S14.E13: Baptism By Fire 2018.07.10

[kassygreene]

According to Disco, Bering Sea Triangle was the sixth special episode of this season (apparently part of The Bait), and this is the real episode 13, which various online listings says airs on July 10.

It's baptism by fire aboard the Northwestern as Mandy takes her 1st shift in heavy seas. The Wizard crew battles over one crewman who isn't pulling his weight on deck. Caught short on bait gear & battered by high seas, Wild Bill changes his strategy.

It's 4 in the a.m.  Why am I up?

[millennium]

In the brief clips we saw in this episode, Mandy Hansen already seems ten times the captain Josh Harris will ever be.   She appears serious, exudes confidence, and seems genuinely interested in learning.  

Monty handled the Freddy situation very poorly, especially when he elected to scold Bob about "don't get in anyone's face" rather than confront the mental case doing all the menacing.   Freddy asks Bob which fist he wants in his face, the right one or the left one, but Monty takes Bob to task.

[iluvobx]

Monty handled it poorly.  He knows how to handle Freddie because he did it before when he fired his ass.  Or maybe he should have let Harry handle it?  Harry is an old seadog himself and you know he knows how to handle people like Freddie.  Harry fully understood the situation and Freddie was way out of line.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         As for Mandy, she is much better qualified to be Capt than Josh will ever be.  Mandy worked summers on the NW tendering.  I thought that Mandy had gone in the Coast Guard but I guess I was wrong.

Edited July 11, 2018 by iluvobx

[Linderhill]

I loved how Edgar rolled his eyes when Mandy was have trouble steering the Nortwestern.

[terrymct]

Sig is so obviously happy in his grumpy way to be able to teach Mandy.  It's really nice to see.  The Hansens are my favorites on this show, both because they approach crabbing as a business and because they care about each other.

[smores]

Years ago, back when Phil was alive and Freddie was on the CM, he seemed like such a humble, likeable guy.  I'm not sure if that is how he was portrayed, or if he has just changed that much over the years, but I'm beyond ready for him to get off my tv.  I was ready for him to be gone when he got his ass fired.  He's a bully, and Monty's "handling" of him is bullshit.  He heard everything Freddie was saying about Tony.  Monty is the one who deployed Tony to work in the engine room, so he needs to own it and basically own Freddie in this situation.  Freddie isn't going to just settle down, Tony tried to come to him and work through the situation, but Freddie threatened him.  So, then Monty turns around and tells Tony to stay out of Freddie's face?  Nope, sorry, Monty already KNOWS the problem is Freddie and not Tony, so deal with the problem, don't make everyone else dance around it because you don't have the balls to address it.  Then Freddie flat out threatens Tony in front of you?  And you come back with "Real nice Freddie?"  Well, I can see why Keith doesn't want to let Monty run the boat that much.  I am not a fan of Keith and his bullying style, but, he'd have been back in Freddie's face shutting it down, at least.

[tiredofwork]

I am not familiar with the Sig/Mandy dynamic but too me..., looked like during her 1st time lesson sitting in the Captain's chair, Sig was kinda hyper in telling her all this stuff and she had this evil I hate you, look on her face, she was trying to look around him, then things seemed to calm down...  I don't think he should be the one to mentor her, I think that would cause waaaay too much strife for both of them.

The Freddy thing has gone on too long, he seems to have a pretty psychopathic episode of violence much to often.... I would fear one day the dude would stab everybody in one of the rare times a crew gets to sleep.  I would not want to work with him in any capacity.

[brgjoe]

Yeah, I don't know what the deal is with Freddy.  He seemed like a nice, caring, humble guy on the CM when Phil was there.  I don't know if it was fame that went to his head, or he's back drinking heavily again or what -- but he sure is back to his nasty, bullying ways once again.  If I were Monte, I'd fire his butt once they reach port.

Mandy did seem very hesitant about taking the helm in those rough seas.  Not that I blame her one bit.  And I would think it would be difficult to do with Sig constantly barking out instructions every 2 seconds.  But in the end, I thought she handled herself very well. 

Poor Wild Bill.  Seems he always gets a crew that screws up something basic.  This time it was bait issues.  At least he was on the crab, despite starting late.  So that did seem to improve his mood.

Bonus points for this episode:  No whiny Jake Anderson or camera hogging Josh Harris. 
 

[terrymct]

11 hours ago, tiredofwork said:

Sig was kinda hyper

 

This could be in the description of most episodes.

[notcreative enough]

12 hours ago, tiredofwork said:

I am not familiar with the Sig/Mandy dynamic but too me..., looked like during her 1st time lesson sitting in the Captain's chair, Sig was kinda hyper in telling her all this stuff and she had this evil I hate you, look on her face, she was trying to look around him, then things seemed to calm down...  I don't think he should be the one to mentor her, I think that would cause waaaay too much strife for both of them.

