes burying them and June’s coffin at Jim’s camp. Denise thanks her for the idea but tells her that she and Easton will take care of moving them, and Easton sends her away to get them lunch, so she doesn’t find out the truth about June’s grave.

While Diana is gone, Easton digs up June’s grave to try and keep the secret, but he and Denise end up arguing again about the grave, and whether June might still be alive. Denise also expresses her anger towards Easton about leaving her alone with Jim’s body after he died, having to pay for Jim’s funeral, and having to be the only adult in their family. Meanwhile, Diana is eating the pizza she bought for lunch in the ute and sees Nayani hanging out with another woman. Easton calls her, asking her to meet him at Zhao’s, but she is already there as she parked outside.

Easton agrees to Zhao’s offer and when Kwame comes by, he asks Diana whether she has told Viv about Zhao’s offer, which leads to Diana finally telling Easton about Viv’s offer. Hearing this and Zhao once again teasing him, Easton lashes out again and challenges Zhao to a cook off. During the cook off, Easton’s jealousy of Viv’s offer to Diana shows, coming to a head when Diana calls him out and he insults her again, which results in her leaving.

Easton continues to challenge Zhao in the kitchen, when Zhao finishes a challenge before him, Easton lashes out by smashing a bottle of the secret sauce Zhao’s grandmother made on a portrait of her. Meanwhile Diana returns to find Denise at June’s grave, where the secret comes out. Diana asks Denise where June is buried but Denise doesn’t answer her question. We then cut to Diana at home, angrily baking a dessert.

Later, Easton returns to Jim’s to find Denise sitting by the fire pit. Easton tells Denise that they should keep the restaurant in the family and asks her for the money to keep it going. Denise agrees and shoots a pigeon in the sky for their dinner, a throwback reference to the second episode and shows the viewers that Denise is more like Jim then she either realises or admits.

The episode ends with the reveal that Diana was angrily baking a cake in the shape of a hand giving the finger with the words “Adios cockwombles (not you Brett)” in icing on the top, expressing her anger towards Denise and Easton, and revealing that she has chosen to accept Viv’s offer.

Overall I felt this was a solid finale as the major story arc of the restaurant – its establishment and fate – has been resolved with Denise and Easton running it together, and another major story arc for the next season (if there is one) has been established with Diana choosing to take Viv’s offer to work in London.

I felt that the season as a whole was solid for a first season. While Australian TV show seasons are generally short, Aftertaste’s first season was the most compact I’ve ever come across – six episodes at roughly 28-30 minutes per episode comes to a total of approximately three hours. As the season was so compact, it had to be written to accommodate this, which is why it was so fast paced. Having a fast paced season keeps the viewers from getting bored, and story arcs and subplots from being dragged out, however it also means character development can be rushed or underdone.

While the main characters were well-developed, as they should be, I felt that the supporting characters – Margot, Zhao, Kwame, Brett and Nayani weren’t developed at all. While Margot was the most entertaining and a great foil for Easton, other than her business, we don’t know anything about her. Although Zhao is clearly talented in the kitchen, outside of it he is nothing more than a millennial stereotype. While Brett is also entertaining and a clearly devoted husband and stepfather, other than the fact he owns a blinds business, we know nothing about him and it would be interesting to see the family dynamic between him, Denise and Diana more often. Kwame and Nayani suffer from lack of development most of all as the only thing we know about them is their cooking talents and the fact that Nayani has been friends with Diana since year seven, but nothing else. Not to mention that Nayani didn’t appear in the previous episode and had no dialogue in this one. While I don’t feel the need for a whole episode focused on these characters and their back stories, I am hoping that if there is a second season that they will be further developed, if they are not written out completely, which is what tends to happen with underdeveloped supporting characters after a show’s first season.

I haven’t found any news on Aftertaste being renewed for a second season. If it is, it would be good to see, however if it isn’t, it did end on a good note with Easton and Denise deciding to run the restaurant together by themselves and Diana taking Viv’s offer.

Finale Observations:

This will be a new feature of my reviews, specifically reviews of season finales. This feature will mostly focus on the story arcs and subplots resolved in the finale, and/or possible story arcs and subplots established for the next season of a show (if there is a next season).

Story arcs/subplots resolved:

• Diana discovering the secret of June’s grave.
• The fate of the restaurant.

Possible story arcs/subplots for season 2:

• The restaurant’s success (or possible failure) now that Denise and Easton are going to run it by themselves.
• Diana working in London (possibly with Kwame) and/or returning from London.
• Resolving the mystery of whether June is still alive.

Stray Observations:

-Apparently Brett is bad at keeping secrets.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “She speaks quite highly of you, I guess she’s been working with a different Easton to the one I managed for all those years.” (Viv to Easton on Diana)
• “Now, um, in the words of Jim West, fuck off and get out of my house you wankers!” (Diana talking to the diners about her dessert)
• “No permits, no liquor licence, no wheelchair access, human bodies buried outside a commercial dining area.” “Mum’s grave is empty!” “You are the culinary equivalent to a meth lab!” (Denise-Easton-Denise on the restaurant being shut down by the local Council)
• “Why do we even need a wheelchair ramp? It’s four fucking steps, I’ll carry them in!” (Easton on the restaurant requiring a wheelchair ramp)
• “I haven’t stopped you from doing anything. Corpses, genitals – anything you want, it’s a partnership, no?” (Easton to Diana)
• “Well she managed to keep your dying career going until you threw the final pig straw.” (Denise to Easton on Viv)
• “Did you have a run in with Ben or something?” “What? I didn’t even speak to the little weasel. And I’m not even sure if he was there.” “Pretty sure I saw you talking to him.” (Diana-Easton going back-and-forth on Zhao)
• “Yeah, Yeah, I’m not trying to sway you either way. I’m just saying there’s a heap of knife attacks in London.” (Brett to Diana on moving to the UK)
• “You should also consider adding milk to your cereal because that shit tastes like freakin’ cardboard and there’s a good chance you’ll constipate yourself.” (Brett to Diana on her snacking on cereal)
• “You can’t just do that and call it a ramp.” “Yeah I’m aware of that Denise. This is the first step of a ramp.” “Is that according to The Idiot’s Guide to Ramp-Building?” (Denise-Easton on Easton lying down a piece of wood over a staircase as a ramp)
• “Why don’t we just tell her?” “Because I don’t want her thinking her entire family are a bunch of dysfunctional liars.” “But we are.” (Easton-Denise going back-and-forth on keeping Diana in the dark about June’s grave)
• “Do you think she’s still alive?” “I don’t know Denise, does it matter? I guess it means you and I are next eh?” “You’ll be first, fingers crossed.” “Well I’m really glad that the idea of my death fills you with such joy.” (Easton-Denise going back-and-forth about June)
• “Hi, I got your lunch but I may have…accidentally eaten it.” (Diana on the phone to Easton)
• “Why don’t you bugger off and do your little Princess Diana act, it will end up an even bigger car crash!” (Easton lashing out at Diana)