S11.E03: The Ultimatum

[thewhiteowl]

 

A fire threatens the Cornelia Marie; Keith has a showdown with his crew on the Wizard; Sig receives a shocking surprise aboard the Northwestern.

 

 

[HoodlumSheep]

Bravo Elliot! I enjoyed his segment tonight. Why can't we have a focused, very capable Cpt. Elliot every week? Hopefully he stays focused.

More Cpt. Casey please. At least there was minimal Josh.

I'm surprised we didn't get any Wild Bill this week, seeing how he didn't really get shown last week either.

Happy that Sig hit the jackpot, and he seems to be handling Edgar's departure well enough.

I too, am surprised at Roger(?)'s behavior. How many seasons has he worked on the Wizard? And I'm supposed to believe a somewhat lazy (but also injured) crewman and no crab is what causes him to throw in an ultimatum? The same with the other guy (There were two people who were going to quit right?). They've had far worse crewmen/greenhorns, and they've hit bad strings before, so I don't understand his logic.

[millennium]

It's what I was saying about Elliot last week -- he's a jerk, but good in an emergency.

 

Compare to Josh "I hope Casey can fix it" Harris.   He didn't even watch the repair.  How's he supposed to learn?

 

I think Keith should have thrown Roger overboard for emphasis during that meeting on deck.  "Anybody else got something to say?"

 

I hate the contrived peril "Will Josh land on the crab and save himself from bankruptcy?"   In all these years, have we ever seen ANY ship go back to port emptyhanded?   They stay out until they hit the crab, so sooner or later they will hit it.   It's never a question.   It grates on me.

[NEGirl]

Millennium - I could not agree with you more regarding the made up drama over whether   "will Josh go bankrupt".   That's all he kept saying last week and this week. We know the CM did not because it is still in operation. The CM just underwent a big  overhaul: new paint job, new engines, gutted and rebuilt galley and I think sleeping quaters, He freaks out over every little break down before waiting to see if it can be fixed by Casey of course. Casey improvising and using the 50 cent clip was awesome. I said it before, but Josh is lucky to have him.

 

Elliott can be a jerk and has his problems, but sure knows how to fix his boat. Using that old time fishing method from the 60's to repair to cage lifter think(forget the name).  Josh should take a lesson from him on that.

 

I missed the part about Roger - did hurt his back? Hasn't he been fishing for years?

 

I am  glad to see Edgar is getting this back/neck taken care of. I guess that is setting up for

Jake A. to fish bairdai. Over all I thought the show was kind of boring this week.

Edited April 29, 2015 by NEGirl

[BusyOctober]

Eliot was a smidge less intolerable this week, but I still can't stand the guy.  His ego is way too big and I'm sick of hearing how he has the biggest quota, he's the youngest owner/captain in the fleet, he's the baddest bad ass in the entire world...blah-di-blah blah.  At least I haven't heard him bring his kids or his ex into his diatribe...yet.

 

NEGirl said the CM has undergone big repairs so I hope they were done by a quality shop and last a season or two!  That boat seems to have more mechanical failures than the others.  Maybe b/c it's older? Or it's been neglected due to lack of money?  I know repairs and maintenance are huge costs so the captains/engineers may make due with patch jobs until they can't rely on paper clips and rubber bands anymore.  I don't like Josh Harris at all. I think he is a lazy ass fame whore.  Maybe all the break downs on the CM aren't directly his fault, but his attitude and lack of interest in really running the CM just add to my opinion that Josh is lazy and neglectful as an owner. He is there for the cameras and a disco paycheck. He's not really invested in becoming the kind of captain Sig, Keith, Bill, Andy, Jon and even Eliot (!!!) are.

 

My love for Sig and everyone on the Northwestern grows every year! 

[HoodlumSheep]

Compare to Josh "I hope Casey can fix it" Harris. He didn't even watch the repair. How's he supposed to learn?

I think Keith should have thrown Roger overboard for emphasis during that meeting on deck. "Anybody else got something to say?"

