Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Growing Pains

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The crew of the Bravado are dealing with a lot: V’s birthday, the anniversary of Bon’s death, the unexpected loss of Cathy’s stepfather, Gael and Nathan’s difficult relationship, and the lingering effects of a messy incident. To make matters worse, the guests left a surprisingly small $16,000 tip – just $1,400 per crew member – despite the difficult conditions. While Sandy and Aesha are supportive of Cathy and offer her the chance to go home to grieve, she prefers to keep busy as a way to cope. Sandy, who lost both of her parents while working at sea, understands Cathy’s need to stay focused.

Being on a yacht for a TV show isn’t the ideal setting to grieve – it’s cramped, full of strangers, and constantly filmed, plus you have to keep up appearances. However, these very conditions also quickly create strong emotional connections, which is how relationships form on reality TV. Cathy admits the yacht, the Bravado, is exactly where she needs to be right now, but as usual, she hides her feelings. She jokes about having Botox to help her keep a straight face. It’s comforting to see her surrounded by genuine care from Max and the crew, and it restores your faith in people, even after witnessing some negative behavior.

Cathy’s emergency creates a bit of a complication for the deck crew. She receives the news while Joe, Max, and Kizzi are preparing the guest picnic, and Nathan informs them via radio. They worry Cathy might have to leave, and Joe suggests Max return to the boat if he feels it’s needed. Nathan checks with Aesha about bringing Max back, but they both think Cathy might appreciate some space. Unaware Nathan even considered sending him back, Max gets upset when the bosun only picks up Kizzi from the picnic, assuming his alone time with Gael is being prioritized over Cathy’s distress. This leads to some arguing and Max expressing his frustration. Surprisingly, no one asks Cathy if she wants Max there, and Max never actually requests to return, seemingly preferring to be annoyed. However, it’s clear Nathan would have allowed him to go back if he had asked.

When Nathan and the crew returned, Nathan immediately sent Max on a break so he could see Cathy. She told him she’d been waiting, which really made his day! But then Sandy came looking for Max, and Nathan found out another swell was coming in. That meant we had to get the boat ready to leave that night, so everyone was needed on deck. Instead of explaining to Sandy that he’d let Max go see Cathy, Nathan just told Max to come back up. Cathy wasn’t too upset, but it showed how new Nathan is to leading – he really struggled with that situation. He had the power to talk to the captain, but he didn’t. Luckily, everything worked out in the end, and we set sail.

The interior crew is getting ready for another Spanish-style family meal. Aesha suggests trying a more formal, plated dinner service, hoping to elevate the experience. Josh explains that with so many guest dietary needs and the relaxed nature of tapas, it wouldn’t be practical. Aesha seems eager to showcase her team with a higher level of service, but Josh has consistently delivered great results. Later, as guests create a bit of a mess with the family-style serving, Aesha’s point about a more structured approach becomes clearer. Sandy expresses her frustration with another casual dinner. Personally, the author feels that after a day of yachting, swimming, and sun, a relaxed family-style meal is preferable to a formal, multi-course dinner, especially if guests are feeling the effects of day drinking.

The truly painful part is that Joe has no idea it’s V’s birthday. While getting ready for dinner, Aesha mentions she’s planning a small celebration for V the next day – Josh is baking a carrot cake, she’s ordered Mexican food, and they’ll throw flowers into the ocean for Bon. Joe’s response? “When is her birthday?” It’s absurd. Kizzi asks Aesha what she’d say if she had to apologize to V, and Aesha suggests, “Sorry, I’m a stupid bitch,” which feels fitting. Kizzi feels okay with her actions, only regretting hurting V’s feelings. She’s also sure Joe is more concerned with his reputation than actual remorse, and she’s probably right. Aesha tells Kizzi to own up to what she did and face the consequences. As for V’s birthday, Joe can only manage a text saying, “I hope it’s been great.” How could it be great? She’s sick, sad, and all alone!

As Gael’s departure nears, Nathan becomes increasingly downcast, wandering around the boat. While still unsure about a relationship with him, Gael starts to warm up to Nathan’s attention during the charter. A telling moment occurs when she jokingly asks him to carry a rope like a baby, then says she wouldn’t trust him with her children. Nathan, convinced they’re meant to be and he’s changed, asks Gael to stay in Spain after the charter ends so they can be together. He vows to make it work this time, but she can only remind him that he made a similar promise before, a promise that led to heartbreak. Nathan sadly wonders if he’s lost her forever.

Aesha kindly offered to stay up so Cathy could get some rest, but Cathy actually appreciated the company. Aesha and Josh gave Cathy a comforting hug before finishing their shift, and thankfully, the guests went to bed early. The next morning, Max made Cathy a cup of tea, which helped her feel comfortable enough to open up emotionally. Meanwhile, Sandy and Aesha talked about the family-style dinners. They both agreed it was a problem, even though most guests, aside from Carlos, hadn’t complained about the food. During the crew meeting, Sandy awkwardly announced in front of everyone that they were planning on providing very formal service for the next few charters. This wasn’t the private conversation with the chef she’d promised Aesha, and it unnecessarily put Josh on the spot. He explained that because they were in Barcelona and guests generally prefer tapas, elaborate service didn’t really fit. Sandy then suggested Josh only plate the main courses, which seemed like a lot of extra work and would likely result in meals being served at different times. I think it’s best to let the chef do what he does best – he knows what he’s doing!

After the guests left, V returned to the boat, and it was hard to watch her excitement knowing what was coming. She was eager to hear all the news, like it was the first day back at school after a long break. She immediately hugged and kissed Kizzi and went straight to Joe. Aesha privately asked Joe not to tell V anything before her birthday dinner, wanting her to enjoy it without feeling upset. Kizzi thought they should tell her sooner, but Joe agreed with Aesha and started ignoring V. At first, V thought Joe had been talking about how much he missed her while she was away, but she quickly realized he was being distant. During dinner, he sat far away from her and avoided looking at her.

Kizzi is incredibly anxious and keeps changing clothes, insisting she needs to look her best even though she’s about to hurt her friend’s feelings. Meanwhile, Joe is sticking to his usual comfortable outfit – pants and a sweater, even in the heat. After the birthday song, Nathan shares a private, emotional moment with Gael, where he cries – a first for him, hence the sunglasses. Gael still hesitates to kiss him, so she turns to Aesha for guidance. Aesha encourages her to embrace vulnerability for the sake of love, and Gael finds herself captivated by Nathan’s charisma. She even notes that their connection feels different when they’re on the boat, leading to the question of whether Nathan can maintain that commitment once they return to everyday life.

Max tries to talk to Nathan about his behavior during a recent charter, hoping for an apology, but Nathan remains preoccupied with Gael. Gael accepts Sandy’s invitation to stay the night and leave the next morning. V notices Joe acting strangely and asks Nathan about it, but Nathan brushes it off as a bad day. This is true, especially after the crew holds a touching memorial for Bon, scattering flowers at sea – everyone is moved to tears, particularly Cathy. Joe’s insensitivity towards V’s feelings weighs heavily on him, and he runs off to cry, managing to make the situation about himself despite everything.

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2025-12-30 04:55