S10.E01: Careful What You Wish For

[Lisin]

With a shortened season, the fleet works harder to make the market deadline; a boat goes up in flames.

Edited April 29, 2014 by stacey
Date testing

[merylinkid]

Call me sappy (Hi Sappy.  There I saved everyone time) but I just love the blessing of the fleet each year.  

Speaking of which, Wild Bill do not diss the voodoo.   You might not believe in it, but Baron Samedi, he believe in you, cher.  Also, I see you broke another greenhorn.  Why did you leave it up to Zach to train him.   THe guy has no experience training people, you don't just throw him into doing it.  Especially because he learned from you which is to yell at the trainee.

Did I hear there are THREE greenhorns on the Wizard?  Good heavens Keith, you like to really push it don't you?

Almost forgot -- Elliot can get off my screen anytime.   Whiny spoiled brat.  

Edited April 23, 2014 by merylinkid

[Steff]

Edgar! *squeeeeee* 

 

I believe it's 3 greenhorns on the Time Bandit. On the Bait, they said there were no greenhorns on the Wizard this year. 

[JTMacc99]

What is a season without greenhorns on the Wizard?

Man, Junior made me uncomfortable just looking at him.  How the heck is he going to get through the season like that?

[terrymct]

That was a good season premier.  We got to see a slice of the real world business of fishing and the impacts of the government furlough.   I really liked the new Cajun greenhorn, too.  He's not a newbie idiot (like the guy last year).  He has real commercial fishing experience, but in a very different fishery.  Watching him working to fit it and responding to the rigors of the red crab fishing was interesting.  I'm surprised he didn't know enough to eat and drink water regularly, though.   The Time Bandit guys are back in their stride.  Freddie is back to being an eccentric hard ass who can out work anyone, not the mean psycho we saw last year.  Junior was painful to watch.  I wonder why he didn't have the other guy run the ship right away.  I guess he was hoping he'd feel better after some sleep.  He's going to have a long and painful season.  It was stupid of him to go to sea rather than have that surgery.

A huge plus for premier:  Not a single sign of Jake and Josh.   Those guys need some time away from the cameras to work out their lives.

[Fostersmom]

Just last night I was missing the Rollo and it's crunchy granola Captain Eric. 

[ShellSeeker]

Am I the only one who thought it was selfish and self-indulgent of Junior to take the boat out when he is clearly in no shape to run it? Was it an ego thing, or did he really think he'd be able to muddle through?

[Soopertater]

Josh is not on the show now because the Cornelia did not have a red crab license.  I'm unclear of the reason behind that, but both the pregame show and the teasers during the show obviously hinted Josh would be beack at a later date.  The open question is Jake--no mention of him whatsoever.  Watching Junior reminded me of Phil having to give up the wheel to his engineer Murray a few times in a season lng ago (3 or 4).  With Junior's comments about pain shooting down his leg, it seems to me he has sciatica from that bulging disc in his back.  And that is painful.  Jake A. sounds like an utterly broken man.  As much as Blake Painter whined like a baby when Rick took back the Maverick, looks like Jake is internalizing things.  And of course we got our once-a-season shot of Norman Hansen.  Good start to the season (TV-wise. 

Not sure what a crab boat was doing off Adak Island at that time to rescue the Western Venture crew.  Most of the red crab fishing is in the shallow eastern parts of the sea.

[terrymct]

Josh is not on the show now because the Cornelia did not have a red crab license.  I'm unclear of the reason behind that, but both the pregame show and the teasers during the show obviously hinted Josh would be beack at a later date.  The open question is Jake--no mention of him whatsoever.  Watching Junior reminded me of Phil having to give up the wheel to his engineer Murray a few times in a season lng ago (3 or 4).  With Junior's comments about pain shooting down his leg, it seems to me he has sciatica from that bulging disc in his back.  And that is painful.  Jake A. sounds like an utterly broken man.  As much as Blake Painter whined like a baby when Rick took back the Maverick, looks like Jake is internalizing things.  And of course we got our once-a-season shot of Norman Hansen.  Good start to the season (TV-wise. 

Not sure what a crab boat was doing off Adak Island at that time to rescue the Western Venture crew.  Most of the red crab fishing is in the shallow eastern parts of the sea.

