S11.E10: Lunatic Fringe

[thewhiteowl]

Three boats hit the grounds early; Jonathan struggles with a rogue deckhand; Jake prepares for the birth of his baby; an explosion.

 

 

[merylinkid]

Awww Jake is a daddy.   That was so darn sweet when he was talking to his newborn.    It was nice that Matt was there for him.   Although why wasn't Matt on the NW?   Typical guy didn't know the exact weight of his child.   

 

Is Danny straight up crazy or was that all acting for the cameras?   I mean why would someone that nuts go out on a boat in the middle of the Bering sea?   It had to be playing up for the cameras.   the hiding under the tote was just bizarre.   Did he really think ANYONE on that boat wanted his advice on how to do things?

[HoodlumSheep]

I'm so glad that Cookie Monster is off that boat. He's cuckoo for coco puffs.

I laughed so hard when the launcher piece broke (not at their misfortune), but the universe does not allow Wild Bill to be happy, so when he said things were going good you just knew something was going to go wrong. He jinxed himself. Poor Zack/Zach, clearly he's not meant to be an engineer. I'm surprised Bill doesn't have a designated engineer on the boat. He clearly is the only qualified engineer on the boat. Not gonna lie when they said it was unfixable I yelled, "Edgar could fix it!" Because he probably could somehow.

Sig took Jake's departure well. Why was Matt at the hospital? I know they had mentioned Matt was taking a break or whatever, but what has he been up to? Did he get a break for personal stuff? Did they ever explain that?

[Linderhill]

That Danny guy was definetiy playing to the cameras.  I'm sure he had an agenda.  There was no other reason he would have had that idiotic superhero costume.  Congrats Jake on the baby!

[chriskbrown]

No reason was ever given for Matt taking the trip off. We know that Jake wanting to be a captain put Sig in a hard spot. Jake is probably ready but there is just nowhere for him to be a full time crab skipper on the Northwestern yet. Can see Jake going onto to captain a boat for awhile and coming back to the Northwestern. 

 

Danny was a clown

[breezy424]

I thought Matt was not on the Northwestern because he opened up a vape shop and he's been involved with that. 

 

As sweet as the birth of his son was, I couldn't help but focus on the ridiculously over sized t shirt that Jake was wearing -  just emphasizing his image to me as a little boy.  I still can't believe the guy is 34 years old.

 

Jon should have thrown that guy off the boat the first time they went back to St. Paul's for Phillip.  Yeah, I understand that he needed crew but that guy was scary.  He needs medication.  

 

I love when Bill says, "I'm excited" with a deadpan face.  A part of me also feels that he's too hard on his son.  Hey Bill, maybe if you were around more for your son... I get that your career kept you away but IIRC, you weren't even in his life for years.  Enough that he took his mother's surname.

 

No Edgar.... disappointed. 

[millennium]

At first I was down on Jonathan for giving Danny so much leeway, but in retrospect he managed it well.   No angry scenes, no physical intimidation, he handled Danny the way you'd handle a poisonous snake.  Kept him at arm's length and dropped him over the side at the first opportunity, complete with a police escort.

 

Now watch Jake unwittingly hire Danny to crew on the Saga ...

[Linderhill]

 

Now watch Jake unwittingly hire Danny to crew on the Saga ...

That would be interesting I guess but I'd rather see how Wild Bill or Keith or Sig do with Danny.  I've been imagining Keith's head exploding at some of those antics. 

[BusyOctober]

I missed Danny's threat to the TB.  Why was he taking pictures of the crew/pots?  How did he threaten the boat?  I heard something about "Fish & Game" being all over the boat but I didn't hear the a-hole's entire "evil genius" plot.  Can anyone fill me in?

 

I'm just glad they dumped him.  I wish Jonathan had stopped the boat 10 feet away from the dock and mad the Super Hero jump.

[HoodlumSheep]

He was taking pics of the one/two crabs that were sometimes left in the empty pots. Because that is obviously the worst thing ever and proves that the Hillstrands should not be running a crab boat. Apparently leaving some in the pot is a no-no according to Cookie Monster, but as Axel explained, they eventually release them when they offload.

And yes, it makes absolutely no sense. He also made stupid comments that could be taken as threats (or actually are threats) when he mentioned, "something could go wrong with the engine, etc, etc." (I'm paraphrasing here but he did offhandedly comment on sabotaging the boat). Whether he'd actually go through with it...

