S07.E12: We Just Don't Clique

[jewel21]

Quote

Natasha and Kyle decide to work on their night off in order to organize the pantry, missing out on Mzi’s birthday celebration. During the crew day off, the divisions in the team begin to deepen as two clear cliques form. Storm falls harder for Natalya, but the closer he gets, the more she pushes him away. Courtney tearfully confides in Kyle about her father’s health issues. Storm tries to confront Jason about his attitude and is surprised when Jason turns the conversation on its head.

Bravo Airdate: 09/26/2022

This season the episodes will be airing a week earlier on Peacock Premium.  You can comment on the episode once it is live there.  Anyone waiting for the Bravo airing, be aware there will be early comments on the episode - so don't enter if you don't want to be spoiled!

[MyMaui]

This was a boring episode.  When Sandy was telling Natasha that if there are two on service one of them should be cleaning,  the look on her face was priceless.  Like she she had no clue what she was talking about.  It never occured to her to do that?  I still find her and Kyle lazy.  It was nice of Jason to help them.  They could have had that all cleaned if they didn't go lay down on the bed and chat.

It's probably best that Jason leave, if in fact he does, but we have to wait until next week to see.  I can see why he would want to.  

[Tanukisan]

Like a string of tasks and relationships gone wrong, these comments are in the order of the episode broadcast…

Warning, there be spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen the episode.  But you can see the ep now on bravotv.com – that’s where I saw it.

So apparently Natasha and Kyle spend so much time nattering to each other that basic cleaning work in the pantry doesn’t get done.  And Captain Queeg has to be the one to point this out?  Pathetic – especially when you look at debris and dirty glassware that needs to be attended to.  What, did they think these things would clean themselves?  And the way they constantly complain about it!  It’s part of your job, people!

With a tip of $20K that comes out to $1,800 per person, that’s still 2 people we almost never see on the show.  That’s too bad, since I’m sure the engineers, etc. have stories to tell as well, especially given the fact the stabilisers on this tub have failed, what, at least twice now?  I’m sure they’d have some interesting tales to tell just on the mechanics of these boats – which would be a lot more interesting that much of what we’ve seen this season.

So Natasha and Kyle elect to stay behind to do what they were already supposed to have done.  As Natalya pointed out, this was not necessary, and they “could have sorted it out in the last 5 hours they just had.” 

But wait – so they didn’t stay behind all night to clean the pantry, they just got to dinner a little late.  WTF?  Another big nothingburger.  With extra cheese.

Poor Mzi – hopes to get lucky at this b-day party and almost ends up with… a married woman?  Yikes.  Was this a setup by the production people?  Glad he didn’t try to start up again with Courtney right away – that was painful to watch in previous seasons. 

Is anyone on this boat capable of a normal relationship?  There’s the toxic Dave/Natasha mix, Storm is smothering Natalya, Kyle has his Love-at-First-Sight moment, Mzi and Courtney have had a past history of getting drunk but not going anywhere, etc.   Instead of the “Love Boat” it’s the “Psycho Boat”.

And after most of the hour, we have a 2-minute setup for something that might actually be a little interesting… but we’re not going to see it until next week.  And if it’s anything like past “cliffhangers”, it will end up being more of a molehill.

What will happen then?  Will Storm buy Natalya a house in addition to the watch?  Will Kyle and Natasha keep nattering instead of working?  Will Mzi find an unmarried woman… that isn’t Courtney?  Will Jason pick up his toys and go home?  Will a Kaiju attack the ship and cause something interesting to actually happen?  Stay tuned, if you can stay awake!

[iMonrey]

I don't think the rest of the deck crew "hates" Jason despite what he seems to think. He just doesn't mesh well with them, and that's partly his own fault. But he's also just that weird kid that stands out. He seems to get along with the interior OK. It's just a personality thing. 

I do think Storm is moving too fast with Natalya - it's WAY too early to buy her an expensive gift (at least, it looked expensive). And what does giving someone a watch really say? That they think you need one because you're always late?

On the other hand, I think Natalya is the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy if she simply doesn't believe relationships can be successful. And I think she can be emotionally exhausting and Natasha isn't the only one with a tendency to send mixed signals.

[Tanukisan]

15 minutes ago, MyMaui said:

When Sandy was telling Natasha that if there are two on service one of them should be cleaning,  the look on her face was priceless.  Like she she had no clue what she was talking about.  It never occured to her to do that? 

I absolutely thought the same thing.  The look on her face was one of awe and wonder, as if one had just had the biggest epiphany of a lifetime.  It would be the same look if she saw the Burning Bush or the Parting of the Red Sea.

