Apple TV+ ‘Carême’ Episode 5 Review - A Battle of Wits and Whisks

Episode 5 of Carême, “The Contest,” turns the heat up both in the kitchen and in the salons of Parisian power, but doesn’t always stick the landing. The concept is delicious—Talleyrand throws a culinary competition to secure his political image and promote his secret weapon, Antonin Carême, as France’s culinary crown jewel. There’s clever plotting, high tension, and an undeniable sense of flair, but that shine occasionally slips.

The good news first: the competition scenes are the heart of this episode, and they are gorgeously shot. The food is framed like sculpture, the kitchens echo with clatter and focus, and Carême himself is right in the thick of it—flour-dusted and intent, slicing through the doubts in his mind with the same precision he brings to his knife work. Benjamin Voisin remains quietly compelling in the lead role, blending control and subtle self-doubt in a way that feels human. He doesn’t need grand gestures—his silence speaks just as loudly as his dialogue.

Agathe, the fiery challenger, steals every scene she’s in. She doesn’t just cook; she storms through the male-dominated arena with purpose and grit, and her presence challenges Carême’s own confidence in ways that aren’t always spoken but always felt. The chemistry between them is one of the episode’s strong points, especially since it doesn’t fall into anything predictable. You’re never quite sure whether they’re competing, admiring, or simply trying not to destroy each other.

Where the show falters is in balance. The political threads that underpin the series feel a little too loosely woven in this episode. Talleyrand and Fouché’s tug-of-war over influence, surveillance, and state secrets is presented, but not fully developed. Instead of deepening these tensions, the episode sometimes seems more interested in rushing to its finale. When the winner is declared, and the consequences unfold, they come too quickly to feel earned. The payoff could have had more punch if the build-up had taken more risks.

One of the main flaws lies in the show’s reluctance to fully complicate its characters when it should. Carême is compelling, but in this episode, he’s a little too clean and too easily sympathetic. The writers have shown hints of his arrogance and his willingness to be used if it means ascending the social ladder, but “The Contest” plays it safe. The episode misses a chance to make us question his motives, or at least see how his ambition might come at a cost. This kind of complexity would only deepen the show’s themes about how artistry and power feed off one another.

A particularly noticeable stumble is the editing in the third act. The pacing, which had held steady through the prep and presentation of the dishes, suddenly rushes forward in awkward jumps. The winner is announced with little room to breathe. We jump from applause to fallout without letting the characters truly react. It’s not that the ending is bad—it just isn’t allowed to settle. In a show that so often takes its time, this sprint to the finish feels out of place.

Still, Carême’s fifth episode has more successes than failures. The attention to texture, the interplay between visual beauty and historical grit, and the commitment to telling a story about food as a tool of revolution all make the show worth watching. Even when it trips over its own elegance, it’s still daring to do something most period dramas don’t. It feeds you not just dishes but questions: Who gets to lead? Who gets credit for brilliance? And what does a man like Carême lose when he becomes an instrument for others’ gain?

If “The Contest” had leaned more into those tensions and less into ticking off plot points, it could have been the standout episode of the season. As it stands, it’s a satisfying course, but one that could’ve used a little more salt.

Final Score- [6.5/10]