Which is one of the reasons Johnathan had to sneak-fire him.

Edited June 17, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Neurochick]

I think Danny was a little bit too in love with the cameras.  

[HoodlumSheep]

I don't know how he thought acting like a lunatic would be a good thing. Whether or not he actually has...issues, it came off kinda hard to tell. He was obviously freaking out the crew, but the part that gets me is that he's been working on crab boats for a number of years. And I'd doubt people would hire him if they knew he behaved like this. So, some of his behavior was probably for the cameras.

Edited June 17, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[NEGirl]

Danny was crazy as hell, but he obviously wanted to "play" for the tv cameras ie:the superman costume. He made a couple of threats regarding Johnathan and the boat. John did the right 

thing - let him sleep and drop him off at the nearest port. Danny was taking pictures of a few crab left in pots that were being stocked. It must be against the law to leave crab in the pots.

 

Poor Zach - he can never win with Wild Bill, I don't think Zach wants to be an engineer or a crab boat captain. He always seems unhappy.

 

Little Aiden Anderson is a little cutie! Congrads to him and Jenna. It will be interesting to see who the deckhands are on the Saga.

Matt apparently did not do opies because he had just opened an e-cig store. I would not be surprised if Sig knew all along that Jake was going to Captain the Saga, disco always has to go for the drama and Sig was way too calm when he heard the news.

Edited June 17, 2015 by NEGirl

[SweePea59]

Do you think that Elliot may have approached Sig first? Or someone else let Sig know Elliot's intentions? Or was it just something logical that everyone was thinking might happen? And that's why Sig was giving Jake a turn in the captain's seat? 

[sigmaforce86]

As sweet as the birth of his son was, I couldn't help but focus on the ridiculously over sized t shirt that Jake was wearing -  just emphasizing his image to me as a little boy.  I still can't believe the guy is 34 years old.

 

The shirt was oversized but it looks like Jake is also much too thin now.  I kept thinking how the camera is supposed to add pounds and if he's even skinnier in person that seems bad because he's starting to look not healthy.  

Loved his reactions when the baby was born - the way he wasn't really reacting at the doctors visit last episode and the beginning of labor it seemed like he couldn't let his emotions out.  Which could also be seen as he doesn't care but I figured that wasn't it.  It was nice to see him so happy and proud with his new family - I hope he can focus more on that and not so much the negatives that seem to worry him all the time.

 

Danny is either A. Completely crazy or B. Completely sane but made a very large bet with his bar buddies that he could get a job on and get fired from a crab boat all in one trip.

[walnutqueen]

Dipshit Danny is most fortunate that

1) a crab pot didn't boink him on the head

2) he didn't "fall" overboard

3) he wasn't duct taped into his bunk for the rest of the trip

 

Jonathan showed amazing restraint. 

 

As did Sig upon hearing the news of Jake's new gig.

 

Loved Matt's fatherly advice to Jake; better to have a boy and just worry about one penis on the block, rather than to have 4 girls and worry about all the penises on the block.  Hilarious!

 

Best of all?  No Josh.

 

Second best?  "Fuck kindergartners"!  heh

[Thumper82003]

I feel Danny was playing to the cameras, at least some of the time. However, his attitudes were demoralizing the crew. That is not just playing to the camera.

I think Danny has pulled some of these tricks before, but kept his rep intact by blackmailing or threatening blackmail about such things as the 1-2 crabs left in the pot. While he was filming it, not doing his job by removing it. He got kicked off the boat early, he mouthed more than work, yet he'll get his full cut. He cost the TB in lower productivity, possibly made conditions more likely to a deadly accident, bullied the greenhorns way more than "usual or necessary". But he walks away with time off, his pay and air tickets home, while the others have to pick up and do 1/3 more work, at least.

It would be interesting to see what his previous captains have to say about him. Probably "doesn't play well with others" but an experienced crabber. The first over rides the second, but he probably threatened his previous crews with blackmail to keep his resume positive. But the TB's cameras documented his behavior like the others did or could not.

Bottom line: crazy, but also crazy like a fox.

Crews talk so I hope they will warn Jake against hiring him for the Saga. Wasn't one of the others from the Saga?