[Tanukisan]

50 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I do think Storm is moving too fast with Natalya - it's WAY too early to buy her an expensive gift (at least, it looked expensive). And what does giving someone a watch really say? That they think you need one because you're always late?

What's even worse, according to dialogue in the episode, he originally got that watch for his sister as a present.  But then apparently he had one of those crush-of-the-moment attacks and gave it to Natalya instead.  Hopefully his sister isn't watching the episode.  (:

[rur]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

On the other hand, I think Natalya is the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy if she simply doesn't believe relationships can be successful. And I think she can be emotionally exhausting and Natasha isn't the only one with a tendency to send mixed signals.

Both of them are unbalanced, and both are playing different versions of the "Come Here, Go Away" game. 

Neither of them are worth the energy a yachtmance would cost.

Edited September 20, 2022 by rur

[aghst]

Kyle said he gave 2% so that’s an admission of slacking.  But he and Nat snipe at each other in a joking way.

He also observed that she suppresses or avoids emotions, probably right.

Also Kyle:  “Can’t believe I spent more time on my knees cleaning floors than s—-ing c—-s.”

Jason would rather bail than admit he needs to change or pretend to make up with Storm and the other deckies.

Someone made a crack about coming all the way to Malta to do something but can’t recall the whole line.

As far as pantry gate, probably needed to be cleaned up and Tash and Kyle have been slacking.  But guessing previous crews didn’t clean up what could be hidden behind cabinet doors, as they’re usually busy fulfilling all the fake asks from the guests, like theme parties, performances, beach picnics, etc.

[65mickey]

They scraped the bottom of the barrel to get this crew. The only ones that are likable are Courtney and Mzi. 

[Lassus]

I guess I missed something about the weirdness of Natalya and Storm, because compared to everyone else on the boat they seem the picture of healthy and normal.  

Kyle was not cute while trying to get with guests, and now he's just being a horrible bitch about his actual work.  Natasha's a mess and the cook is still low-key hoping to get back with her. 

The deck crew has all kinds of problems, and in fairness some CREATED by Storm. "She picked up driving the board really great, I'll make her lead deckhand" is kind of stupid, and if Mzi is generally perfect it's almost like you're SPECIFICALLY trying to fuck things up for drama's sake.  GASP

[Lamima]

So it seems to me that Nat is more jealous of Tosh and Kyle being close. Kyle was her goof off buddy and then Tosh split from Dave and stole Kyle's attention away. Tosh seems to like attention. Of course the whole crew like attention...hence being on a reality show in the first place. 

I like Nat. And I like her and Storm. I think it's fake drama. But still they may not last after the show.

I don't like Storm as bosun...in regards to poor Jason. He is annoying and awkward but I feel bad for him and feel like Storm is not handling him well. But maybe that's all fake too. The mop mentality all being kind of cold to him and making fun of him together. Court and Mzi never were the mean girl types so I think maybe this is a bit crafted for the show. 

Cannot stand Tosh and Kyle. She sucks at her job and is too fixated on her love life which seems pretty toxic. And he is just icky and unprofessional. 

[Welshman in Ca]

16 hours ago, Tanukisan said:

With a tip of $20K that comes out to $1,800 per person, that’s still 2 people we almost never see on the show.  That’s too bad, since I’m sure the engineers, etc. have stories to tell as well, especially given the fact the stabilisers on this tub have failed, what, at least twice now?  I’m sure they’d have some interesting tales to tell just on the mechanics of these boats – which would be a lot more interesting that much of what we’ve seen this season.

I'm guessing First Officer & Engineer? And you are 100% right about the engineer having more interesting tales to tell & I too would love to know more about the way this boat actually works as it looks very strange & un boat like from some angles. We rarely get to see the first officer on any of the varieties of Below Deck, we didn't even see much of the chief engineer(?) that Malia was screwing for a while.

Edited September 20, 2022 by Welshman in Ca

[Jsage]

When I recall all the times we've seen bosuns have a talk with a problematic deck hand, I actually think that Storm did a damn good job! He acknowledged the tension between the deck crew and Jason and gave Jason time to share his thoughts first. He listened and then calmly told Jason he disagreed. Then he explained the problems he had with Jason and challenged him to work on them during the next charter. The fact that Jason totally escalated things and insisted Storm replace him is all on Jason and his personal issues. 

I think Storm could be a really good bosun one day. He is definitely making mistakes now, but he wants to learn from them and do better. That's more than we can say for many of the other bosuns from the BD universe. 