Lol at the Keith comment! The situation is still so weird. I still don't see how this, out of all the situations they've ever faced (many much much worse), is what causes him to try backing Keith into an ultimatum. The rest of the crew may have seemed low in spirits, but they looked like they were just going to push through (because they understand you don't always hit the crab).

To be a bit more fair with Josh, Casey does keep telling him to sit there and keep driving the boat while he goes and fixes the problem. Granted, Josh is all too happy to do just that, and doesn't bother going, "hey, maybe I should come watch," but if Casey has taken it upon himself to fix every little thing, he's going to become part of he "Can Josh become a capable captain?" problem too because he's not taking the time to teach Josh these things.

[kassa]

I propose a game of Bingo for every episode's Cornelia Marie scenes.  Boxes could include:

 

Phil's name spoken

Phil's picture or film clip shown

Bonus points for deathbed clips

Phil's memorial wheelhouse plaque shown

Josh says "my boat"

Casey condescends to Josh in such a mild way that it goes over his head

Casey smacks the controls out of Josh's hand and maneuvers the boat from behind the captain's chair

 

Things I really liked:

 

cool shot of Sig from outside the wheelhouse looking back in.  

 

capable Elliott returning to the screen after a long absence.  I don't think there's much doubt he can be very successful (even as successful as he likes to think he already is) if he gets his addiction and personal life under control.  He's obviously super capable mechanically and he seems to get the job done.

 

Commercial for Joe's Crab Shack featuring Casey, CAPTAIN of the Cornelia Marie, with Josh not distinguished from the rest of the crew

 

The fact that the chase boat was right on hand, so though the fire risk was genuine and no doubt incredibly scary, they weren't in the middle of nowhere with no rescuers in sight.  Of course everybody in the engine room might have been blown to smithereens by a stray spark, but Josh could have grabbed one of the cameras and a selfie stick and jumped out the wheelhouse window to safety.

 

I didn't mind Keith's ire -- when the guy said "I'm not the kind of guy to issue an ultimatum" I said aloud "then don't start now" which I'm sure is what Keith was thinking.  I'm not sure if they had previously complained.  Seems like a "hey, Keith, his back is obviously good enough to be spraypainting -- can you ask him to make us some sandwiches since our asking him doesn't seem to have made any difference in his arts and crafts agenda?"

 

Nobody I know with a bad back could sit cross legged on the floor and make sweeping motions like that with their arms.  

Edited April 29, 2015 by kassa

[Galloway Cave]

 

Commercial for Joe's Crab Shack featuring Casey, CAPTAIN of the Cornelia Marie, with Josh not distinguished from the rest of the crew

Hell, even Mike Rowe's VOs kept referring to "Josh and Captain Casey". Just a mild dig from Disco.

[Neurochick]

The thing about Josh is, he really should just be a boat owner and let Casey be the captain.  The reason Josh doesn't want to do that, probably, is that as boat owner, he won't get to be on TV.

[merylinkid]

Elliott has always been good with fixing the boat.   But he still sucks as a captain.   He treats his crew like crap.   He does not always find the crab.   Remember he got fired from his last job because he endangered the boat and still didn't find the crab.   Remember, he had to be ordered back to port by the boat owner during that bad storm because he was going to stay out in it and possibly get everyone killed.   Just to prove how bad ass he was.

 

He has also admitted he hates fishing.   But he doesn't know what else he can do and make as much money.   Dude, go be a mechanic somewhere.   Clearly you are good with that.   You can make damn good money with that and see those kids you claim are so important to you a lot more.   

 

Until Elliott stops whinining about his life alternating that with bragging about how awesome he is, I am never going to like him or think much of him as a captain.

[NEGirl]

That sounds like a good idea for a game. It could go on forever because disco never stops with the Phil references. It pissses me off because they built him up to be  the best captain on the bearing sea and father of the year. Which after last week, we learned was anything but the truth.

In all truth, I think if Jake was on the boat he would be much more involved in learning the engine room and captaining the boat. He always seemed more capable and interested than Josh. If I remember right, Phil had made him deck boss in around 2009. I remember him jumping out of bed and being the first one up when the alarms went off for some engine problem while Josh took his time and stood around. However,  Josh would not have been a help anyway because at that time he was only on the boat for the money, tv and to be with his father and brother. BTW - You can go to the CM FB page and see all the new stuff they have done to the boat. It looks like it was completely redone.

