dustyd

This was my thinking. If he'd just said, "Hey guys, we get to keep the pots for a little longer," there wouldn't have been a problem. Yes, they're supposed to do what the captain says, but I think also they need to know the reason why as well. I thought that was a real breakdown in communication. And Josh arguing that he couldn't hear Casey over the loud hailer - why didn't he go and call him on the phone and ask what was going on? He dropped the ball there as well. I'm kinda glad the Cornelia Marie is finished with for this season. I like Casey, but... I don't know. It really wasn't the most interesting boat. I can't believe we got almost an entire episode without Elliot - even though he still showed up at the end (and I groaned), I'm still claiming it as a win. I wanted the issue of the quota addressed and the fight between Andy and Scott. Nothing was said about it on The Bait and it wasn't mentioned in the show, save for a shot of Scott as Andy said he was leaving and Jon was replacing him. They talked about all the problems the boat was having on The Bait but didn't mention the quota issue. And I don't understand why the guys were so easy on Nick during The Bait and why he wasn't fired for being drunk on the boat. He must have Wild Bill wrapped around his little finger. I can't imagine that behaviour flying on the Northwestern or Wizard. Maybe the Time Bandit. The greenhorn on the Cape Caution seriously sabotaged the bait because he wanted to go home for a dance? Is that was that was all about? It must suck but it's not like they were going to be out for another six weeks. It was five days. Not that big of a deal. I'm glad Mandy got the jacket. I don't think Jake is too upset about it, despite what the editing is trying to say. She's a pretty determined person. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her back next season - I could do with less focus on her, but I wouldn't be adverse to seeing her give it another try. The worst greenhorn clips made me laugh - about 90% of them were greenhorns from the Wizard. Keith sure knows how to pick 'em!

They're just so interesting to me. Sig and Edgar were so fractured, complete opposites, and every season they've slowly been building their relationship back up again. And aside from their personal problems, they just seem like such decent, hardworking men. I really admire them. There's not a lot of drama and histrionics, they just do their job well and that's it. No bullshit. I'll take that any day over freaking Elliot Neese. No, I don't think it's the editing room - I think Sig is genuinely proud of Edgar and has gained a lot of respect for him and what he brings to the boat. It's taken him a long time to get over his "Edgar is a screw up" mentality, but now he's realising that he can put a lot more trust into Edgar than he could before. I could talk about the Northwestern all day. Love those guys.

Maybe on other boats, but not the Northwestern. They are generally unfailingly patient with greenhorns - Jake Harris in Season 8 springs to mind, even though he wasn't a greenhorn (but still a bit of a screw up). They're not big on belittling and insulting either. It doesn't foster a good work environment anyway. Yes, she was coddled, but at the end of the day she still did a job that nobody thought she'd be able to do. I really admire her for sticking in there and getting it done. Maybe not the most exciting arc overall, but I will never complain about them featuring the Northwestern over the other boats. However, I am annoyed that they didn't feature the Time Bandit after last week's "cliffhanger". I really want to know what's going on there. I was surprised that Junior was back this season, I thought he'd be out at least the rest of Season 10 of the show and then back for Season 11 (if there is one, which there will be, let's face it), and that they'd send a relief skipper out. Maybe not the smartest move he could make, particularly how he was on The Bait a few weeks ago and still seemed to be in a lot of pain. Hopefully it works out. I laughed at Elliot's moronic logic. A woman gets hurt on a boat - and that wasn't a crab boat, either - and he says, "That's why women shouldn't be on deck." I hate his little sex toy but she had the same reaction I did - "Because she got INJURED?" Using that logic, NOBODY should be out on deck because they could get injured, not just women! What an idiot. I don't think anybody respects him and that's probably why he is the way he is - in his mind, he's a captain now, and everyone should be on their knees worshipping the very ground he walks on. You have to give respect to get respect, and I don't think he gives a shit about his crew at all - so why should they have respect for him and his boat? I really wish there was an episode of The Bait where Sig, Andy, Johnathan, Keith and Wild Bill just sat down and talked shit about him for the whole episode. That would be AMAZING. Just everyone piling on Elliot and not making excuses for him or trying to justify his behviour, just sitting there talking about what an absolute moron he is. I went to The Captain's Tour when it came to Australia in 2011 (that was the one with Johnathan, Andy and Sig sitting on stage talking about the show), and at that time Season 7 was just airing, which I think was Elliot's first season. Someone in the audience asked Sig what he thought of Elliot and his response was something like, "That piece of shit." I KNOW they hate him, so I just want to hear them talk shit about him on TV!