(Hopefully, he also learns from his mistakes with Natalya and improves his romantic game in the future too!)

[Oosala]

3 hours ago, Welshman in Ca said:

the chief engineer(?) that Malia was screwing for a while.

Wait, what?  I totally missed that.  I am in awe of everyone that remembers players from previous seasons and other iterations of the BD franchise.  Once they're off my screen, they're out of my brain forever, except Hannah and Kate.  I liked BOTH of them.  [moves away slowly and shields face]

[psychoticstate]

Natasha is quite possibly the worst chief stew I have seen on any of these BD shows, and I've seen them all.  Given the competition, that's a big accomplishment on Natasha's part.  Yeah, sure, she serves up meals to the guests and brings out "Stephen" with very poor timing.  But otherwise, she seems to spend the majority of her time texting, gossiping with Kyle, and somewhat delegating.   If the captain needs to tell you that one stew can serve the guests drinks while the other does clean up, you really shouldn't be in charge.

Kyle is nearly as bad.  He's good with the guests but appears lazy.  He spends too much time yakking it up with Natasha.  

I know a lot of people don't like Jason but I do feel bad for him.  It would be bad enough to know your coworkers didn't like you in a M-F 9-5 situation but while working on a boat?   Ugh . I think Storm is a good bosun but just doesn't know how to address/handle Jason.  I agree with another poster upthread that Courtney (and Mzi to a lesser extent) are making digs at Jason for drama.

I too hope that Storm's sister doesn't see him admitting he bought the watch for her before deciding to give it to Natalya.  

[snarts]

Natasha wants to have two people on service late so that she & Kyle can goof off and chat, ignoring both the guests and failing to clean. On every other season of all BD iterations there's only one interior person up after dinner service concludes and that person manages service, cleans and preps for the morning.  There is typically also a deck crew member around that helps out in a pinch. Natasha prides herself on service but we've often seen the guests waiting around while she's off chatting with Kyle or texting her boyfriend.

Does anyone know how provisioning works?  Are the guests charged for each item or is it baked into the overall charter cost? Because Natasha is costing someone a lot of money by continually ordering a ton of stuff that isn't used. Natalya commented on that in a previous episode and we continually see cases of beverages and bags of food/decor lining the hallways,

She just seems so lazy and inept. Kinda disappointing that Sandy decided this is the season she'd tried to repair her image a micro-manager. 

[racked]

They went and made me feel bad for Jason. He really just wants to be accepted but doesn’t know how to find an in with the deck crew. He can be an insubordinate dick at times but I still felt bad for him. 

Kyle was so gross yelling at Natalya because she isn’t grateful enough that Storm wants her. Just because his entire self worth hinges on a man wanting him doesn’t mean he should berate others for not being that way. 

When the Tash/Dave fight happened I was on her side, and I still am in the sense that he was scary and threatening and should never speak to anyone that way. But man I’m seeing her manipulative side. She wants to keep him on a string. 

[gaPeach]

18 hours ago, racked said:

They went and made me feel bad for Jason. He really just wants to be accepted but doesn’t know how to find an in with the deck crew. He can be an insubordinate dick at times but I still felt bad for him. 

Kyle was so gross yelling at Natalya because she isn’t grateful enough that Storm wants her. Just because his entire self worth hinges on a man wanting him doesn’t mean he should berate others for not being that way. 

When the Tash/Dave fight happened I was on her side, and I still am in the sense that he was scary and threatening and should never speak to anyone that way. But man I’m seeing her manipulative side. She wants to keep him on a string. 

Jason is his own worst enemy.  I thought Storm did a good job approaching the subject with Jason.  I don't know why Jason flip the switch and went right to "fine, I will leave then" crap.  Storm did not see that coming either.  

Kyle has been totally ineffective since the Frank Charter.  That is when I saw him go from Natalya to Natashia.  Natashia is the boss and needed a buddy to lay around and talk about boys with, so Kyle jump right in there.  Giving no fucks about leaving Natalya high and dry.  They should be go.

I was on the fence with the Dave and Natashia blow up, but she totally lost me after she started gaslighting him in front of the crew.  She is a real piece of work and it looks like there is a chance the boyfriend will be out and Dave gets another shot.  At least until she finds another victim boyfriend.

[Marvin]

I think the problem with Jason is that he is older than the others, and has had more life experience. So he sees the actions of the others as childish - which it often is. He works well and is always seen working or helping the interior, so i think Bravo are struggling to find little things to make him look bad.