I don't recall anyone specifically calling it a crab boat.  It had a lot of floats along the side (as much as you could see through the smoke and flames).  Those are more indicative of a long liner.

[Soopertater]

The Western Venture was a longliner, true.  The crew was picked up by the Aleutian Ballad, which Jonathan mentioned as a crabber.  Adak is far to the west of Unalaska.  I suppose they were there as a tender vessel, something like that.

[Carrie Ann]

I don't think this is a spoiler, because it's real life and there are interviews to this effect, but Jake Harris

won't appear this season and it sounds like he's still not clean. I don't think he'll be fishing again until he is. I hope that's very soon, but it won't be this season and probably not next, if I had to guess.

[wanderwoman]

I wasn't aware it was legal to delay the Coast Guard embarking.  Wow!  I get that time is money, but to endanger the Coast Guard crew in the skiff seemed

a little childish.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

No mention anywhere in the ep that the quota was increased by 9%.   We sure heard it each year when the quota was reduced or remained static.  Narratives can be a bitch, y'all.  Yes, it was a tough break that the shutdown resulted in a delay.  Now, let's put a price on the vessels for the USCG protection they get.  Let's see them pay that.  They about had a collective orgasm when someone mentioned they had already paid for their licenses.  Maybe if they paid a price that was more reflective of the cost to us I would care about their measly fees.

Junior is a lying POS and I have zero sympathy for him.  He is a slave to the $ idol.  So be it.  Suffer, fool.

Jake made a very poor choice to leave the NW.  He wanted to fly like Icarus.  Well, he done got singed.  Pick yourself up.  Take your medicine.  Get better.  Learn all you can.  It's ALL still there for you!   By the by...anyone doubt that Sig thinks of Jake as for-realz family?  

No mention of how Elliott owns the Saga?  Maybe that's cause he don't.  Never did.

Lord, how I detest Disco's choice of music to open and close the ep.  Hip hop beat?  Really?  WTF is wrong with Wanted?????  Only 16 bars?  I haaaaated that they inserted Josh at the front and close of the ep, as well.  Who the hell cares about him?  How and why and in what universe is he considered anywhere near equivalent to Jake A?   Disco-usting!

The Hillstrands in cahoots with Sig was as funny and awesome as any side story this series has ever seen.  The vic paid a price and took his medicine.  Now, he will be respected and remembered for a long time.  So cool.

Poor Bill.  Man, another mechanical not of his making (lack of commitment to maintenance) and another greenhorn who simply can't cut it.  Didja notice how the edit of Bill radically changed?  HE was the voice of reason and sympathy as the crew ripped the greenhorn on deck.  HE was shown calmly explaining the way of the world, in a a respectful manner, to the hurting dude.  The thing about the Bill's of the world is that so long as you give them your level best, and you give him the respect due his position, they will back and support you.  Bill simply is not the ogre Disco tried to make him out to be.  Is it a coinkydink that when they reeeeeeeally needed him this season because they couldn't find enough captains willing to put up with their intrusions that they gave him a fair edit?  Uh huh.  Suuuuuure, it was.  Anyway, I hated it for all of them that their first string was such a bust.  Man. 

[ShellSeeker]

I know alot of people don't like Keith, but I always have. I have to hand it to him for going down there with all the other guys and drinking the cod blood or whatever the hell that was. OMG that was foul. I know they do stuff like that every season, but it grosses me out every time. He's a blowhard and he has a short fuse, but I remember once on After the Catch when Phil said that out of all the captains, he really respected Keith. I was a total Phil fangirl, so that bought Keith credibility with me.

 

 

And...I will spoiler tag this just in case...

but Josh Harris will be on the show later in the season, and I think I read something about how he'll be the captain. This is unkind, but I hope he has a hell of a time finding crab, so he can understand how tough the job is, and get a little karmic payback for the way he treated the captain (Derek I think) that took over after Phil died.

[merylinkid]

I go back and forth on Keith.   But a couple things to remember.   He said last season that he was at one point $3 million in deb and is almost out.   You don't get out of that deep a debt without a lot of hard work and dedication.  Sure Disco money helped.  But you don't see him self-promoting as much as the other captains (even Sig does and I love Sig to death).  At least he is lowkey how he went about how he got out of debt without banging us over the head with it constantly.  

