I think the show makes an interesting point about what actually counts as ambition
I've been rewatching some of the earlier seasons after finishing the show, and I think I was completely wrong about Ebra.
When he quit culinary school, I initially saw it as another example of someone being afraid of change. Tina embraced the opportunity, Richie eventually found his place, Marcus went to Copenhagen. Everyone was growing except Ebra.
But he actually tells us exactly what his problem is. He liked his skills. He didn't want new ones.
At first that sounds stubborn. Except nobody really asked him what he wanted to become.
The restaurant was changing, everyone was excited about fine dining, and suddenly the thing he'd spent years being good at wasn't considered enough anymore.
Then look at what happens with the sandwich window.
He struggles when he's left to handle too much alone, but once he gets proper help, the place starts making money. And eventually he's the one pursuing advice about expanding the business.
That's not someone who hates learning or taking risks. He just wasn't interested in the particular version of success everyone else was chasing.
I think that's such an underrated distinction.
Tina wanted to become a different kind of chef. Richie found something he hadn't known he was good at. Ebra already knew what he was good at, and eventually found a way to build something bigger around it.
There's something pretty funny about a show full of people obsessing over culinary excellence while the guy who didn't want to go to culinary school ends up helping keep the whole operation financially viable.
And I wonder how many people get labeled unambitious at work simply because their goals don't match what management thinks their goals should be.
Did anyone else initially read Ebra's storyline as a failure to adapt? Because I absolutely did.