Tuca & Bertie Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Salad Days

Tuca & Bertie Season 3 Episode 5, “Salad Days,” is a whimsical, vividly colorful outing that explores gender dynamics and bridging the gap between generations. 

Yeast Week takes Bird Town by storm, and Bertie, under the tutelage of the renowned Chef Winter Garcia, presents delectable treats for hungry customers. “Salad Days” finds Bertie grappling with a figure from her past — Pastry Pete. Naturally, her trauma regarding her assaulter resurfaces, and we see Chef Garcia pour salt into Bertie’s wound by partnering with Pete.

BERTIE: Leave it to Pete to bake a pastry in his own image: sweaty and full of sh*t.

Here’s where the episode artfully delves into generational differences in the workplace, namely between Bertie and Chef Garcia. Back in the chef’s “day,” everyone “sucked it up” and forged ahead seemingly undaunted, suppressing any negative emotions that could deter them from accomplishing their mission.

It’s a common thread among the “boomer” generation. They complain the younger folks lack resilience and are “too soft.” Bertie’s comment that it is more manageable for the chef to ignore the pervasive toxicity in the food industry than to facilitate positive, lasting change is so accurate it hurts.

All too often, it’s easier to “keep your head down” and ignore the plight of those around you because it doesn’t “affect” you. But guess what? The system has always been broken. 

TUCA: Speckle, I got it! The duck is afraid. When I’m afraid, I kick stuff, too.

We don’t need to get ahead by resigning to mistreatment and harassment from those in power. Bertie’s empowering words and her persuading Chef Garcia not to partner with Pete are evidence of that. 

In a way, “Salad Days” helps Bertie heal from her trauma, primarily by making sure more young women aren’t hurt by Pete’s actions. It’s a beautifully cathartic outing that ensures the harasser doesn’t walk away scot-free. There are consequences in the show’s world.

Meanwhile, Tuca and Speckle join forces in the B plot for a rare adventure. We seldom see Speckle without Bertie, as they’re essentially two halves of a whole. Tuca and Speckle’s innate differences make for a fun time — quite the opposite of Bertie and Chef Garcia’s brutal clashing. It’s an interesting dichotomy. 

CHEF WINTER GARCIA: You all just want a mommy to wipe your ass for you. Now, can you open up my phone and block yourself on social media? Because I don’t know how to do that.

Perhaps the crux of “Salad Days,” besides mining the depths of the unfairness of gender dynamics, is how to get along despite personal differences. It’s about overcoming said differences and bridging that gaping chasm. “Salad Days” delivers on that front and then some. It’s a delightfully raucous trip, brimming with playful, artsy visuals, cheeky one-liners, and terrific vocal performances. It’s unadulterated, quintessential Tuca & Bertie.

Stray Observations: 

• The musical flourishes and “Say ‘No’ to Drugs”-inspired bit about the jammy beans are nice touches on an already fun outing. 
• The establishment names on this series are nothing short of brilliant. “Breadline” (an obvious parody of Deadline)? “Birdly Wirdly” (Bird Town’s version of the Piggly Wiggly)? The creativity on Team Tuca & Bertie knows no bounds.
• We need more Tuca and Speckle side adventures. Speckle is essentially a male version of Bertie, anyway. 
• It’s gratifying to see Pastry Pete receive his comeuppance. He’s a creeper times infinity. 
• Petition for the Coolsville Keymaster to get a spinoff? It could be an homage to all things ’80s — splashy, vibrant, and wickedly “cool.” 

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

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Tuca & Bertie airs Sundays at 12/11c on Adult Swim, with next-day streaming on HBO Max.

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