S01.E13: 99 Problems and Thalassa Ain't One

[aghst]

Quote

Jamie gets upset with his fellow crew members for name-calling; Captain Jason wants the boat to keep improving, but when the crew members fail to take his demands seriously, they find out the hard way that he means business.

Benny skates again, gets a verbal warning.  Jaime thinks it's bullshit.  But at least on this 1-night charter, he's working hard, put's his head down and his nose to the grindstone.

Jaime and Magda OTOH regresses and really have a bad charter, with Jaime ignoring what Jason and Aesha are telling him and Magda back to the drama with the boyfriend.

Jaime does a half-ass job with the dinner and the English Tea thing, which are really a thing, $50 or more for small sandwiches and small baked goods.  But I always thought they were trying to take advantage of tourist money, not so much for the English themselves.

Magda is losing her mind when she can't find her iPhone.  What a commercial for iPhone and Find My iPhone.

Jamie also complains to the captain about the mean girls calling him a bitch.  Aesha and Brittini call that a bitch move.  They encourage the crew to go out, get drunk, get a little too familiar with people taking it for granted that they're all buds on an adventure, just like Benny was saying, he's there to have fun.

Well they're not wrong, this is a TV show, not a real work situation where you'd socialize with your supervisors and not respect his authority.

Maybe Jaime's a little too sensitive but if he asked them not to call him a bitch, without being abusive about it, they should comply with his wishes.  Instead they get Magda to call him a bitch.

As soon as the casting director tells them they have backups for the stews and a replacement chef, Jason gets rid of Magda, with just two charters left, but she's just happy to go back to the boyfriend.  She didn't seem that broken up about it, wanted a hug from the captain.

Why wait until two more charters to fire these people?  Because it's good TV!

Cliffhanger on whether Ryan gets fired.  Well they've been playing up the whole Jason vs. Ryan tiffs so now's the payoff?

[Oosala]

I'm 65 years old and I've never seen anything more pathetic than Magda searching for her god damn phone.  She was actually having problems breathing because she was so upset.  This baby boomer just doesn't get it.  To the younger generations out there, this is laughable to me.  Put the phone down for two seconds and BE IN THE MOMENT.  Life is to be experienced, and you won't forget those experiences even if they're not on your phone.  Yes I have an iPhone and an iPad, but they're not surgically attached to my body.

OK Boomer, I feel better now.

[NoWhammies]

As Jamie was complaining to Tumi about being called a bitch, he was calling Brittini and Aesha bitches. And probably failed to see the irony in it since clearly women are bitches, not men. Fuck the fragile toxic masculinity on that one.  He's definitely created a culture of fear and distrust with his deck crew. If the bitch fits...

[pasdetrois]

Jamie wants to be perceived a certain way and he's a crybaby. He pouts and holds grudges. Terrible leader.

[Zaffy]

You never know what is reality or Reality TV in this boat... but Jamie complaining to the captain because they called him a b1tch was so pathetic... I mean he is an adult, the bosun and he annoys the Captain for this? like a 5 years old? PATHETIC!
I was shocked the captain didn't throw him in the water and instead went to talk to the girls. 
If Jaime is a bad leader, the Captain is 10 times worse. 
He should had fired Ryan from the 2nd charter or so. Ryan does not behave like a Chef on a luxurious yacht. I dunno  if he does it for the tv drama, but his food is not for this level. If it wasnt for TV I doubt the last charter group would even tip them at all. And I wouldn't blame them.
This is a very mediocre boat, full with bad leaders, only Aesha stands up. Tumi is also good ( I see her very soon as a chief), Culver and Britini are also ok. The rest are just incompetent.

[vmarsissmart]

I have issues with the word bitch when it comes to my family, otherwise I'm cool with it.  I state the boundary to them and enforce it with them, anyone else it's cool.  But I think, based on the flashbacks of Brittinni and Aesha using it, he was being a giant baby. They weren't using it as a form of attack or degradation.  If his issue is with the word being degraded, he should be way more self aware to not use it towards others, but again as posted, this is just an example of his toxic masculinity and fragile ego.    It's not like the girls kept calling him a bitch to his face after he stated his boundary (although egging Magda on wasn't cool but Jamie's reaction was so out of line and extra).

Tumi is a saint for listening to everyone bitch about the word bitch.  