Storm is a bad Bosun. He knows the task, but isn't a people person. He just can't manage people and has admitted that.

It also doesn't help that the deck crew is a tight clique and they don't want another in their team - so anyone regardless of who they are would struggle to fit in to that. 

I find it annoying when they bring back deck crew from previous seasons, with the exception of those in charge. It does tend to make things borings, and this season is one of the most boring Below Deck seasons i have ever seen !

[PaperTree]

I love Jason.  No BS.  Storm is an idiot.  And Kyle is the breathing bad stereotype of gay men.  Throw his ass overboard.  And take Natasha with you.

[Yours Truly]

On 9/24/2022 at 5:43 PM, Marvin said:

I think the problem with Jason is that he is older than the others, and has had more life experience. So he sees the actions of the others as childish - which it often is. He works well and is always seen working or helping the interior, so i think Bravo are struggling to find little things to make him look bad.

Storm is a bad Bosun. He knows the task, but isn't a people person. He just can't manage people and has admitted that.

It also doesn't help that the deck crew is a tight clique and they don't want another in their team - so anyone regardless of who they are would struggle to fit in to that. 

I find it annoying when they bring back deck crew from previous seasons, with the exception of those in charge. It does tend to make things borings, and this season is one of the most boring Below Deck seasons i have ever seen !

I agree that a big part of the disconnect with Jason is that he’s older than them and has life experience. It looked like he was kinda trying to jive with them and wasn’t initially avoiding them or being standoffish but Mzi and Courtney, especially together are hella childish. I would probably have silent moments and just look at them weird as well cause they think they are funny but they are not. I mean it’s cute cause they aren’t meaning any harm but it’s like they really think they are so cool and I find them a bit lame. Last season it didn’t bug at all cause the whole deck crew was kinda lame and filled with odd ducks so it was endearing but with Jason on board and Storm (who fits the bill) but who is stressing with his responsibilities as bosun it’s just not coming across as lighthearted fun. Dont get me wrong I thought their antics last season were eyeroll worthy too (Mzi dropping  Courtney and smashing his face on the payment 🙄) but the dynamic of the deck somehow smoothed some of that out somewhat so it was bearable to watch if that makes sense. 
I think that it’s not lost on Jason that Storm isnt really qualified for the job Mzi is still a bit green and this is Courtney’s first season on deck so it’s a bit ridiculous to point fingers at Jason like he’s the weak link. I think Jason isn’t gonna bend over backwards since it’s obvious that being qualified isn’t exactly a requirement and although he did have a couple of hiccups he’s actually no worse than Mzi who, is it just me, but does he not stand around a lot not doing anything? I’ve noticed that Mzi will be standing with the deck crew as they are doing something and will be idle until someone points out to him to participate in the task. Like he zoned out or something or like he needs step by step instruction. Anyway, I think Jason is capable but I’d also be a little put off by the idea that I need to cater to the childish dynamics of the others in order to “fit in” better. I’d scoff too and that’s why you hear Jason say something about he’s  not gonna change his personality. Jason’s not being managed well even though Storms approach was pretty good. Add that the rest of the deck crew are allowing their tension affect how they received Jason doesn’t help. In all honestly y’all don’t need to be best friends. Just don’t take it personal and let it roll of your back. If Jason wants to sit and eat a salad let him eat a salad. I do think Storm had it right when he said let Jason have the day off. That he will address matters when they are back at work during an appropriate time. Holy Moly! The first time someone has decided not to address work issues while drinking and during their downtime, fun time. Storm gets serious kudos from me for that. Most definitely! 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Yours Truly

[4N6MAL]

I find Kyle extremely annoying! And he and Tash are really lazy and distracted by outside factors.

[Meowwww]

These people are all just so unlikeable.  Half of them look like they don’t bathe.  Even Mzi is not that great.  Courtney is sloppy and annoying.  I’ll stop there lol. 

[Lassus]

Jason - You are an asshole, and you deserve to be disliked, as you are dislikable.

[SemiCharmedLife]

On the first episode this season, I was very impressed with Natasha.  Boy, my opinion of her has plummeted.  She does love to serve the guests (a crazy welcome shot, anyone?), but is not managing the crew or the duties at all.  Even when Sandy explained how to accomplish tasks while providing guest service, she looked like a deer in the headlights.  Her and Kyle martyring themselves over the pantry was ridiculous.  They should have done it in the time given, or stayed in the whole night, if they really wanted everyone to see them "suffer."  Hopefully, this was a wakeup call and behaviors will improve.