 

It's sad that someone like Elliott who has so much talent to run a boat but can never get beyond his numerous, numerous problems.  I agree, no other captain would have gone up there to fix that thing. However, that being said, he still gets on my nerves. I am so tired of him going on and on about being the yougest captain because he is not. He is 33-34 years old. Casey and Josh are both younger than him. Also, your right, he never seems to care to much his crew. Especially when he wanted to keep fishing during that hurricane-that was insane.

 

The NW is such a well run boat, they never seem to have too many problems.

Edited April 29, 2015 by NEGirl

[kassa]

I think the NW is a business, not a vanity project or a means to make a living or a complete lifestyle.  The Hansens have always put money back into the boat, something that a lot of the other boats seem not to have done.  And maybe it's easier because the owners are working on it and know directly how it's in their best interest to have the best equipment, as opposed to just wanting their dividend check. And truth be told, a lot of it is probably a lack of alimony and child support payments needing to be made.  

 

Saw Jake and Sig on the Steve Harvey show yesterday, and for the first time I heard Jake come right out and say how much he owes Sig for taking him off the street and giving him a life.  He didn't just say he's "like" a father to him, he said Sig doesn't have a son, so he kind of made me his son, and "he gave me a job, and a house, and two cars, and my wife!"  And Sig just stood there beaming.  

 

But that ties into the "business" aspect that the NW operation has (and to a certain extent Keith has, I'm sure, except that he doesn't own his boat and quota outright, which ties his hands a great deal).  You get paid, you pay your mortgage before you spend 10K on fireworks (or drugs).  

 

If Jake does take over and run the boat for bairdi, I will be really psyched.  Edgar's injury may have moved the timeline up a few years, but how wonderful for them all that Jake is there ready to go.  If they can get Jake set up for the next 20 years they can all eventually stay home and cash their owner checks, or just do the more placid fishing/tendering.   

[Neurochick]

In all truth, I think if Jake was on the boat he would be much more involved in learning the engine room and captaining the boat. He always seemed more capable and interested than Josh. If I remember right, Phil had made him deck boss in around 2009. I remember him jumping out of bed and being the first one up when the alarms went off for some engine problem while Josh took his time and stood around.

 

 

That's true and I think Phil knew that.  He even said that Jake's heart was more into it than Josh's; in fact I think Jake was on the CM before Josh.  

 

I sometimes think it's a cop out to say, "oh, TV ruined them."  Jake would have been an addict with or without the show.  TV isn't all bad, Discovery isn't all bad.  I mean if these folks thought it was awful, then don't be on the show.

[NEGirl]

Jake and Josh were  "ruined"  by an physically abuse alcoholic/drug addicted step-mother.  Phil knew they were being abused and  never lifted a hand to help them.  He took them from their mother when they were 8 & 5 and  left them in the care of their step-mother.  Last week Josh said Phil was gone 11 months a year, and the one month a year he was home he was always drunk and/or high and partying. They received no love, structure, guidance, or direction. They were raised in a dysf. house by two addicts who should never have had two small children in their care. Jake is an addict because Phil was an addict and addiction is an inhert. disease.  Josh said  last week Jake received the worse of the abuse.  I bet Josh only touched on a small amount of what went on in that house. There is no way Jake and Josh could not be affected when being raised in that type of household. In my opinion, Jake appears to be the one most affected by the abuse and the lifestyle led by Phil and their step-mother.  Jake first fished in Oct.2004, after he graduated from HS  before DC.  He was only 19 when he first appeared on DC. In hindsight, it would probably have been better if he was never filmed.

Edited April 29, 2015 by NEGirl

[terrymct]

It's what I was saying about Elliot last week -- he's a jerk, but good in an emergency.

 

Compare to Josh "I hope Casey can fix it" Harris.   He didn't even watch the repair.  How's he supposed to learn?

 

I think Keith should have thrown Roger overboard for emphasis during that meeting on deck.  "Anybody else got something to say?"

