What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts, recaps, and the whole GH enchilada on Fridays)

General Hospital

No GH today. It was a rerun of the August 1^st episode where Kristina fell out of the window in Ava’s hotel suite.

Below Deck Mediterranean

Zea Marina, Greece. New stew Carrie arrives, and Nathan greets her. He explains that the cabinmates are being moved around and brings her to the bridge. Captain Sandy says she was pleased that Carrie has mixology training and experience. In Carrie’s interview, she says she has eight years’ experience and has worked on seven boats. She then tells a story about serving a hooker who was busy with a guest before the meal was done. Carrie saw everything but her breakfast and it was gross. Aesha shows Carrie around, and Nathan gets a text that his friend Tommy has passed away. In her interview, Carrie says she’s from Glasgow, Scotland, and has the worst accent. At least it sounds that way in her head. People think she can drink well, and she can drink, but not well. Aesha says, she’s walking into a lot, and in Joe’s interview, he says he’s in trouble. Bri says, Carrie sounds like Nathan, but more hardcore. Carrie tells Aesha that she’s worked in bars before, so she knows her way around them. In her interview, she says, when she went into temp work, it was to give a boat an extra pair of hands. She doesn’t care where they put her. Aesha says, she loves Carrie’s energy already. The crew gets ready to go out, and Carrie jokes that Ellie needs a stripper pole to go with her heels. Ellie pretends to laugh, but in her interview, she says she’ll give Carrie a pass since they just met, but Carrie is definitely flying under her radar. They all have a drink in the crew mess, then leave. In the taxi, Aesha says, Carrie seems cool. Carrie is good with cocktails, and she’s going to use her as a floater. Jono wonders if they can put their personal stuff back in the laundry again.

At the restaurant, Joe flirts with Carrie, and in Bri’s interview, she says, Carrie is number three. At least she was number one. In Ellie’s interview, she just rolls her eyes, and in Aesha’s interview, she says she’s joined mid charter, and we flash back to that. It’s not an easy position to come into. You have to learn straightaway and ruffle no feathers. It’s an intense way to start.🐈Aesha says, you’ll never catch her sexy dancing, and Carrie says she can’t sexy dance to save her life. In her interview, Ellie says, Aesha and Carrie are getting along quickly. That might mean trouble for her. She’s earned her position on this boat, and if that position is threatened, she’s not going to back down. That’s how she operates. Holy! She’s got some real issues. I totally got the thing with Bri, and was Team Ellie there, but this is a different ballgame.

En Plo, Agios Romanos. They move on, and in the taxi, Bri says she knows her time is done, but Nathan says, she’s good at her job. She says, no, with Joe. He doesn’t finish what he started. It’s like he’s eating and leaves one plate to go to the next. She was the starter, Ellie the main course, and Carrie is the dessert. They’ll see if he finishes dessert. They go to a club, drink some more, and dance. Joe dances with Carrie who tries to teach him some Scottish dancing. In Carrie’s interview, she says she’s a pathological flirt, but she thinks her friendliness comes off as flirting. Nathan gets pretty drunk and asks Gael if they can go home. She asks if he’s all right, and in Nathan’s interview, he says his friend passed from cancer. He knew Tommy had cancer, but the night before he joined the boat, they went out drinking. Tommy wasn’t drinking, but he seemed okay. It’s a lot of information to gather at once, but he’s pushing it aside for now. They head back to the boat, and in the taxi, Nathan says he can’t deal, but he doesn’t give too much of a sh*t. Aesha crawls into the backseat and sits between Nathan and Gael. In the other taxi, Bri says she and Ellie had some drama and Aesha took it to the captain. The captain told them to sort it out and they did. It got better. Aesha asks if Nathan is okay, and Gael asks, what’s going on? They arrive at the boat, and Aesha gets out of the taxi, but Nathan and Gael stay behind. Nathan says, his friend died, and he and Gael both cry. He says he has to talk to his mom. Back on the boat, Aesha tells Joe that he needs to support his friend. Nathan’s friend died and he’s destroyed. Nathan takes a walk with Gael, and mumbles about the others thinking he’s overly sensitive. Gael says, who cares🐈if he’s sensitive? He’s going through sh*t. They sit outside, and he says he’s struggling to cope. She says she’s sorry and hugs him.