Two, HE was the Captain picked to go to DC and speak for them all.   You don't send anyone incompetent to do that. Those Congress Critters will eat you alive. The fact the other captains were okay with him being the spokesman for them all says a lot.  

[Soopertater]

All this drove me to do some research.

 

--The aforementioned Aleutian Ballad was on the show way back, captained by Corkey Tilley.  I recall he was kind of a wisecracker.  It was coverted to a charter vessel after this year, perhaps like Larry Hendricks did with the Sea Star.

--The Saga was also on the first season.  Its owner was listed as Todd Hiner.  He still owns the quota license, according to  the AFGD.  It's entirely possible Elliot could have bought the boat on credit--marine mortgages are common.  Same theory as the mortgage on a house or an airplane.

--I recall the Rollo (Eric Nyhammer) once got boarded and cited.  They had two different species of crab on board (in separate tanks).  So they were forced to go in ahead of schedule and offload.

--According to Wiki, Murray Gamrath is back on the the Kodiak for season 10.  Not sure if that means he will be on the show...but he used to be Phil's engineer.

[terrymct]

 I haaaaated that they inserted Josh at the front and close of the ep, as well.  Who the hell cares about him?  How and why and in what universe is he considered anywhere near equivalent to Jake A?   Disco-usting!

It's because many people, including me, loved Phil.  They count on us loving his worthless sons.  I swear I don't get the Jake worship.  He's profoundly lazy and is working for the cameras.  Jake A is a much more interesting person, even if he is moping around because he has to live with the outcomes of his previous decision.

[JTMacc99]

I go back and forth on Keith.

I like and respect logical, hardworking, smart Keith. I am not a fan of emotional, stressed Keith.

 

He genuinely cares about the guys, but man, when he gets stressed he can be a real jerk to the same guys.

 

In this episode we got to see logical, hardworking Keith. So I liked watching him go about his business. I also liked to see him go down and show his support for the crew. But even when all that is happening, I am still aware of the other side of him where he will be a total ass to the same guys when his stress levels go up.

Edited April 24, 2014 by JTMacc99

[Fostersmom]

 

Jake A. sounds like an utterly broken man.

I missed most of last season, but I knew he left the NW, it wasn't good, and now is back. But broken is sadly the perfect way to describe him. He has been through so much and it's like the guy just can't catch a break. When they did his first little interview, I just wanted to give him a hug. Between his sister, his dad, supporting his whole family, and now this career setback, I fear sooner or later he's going to hit his breaking point. 

 

Jake Harris, on the other hand, gets no sympathy from me. He's been given all the opportunities in the world and has all the resources to get clean, and he just doesn't want to. This isn't some guy who can't afford more than a 3 day stay in rehab, who doesn't have anyone in his life to offer support, or to be a sponsor/mentor. I do feel bad for Josh though. I'm not sure he really wants to even try to live up to Phil's legacy, but because of the show, he's got no choice. If there was no show, would Josh be trying to be a captain? I just don't see it. Unfortunately he's also got to be his brother's keeper, a thankless job for any sibling. 

Edited April 24, 2014 by Fostersmom

[JTMacc99]

I missed most of last season, but I knew he left the NW, it wasn't good, and now is back. But broken is sadly the perfect way to describe him. He has been through so much and it's like the guy just can't catch a break. When they did his first little interview, I just wanted to give him a hug. Between his sister, his dad, supporting his whole family, and now this career setback, I fear sooner or later he's going to hit his breaking point.

I'm not 100% sure this is a career setback so much as a professional life lesson. It's up to him on how he handles it.

 

Jake wants to be a captain. It is nice to see that drive and ambition in the young man. But I am not sure that he was really ready to make that move. I think he was technically capable, but I don't think he had developed the people skills that come with age and experience he really needs to lead. That trip into the world on his own taught him a bunch of stuff that I think, and hope, will make him a better captain when the day comes.