[jrzy]

16 hours ago, vmarsissmart said:

I have issues with the word bitch when it comes to my family, otherwise I'm cool with it.  I state the boundary to them and enforce it with them, anyone else it's cool.  But I think, based on the flashbacks of Brittinni and Aesha using it, he was being a giant baby. They weren't using it as a form of attack or degradation.  If his issue is with the word being degraded, he should be way more self aware to not use it towards others, but again as posted, this is just an example of his toxic masculinity and fragile ego.    It's not like the girls kept calling him a bitch to his face after he stated his boundary (although egging Magda on wasn't cool but Jamie's reaction was so out of line and extra).

Tumi is a saint for listening to everyone bitch about the word bitch.  

Tumi is a saint period,  boy is she wasted in the 2nd stew position.

[Tanukisan]

Jason is dreaming if he thinks Benny is going to come around.  Not looking forward to whatever the next Benny disaster will be.

Maybe it's just me, but for this episode, the whole crew (except for Tumi) seemed to be behaving like a bunch of escaped mental patients.  That was a really bad night out for the crew.  The whole Aesha/Brittini/Jamie "bitch" fest, Magda's phone meltdown, Culver's painful attempts to woo Brittini, etc.  Ryan was his usual irritating self.  And Benny was just, well, Benny.

On the one hand, I thought it was a bit much for Jamie to go to the Captain with "Daddy, she called me a bad name!"  But then too, the whole thing just didn't have to happen.  I've said this before when watching other BD shows -- you can't be "buddies" with people who directly report to you at work.  Especially at sea, there's a structure and hierarchy that needs to be adhered to for things to function properly.  The whole "we are all equal" philosophy just won't cut it.

These guests!  They leave more debris and stains in their wake than a tornado.

So Ryan's "cuisine" falls on its face.  It never ceases to amaze me that he blames the guests when they don't like his food.  Dinner was bad enough but his interpretation of "High Tea" was absolutely pathetic.  Having grown up in England, I can tell you that there are expectations for High Tea depending on the venue.  What Ryan served would be at the level of a roadside lay-by off the motorway.  At a higher class establishment -- such as a 5 star hotel or a yacht -- a much higher standard would be expected.

Aesha is an absolutely horrid manager.  In one scene she's basically trying to get Tumi to say it's OK to fire Magda -- the setup is obvious -- that way, Aesha could blame Tumi if a new stew doesn't work out.  This is the sort of decision Aesha should make on her own.  She only makes a decision when she's cornered.

So Magda's gone -- not before time.  Soooo looking forward to Ryan getting sacked in the next episode -- or at least it's certainly teased that way.  I wonder how many seconds it will take before he blames everyone else for not seeing his "genius".  But Benny is still there?  Hmm, now I'm all paranoid.  (:

[aghst]

I always wondered if High Tea was really a thing or something to rip off tourists.

Not even a real meal but you're paying $50-75 or more for tea, sandwiches and some baked confections!

A lot of it is presentation which includes the fancy venue.

So it’s a royal-wannabe tradition?

[Chickabiddy]

On 6/5/2022 at 2:30 PM, aghst said:

I always wondered if High Tea was really a thing or something to rip off tourists.

Not even a real meal but you're paying $50-75 or more for tea, sandwiches and some baked confections!

A lot of it is presentation which includes the fancy venue.

So it’s a royal-wannabe tradition?

Historically, high  tea was actually just the evening meal eaten by the working classes at the kitchen table - a high table. In fact, large parts of he UK today still refer to the evening meal at “tea.”

A low tea was enjoyed in the afternoon and served in the drawing room on a sofa table - low table - for the wealthy who did not have to work. This is afternoon tea with finger sandwiches. A cream tea is a souped up version of afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream, and petit fours. 

Afternoon tea, just like anything, can devolve into something pretentious where people are trying to be upper class.

I guess we could say the whole BD franchise is just a lot of wanna be’s  who are trying to be jet setters, if only  for 72 hours. 😉
 

[Welshman in Ca]

4 hours ago, Chickabiddy said:

Historically, high  tea was actually just the evening meal eaten by the working classes at the kitchen table - a high table. In fact, large parts of he UK today still refer to the evening meal at “tea.”

A low tea was enjoyed in the afternoon and served in the drawing room on a sofa table - low table - for the wealthy who did not have to work. This is afternoon tea with finger sandwiches. A cream tea is a souped up version of afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream, and petit fours. 

