S11.E01: A Brotherhood Tested

[thewhiteowl]

A 12-million pound Bairdi quota increase causes a fishing frenzy; a boat is stolen on the eve of a launch; an alliance takes root.

 

 

[kassa]

Wheee!  Can't wait!

[walnutqueen]

I don't think I can wait ten years for this season to begin. Heh. 

 

Hee!

 

Wouldn't it be cool if this was the ONLY Disco show still airing in 2025, though?  -D

[justjen]

already Elliot is being a loser

 

This should be the name of the Deadliest Catch in-house band. :)

[merylinkid]

 

Elliot is being a loser, not wanting to get out of bed. I feel very sorry for his crew.

 

Yet somehow he has more quota than any other boat.   HOW?   He has to be buying it.  Would you trust your income to this guy?   I can only think he agreed to pay a higher percentage to the quota owner than the other boats who buy did.  

[terrymct]

It's the very first show of the season and already Elliot is being a loser, not wanting to get out of bed. I feel very sorry for his crew.

 

 

Did you catch Elliot's comment about rehab?  He said he's mostly clean.   Is that like being mostly a virgin?  I wish they'd have dropped him from the show.

[AZChristian]

He said he was 99.99% clean.  Apparently, when they filmed that clip he was .01% not clean.  He still looks like an addict to me.  I think their showing his jumpy foot was Disco's way of saying, "Nothing has changed."

 

He needs to be gone from the show.

[terrymct]

I was happily surprised that Wild Bill didn't react more strongly than he did to the Hansens moving his boat.  I suspect that it's because this is the beginning of the season and Bill is rested.  Do that at the end of the season and Bill would have been ranting a blue streak.

[kassa]

I'm trying to put this as sensitively as I can, but Bill's sweater in The Bait... he looked like he was in the preliminary transitioning stages.  A few times I covered his face with a finger and he just looked like a middle aged lady. His mood has certainly improved, though.

 

Kudos on the weight loss, though, Bill.  Looks like Keith gained what he lost.  And I hope they tell Keith to put his knees together or stop filming his crotch because... this is my first season watching DC on high def and it was too much.

 

I love the competitions like knot tying, While Edgar won, it was cool that Sig still did them pretty effortlessly.  They should do that exercise outside, then lift pots with their knots and see if anybody's crashes!

 

I also used my finger to block the stupid fan pictures.  STOP IT!  STOP THE ANNOYING FANGIRL SCREEN CLUTTER!

Edited April 15, 2015 by kassa

[BusyOctober]

 

I was happily surprised that Wild Bill didn't react more strongly than he did to the Hansens moving his boat.  I suspect that it's because this is the beginning of the season and Bill is rested.  Do that at the end of the season and Bill would have been ranting a blue streak.

If it were end of the season, I think Bill would have thrown punches and cracked skulls.  He's a guy I would never want angry at me.

 

So, I guess we can all place bets that rehab was a waste of 28 days for Eliot?  I do not see a clean and sober captain.  I see the same old immature whiny brat with the same old monkey on his back. Oh, and I am hating his new affectation/accessory.  Is that an e-cig or battery operated hookah pipe?  I'm not sure I can listen to his delusional rantings again this year.  I'm tired of hearing his nasally bragging about how he's the youngest/baddest/bestest crabber on the high seas.  I'm tired of hearing him bitch how no one respects him, women are all whores, and how much he loves his kids.  The only thing Eliot excels at is being an a-hole.

 

Money must be good for Jonathan and Andy if they could blow $12k on 6 min worth of fireworks! 

[millennium]

Judging by Junior's Facebook and Twitter, he has retired.   He's in a lot of pain.

 

The rap music at the outset was a turnoff.

 

So was Elliott's weasely face.

 

Not looking forward to more of Jake Harris' contrived drama.

 

Very excited for the typhoon episodes.

 

Can't believe Sig went 48 hours with no sleep.   Maybe it seemed heroic at the time but as we saw it was extremely reckless, maybe even stupid.   He went a mile off course.

 

If Keith's body mass increases by 20% each season, how big will he be in 5 years?

