Julia Review: Crepes Suzette (Season 1 Episode 5)

Julia Season 1 Episode 5, “Crepes Suzette,” proves that you don’t need to know the whole truth to have fun. 

Julia Child is someone I find very fascinating. One day soon, I’ll watch all the documentaries and old episodes of The French Chef. I’ll also read every book about her.

For now, my knowledge of her true life is limited. 

While watching Julia, I often want to start googling to separate the facts from the fiction in this show. “Crepe Suzette” allows me to be okay with the unknown. Julia Child herself is almost like a folk hero, and the show capitalizes on her whimsical nature.

I don’t need to know if James Beard (Christian Clemenson) and Julia Child (Sarah Lancashire) had one or many wild nights out. I don’t need to know if Coco Van (Sam Brackley) was a real drag queen. These are fun details and encounters that add to the legend that is Julia Child.

With whimsy comes hope. Julia is a hopeful show and, due to this fact, it makes it easier to watch characters like Alice (Brittany Bradford) struggle because there is hope at the end of these tunnels.

“Crepe Suzette” focuses a lot on Alice’s frustration with being underappreciated at her job. Then we juxtaposition that with Judith (Fiona Glascott) thriving in her career.

There is no denying that Alice is at a disadvantage not only as a woman but as a Black woman in a male-dominated career. However, Julia is all about beating the odds.

Judith and Alice’s vastly different levels of respect in their careers could be seen as something to be angry about, and it definitely deserves anger. However, I believe Julia may use Judith’s career success to show hope for what Alice’s career may become.  

The episode even ends with Russ (Fran Kranz) having a revelation that he didn’t see Julia’s potential. This, hopefully, will help him finally see how Alice is more than just an employee, but someone with a vision unlike others in the company. 

Avis (Bebe Neuwirth) and Alice’s dinner also seem to highlight the tides slowly changing in Alice’s favor. Initially, like the men, Avis underestimates Alice, but soon realizes this and corrects herself. This scene may showcase a beautiful budding, powerful friendship. 

Avis is the type of character who fights for her friends, so she’ll fight for Alice. One of the best scenes of “Crepe Suzette” is Avis and Alice’s cooking and doing spot-on impressions of Julia.

Hope on this episode also comes in the form of James Beard. If you know nothing about cooking, you probably at least know that the name James Beard is synonymous with exceptional achievement in culinary arts — whether cooking or writing about food. 

In Julia, James doesn’t think anyone wants to read or hear from him, but as an audience, we know what his legacy becomes. He represents someone cast off by society who will become such an influential and respected figure in the cooking world. 

He becomes just as much of a legend as Julia. 

Julia ‘s message of hope and overcoming obstacles really stands out in “Crepe Suzette.” This makes the episode jolly, whimsical, and a bright spot in weekly viewing. 

Other Thoughts

• Every episode is becoming a game of what future famous person will appear next.
• Hopefully, Coco Van makes another appearance.
• The costumes are so much less glamorous than usually seen on these types of shows, but that fits well with the characters.
• The nightclub scene was such a joy to watch.
• There was less food in this episode, but the handing out of spoons at the beginning of the episode really made me want to time-travel to work on that set.

What did you think of this episode of Julia? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Julia streams Thursdays on HBO Max until May 5.  

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