S11.E03: Breaking Barbie

[snarts]

Quote

After learning some heartbreaking information about Cat, Fraser urges Barbie to be kinder toward her, which in turn ignites a new feud between Barbie and Fraser.

Aired 2/19/2023

I don't see where Barbie was that rude to Fraser. Certainly not rude enough for him to have gone to Captain telling him he's done with her. There had to have been more we didn't see.

If Kat is so bad at stewing that they had to re-do the whole schedule mid-charter because she couldn't handle housekeeping, then she's the weak link. Yes, I feel bad based on her background but either work with her to improve or cut her loose. It doesn't seem fair to penalize Barbie and Xandi.

So Sunny claims to be shy yet has zero hesitation texting Ben to say "let's make out" OK.

[SHERMDOG]

I'm not a big fan of Barbie or Kat. Kat seems like she cant handle much and retain info. I think Barbie is a sparky biotch.  But....I kinda tend to agree with you Snarts...not sure it's enuf to go to the captain!? Msybe his dislike of Barbie is shortening his patience?? 

[aghst]

Barbie is shown as muttering and insulting Fraser several times in this episode as she's walking away.  That could easily have been faked to create drama.

But maybe there was a scene where she goes into her cabin, upset after a testy exchange with Fraser.

First she wasn't too receptive to Fraser asking her to get along better with Cat.

Then it was this stupid nitpicking about whether margarita's had orange juice or not.  Apparently she has a binder of drink recipes, not some recipe book, and she uses it as proof that she made it with OJ in her previous jobs and thus she's right.

But Fraser going to the captain at the end seems like a staged thing, to keep up this narrative that she could be the one fired.

Cat is shown slacking, like the way she folds hand towels in the cabins.  Then she has to be shown that towels have to be hung in certain direction.  Remember, 5-star service!

Kerry did briefly look around the cabins and the deck.  They must have gotten the sink stops consistent this time because he didn't say a word about it this time.

Speaking of different standards, Frenchie makes Cordon Bleu chicken filets, get the crust just right.  Not only does he make it a main for one of the guest meals, he makes some extra filets for the crew meal.

But he doesn't make enough of them and by the time Captain Kerry goes to grab some bite, the last chicken filet is gone and one of the stews is eating the last one in front of him -- she offers to share but he says no.

Kerry tells the chef that the crew needs fuel, not necessarily haute cuisine.  And fuel means more volume not smaller quantities of dishes which take long time to cook.

At least neither the guests nor the crew -- those who got a piece before they were gone -- complained about the chicken.  

"Chicken is for poor people."  "Chicken is unacceptable!"

 

On the crew night out, not too much action or drunken antics but Barbie takes a little shine to Jared talking about trying to connect to his daughter, whom he's never met and only found out about after she was born.

 

Sunny put herself out there or at least on text to Ben to make out.

Ben puts her on blast the next day for going out on a jet ski without a vest or other safety measures -- on the radio for Kerry to hear.

Sunny may not warm up further to Ben.

 

Ben BTW notes that Jared is not making mistakes on this second charter, seems to be on top of things.  He wonders out loud whether that will continue.  Well did the producers prompt him in his talking head to talk shit again about Jared?  Will they make this another thing, Ben undermining or trying to angle for taking over as bosun?

 

[iMonrey]

I actually think Fraser is doing a better job this season than he did last season when he let things with Camille and Alissa get out of hand and shied away from confrontation. This time he's meeting it head-on before it goes too far, and I commend him for that. That said, he seems to have picked up a Sandy-ism telling Barbie he doesn't want any "slapback" when he tells her to do something.

Fraser's story about the homophobic chief engineer who poured hot tea on his hands while he was washing dishes was sad. I'm glad he eventually got justice and got the guy fired.

Is Xandi really on Xanax or was she just making a joke? Somebody call Captain Sandy, stat! (Or, you know, don't.)

I get that the chef didn't make enough chicken for the crew to lunch on but where are all those instant noodles they're constantly shoveling down their drunken maws after a night of clubbing and debauchery? 

Fraser thinks these guests are tacky? Compared to the last charter they're practically the royal family.

Kerry's girlfriend is named Gönül. That's not a name you run across very often.

[Baltimore Betty]

Am I the only one who gets anxiety when a stew goes to make a drink and the chyron countdown gets to be 30 minutes? Also, if the guest is asking for one you know there might be more requests, why do the stews only make one at a time, such a time waste.

20 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Kerry's girlfriend is named Gönül.

Gonul was my mother's name. LOL. Didn't he say she was Turkish? Maybe it is considered a name like Mary in Turkey? 

I wish the big red head from last season was on this season, she did her job and avoided the drama.

Fraser is a good egg, he tries. I do like that he is trying to get the stews to quit snipping at each other and not letting it be fodder for the other departments to stir up trouble.

I have a weakness for French men and a French man who cooks, yes please. The platings are so beautiful but he served a lobster tail on a small plate which made it awkward to wrestle the tail out of the shell.

So the guests wanted a tail gate themed dinner party but none of the food was representative of a tailgate party, what gives? Red Solo cups, plastic banners, etc...sorry Fraser, that mess is tacky. Does nobody look on Pinterest for ideas?

The napkin folding game is strong with who ever that stew was folding napkins.

I am still getting major Jeremy Piven vibes from Jared.

 

[endure]

It seemed like once Fraser heard Cat's sad history he became her protector and isn't seeing things the way they are.  It's awkward to me how he is treating Barbie, and he and Barbie are a lot more alike than he and Cat are but he is not seeing the forest for the trees from what I've seen. 