Jake is going to have bigger problems. He's a new captain who has trouble with being respected in the past. This crew went through hell with Elliot's tirades, they are not going to be respectful of anyone. I bet Jake wasn't Elliot's first call for captain. I hope Elliot's father is on board to help Jake.

[kassa]

I'm not generally a Johnathan fan, but I liked him here.  "Fuck kindergarteners!"

 

I think the guy was clearly crazy.  Crazy people can be fame whores, too.  He came loaded with props to be a STAR!  He's lucky that Johnathan has hospitalized too many people to take a chance on doing it again.

 

I was really distracted by what I hope is a tattoo on Jake's chest (showing through the neck hole of his t shirt).  My first thought was that he had some kind of a horrific skin infection, but doubtless the hospital staff would have covered that up, so I talked myself into it being a tattoo.  His pride at being a father was so sweet.  I wish we had had a scene of him actually telling Sig and Edgar about the baby, instead of the chopped up mess we got. I'm still not convinced the timing was as we were shown.  

 

We've seen Edgar and Nick meet their children for the first time at the end of Opie season -- I hope we get a similar scene for Jake (even though they've met, it will be like a whole different baby in that short amount of time).

[estellasmum]

Matt apparently did not do opies because he had just opened an e-cig store. I would not be surprised if Sig knew all along that Jake was going to Captain the Saga, disco always has to go for the drama and Sig was way too calm when he heard the news.

 

Thanks for the info as to why Matt wasn't on the NW. And ITA that Sig had to have known beforehand what that call was going to be about. He was waaayy too calm for that to be the first time he learned about Jake not coming back for opies.

 

 

Crews talk so I hope they will warn Jake against hiring him for the Saga. Wasn't one of the others from the Saga?

Jake is going to have bigger problems. He's a new captain who has trouble with being respected in the past. This crew went through hell with Elliot's tirades, they are not going to be respectful of anyone. I bet Jake wasn't Elliot's first call for captain. I hope Elliot's father is on board to help Jake.

 

He's going to have a hard time with what is left of what I have always called that frat-boy kindergarten mentality (Speaking of kindergarten, as someone who works with kids in grades K-2, I laughed WAY too hard at Johnathan's kindergarten tirade) crew of the Saga, who are used to feeling nothing but (justified) disdain for their captain or whatever group of leftover deckhands that weren't able to get jobs on other boats. I'm sure Jake is very competent at the actual mechanics of being a captain, but doesn't strike me as having the air of supreme authority of a Sig that is going to be needed to keep that rag-tag crew of a boat in line. I understand how badly he wants to captain a ship, but that isn't going to be an ideal job for anyone, and all I see it as is one big set-up for failure for almost anyone who would have taken that job. I just wanted to yell at Jake to run away from that job as fast as he could. I hope it turns out better than I think it will for him.

 

Now that I've figured out why Matt wasn't out, does anyone know why Andy isn't out for opies?

Edited June 17, 2015 by estellasmum

[justjen]

Was anyone else slightly concerned about possible nicotine residue the baby was ingesting while sucking on Jake's pinky? As a former smoker, I know you don't smoke with that finger but that stuff gets on everything and the best soap can't completely wash it out. I liked Jonathan for the first time tonight and I love when they show Matt and Jake loving each other.

[Neurochick]

The only reason Danny didn't get the shit kicked out of him or get thrown off the boat was because of the cameras.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Danny would have made for a great fool/pixie in a story about the TB.  In much of classic literature, that character is the vessel through which real truth (the author's point of view) comes out.  We sure got that with this guy.

 

All I heard and saw on the TB for years was how rad they were.  They were proudly "off" and had their own ways.  They marched to the beat of a different drummer.  It sure helped them become a mainstay on this show, eh?  Now comes along this nutcase and lo and behold, Johnathan and the others pretend like they know nothing of being "individuals" and that they are all about observing standard lines of decorum and honoring personal space!  Yeah, right.  They got one helluva dose of their own medicine.  Didn't taste too good, did it?

 

I am not defending Danny.  He went too far with the veteran crew.  However, he was awesome at calling the Hillestrands on their crap.  Admittedly, they've been better lately about their fierce pride, but for them to protest when this dude held up a mirror rang most hollow to me.

 

The edit monkeys were hard at it, too.  We saw the boys turning pots right around and we saw them stacking, and then turning pots around again.  No way did we get a true sequence of events.