 

Wonder how the  quota/firing scandal has divided the Hillstrand family.

[walnutqueen]

I feel truly sorry for Elliot's dad.  He should be enjoying his retirement instead of carrying the load for his shiftless junkie son.

 

Wild Bill may well be mellowing a tiny bit in his old age, since he actually took the prank quite well.  I think the Hansens and the Hillstrands still miss trading pranks with Phil Harris, though.

 

The less said about Josh, the better.  And I don't miss Junior one bit.

[NEGirl]

It was Josh on the show not Jake.  Elliott is a jerk who could not be more disrespectufl to his father, who is there to help him.  I doubt he is 99.9 % clean.  His feet never stopped moving. His poor crew, they deserve better.  It looked like he was smoking an e-cig but not sure since I have never smoked.  Wild Bill was pretty calm considering...

Edited April 15, 2015 by NEGirl

[millennium]

It was Josh on the show not Jake. 

 

My bad.  Thanks for the correction.    But Josh or Jake, they're both people I don't want on my television.

[walnutqueen]

I brought this over from the Housewives forum, because the Season 11 Deadliest Catch premier (and The Bait) killed it!

 

 

 

BH NYC Ratings for APR 14TH

Edited April 15, 2015 by walnutqueen

[millennium]

The quotas for Nielsen viewers are higher this year.

[NEGirl]

Wow-it sure did !   Jake does not bother me. He has not been on the show for 3 years and I think he derserves a break. He is not front and center on camera like Josh. His personal life is his business. He has no responsibility to become a fisherman if he does not want to.  After all, Phil chose what he wanted to do.   Josh needs to step up and decide whether he just wants to be an owner and let Casey run the boat or really be a captain, learn everything he can from Casey, and become the captain he says he wants to be. Next week kooks like it will feature the CM.

[BlackMamba]

The quotas for Nielsen viewers are higher this year.

But their demos are what Bravo are looking at. .80 makes them pleased.

[pally]

Judging by the California Maritime University dad mug and the pennant in his berth, it looks like Sig got Mandy to go to college after all.  Eliiott looks like a heroin/meth addict.  I get creeped out every time he is on screen. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Wild Bill looked like he was read to kill some people, but glad he managed to take it in stride.

Don't really miss Jr., but I hope his back eventually heals.

I feel more sorry for Casey than Josh; Casey seems like a nice guy and a pretty good captain.

Elliot...honestly, when they showed him not wanting to get out of bed, I had the thought that he may have actually been doing drugs instead of sleeping.

What has become of Sunshine/Moonbeam???

I was glad to see the one guy back on the cape caution; the one who had the concussion last year.

[NEGirl]

When I saw Elliott could not get out of bed I thought the same thing.  99.9 % clean my ass. The guy is 32-33 years old  and acts like he is 20.  His poor father, he deserves better.

They never should have let Sig go 48 hours without sleep-he was a danger driving the boat. Sig had mentioned Mandy going to college-good for her. I am sure she will do well.

[auntieminem]

When I saw Elliott could not get out of bed I thought the same thing.  99.9 % clean my ass. The guy is 32-33 years old  and acts like he is 20.  His poor father, he deserves better.

They never should have let Sig go 48 hours without sleep-he was a danger driving the boat. Sig had mentioned Mandy going to college-good for her. I am sure she will do well.

I feel so bad for his Dad.  On the look back show I teared up for his dad.  I think it might be time for some tough love from his dad.  

[kassa]

Judging by the California Maritime University dad mug and the pennant in his berth, it looks like Sig got Mandy to go to college after all.

 

 

On the marathon (or was it The Bait?) they did say she now goes there and showed her in her uniform, grinning from ear to ear, standing in front of some kind of bunk.  

 

Seeing the pennant and mug and sweatshirt made me grin.  Very proud Daddy!

[LGGirl]

How come every time I see Elliot on my screen I want to take a shower?

[Tielsmomma]

I would rather have Junior over Eliot any day. I cannot stand him.

[daughtersofanarchy]

That Coast Guard rescue was amazing, a heart-stopper.