I want to know where this favouritism is coming from - is it because Bill sees a little of himself in Nick and not enough in Zack? If a deckhand was drunk like that on any other boat, they would've been fired, but Bill just heads out to sea with him. I don't get it.

I didn't think this was the best episode, but I really enjoyed watching the guys on the boats celebrate and have a good time. It was nice to see them relaxed for a change, you know? The bet on the Northwestern was hilarious - I love when Sig has a great idea that ends up biting him in the ass. It was a nice way to end the episode, with everyone (mostly) happy. I don't follow American football so the Superbowl thing didn't bother me much at all. I didn't really understand the urgency about the Cornelia Marie having to get into St Paul - surely the crew will understand if the harbour is closed due to the swells? It's not like Casey was withholding going in from them, if they really couldn't get in, then they'd have to miss out. Disappointing, sure, but... is it really that big of a deal? I thought Scott was WAY out of line. Andy is the captain of the boat for opilios - if Scott had an idea he should've run it past Andy first, before talking to anyone else about it. How insulting. Andy hadn't even decided what they were going to do yet, they'd only just arrived in Dutch and Scott's on the phone to Jon trying to take over? Come on. You could see the anger written all over Andy's face when Scott was talking to him in the wheelhouse. It's kind of an underhanded tactic - Scott may be the captain's nephew, and the deck boss, but he doesn't own the boat and he doesn't have a right to be making decisions on what they should do. It would be like Jake Anderson telling Sig and Edgar what to do. Not cool. God it sucks for the Hillstrands though, doing all the repairs on the boat last season and then having nothing but trouble since. They're trying to do the right thing and maintain the boat but it just looks like it was botched. If it was anyone else on Wild Bill's boat getting drunk and acting the way Nick was, Bill would've fired them. He's got this weird favouritism towards Nick - why the hell didn't he fire him and leave him at the dock? Surely he'd be able to pick up someone else needing work. You could tell how angry Zack was as well - it must be a sore point for him. I wonder if the other captains will call him out on it on The Bait? The burger advertising on The Bait is a little cringeworthy, that's for sure. And the Saga. I hate to talk about that unbelievably repugnant piece of shit, because it's obviously what Discovery wants, but holy shit. He is the most vomit-worthy, disgusting excuse for a human being they've ever had on this show. There is nothing redeeming about him at all. Everybody else on this show has their moments of nastiness - I love Sig but I can admit that there are times when he's quite the prick - but overall, they're not bad people. I can't think of one other person on this show that I've thought, they're just an asshole right down to their very core. Everyone else is decent and hardworking, but not him. He's absolutely vile, and he deserves that moron sex toy he's brought on board. He can sit there and defend himself on The Bait to the other captains, saying she was there to cook and clean, but that's bullshit. She was there to service the captain, end of story. And the whole thing with the milk? To knowingly do that to someone, after you've been told they have an allergy, not say anything to them when they're eating the meal and then LAUGH about it afterwards? What kind of disgusting human being does that? What if it had been a peanut allergy, or something more serious? Would she have been sitting in the wheelhouse with her legs around the captain laughing as a deckhand went into anaphylactic shock on deck? I have no doubt in my mind that he's going to get someone on board killed one day. No doubt at all. As far as I'm concerned it's just a matter of time. And I doubt he'd even feel bad about it - it would be their fault, not his. Because it's never Elliot's fault. His wife left him - her fault. She keeps the kids from him - her fault. He did nothing wrong, at all. Fired as captain of the Ramblin' Rose? Not his fault. The boat ices over and nearly capsizes? Definitely not his fault. A wave nearly takes out the whole crew because he's listening to music? Not his fault. He is revolting.

Mandy could still be successful at it, if she puts the effort in. There are other women deckhands on crab boats - it's not common, but it does happen. I think there's even a female captain out there, or there was at one point. Yes, she's smaller than the guys and not as strong, but women are tough. I'm not writing her off just because she's female. You can be the toughest guy out there and still not make it as a crab fisherman - how many big, strong guys have we seen fail as greenhorns? A lot. The whole "she can't do it because she's a girl" argument really irks me. Women can do just about every stereotypically male job - there's no reason why she can't succeed at fishing.

It is truly scary how well you captured Elliot.

