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This week, Joe\u2019s filling in for Nathan as bosun, Aesha\u2019s filling in as a deckhand, Kayley\u2019s filling in for Aesha as chief stew, and I\u2019m filling in for Rafaela writing this recap. We can get through it if the crew of Akira One can.<\/p>\n
We pick back up mid-charter, with the non-update that Nathan isn\u2019t sure when he\u2019ll be back. Sandy says the deck team\u2019s functioning at all is a minor miracle. She practices her new mantra: \u201cI can dock this boat with three people.\u201d Joy is excited to help out on deck and see what\u2019s outside the world of the kitchen. As always, we love Joy.<\/p>\n
But first, dinner service! The theme is Old Hollywood but looks more like new d\u00e9cor from Party City. Aesha offers to help, and she\u2019s impressed when Kayley says they\u2019ve got it without her. Gen gets to bust out her flapper dress only to witness the most horrific, awful, potentially career-destroying failure \u2026 the caviar, oysters, and bread are all crowded onto the bread plate. Gasp! Kayley remembered the extra forks but forgot the appetizer plates. Gen seethes and tells herself she\u2019s not going to say anything, but of course she\u2019s running to tell us viewers and will rat to Aesha before the episode\u2019s half over.<\/p>\n
In her bunk, Aesha tries to listen in on service on the radio. Her dedication is unmatched; she has only a few hours of sleep before her anchor watch shift. In the cockpit, Joe has written out inspirational messages and instructions for her and Cooper. Aesha\u2019s is hard to read, but Cooper\u2019s appears to say \u201cGood morning, my king, my boy, my savior. Yesterday you absolutely smashed it, and I couldn\u2019t ask for a better teammate. We killed it yesterday; let\u2019s keep it up!!!\u201d Joe is gunning HARD for Nathan\u2019s job, trying to show he can bring the positive leadership that was lacking.<\/p>\n
Joe\u2019s doing a good job, even if he\u2019s annoyingly cocky in his interviews. Docking will be a huge test, and of course we\u2019re reminded with yet another flashback of when they hit the dock. Joe gives Joy a quick lesson on dropping the anchor beforehand. Joy is a little worried but says her hands are insured for up to 700,000! (She does not specify the currency.)<\/p>\n
The other stews help out with lines and fenders, and the docking is a success. The tip is $21,000, approximately equivalent to Joy\u2019s pinky nail. They include Nathan in the per-person $1,750, but Sandy announces he won\u2019t be back until at least after the next charter. She officially names Joe acting bosun. Joe tells us, \u201cI don\u2019t want to go TMI, but I\u2019m fully erect right now.\u201d Yuck. (Our screeners don\u2019t have closed captions, so I had to replay this a few times. There\u2019s a 2 percent chance he said \u201ca wreck,\u201d but context clues and knowing Joe \u2026 again, yuck.)<\/p>\n
Sandy says she loved watching everyone work as a team and set their egos aside. I\u2019m reminded that Sandy has no idea what\u2019s been going on with Gen. She unintentionally rubs dirt in the wound with the news that Kayley will stay on as chief stew for the next charter until they get a new deckhand. A pep talk with her mom inspires Gen to tell Aesha about the \u201cbehind-the-scenes struggle.\u201d She claims many things were missed, but the appetizer plates are her only specific example. Aesha sees right through it; she reminds Gen to respect Kayley and affirms that they are both doing good jobs. Aesha tells us Gen is really competent, but she doesn\u2019t understand that her ability to connect with guests and be a team player is more important. Gen immediately proves Aesha right by hoping the next guests are more demanding so cracks will show. Not exactly a team-player sentiment.<\/p>\n
In search of someone who will validate her complaints, Gen goes to Kat. She\u2019s used to chief stews who yell and is thrown off by Aesha\u2019s politeness. Kat calls Gen out and says she needs to fix her attitude and not bring her prior toxic-workplace trauma to the interior. I\u2019m proud of Kat. She\u2019s wise when it comes to stew dynamics, but I fear for her on the romantic front.<\/p>\n
Things are awkward between Kat and Cooper at dinner, which happens to be on a crane in the sky. There\u2019s literally no stepping away from the table for a classic Below Deck mid-dinner conversation. When a producer asks Cooper if he and Kat are on the same wave, he dares to laugh: \u201cHell no.\u201d He still likes her, but he doesn\u2019t like everyone else\u2019s involvement and the pressure that comes with it. Unfortunately, Joy makes this worse by asking how it\u2019s going and then threatening to break his face if he breaks Kat\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
The crew heads to a bar, where both Cooper and Joe ruin whatever nice things they had going with Kat and Kayley by flirting with other girls. Kat: \u201cTwo weeks ago he was a southern gentleman, and now he\u2019s like Prince Hans\u2013ing me.\u201d Upset that she\u2019s being played, she tearfully calls her friend outside the bar. Poor Kat. She deserves her Kristoff!<\/p>\n
Mere minutes ago, Joe and Kayley were a burgeoning power couple, but Joe decides to \u201ctest\u201d her by telling her that he\u2019s going to say hello to some girls. She\u2019s confused and not impressed when he tells her she passed the test. Both couples go to bed separately.<\/p>\n