Are you talking about when she was repeating what to say on the radio? I don't took that look as more of her not knowing what to say. Sig was saying things for her to repeat and just stopped and she didn't know what to say. I don't think that Sig and Mandy will go the way of Wild Bill and ... Wow I can't remember his sons name. Father's tend to treat their daughters differently and that will cause a whole lot of other issues.

Everyone calls Josh a camera whore but let's not forget about Freddie. Wasn't he on the Time Bandit last year. So he is either a shit worker that got fired because there were no cameras and a guy who will quite a boat to be on one with a camera crew. Looks like he knows the age old saying of more drama more screen time.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, notcreative enough said:

Are you talking about when she was repeating what to say on the radio? I don't took that look as more of her not knowing what to say. Sig was saying things for her to repeat and just stopped and she didn't know what to say. I don't think that Sig and Mandy will go the way of Wild Bill and ... Wow I can't remember his sons name. Father's tend to treat their daughters differently and that will cause a whole lot of other issues.

Everyone calls Josh a camera whore but let's not forget about Freddie. Wasn't he on the Time Bandit last year. So he is either a shit worker that got fired because there were no cameras and a guy who will quite a boat to be on one with a camera crew. Looks like he knows the age old saying of more drama more screen time.

I agree about Mandy just not knowing what to say.  If he wanted her to repeat something she'd already said, he needed to tell her that . . . not just look at her and wonder why she wasn't talking.

Wild Bill's son is Zack Larson (currently on the BrennaA).  He was such a great dad that his son doesn't even use his name.  It makes me want to punch Bill every time he refers to Nick as being like a son to him.  NO . . . he's not like a son to you.  You just treat him better than you do/did your real son.

[smores]

With Sig and Mandy and the radio, it looked to me like he was telling her what you'd do, and she repeated it.  But, I don't think he had the radio "open" when she did repeat it the first time, so she  didn't realize that she was supposed to say it again on the open line.  She thought it was already done, and he was waiting for her to do it, which is where the confusion came in.  It probably would have been a bit better for him to talk through the process quickly before starting it, so she would know what the next step was.  Instead, Sig just started pushing buttons, pulling levers, and filling her in on what she was supposed to do when it was already a beat and a half after that step was supposed to be started.  Mostly, though, I think he just wasn't thinking through the fact that he's trying to teach her, vs doing something he's done a million times on autopilot, and they'll find a more workable "teacher/student" rhythm as the trip goes on.

[sabretooth]

Quote

Bonus points for this episode:  No whiny Jake Anderson or camera hogging Josh Harris. 

Amen. But where have Seanie-Poo and the Brenna A disappeared to? Sometimes you need a bit of chill in between the hollering/whining/dramatics of the other boats and I'm not getting that. (Ok, to be fair the Northwestern was relatively chill this week.) 

[kassa]

I think Freddie probably was the nice guy we saw at first. The thing about booze, though, (and drugs), is that you're fine right up to you're not fine. He'd probably get wild in town, then work like a beast without missing a beat... "Oh, that Freddie!"  Had a girlfriend/ wife, life off season coming together... then wasn't there a domestic violence incident? And Phil's death, and temporary Keith worship, then Monte fires him, etc etc. 

Eventually the acting out comes closer and closer together til it's all people see.

[Delete]

Ugh... Freddie.  Monte is probably afraid of Freddie and didn’t want to get him more pissed off. Freddie seems to have roid rage and could snap one day. He scares the shit outta me, so I can’t imagine being in close quarters with the guy. I wish someone would put him in his place.

 

its good to see Mandy in the Captain seat, and Sig encouraging her. That family definitely has a long lineage of fishing. They’re naturals. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

What a wonderful moment when Mandy finally got the hang of it and her Dad repeated, "There ya go.  There ya go."  There is simply nothing like gaining the praise of a tough Dad.  The smile on her face spoke volumes.  So cool.  She will take that with her and cherish it for the rest of her life.  She will never forget.  Good of the crew to chime in, as well.  

That little vignette when her hubby came up to the wheelhouse was also lovely.  Man, she really does love him.  And she was so very proud.  See Disco?  organic moments are waaaaaaaay better than the contrived and scripted crapola you seem to love.  Yes, having her aboard at all was a gimmick  But, it was one long wanted by Sig and Edgar.  It paid off big.

Freddie is human nitroglycerine.  When used correctly that stuff is phenomenal and even lifesaving.  But when unstable?  Yeah.  I would never have him on a crew as when out in the Bering in such an enclosed place, for days at a time under severe stresses, one is just begging for a tragedy.