 

What a truly awesome edit for Jake and Aiden and family.  Just fabulous.  Such joy.  I know the call was a set-up, but I love Sig for not getting in Jake's way.  He may believe Jake needs a wee bit  more seasoning - most especially in the portrayal of authority - but he recognized his eaglet is ready to fly.  C'mon Jake!  It sounds weird, but if you project power and confidence, all the craziness which has beset you all your life will magically stay away.  You'll always have problems.  However, the world really isn't out to get you.  I promise.  Just look at Aiden if you want proof!

 

I'm not sure if lacking the push rod replacement was on the engineer.  Seems to me if you, as a captain, recognize you have a weak engineer, it is on YOU to watch over like a hawk as preparations commence.  Also, how many trips did the vessel go out without these parts?  Who were the engineers for all of those?  They all screwed up, eh?

 

Why have we not had one TH about how benign the conditions for Opies were?   I've not seen such after watchung all the seasons of this series.  The record warmth up there was a great friend to them all.  Not. One. Word.   Odd.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Lonesome Rhodes

[BusyOctober]

Maybe I missed it during Jake's call to Sig, but did he ever tell Sig the baby was a boy?  I heard him say "I'm a dad!" but never said the sex or name of the baby.  I know Sig is a "man's man" and all hard shell, but that's a basic question/fact to share with people you've just met, let alone people you've worked with for 8-10 years!

[Neurochick]

I am not defending Danny.  He went too far with the veteran crew.  However, he was awesome at calling the Hillestrands on their crap.  Admittedly, they've been better lately about their fierce pride, but for them to protest when this dude held up a mirror rang most hollow to me.

 

 

I don't know,  yeah, the Hillstrands were like this a few years ago, but they've grown up now.  I think Danny was playing to the camera.  He probably knows the rule in reality TV is the more outrageous you act, the more camera time you get.  Now that he's been on TV, he'll probably try to pick up women with the line, "I was in Deadliest Catch, I was on TV."  

[kassa]

As I recall, Sig's father dropped the captain's chair on him unexpectedly -- went up to Dutch Harbor as usual, then basically threw him the keys, said "good luck with that," and walked away, leaving him no choice but to go out and be a captain.  

 

Sig may have wanted to repeat that little piece of drama at some point and got scooped, but given the editing of the show, for all we know Sig set the whole damn thing up himself anyway.  

 

From all accounts (including his own), Sig was a pretty horrible slave driver those early years.  Obviously Jake won't be that... he will have the opposite problem.  I presume he's stuck with whoever's already there for this season, but should they keep him on, it would be awesome if he could recruit a bunch of older, settled guys who just want to fish and don't want drama.

Edited June 18, 2015 by kassa

[Linderhill]

 

Maybe I missed it during Jake's call to Sig, but did he ever tell Sig the baby was a boy?  I heard him say "I'm a dad!" but never said the sex or name of the baby.  I know Sig is a "man's man" and all hard shell, but that's a basic question/fact to share with people you've just met, let alone people you've worked with for 8-10 years!

If you missed it, I missed it too.  I kept waiting for the "its a boy!" announcement.  When I didnt hear it I thought maybe Jake was too nervous and was rushing to that "I got a captain gig" to get it out of the way.  Or, the Disc. editing chopped it out as unnecessary.  At any rate, I kind of expected  Sig to ask when Jake didn't come out an tell him.

[SweePea59]

As I recall, Sig's father dropped the captain's chair on him unexpectedly -- went up to Dutch Harbor as usual, then basically threw him the keys, said "good luck with that," and walked away, leaving him no choice but to go out and be a captain.  

 

Sig may have wanted to repeat that little piece of drama at some point and got scooped, but given the editing of the show, for all we know Sig set the whole damn thing up himself anyway.  

 

Upon watching the episode a second time, and thinking about your suggestion here, I really do wonder if Sig was behind Jake getting the gig on the Saga.

[MelinaBallerina]

Considering the timing, I'd agree that Sig already knew what was up.  It was presented that this call happened while Sig was fishing over New Years, but it's been confirmed that Jake's baby didn't get born until around January 21st.  So this call was definitely set up afterwards.

(edited for duplicate paragraphs)

Edited June 22, 2015 by MelinaBallerina