Did some crew people eat more than their share of the chef prepped food or does he just not make enough.

Some of the guests seem way out of their element lol.

It's been a few seasons since I've watched any Below Deck episodes, not sure if I can/will stick with it but wanted to check out the new Captain.  I know I've seen Fraser before, not sure if he was a stew then.

[iMonrey]

58 minutes ago, endure said:

I know I've seen Fraser before, not sure if he was a stew then.

He's always been a stew. He was second on his first season, then chief last season and this season.

[SemiCharmedLife]

10 hours ago, snarts said:

Aired 2/19/2023

I don't see where Barbie was that rude to Fraser. Certainly not rude enough for him to have gone to Captain telling him he's done with her. There had to have been more we didn't see.

If Kat is so bad at stewing that they had to re-do the whole schedule mid-charter because she couldn't handle housekeeping, then she's the weak link. Yes, I feel bad based on her background but either work with her to improve or cut her loose. It doesn't seem fair to penalize Barbie and Xandi.

So Sunny claims to be shy yet has zero hesitation texting Ben to say "let's make out" OK.

It is pretty easy to train an inexperienced stew, but to work with one with an attitude problem is a bigger challenge.  Barbie became unhinged when Fraser didn't agree with her margarita recipe and let it affect her attitude.  She has to be willing to respect Fraser's authority or it won't matter how competent she is in service or housekeeping.

[Baltimore Betty]

9 hours ago, endure said:

Some of the guests seem way out of their element lol.

As long as they are not asking for turkey clubs moments before dinner service or asking for their entire two weeks worth of clothes be unpacked, washed, steamed or ironed then hung up on the wings of fairies I think they are just there for fun, they don't need to look bougie, they don't care.

Barbie seems to need the pecking order as in first stew, second, labels.  I think Fraser does not want to cause any more trauma to Cat but he has to remember he is there for business. I can understand Barbie's attitude about being told to be nice, years ago my husband had a friend who dated a lot of women, he invited us to meet his latest (and truly oddest) girl friend, he literally told me to be nice to her, I am if nothing else nice to people (no matter what I write on these pages, lol), I was offended, he is the one that has temper tantrums and throws the women's belongings on the front lawn, leaves them stranded places, says the cruelest things to them but yeah, come for me and tell me to be nice. 

Barbie is used to being HBIC, she feels that her power is being usurped by Fraser's telling her to be nice, taking her ego down a notch. Barbie needs an iota of power or leverage but does not understand she won't have any on this charter season.

 

 

[Giuseppe]

Eh...Barbie seems to me like the type who takes any comment, no matter how innocuous, and turns it into a perceived insult or criticism towards her.

"Hey Barbie, let's try to be nice to Cat today, ok?"

"So you're saying I'm usually mean? Fine, I'll be nice to her. Sorry I'm such a horrible person that you have to ask me to do that."

I know she didn't say that first part, but it seemed to be unspoken in her head to me based on her "sorry i'm a horrible person' retort. So now she thinks everything Fraser says or does is picking at her. That's how she's coming across to me, anyway. JMO.

Edited February 23 by Giuseppe

[aqusdealer]

I had an employee like Barbie once. Realized pretty quickly that she would not respond well to me laying down the law.  I could just have fired her, but I liked the way she did many things and the clients loved her. I decided to take the "let's figure this out together" approach.  A year later she won the award for top sales rep. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box for the greater good.  Fraser is a little too full of himself as chief stew. He needs to calm down.

[iMonrey]

12 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

I know she didn't say that first part, but it seemed to be unspoken in her head to me based on her "sorry i'm a horrible person' retort. So now she thinks everything Fraser says or does is picking at her. That's how she's coming across to me, anyway. JMO.

Fraser just randomly telling her to be nice to Cat as they were passing each other seemed out of the blue. It seems like maybe it was in response to something we didn't see. 

[Pattycake2]

I think Fraser is doing an awesome job.  He deals with things immediately, emphasizes teaching moments when he points out mistakes, and simply asks for the respect he deserves.  They’ve only been together, what, four days?  Do your jobs and keep your attitudes to yourselves.  If someone asked me to be nice to someone, I’d take it as to be kind to that person.  It doesn’t take much.

[65mickey]

On 2/20/2024 at 9:25 PM, endure said:

Did some crew people eat more than their share of the chef prepped food or does he just not make enough.

 

    I wondered the same thing. If all he made was in that one bowl there was no way that was enough for the entire crew. It seems like quite a few did not get any lunch. But then maybe he made enough for everyone to have one piece of chicken and some took more than their share. 

[SemiCharmedLife]

13 hours ago, 65mickey said:

    I wondered the same thing. If all he made was in that one bowl there was no way that was enough for the entire crew. It seems like quite a few did not get any lunch. But then maybe he made enough for everyone to have one piece of chicken and some took more than their share. 

I was surprised he made such a fancy meal for the crew.  I can see making extra so the crew could have a taste, but the chef should make a nice crew meal that they can fill up on, so everyone can have plenty.  I also think the interior works just as hard as the deck crew and should be fed, as well, Captain Kerry.

[endure]

oops something got screwed up due to the page reloading mid posting last night (on my iPad), seems it can't handle this site with it's millions of moving ads 😳

Edited February 27 by endure

[PaperTree]

Barbie can cry me a river.  On her way to the dock.