 

So is he broken, or is he humbled? Sig and (I think) Edgar think it is humbled. And I got the impression that Sig thinks it was a good thing for Jake. I think Sig believes that Jake could be a captain some day, and I think that he would like to see it happen. So I'll be very interested in watching how Sig treats Jake this season. I'm assuming that he will still let Jake be involved in the paperwork and other captain stuff, and that he will still treat Jake as a person who could go on to greater things. I am also assuming that Jake will treat the opportunities Sig gives him with more gratitude and less "why won't you let me do more?!" this season.

 

It should be one of THE most interesting stories this season if it goes the way I think it might.

Edited April 24, 2014 by JTMacc99

[Neurochick]

I kind of feel for Jake H.  It's not easy to get clean.  It's easy for people on the outside to judge, but if it were easy to get clean, everybody would be clean.  I don't think Jake H. wants to get sober though, he may or may not. 

 

 

Lord, how I detest Disco's choice of music to open and close the ep.  Hip hop beat?  Really?  WTF is wrong with Wanted?????

 

What's wrong with hip hop?  Maybe Discovery wants to bring the show out of the 80's and into the 21st century.

[terrymct]

I kind of feel for Jake H.  It's not easy to get clean.  It's easy for people on the outside to judge, but if it were easy to get clean, everybody would be clean.  I don't think Jake H. wants to get sober though, he may or may not. 

 

 

What's wrong with hip hop?  Maybe Discovery wants to bring the show out of the 80's and into the 21st century.

You're absolutely right. It's very hard to get clean. It's also something best done out of the glare of the spot light. Both of those young men could use some time away from the show.

I don't have any issue with either song, but honestly, I usually set the show to take and start watching it about 15 min late so I can zap the intro and commercials.

[Soopertater]

A lot of these "aspiring captains" have more behind-the-rudder experience than Discovery every shows.  Jake Anderson came to the crab fleet after a number of years in the salmon fisheres.  Mike Fourtner skippered the Time Bandit in the summer when they are a tender vessel.  Blake Painter, Elliot Neese, Junior, Sten Skaar, none of these people are inexperienced seamen.  You need a USCG certification to command a boat of that size and crew, and I've seen parts of the exam--ain't easy.  Yes, the real trick is to balance the seamanship with fishing intuition and people management skills, and that is difficult at a younger age.

 

Let's face it--a lot of these crabbers are not going to solve the quadratic equation.  They learned by rote from years and years of experience and tradition.  Jake Anderson is not dumb.  He's obviously a quick study, and he's intellectually aggressive.  He will move upward and forward at some point.  I had always assumed Lenny Lekanoff would have made a good captain.

[MelinaBallerina]

You know, I don't care if the quarter voodoo was mostly staged.  Even if they asked Kelly(?) what kind of superstitions they could make a story with and ran with that,  I loved it!  Keith would have probably added that to his routine.  Pretty soon, he's going to have so many superstitions to cater too, he won't have any time to fish!

[walnutqueen]

Heh - who was the one who had the whole crew searching for the cup of soup spitcup or something like that?

[Neurochick]

Heh - who was the one who had the whole crew searching for the cup of soup spitcup or something like that?

I think that was Keith.

[walnutqueen]

I rest my case.  :-)

[JC65]

Well, one episode in and I hate the Hillstrands all over again.  Way to dick with the Coast Guard, men and women willing to risk their lives to protect you, your crew and your industry.

[SanLynn]

I wanted to reach through my television in that moment. They are the reason I generally try to DVR and then fast forward the ships I don't like. They know that the Coast Guard does these random checks all the time and yet they're bitching that they are getting randomly boarded.

 

And all it turned out to be was a safety check. Way to be jerks for no damn reason.

 

I relate most to Jake Anderson. Not because I see myself in him necessarily but I think largely because of what he's been through in just the short time this show's been on. I just root for him I guess.

 

And, yep, sucked in again, just like all the rest of the season. I just can't quit you show!

[gryphon]

I wasn't too sure about the new opening music, but it wasn't bad.  I still love "Wanted,"  but the editing makes it all the more special--like the cut from the lyrics "I'm a cowboy," (insert Jake A(? think it was him)  saluting)....hard to explain but the editing plays as much a part of the song to me no matter what it is.  I appreciate both songs.

 

Glad the show is back--I really liked Elliot's Dad, "If we can keep him off the phone this season....."  

Edited April 27, 2014 by gryphon