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\n Ellie\u2019s frustration boils over into a full-blown tantrum that threatens the galley for the rest of the season.
\n Photo: Bravo\n <\/p>\n
What came first, Ben\u2019s poor management style or Ellie\u2019s ungovernable temper? This week\u2019s episode, which picks up on Ellie storming off the galley right before dinner service, is mainly concerned with this chicken-or-the-egg dilemma. Daisy can see the conflict from both sides: Something is clearly wrong with Ben\u2019s leadership, since this is the second person within the month to reach a breaking point, but Ellie\u2019s outburst is impossible to justify. Only 15 minutes before dinner is to be served to the guests, she sets out to obliterate everything in her path. Slightly out of breath from stomping up the stairs, past the guests \u2014\u00a0who, as Daisy will tell Jason later, noticed something was up \u2014 Ellie tells Jason that Ben\u2019s time mismanagement is setting her up to fail. More than that, the mention of the pet-name problem nearly brings her to tears. Jason reassures Ellie that he will deal with Ben; in the meantime, he tells her to get back in the galley, set her boundaries, and get through dinner.<\/p>\n
No one, not even Jason \u2014\u00a0who is baffled at the galley\u2019s sudden collapse \u2014\u00a0is more surprised at Ellie\u2019s outburst than Ben. He is taken aback not only by her tone but by the fact that she exploded, minutes before service, \u201cwith no prior inklings of unhappiness.\u201d It seems like Ben\u2019s stress about getting dinner out on time \u2013\u2013\u00a0an aspect he has been trying to improve \u2013\u2013\u00a0rubbed off on Ellie, whose need for structure is not wholly unreasonable. Even then, it would have been one thing if Ellie\u2019s blow-up had been a one-and-done kind of thing or led to a productive conversation about how they can better manage their time and dynamic. But when she gets back in the galley, she is still reeling. When Ben says, weakly, that he\u2019s not sure he can \u201cwork with that energy,\u201d she tells him to \u201cget over it\u201d and \u201cquit whining.\u201d Daisy comes into the galley and is shocked that anyone would speak to their manager like that.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not convinced Ellie really sees Ben as a manager, or even as an authority figure. It\u2019s starting to seem like she only thinks of Ben as her boss when it suits her. His use of pet names makes her feel demeaned because he\u2019s her superior, which is a fair complaint, and also why no one else in the crew minds Ben\u2019s rampant use of the word \u201cdarling.\u201d But when it\u2019s time to come to blows, Ellie faces Ben like an equal, unafraid to go against his authority and judgment. For a few episodes before exploding, Ellie had mentioned that she felt like she was the one managing Ben\u2019s chaos. Maybe this impression hardened into a full-on rage she felt entitled to express.<\/p>\n
As dinner miraculously gets out, the tension in the galley spills over into the crew mess, where Jo\u00e3o, Jason, and Eddy sit in an uneasy silence. Ben gets a second thought about how to plate dessert while Ellie does the dishes. He asks Jo\u00e3o for a hand resetting the plates, but Ellie barks at Ben that it is her job, which she intends to do. Later, as Ben takes a much-needed breather, Alesia validates Ellie by telling her that Ben\u2019s demeanor is why she couldn\u2019t last in the galley. I started to feel for the guy, especially because he puts in an honest effort to de-escalate the tension with Ellie. He tries to explain his earlier edginess by admitting that he was in his head about falling behind on dinner, even more so because Ellie was focused on other, also important tasks. So, he takes responsibility for his part in the rift. But when he asks Ellie to reflect on her own reaction, she literally yells at him that she was standing up for herself. Noticing that their conversation can go nowhere productive, Ben asks her to go to bed, but she challenges him again: \u201cDo not tell me to get out of here,\u201d she says, before repeatedly warning him not to \u201ctry her.\u201d When Daisy shows up to try and help the situation, Ellie accuses Ben of abusing her (?). Ben is so shocked and rattled, he\u2019s nearly speechless \u2014\u00a0and that\u2019s something. Ellie finally leaves after Daisy orders her back to the cabin. \u201cI may have lost control of my galley,\u201d Ben laments. May have?\u00a0<\/p>\n