 

Boy, it sure looked like Wild Bill's boat almost capsized at one point during that engine scare.

 

Yeah, I feel sorry for Casey, too.  Hope he can find a better gig.  His insides are going to be one big ulcer if he sticks around the Cornelia Marie. 

 

Overall, a great opener for the season.

[NEGirl]

Casey owns 25% just like Phil did when he captained the CM. He has an investment in it so he is goning have to make it work.  Josh is lucky to have him and needs to listen and learn from what he has to say.

I'm guessing there will be trying times for the both of them. Josh is not Cornelia Devlin who ran boats for years with her then husband and "knew"  the business.

I'm sorry Junior had to retire(it was his living) and hope his back gets better. However I am glad he is not on the show.

[terrymct]

Casey owns 25% just like Phil did when he captained the CM. He has an investment in it so he is goning have to make it work.  Josh is lucky to have him and needs to listen and learn from what he has to say.

I'm guessing there will be trying times for the both of them. Josh is not Cornelia Devlin who ran boats for years with her then husband and "knew"  the business.

 

Josh still has a lot of growing up to do.   It still seems likes he's in this mainly for his story line on the show rather than a dedication to the business of crabbing.  Yes, Josh, boats break down.  Yes, as the owner you are on the hook for the cost.  It's part of the gamble you're taking.  Sometimes the season goes great and you make a lot of money.  Then there are other seasons where things go wrong and you find a way through.

[rainsmom]

Eliiott looks like a heroin/meth addict.  I get creeped out every time he is on screen. 

 

I'm glad a couple of people upscreen said he was carrying an e-cig or something like that. I sincerely thought he walked out with a meth pipe in his hand.

 

No way dude is clean.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I was shocked at how good this ep was.  We got more inside dope about the real effects of quota and harvest limits set by the government.  I've never heard the various crews being more real than in their reactions to the various circumstances in which they found themselves.

 

Did the CM ownership sell out at the best possible time, or what?!  I am very happy for them.  Now, just what purpose was served by Josh flying up to Sandpoint, or wherever?  Casey had it all handled.  Josh was just another observer who would only get in the way.  The ship had to come down to Dutch to grab pots, so it wasn't a matter of Josh catching up to them before they went out to fish.

 

How smart was Sig to go further North, into cooler waters, when the usual grounds were experiencing record warmth?  I wish I knew the hold capacity for the NW.  Was it possible for them to bring in the quota for an entire season?  How many trips would they have had to make?  Sig had not one but two capable guys to relieve him.  His 48-hour marathon made little sense to me.  

 

Disco actually paid off on some of the bragging it did about the new electronics they were touting.  That opening under the buoy was gorgeous.  I look forward to seeing crabs actually entering pots on the sea bed and other such innovations.

 

I thought the Cape stunt was fantastic.  Once Bill figured out it was a quasi-Disco stunt and not some actual theft, he gave props, too.  I doubt seriously that the Hillstrands paid for the fireworks without full Disco reimbursement.

 

I am more convinced than ever that Johnathan blames his son for getting fired.  That guy has never been a wallflower when it comes to expressing passion.  He is not at all good at acting.  If he is pissed, we know about it.  I looked intently at his eyes as he described what happened and I saw no anger whatsoever.  My guess, along with many others, is that Scotty added the proverbial straw that broke Andy's back.

 

I was never a Junior fan and I wonder how much karma has to do with his plight.  

 

I do not get Keith's vitriol about his lost quota.  Unless his former partner refused the same, or better, money from Keith than the new arrangement he went with, what is his point?  It's business.  Cash talks.  I am pretty sure that if he outbid the new vessel, Keith would have been sure to shout that fact loud and proud.  

Edited April 18, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[auntieminem]

I do not understand why DC follows the Saga and Elliot when there are other far more competent, deserving and interesting boats to follow. If they really want to keep this show going they need to toss Elliot and add a far more likable boat that people will cheer for and tune in to watch.  