 

I hate the contrived peril "Will Josh land on the crab and save himself from bankruptcy?"   In all these years, have we ever seen ANY ship go back to port emptyhanded?   They stay out until they hit the crab, so sooner or later they will hit it.   It's never a question.   It grates on me.

 

 

Elliot COULD be a successful captain if he wasn't a drug addict (who only seems to be semi-rehabilitated) and a dirt bag personally.  He has skills, but that gets lost in his personal drama.

 

Josh doesn't actually want to be in the crabbing business.  He wants to be a tv star on a show about crabbing.  He can talk a good game, but when it gets down to it he's not really interested in the actual work just the cameras.  The producers are still trying to milk the love so many of us had for Phil by pushing this redemption storyline for Josh.   Josh's path toward bankruptcy isn't paved with empty crab pots.  It's paved with his own bad decision making about taking out loans and expectations for seasons without mechanical issues and the like.   He's an idiot and should know the ups and downs of this business after the seasons he's spent at sea and from watching and listening to his father most of his life.

 

I run hot and cold on Keith, but this week I was fully on his side.  Nip that crud in the bud.  That crewman should have known better.  This isn't his first trip out with Keith.

That's true and I think Phil knew that.  He even said that Jake's heart was more into it than Josh's; in fact I think Jake was on the CM before Josh.  

 

I sometimes think it's a cop out to say, "oh, TV ruined them."  Jake would have been an addict with or without the show.  TV isn't all bad, Discovery isn't all bad.  I mean if these folks thought it was awful, then don't be on the show.

 

 

I think TV just delayed Jake's crash a little and then made it more of a public spectacle.   For Josh, it's extended the amount of time he has spent in the industry.  He'd be off trying to be a rapper or something by now otherwise or just sitting around complaining.

Jake and Josh were  "ruined"  by an physically abuse alcoholic/drug addicted step-mother.  Phil knew they were being abused and  never lifted a hand to help them.  He took them from their mother when they were 8 & 5 and  left them in the care of their step-mother.  Last week Josh said Phil was gone 11 months a year, and the one month a year he was home he was always drunk and/or high and partying. They received no love, structure, guidance, or direction. They were raised in a dysf. house by two addicts who should never have had two small children in their care. Jake is an addict because Phil was an addict and addiction is an inhert. disease.  Josh said  last week Jake received the worse of the abuse.  I bet Josh only touched on a small amount of what went on in that house. There is no way Jake and Josh could not be affected when being raised in that type of household. In my opinion, Jake appears to be the one most affected by the abuse and the lifestyle led by Phil and their step-mother.  Jake first fished in Oct.2004, after he graduated from HS  before DC.  He was only 19 when he first appeared on DC. In hindsight, it would probably have been better if he was never filmed.

 

 

It doesn't seem like their actual mother was a peach, either.    I agree that both sons are a product of their environment with a good dose of genetic predisposition to addiction.   Phil managed to have all the weak characteristics and still be functional professionally.  His boys do not.  I think that personality can play a role in that difference.  Sometimes there are people who are driven or have some kind of spark in them that rise above the hand they're dealt.  That's rare, though, I suspect.

[millennium]

I don't get the love for Phil.   By all accounts he was an absentee father, left his kids with an abusive mother, one son developed a serious drug problem and the other is ... well, Josh.    

[NEGirl]

TerryMCT - I think the difference between Josh, Jake and Phil, was that Phil was not raised enduring a physically abusive childhood. He was not raised by two substance addicted parents who were incapable of raising children. Josh and Jake were raised by addicts, in a addiction fuled home, with no love or guidance. Phil was an absent and indifferent parent, and when home was always drunk and high, and life was a never ending party. I think the saddest thing was Phil knew his kids, especially Jake, were being physically abused and did nothing to stop it.  In the book on Phil, Josh states he was thorown out of the house at 15, and Phil just said he would have to make it on his own. I had read an interview years ago and Jake stated he left at 14.  How may people let a 14 & 15 year old leave home?  Just my opinion, but it appears Jake has suffered severe psychological effects of the abuse and obviously inhert. Phil's addiction problems. According to the book, despite what disco and Phil led everyone to believe, he contiunued to drink, smoke, and dable in drugs almost up to his death. In addition he did not have medical clearance to be on the boat. When he had the first embolism he was told he could never fish again aand chose to ingnore the advise of his doctors.