In Nathan’s interview, he says, his mom was going through tests, but she was cleared. Grief isn’t something they talk about. They definitely push things away. He does what the rest of the family does. It’s mad. Joe tells Nathan, it’s life. We’re on a little journey and it gets interfered with. It happens. In Joe’s interview, he says, it’s so hard for Nathan to deal with this. He can’t imagine. He tells Nathan to get some rest. He’s going to be there, whatever Nathan needs. He wants to show Nathan that he’s got him. He’s sorry. Nathan says, it’s horrible, and Joe says he’s got Nathan’s back. Gael gets in Nathan’s bunk with him, and in her interview, she says, it’s a different side of Nathan, a sensitive spot he doesn’t show. It hurts to see him upset. He was there for her when she had a hard time with her ex, so she wants to be there for him too.

In the morning, Aesha meets with the stews and tells them that they’ll be keeping the same shifts. Carrie will be a floater and go where she’s needed. She’s going to help on service because Aesha wants to see what level she’s at. In Aesha’s interview, she says, Carrie outranks Bri and Ellie in experience. She doesn’t want to upset anyone, so she’s making Carrie a floater with no rank. She asks Ellie to be Carrie’s buddy and show her stuff, and in her interview, Aesha says she can finally uphold the Med standard like she wanted to this season. We flash back to how it wasn’t met, and they all high five. Joe gives Nathan a hug, and Captain Sandy calls for the preference sheet meeting. In Ellie’s interview, she says, a floater is a fourth stew. She’ll be more than happy to help a fourth stew find her way around the boat. There’s hierarchy for a reason. Wow. I hope when she sees this back that she realizes and gets a jump on those insecurities.

Captain Sandy says, Murphy and Beth are from Dayton, Ohio, and bringing three other couples. They’re all celebrating their 15^th wedding anniversaries at the same time. Aesha reads that they want ouzo drinks, and Mike wants a birthday dance party. Iain says, they want to do a fun and silly water game challenge with the crew, and the captain says, they’ve requested a pirate tower floatie. Jono reads that there’s a possible shellfish allergy, and in Captain Sandy’s interview, she says, she has no chef to replace Jono with, so she’s stuck, but he knows there’s no room for error. She’s trusting that he won’t make the same mistake again. After the meeting, Ellie tells Aesha that she wants to learn what she can regarding a chief stew position, and Aesha says, keep doing what she’s doing and get more experience. She’ll get there for sure. Joe watches as Gael squeegees a door and gives commentary, and in Gael’s interview, she says, Joe is being passive/aggressive. She doesn’t know why. If he’s trying to prove himself as a leader, she doesn’t think that’s the way to do it. She knows what she’s doing, and he knows she knows. She wonders what he’s playing at with his nitpicky micromanagement.

Nathan tells Gael that he’s been thinking about her. She has the sweetest heart. In Carrie’s interview, she says, sometimes she has to remind herself to slow down. She never wants to fail at a job. That’s why she works so hard. Provisions come in, and Aesha is happy about getting paper towels. After the pandemic paper towel shortage, I understand. Joe tells Aesha that he didn’t want to say anything, but he’s down to one polo. Aesha finds his polo in Iain’s closet, and in her interview, she says she had no idea they were covering up for Bri. It makes her want to explode. She asks Bri to meet her in the crew mess, and in her interview, she says she separated the jobs to pander to Bri, because Bri wanted to prove she wasn’t making the mistakes, but it was Bri the whole time. She tells Bri that she found joe’s polo in Iain’s room. She knows Bri has been working hard and trying, and she appreciates it. Bri’s been doing well… mostly. In Aesha’s interview, she says, it’s too late in the season to come down on Bri, and it won’t do her any favors. Bri will just crumble and cry and she’ll be back down to three stews. She really wants to finish with four. Nathan asks if Gael has any plans after the season, and she says, she was going to hang around for a bit and see the islands, then go to Prague. She suggests he come catch the Australian summer, and in his interview, Nathan says he hasn’t been home for Christmas in two years, but maybe he has more feelings for Gael than he thought. In Gael’s interview, she says she guesses her trip for one has become a trip for two.

Aesha tells Captain Sandy about the polo, and the captain asks what she thinks the problem is, but Aesha doesn’t know. The polo clearly said Joe, and it was hanging in Iain’s cupboard. In the captain’s interview, she says she loves that the crew has each other’s backs, but she needs to know the information in order to correct it. She tells Aesha that she’ll deal with it, and goes to the laundry. She tells Bri that she’s still f***ing up with the laundry. What does she think it is? Bri says she thinks the system isn’t working for her, and the captain says, whatever she needs to do the job, ask for it. Bri suggests color beads and says she remembers colors better. Captain Sandy says, she’s got to get her head in the game. They have two charters left and she’ll get Bri what she needs. In the captain’s interview, she says she wants Bri to find her way through this. Never in her career has she fired an entry level stew. We flash back to several entry level stews making mistakes, and she says she wants people to feel believed in so they can believe in themselves.  