[Fostersmom]

Did you catch Elliot's comment about rehab?  He said he's mostly clean.   Is that like being mostly a virgin?  I wish they'd have dropped him from the show.

 

I think that's like being a little bit pregnant. 

[NEGirl]

From what I have read on other sites,  most of the boat owneres refuse to be on the show.

[OSM Mom]

I'm not surprised to see that Elliott is still a world class twatwaffle.

[Neurochick]

I am more convinced than ever that Johnathan blames his son for getting fired.  That guy has never been a wallflower when it comes to expressing passion.  He is not at all good at acting.  If he is pissed, we know about it.  I looked intently at his eyes as he described what happened and I saw no anger whatsoever.  My guess, along with many others, is that Scotty added the proverbial straw that broke Andy's back.

 

 

Scotty put his father in an uncomfortable position.   He knows how close Andy and Jon are.  Maybe Scotty thought his father would back him instead of Andy.

[clod]

what did Scotty do to get fired?

[justjen]

I finally finished watching this episode this weekend and then had some thoughts I wanted to share here. Can we assume from his absence on The Bait AND Jon asking if Elliott was going to be on The Saga that maybe we won't get any Elliott on The Bait this year? How does Elliott stay insured when he states on national television he's mostly clean. Isn't that one of the manymanymany reasons Jake Harris couldn't return?

[kassa]

what did Scotty do to get fired?

 

 

The Time Bandit was having mechanical difficulties and their ability to fish their quota was in question, and therefore their ability to make the money to pay for the repairs/their other bills.  Scotty decided that that was the perfect time to ask if he could take some of it to get himself a good spot on another boat.  

 

Andy has wanted him gone for years, and this was just his excuse, as far as I can see. Maybe a damned good one, but Andy wanted him gone at least two years ago when he was bitching about him not living on the boat year round, the way he and Jon did coming up, the way they all think the young guys need to do to pay their dues.

[Fostersmom]

Not for nothing, all the guys who paid their dues, how many of them have happy and healthy relationships with their families? How many of them didn't end up addicts or alcoholics? Did any of them? Jon and Andy both have had drug and alcohol problems. Same with Edgar and Phil. Pretty much all of them have dysfunctional family relationships with their siblings or kids. Can't say I blame Scotty for wanting to go against traditions and maybe possibly have a semi normal life. 

[NEGirl]

Andy, John, Edgar, and of course Phil all had substance abuse issues. According to the book on Phii(which he half wrote before passing), he was fired for being found drunk and paased out at the wheel  when the owner of the boat he was captaining made a surprise visit. Sadly, despite doctors orders, Phil was still drinking and dabling in drug use almost up to his death. Phil's lifestyle had caught up with him. And, from looks of Johnathan, it looks like it has also caught up to him too.  Andy, Wild Bill and Phil all wound up divorced. I don't blame Scott for not wanting to spend 10 months a year on a boat.  He at least want to have a relationship with his son.

[SweePea59]

I wouldn't blame it on the boats. Look at the age of these guys. How old were they in the 70's?  They were part of the drug culture of the time. Look at television shows of the 70's for a reflection of acceptable drinking back in the day.

 

As to Scotty, also note that many children of alcoholics don't develop drinking problems because they have seen the damage that it can do and sometimes go to the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

And also consider the daredevil attitude and all that goes with it that it must take to do this kind of fishing. Not that that means only substance abusers do it, but maybe a large percent.

 

And as to Jonathan, I think it was when he got thrown and broke his ribs that "everything caught up to him". Sometimes a big shock to your body changes everything and can set all sorts of health things loose.

 

Just my extraneous thoughts on the conversation.

Edited April 21, 2015 by SweePea59

[NEGirl]

Alcohol and substance abuse are inhert. diseases. It is a 50/50 chance of inhert. the disease. Obviously, Jake got the short end of the deal.  Josh can also drink like a fish from the partying pics he posts. Phil partyed very hard, all in front of his kids without thinking about the damage it can cause. Josh said one of his first memories of his father was of him drinking down a larege bottle of vodka in the moring and then going back to bed.  John's partying lifestyle has finally caught up with him. That bull accident did not help. Watch the recap shows and see how much Phil's heath went down hill in a short period of time.  Very sad.