Josh & Jake are a product of the environment they were raised in and their behavior should not surprise anyone. Josh just does a better job of "managing" his image(with the help of disco) despite his constant boozing and partying.

[kassa]

I don't blame Discovery or the producers, but I do think that in somebody predisposed for whatever reason to addiction, a sudden thrust into the spotlight where people at every airport bar want to buy you a drink and party with you is the worst possible atmosphere.  It obviously affected the other guys, too, but they already had decades of living anonymously under their belts.

 

I think you could make a strong case for Andy falling off the wagon for many of the same reasons -- life off the boat became a party, and old habits die hard.  Remember that season when he was drunk in every personal appearance video/nasty dry drunk on the boat?  He seems to have leveled off, and good for him, but I think his odds for lifetime sobriety (and an enduring marriage) would have been better if his off the boat time had remained going home to the wife and kids and horses instead of personal appearances around the world.  

 

Not making light of the power of addiction -- just saying sudden notoriety is a strong aggravating factor.  

[terrymct]

I don't get the love for Phil.   By all accounts he was an absentee father, left his kids with an abusive mother, one son developed a serious drug problem and the other is ... well, Josh.    

 

Many of us fell in love with him without really knowing the story of his wives or the truth of the story of his sons.  Phil was charming, wild, but got the job done.

TerryMCT - I think the difference between Josh, Jake and Phil, was that Phil was not raised enduring a physically abusive childhood. 

 

 

We don't really know the in depth details of Phil's childhood from what I've seen.  Glimpses about him going to see young, being a wild man, blowing throw money, but not really a discussion of his parents and his relationship with them.   We didn't know the whole story with Josh and Jake, other than that Phil wasn't around, until recently.

 

I agree that Josh and Jake would have been better off being raised by wolves.  The mother and the step mother were a terrible and Dad was rarely around.

[NEGirl]

Phil's mom died from cancer when he was eight. On one show he mentioned about being close to a step-mother who had passed while he was on disco, from an embolism.  I understand about how everyone fell for Phil, I did to. He added a lot to the show. However, after I read the book and then saw the CM special last week, I have no respect for him. I can not imagine knowing my kids were being abused and doing nothing.  He led a live of excess and paid for it at a young age(53).  Jake was only 23 and Josh was only 26 when he died. Phil never thought about his kids until it was too late.

Edited May 1, 2015 by NEGirl

[Tielsmomma]

Elliott has always been good with fixing the boat. But he still sucks as a captain. He treats his crew like crap. He does not always find the crab. Remember he got fired from his last job because he endangered the boat and still didn't find the crab. Remember, he had to be ordered back to port by the boat owner during that bad storm because he was going to stay out in it and possibly get everyone killed. Just to prove how bad ass he was.

He has also admitted he hates fishing. But he doesn't know what else he can do and make as much money. Dude, go be a mechanic somewhere. Clearly you are good with that. You can make damn good money with that and see those kids you claim are so important to you a lot more.

Until Elliott stops whinining about his life alternating that with bragging about how awesome he is, I am never going to like him or think much of him as a captain.

I recall his attitude when the boat was icing over. Both his crew and the camera crew kept telling him the boat was listing and Eliot kept denying it. The chase boat also noted it. Eliot should have lost his license for that alone. Complete disregard for the safety of his crew.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

This is the type of show we would largely get absent the personal narratives.  MORE PLEASE!!!  

 

It was tough for Kevin, but seeing just how primal it really is on the sea was awesome.  And again, we did NOT need Disco edit monkeys to add to the drama.  There was plenty as it was.  You are only as good as the pot right in front of you.  That's the way it has always been and that is how it will always be.  The crew absolutely did have a point about Kevin's refusal to clean up the galley.  As we all saw, he wasn't on death's door for gosh sakes.

 

I loved seeing Jake A. and the crew openly doubting on Sig.  Then, when Sig was affirmed yet again, it was much fun seeing JA declaring he was not worthy.