Last night, Below Deck Mediterranean delivered a cocktail of tension, drama, and the genuine emotions that come with it as the motor yacht crew was still in the midst of dealing with the dynamics of their interpersonal relationships alongside their obligations onboard. When newcomer, Carrie brings a new stew to the mix, the unstable relations among the television show’s crew become even shakier and the audience learns of the employees’ fears and dreams.
A New Arrival – Carrie O’Neill
Carrie is a forty-year-old stew with eight months of yachting experience and five years as a chief stew, and come onboard, and the dynamic begins to change drastically. Carrie is a competent, self- assured and ready to work and yet not everyone is pleased to have her around. Carrie’s arrival also becomes a problem to the second stew, Ellie’s, personal pride. Ellie Dubiach, who is already isolated and insecure about herself in her position, most especially that she has many reasons that makes her fear that she being overshadowed by a more experienced colleague namely Carrie. Carrie’s friendly but slightly off-putting joke about Ellie’s high heels — suggesting she needs a pole to go with them — only exacerbates the tension. Unhappy as it is with its place within the crew, Ellie particularly takes offence from the comment which she interprets as slut-shaming and that only worsens their relationship.
Crew Night Out: Bonds and Fractures
The crew going out at night may be seen as a fun break from the chartering tough times but there is more to it. Nathan, who gets a very bad news that one of his friends who was diagnosed of cancer has passed on, goes to an extent of attempting to drink himself to death. His close friend Deckhand Gael Cameron notices his distress and gives him the support that he needed that makes him to break down and share his grieves. However, Gael and Nathan’s growing intimacy is illustrated in this scene where Gael invite Nathan for lunch despite Joe Bradley – (Lead Deckhand) growing uneasiness about the closeness between these two characters.
The next day the power struggle becomes apparent as Joe gets jealous and frustrated with Gael as tries to boss her around. Stalker-like oversight and criticism of Gael’s work, especially on how she squeegeed the glass, is the epitome of insecurity especially with Nathan planning to join Gael on a vacation in the Greek island at the end of the season. The still emerging connection with Gael, which Nathan and now includes some level of intimacy, such as cuddling during the night compromises one of the main aspects that defined Joe as a character: his control over others and definitely over the ‘crew’.
Ellie’s Ambitions and Insecurities
More of Ellie’s issues come to light after she seeks advice from Aesha Scott on how to become a chief stew herself. Aesha cautions Ellie to avoid applying for such a position at the moment but instead wait for her to gain more experience which Ellie takes a negative response. Instead of looking at growth potential Ellie develops a perspective where simply Carrie’s presence is becoming a threat. When Aesha decides to make Ellie take Carrie on a tour around the boat, Ellie takes this as a form of downgrading or a punishment hence escalating her bitterness.
One could feel that Ellie’s aspirations are less and less relevant, especially when she begins learning about brand collaboration watching videos during her work breaks. This distraction from her jobs shows her confusion in terms of where she fits in the crew and also her desire for acceptance,even if it is in something that is not yachting. The producers are rather successful in portraying the irony of Ellie and her desire to become an influencer along with her request to follow Aesha at work.
Laundry Troubles
The next problem, familiar to every Below Deck’s season, is laundry problems that the crew manages to experience. This time round it is Joe’s turn to be left with only one clean polo shirt after the third stew, Bri Muller lost the second one. The scenario thickens when Aesha finds out that other cast members have been hiding for Bri who has been having challenging time doing her laundry job. Aesha who is always extremely polite tries to motivate Bri at the same time pointing out her weaknesses to her but complimenting her at the same time. Nevertheless, one should not forget the continuous laundry scandal as a signal of the difficulties of working in such a stressful atmosphere where even a mere misinterpretation of the situation is fatal.
Charter Guests, Murphy and Beth Celebrates 15th Wedding Anniversary
Dayton, Ohio residents and episode charter guests Murphy and Beth are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary with three other couples. This is especially the case with the possibility of shellfish allergy in the group making it the chef’s job to produce amazingly perfect meals. The tension rises when due to a powerful gust the service takes longer and this results in a misunderstanding between the stews. Ellie, the competitive spirit within her excites her, immediately she takes charge of serving the guests but her choice of running the plates for serving will trigger a disaster as it affects the proper timing of Jono’s servings meant to be served simultaneously as soon as Aesha blows the whistle. Fortunately, they are happy with the food and what would have been the start of a disastrous charter does not happen.
Below Deck Mediterranean Season 9 Episode 14: Ending!
Throughout the episode, the relationships between the characters on the crew change constantly. The tension between Joe and Gael gets worse since Joe shows affection towards Carrie adding tension in the trip. In the middle of it all Nathan struggles to make a decision as he has a certain level of loyalty towards Joe and he becomes emotionally involved with Gael. At the same time, the main character Ellie’s concern with being demoted becomes a reality due to the fact that she is gradually distancing herself from the rest of the crew.
Aesha stays calm as always and attempts to control multiple personalities and fights that are common within personnel under her supervision with the utmost adherence to protocols. This section shows she is a good leader as she supports Bri , and gives a balanced response to Ellie’s dream. This is centralized on the fact that Aesha has to deal with internal issues that beset the crew in as much as they have to cooperate in the endeavor.
As a season approaches the finale, the team of Below Deck Mediterranean move through various personal and professional stressors from guests and internally. Carrie’s presence has disrupted status quo on board, thereby causing each character to reflect on his or her fears as well as relationships. As relationships become strained and loyalties tested, a new series of final charters of the season are bound to be as stormy as the seas themselves.