[kassa]

Can't say I blame Scotty for wanting to go against traditions and maybe possibly have a semi normal life.

 

 

I don't at all.  The moment I liked Scotty most in the entire series was when he was sitting in the wheelhouse in an early season, looking at photos of his baby son, and saying he didn't want to end up a middle aged asshole who was never there.

 

It's a typical family business problem, really -- the work ethic that establishes the business is normally not sustainable by subsequent generations.  Somebody hungry, coming in with nothing, like Keith or Jake Anderson, they'll put in the time because that's what they need to do.  And there are a certain number of people who are hard driving, thrive on adrenaline and love the money and lifestyle, even if they're second generation.

 

But I'm guessing eventually the next generation sells the boat or hires people for the day to day or least pleasant work, or lease their quota and pursue other things.   

 

 

I don't think it was just the drug culture of the day -- the money for crab fishing in the 70s was completely insane.  Phil and Sig both mentioned making more money fishing in a few weeks than their teachers made all year.  They could pay cash for sportscars (and wreck them -- but no harm... they'd have tens of thousands coming in in a few months!)

 

 

I don't know if it was in The Bait or interviews during the marathon, but I loved that Jake seemed to be following Sig's example and citing how his money had to go into "investments."  And I assume we're not talking the stock market, but stuff like buying your own home outright, setting aside retirement money, making sure you've got money set aside if you will owe taxes on April 15 -- in short, te stuff that guys who blow through hundreds of thousands of dollars in their lifetime aren't paying attention to at 30.

[NEGirl]

Kassa- very true. For people like Phil I think drugs and alcohol were always an issue. I remember seeing an interview of him where he stated he blew a few  million dollars before it dawned on him to start saving.

It is always difficlult to maintain a business with the second and third generation.  At that point, I would guess the smart ones hire someone to captain the boat and hire a crew. While the family is strictly the owners.  Eventually,  Josh will have to decide what he wants to do as being a captain seems like only a "part-time" venture for him.

[Ghost Bear]

For those of you stuck with the TwitterTrash during the prime time showing, you'll be pleased to know the rebroadcast (I think at 1 am EST?) doesn't have any of it at all! Which is when we record it because of other Tuesday show conflicts.

 

I'm glad they did pull all the corner screen crap from the regular DC episodes. Such a waste of screen space.

[NEGirl]

I agree-thanks for the heads up. I find those stupid tweets so annoying too.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

If Scotty wants a job which is more family-friendly, he can go find one.  No worries.  If he thinks he can find one with his skill set that allows him to take weeks off at a a time and pays as well as crabbing?  Issue.  If he thinks he can work his way into a captain's chair without sacrificing mightily to get it and to keep it?  Issue.  It's classic.  Each generation, more and  more, expects an easier, softer, path to wealth.  One thing that is different here is that I am pretty sure his dad and his uncles explained to him from a very early age that he would have to work his tuchas off if he ever dreamed of a career on the Bering Sea.  Yet, he still expected the practice of nepotism to cut him breaks.  

[clod]

how many months per year would a standard deckhand on this show work?

[NEGirl]

Scott owns a  construction company(Hillstrand Construction),  which he promotes on his FB page. I would guess he only wants to do opies and king crab and do the construction the rest of the year. That way he can be home.

Edited April 26, 2015 by NEGirl

[kassa]

That's the issue that the captains have with deckhands.  They make pretty much all their money in King crab and opies... but the boat needs to work year round.  So you give the opportunity to fish the crab (and make the bucks) to the guys who are tendering salmon, scraping the rust off the boat, painting the boat, refurbishing the engines, and repairing the pots the other ten months of the year.  

 

It's come up multiple times over the years --- if you want to make the money, you have to do the boring stuff year round, and since the boat is working year round, that means you're on the boat year round.  If they give a prize position on deck to family, that's a kick in the face to the guy who's been doing all the hard boring stuff that the family member feels he's above.    

Edited April 27, 2015 by kassa