Afternoon tea, just like anything, can devolve into something pretentious where people are trying to be upper class.

I guess we could say the whole BD franchise is just a lot of wanna be’s  who are trying to be jet setters, if only  for 72 hours. 😉
 

I grew up calling what Americans call dinner, tea, if I remember correctly I didn't call it dinner until I moved to the U.S. almost 20 years ago and nobody knew what I meant when asking when we were having tea. I'm not sure if that is still the case or ever was everywhere as I've heard both when going back to visit.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Welshman in Ca

[Chickabiddy]

23 minutes ago, Welshman in Ca said:

I grew up calling what Americans call dinner, tea, if I remember correctly I didn't call it dinner until I moved to the U.S. almost 20 years ago and nobody knew what I meant when asking when we were having tea. I'm not sure if that is still the case or ever was everywhere as I've heard both when going back to visit.

Yeah, that’s why I wrote large parts. I don’t think it’s all, and I do think it’s more common up north, but I am not an expert. 😘

[Tanukisan]

After a long absence, I’ve watched this episode again and have comments in the order of the episode broadcast:

Benny: “I’ve been given another chance…”

Yeah, and I can’t help but wonder “why”?  I can only conclude it’s one of the following:  1) Benny is the secret love child of Captain Jason, and therefore unfireable, 2) Benny has pictures from a network party that would leave some in a very awkward position if revealed, 3) Benny does not really exist – he’s a leprechaun, or pixie, or honest politician – you know, a mythical figure.

I must admit, I do find the whole name-calling/bitch-gate situation interesting.  Or maybe that’s because my brain has been trying to chew its way out of my skull this season.   Since the crew are generally behaving like grade-schoolers, I’d say Brittini is actually attracted to Jamie, and wants to get his attention by calling him a name he doesn’t like.  And in defence of Jamie, he has said in previous episodes he doesn’t like being called that name.  From Jamie’s point of view, he’s a Bosun with a deck crew that has no respect for him.  From the deck crew perspective, they’re upset because “Daddy doesn’t love us in the way we want him too.  Waaahhh!”  Brittini is surprised and crying because Jamie went to the Captain and complained – after Jamie told her *multiple* times not to do that?  Bitch, please.

[WhiskeyVictor]

I think I've clocked out of this season and crew. Next, please!

[pasdetrois]

On 9/22/2022 at 10:27 AM, Welshman in Ca said:

I grew up calling what Americans call dinner, tea, if I remember correctly I didn't call it dinner until I moved to the U.S.

And some US southerners call lunch "dinner," and dinner "supper."

[OlderThanDirt]

Dinner is the main meal of the day; evening meal most days growing up, except Sunday when it was the middday meal, after church. Sunday evening meal was supper, often popcorn watching Sunday night tv, or "breakfast for supper  ".

[nokat]

On 5/27/2022 at 8:55 AM, NoWhammies said:

As Jamie was complaining to Tumi about being called a bitch, he was calling Brittini and Aesha bitches. And probably failed to see the irony in it since clearly women are bitches, not men. Fuck the fragile toxic masculinity on that one.  He's definitely created a culture of fear and distrust with his deck crew. If the bitch fits...

Yes, I noticed that he didn't mind calling them bitches. Toxic masculinity indeed with Jaime. Seeing some of these last episodes, I see why the deck crew weren't hating on Benny.

On 6/3/2022 at 1:37 PM, vmarsissmart said:

I have issues with the word bitch when it comes to my family, otherwise I'm cool with it.  I state the boundary to them and enforce it with them, anyone else it's cool.

If someone says don't say it I won't. I don't care, and you can call me what you want. But you are right about family, don't try me.

[TexasGal]

Did chef just serve JUST tacos for Mexican dinner?  No beans, rice, guac NOTHING?  Good god.  And hey super chef, there is Mexican chocolate you could have put in the fountain.   

[nokat]

On 9/22/2022 at 7:27 AM, Welshman in Ca said:

I grew up calling what Americans call dinner, tea, if I remember correctly I didn't call it dinner until I moved to the U.S. almost 20 years ago and nobody knew what I meant when asking when we were having tea. I'm not sure if that is still the case or ever was everywhere as I've heard both when going back to visit.