The captain tells Aesha that Bri needs color beads. Bri feels those would be a better method. In Bri’s interview, she says she joined a group for stews that need help. We see her asking in a group text, what method is best for a laundry system? Someone suggests color beads, and in her interview, Bri says she should have asked sooner, but she was afraid to. Aesha texts the provisioner and orders the beads. The guests arrive, and the captain tells them that Aesha will give the tour. Once they get the luggage is on board, they’ll haul the lines and take them to their first destination. Aesha says she’s never been to Ohio, and a guest says, it’s just like this. I’m originally from Ohio. Yep. Just like it. Not even close. In Jono’s interview, he says he’s grateful he wasn’t fired. He has no choice but to keep moving. His mom had a tough life and taught him lessons. If you get a bad review, thank them for the critique, and improve. No surprise, Iain lacks communication with the captain, and Captain Sandy radios him, asking, what’s going on? In her interview, she says, Iain needs to know where the crew is going to be. They should be able to undock with their eyes closed by now.

Captain Sandy says she needs Iain talking to her, and he gives her a blow by blow. He says, they’re clear to swing, and they head out to sea. The guests take pictures, and lunch is prepared. A glass gets knocked over, and Aesha picks the pieces off the table. She tells the stews to get ready to serve the platters, which they interpret as they should start serving, but she stops them. In Jono’s interview, he says, the food is going to be cold. His head is the one that will be on the chopping block, so he hopes the figure their sh*t out. Aesha finishes up and the food porn platters are brought out. The guests pronounce the food amazing. One of the guests says she doesn’t like her hair blowing in her face while she eats, and I identify. I hate eating outside. In Ellie’s interview, she says she doesn’t know why they need a new person. She doesn’t agree with the decision, but has to respect it. She feels like she’s about to get demoted and it’s going to make her start resenting Aesha for the decision.

They drop anchor and the swim platform and jet skis are brought out. Once again, Joe tries to tell Gael what she already knows, and in his interview, he says, anything he says to her is an unfair attack. He’s just trying to help and give suggestions. She has no respect for him, and he’s confused as to why. Clearly, he hasn’t been paying attention. Bri tells Jono about her latest laundry mistake, and in her interview, she says she must be the biggest baby Aesha and the captain have ever met in their lives. The beads have to work. She appreciates all the chances she’s been given. Joe drives a jet ski while he pulls several guests on the inflatable banana. In Bri’s interview, she says she thinks Carrie has a bit of experience and she’s happy to have her around. They’re getting extra help and maybe Carrie can show her a thing or two. In the crew mess, Joe asks if Gael would go back in the water, but she says he told her that he’d do it and she has no dry wets. He calls Gael a princess, and she calls him a pr*ck. He says, at least they know where they stand. Gael leaves, and Nathan says, Joe pissed her off. In Gael’s interview, she says, her blood is boiling. She’s not a princess. Her only theory is, the closer Nathan gets to her, the more bitchy Joe gets. We flash back to some examples, and she says, he’s trying to get a reaction out of her. She’ll give him one, then give him nothing.

Aesha tells Ellie that they’re so on top of things now. Ellie asks if Carrie is on service because she’s training, and Aesha says, she needs to see where Carrie is at. She’s going to be everywhere. Ellie says she’s feeling like a third wheel, and Aesha says she wants to see what Carrie knows. Ellie says she doesn’t want to feel like she’s being demoted, and Aesha says, no, but at the end of the day, it’s her call. She’s not demoting Ellie. She’s just seeing what Carrie can do. In Aesha’s interview, she says she understands, but Ellie should feel grateful for some extra hands and the help. If she wants to be chief stew, she has to understand that the most important thing is the guests’ experience, not her second stew’s insecurities.

Next time, a silent disco; eight shots of tequila, Carrie tells Aesha that she’d like to do it herself; and Gael talks to Aesha about Nathan and cries.  

🧵 Starting a New Thread…

Knocking off early because I don’t want to labor tonight, but join me tomorrow for soap, the final camel, and what to watch (or not). Until then, stay safe, stay remembering the hard-working spirit that Labor Day is about, and stay making people feel believed in so they can believe in themselves.