THIS exactly. I love Sig and the Northwestern, they are unashamedly my favourite boat and I'm incredibly biased towards them, but last night even I was thinking, "Jeez Sig, come on." Edgar knows what's up, the rest of the crew knows what's up - I think they would understand if he said, "You know what, I don't want her out there in this weather so I'm pulling her off deck." Big seas were not the time and place for her to be learning how to drive the boat - he knew it, she knew it and as soon as Edgar called them out on it she got out of the seat. I feel bad for Mandy, because I think she's actually out there genuinely wanting to learn - aside from the sleep in at the start of the episode, she's trying to hold her own and keep up with them - and Sig's just not letting her. Even when he came out on deck I was like oh god, Sig. Seriously, just back off and let her do it on her own. He works himself up into this state of anxiety about it and his decisions become irrational. It's an incredibly dangerous job, that's for sure, but she doesn't need her father hovering over her like a hawk either. She's got her two uncles on deck with her, the rest of the crew has known her since she was little - they're going to keep her safe. Sig does not need to be out on deck with them. I really hope Edgar or someone sits down and tells him that, because he needs an intervention. And I mean, he even asked Edgar if he burned her. AS IF Edgar would burn her! I'm just sitting there facepalming the whole time. It's kind of sweet, in a way, because it's such a different side to Sig that we've seen, but holy crap it would be annoying if you were actually there and had to deal with it. And Edgar was SO RIGHT when he said that if it was a nephew or one of their sons things would be different. Can you imagine what Sig would be like? None of this fretting father business, he'd be as tough as he was on Jake when he first started. I just wish Edgar would call him out to his face sometimes instead of to the camera. I was so REPULSED by Elliott Neese. What an absolute pig and disgusting human being. What kind of self respecting woman would want to have anything to do with THAT? Honestly. And I call bullshit on the kidney infection. Ten bucks says he's off the wagon again - the way he was carrying on when she let the doctor in, I was like mmmmhmmmmmmmmmmmm. Yeah I'm sure you're sick. I'm really sure you are. What a piece of shit. And seriously, wtf is Wild Bill's problem? Zack doesn't want to push pots so suddenly he's public enemy number one again? I wouldn't want to push pots either when you've got a perfectly good crane system that you could use. The bilge problem just seemed to exascerbate things further and maybe Zack shouldn't have been so cavalier about it, but I just don't understand Bill's thinking sometimes. It's not really a deckhand competition - you shouldn't really be pitting them off against each other to see who's best.

This is my thing with Josh as well - as much as he can be arrogant with delusions of grandeur, and I think he likes the cameras a little too much, the way he acted during Phil's last few days has really stuck with me. He didn't go and get high like Jake did, he was there, present, looking after his father and trying to look after the boat as well. I really respected that about him. He's done some stuff since that I can't get on board with - the way those two acted during the whole Derrick Ray saga, for example - but for the most part I think he has good intentions. I can't sit here and say the same about Elliott Neese. As for this episode, it was interesting to see the crew of the Northwestern adapt to having Mandy on board, and they definitely weren't as tough as they would have been with a new guy on board, but... I don't know, we'll see. I thought she might have taken it a little more seriously, and maybe she would if the weather had been a little worse... maybe the laughing was a nervous thing? I felt a little bad for Sig though, because he was quite clearly stressing about having her on deck and I think the bringing her up into the wheelhouse was to give him a moment without any anxiety moreso than it was teaching her how to be a captain. As for Jake Anderson complaining about it, I'm like, "You're the guy who had a full on hissy fit just last year on the boat, punched Matt Bradley, screamed at Edgar and then quit, and they were nice enough to take you back - do you really think you should be bitching about not getting any time in the wheelhouse?" Dude should just be grateful he has a job.

I might be in the minority but I don't really have a problem with Sig having his daughter on the boat - it's been coming for awhile, it was mentioned during The Bait last year so I wasn't too surprised by it at all. Time will tell how she goes, but so far I think it's pretty cool seeing a woman who actually wants to try to do that job. I'm interested to see how she goes doing the work - I was annoyed that they ended the episode with her just joining the boat, I wanted to see her actually stepping up and working. Next week, I guess. And I'd rather watch the Northwestern (and literally EVERY OTHER BOAT) than the god awful Saga, so the more airtime the Northwestern gets over Elliott, the better. Every time that idiot is on the screen I tune out. What an absolute moron. I might also be in the minority again but I really enjoy The Bait - last year's was a bit awkard but they seem to have it a bit more figured out now. I preferred After the Catch but I'll take whatever I can get.