It really does depend on region. It can be dinner/supper or lunch/dinner. It was lunch/supper for me. I grew up reading lots of British books so I knew what tea meant.  I also think high tea wasn't fancy, just set on a high table for servants. I don't mind being corrected from those who know more.

[PaperTree]

The high tea was even worse than the Mexican mess.  Give the people what they want!  Just Google it, genius.

For people accustomed to bland food, you don't make it real hot.  Put some hot sauce on the table and everyone can adjust it to their taste.  He really is a piece of crap.

It's really not cool to bad mouth a whole country.  I hope he goes and this isn't a tease.

Stellar tip though for only one night!

Bye Magda!  Better get that unlimited phone plan.

[nokat]

2 hours ago, TexasGal said:

Did chef just serve JUST tacos for Mexican dinner?  No beans, rice, guac NOTHING?  Good god.  And hey super chef, there is Mexican chocolate you could have put in the fountain.   

He does say things like "they can eat what I feel like cooking." I'm in southern California, and there is so much good Mexican food. I know in Texas you get the TexMex. Way better than his offerings.

[Bossa Nova]

Magda didn't seem that upset about being fired. 

She actually seemed relieved. 

[Mr. Miner]

2 hours ago, Bossa Nova said:

She actually seemed relieved. 

Not as relieved as I am, I thought I was going to have an aneurysm. We came very close to the rare if not unprecedented double firing.

I have to say that I don't know any guy that would spend that much time, day after day on the phone with his girlfriend. WTF!

Edited September 28, 2022 by Mr. Miner

[mytmo]

Capt. Jason's face while Jaime was tattling on his subordinates was like what the hell are you bringing this to me? 

Bitch ass bitch Jaime!

[iMonrey]

Quote

Benny: “I’ve been given another chance…”

Yeah, and I can’t help but wonder “why”?  I can only conclude it’s one of the following:  1) Benny is the secret love child of Captain Jason, and therefore unfireable, 2) Benny has pictures from a network party that would leave some in a very awkward position if revealed, 3) Benny does not really exist – he’s a leprechaun, or pixie, or honest politician – you know, a mythical figure.

Or is it because he plays the dead parents card so often it's become his entire identity, and the show is afraid it will look too mean if they fire him? Then again:

Quote

As Jamie was complaining to Tumi about being called a bitch, he was calling Brittini and Aesha bitches. And probably failed to see the irony in it since clearly women are bitches, not men. Fuck the fragile toxic masculinity on that one.  He's definitely created a culture of fear and distrust with his deck crew. If the bitch fits...

Now I'm wondering if the problem hasn't been Jamie from the start. I want to reiterate that I'd like to know why he is no longer a cop. He does seem like the kind of bully that would want to be a cop, and maybe he was fired for being way too aggressive. I agree he reeks of toxic masculinity.

Speaking of masculinity . . . whoa. That's an awful big blur they had to use on Culver's dick when he came out of the bathroom. 😮

Magda is just as bad as Natasha over on Below Deck Med. I feel sorry for these girls who seem to have no identity or self worth beyond being someone's girlfriend. Magda's panic attack over losing her phone wasn't just because she had a lot of important info, it was because she needed to text/call her boyfriend every five seconds or else she dies. 

I got a kick out of the fact that they threw up captions for the British accents but it was just gibberish. If Ryan doesn't know what to prepare for high tea he has obviously never watched the Great British Bakeoff before.

[TexasGal]

11 hours ago, nokat said:

He does say things like "they can eat what I feel like cooking." I'm in southern California, and there is so much good Mexican food. I know in Texas you get the TexMex. Way better than his offerings.

They said Mexican on their preference sheet right?  Not "tacos?"  There are so many better TexMex OR MexMex options than tacos, chef fail.

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I got a kick out of the fact that they threw up captions for the British accents but it was just gibberish. If Ryan doesn't know what to prepare for high tea he has obviously never watched the Great British Bakeoff before.

Him acting like he had never heard of a cucumber sandwich before?  C'mon.  

[SemiCharmedLife]

This episode just proves that Chef Ryan is a complete ass and will never be happy or pleasant.  If the guests want an elevated menu, he complains that they are wannabes.  If they request something in his wheelhouse, like Mexican cuisine which he has made before as his choice, he says they are wasting his talents on basic food.  After many requests by the captain to jazz up his presentations, he finally puts a few flowers on the cheese plate and then throws blame when the guests did not eat the appetizers.  He makes no effort at all, as evidenced by his high tea offerings (loved the comment that it more closely resembled a kid's birthday party) and chocolate fountain (just strawberries and marshmallows??).  I'm glad the tip was not affected by his failings, because the others worked hard (barring Magda) to provide good service the rest of the charter.  Bye, Ryan, will not miss you!

[aghst]

5 hours ago, Bossa Nova said:

Magda didn't seem that upset about being fired. 

She actually seemed relieved. 

She made it through most of the season so she probably no longer GAF.

Also too worried about getting back to the bf.

As for Jaime, he didn't start it and they wouldn't stop.

[Pixilicious]

Ryan's idea of a high quality Mexican meal was just tacos with huge wedges of lime...his presentation is awful...nothing looks 5 star and apparently the taste isn't either...he puts in minimal effort and then acts like an ass when the guests don't like it...what an arrogant POS...Chef Marco was so talented, but still would do research for guests' preferences...Marco is a REAL chef, and Ryan is just a cook.

Such a relief for viewers to see Magda go...captain was way nice about it...if it was me i would've listed the BS she pulled despite being warned multiple times...and she's still clueless and thinks she tried hard...what a moron! Good riddance to someone who just wanted air time because she's "an Eastern European model"...she never wanted the actual stew job, i think...there's hundreds who are prettier than her and have a better work ethic so GL finding jobs from the TV exposure.

[Tanukisan]

4 hours ago, Mr. Miner said:

I have to say that I don't know any guy that would spend that much time, day after day on the phone with his girlfriend. WTF!

If you've been watching BDM, Natasha and her boyfriend seem like a rough equivalent.  (:

[candall]

Re "bitch":  Jamie was perfectly within bounds when he told Brittini not to call him that.  She's his subordinate and they're on the boat--for all intents and purposes, "the office".  Holy shit, I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd teasingly called my boss a little bitch while we were standing in the break room sharing a doughnut.

When the others started calling Jamie that, it's trickier.  Aesha's not his subordinate and part of the time they were just romping around the street, off--duty.  In those circumstances, I think all you can do is say, "I really don't like that" and hope they're good enough mates to respect your wishes. 

(Going to the captain to complain was stupid, since the captain had already been very dismissive to Jaime about an issue that was much more serious.)

######

I hated the captain bending over backward to investigate Jamie's complaint about Benny.  He delegated authority to Jamie, but he doesn't trust Jamie or believe what he says and then Jason makes sure to let everyone on the crew know it, thereby undermining any authority Jamie might have built up.

I hope the captain feels like a fool when he sees all the footage of Benny insisting he's just there to have fun and whining that he won't do his job until his boss treats him in a way he considers "respectful." 

And apparently anything that feels like criticism is not respectful.  

I think Benny should open his pay envelope and find a participation certificate instead of a paycheck.

####

Finally:  

I can't BELIEVE these slackers are making ~$1500 in tips every few days--on top of room, board and paycheck--and they're still complaining and nit-picking.

Edited September 28, 2022 by candall

[hookedontv]

1 hour ago, Pixilicious said:

Such a relief for viewers to see Magda go...captain was way nice about it...

THIS! Magda felt like Aesha was picking on her and that it was personal. Jason should have told her that after being spoken to repeatedly about her phone usage, her distraction, poor quality of work, and piss poor attitude, she’s fired. 
 

Managers actually own their employees honest feedback or they will never learn. 

[nokat]

6 hours ago, Mr. Miner said:

I have to say that I don't know any guy that would spend that much time, day after day on the phone with his girlfriend. WTF!

Once a day is what we do usually. Still alive? Yup. I don't like clingy people.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think Benny should open his pay envelope and find a participation certificate instead of a paycheck.

😃

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I am glad to see Magna go, her meltdown about her phone was ridiculous. Ryan should have been fired after the 1st charter, he is a tool. High tea in my neck of the woods would be a bag of Cheetos and a Twisted Tea. They got a great tip considering Taco Bell food would have been better.

[Welshman in Ca]

1 hour ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I am glad to see Magna go, her meltdown about her phone was ridiculous. Ryan should have been fired after the 1st charter, he is a tool. High tea in my neck of the woods would be a bag of Cheetos and a Twisted Tea. They got a great tip considering Taco Bell food would have been better.

High tea in our house is after we've both had a gummie on a Friday evening.