Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: The Boss of No One

by

Just two episodes in, the deck team is facing a frustrating problem: it’s unclear whether the deckhands are struggling because of their own skills, or because of Nathan’s weak leadership. He seems to have forgotten what a good captain should be doing. He even told Aesha he wished he had last season’s crew, praising their ability to just *get things done*. Surprisingly, he also told Sandy he was too busy to properly train his current team. It makes you wonder if Nathan fully understood the responsibilities of being a department head before he took the job. While he’s responsible for scheduling and assigning tasks, and doesn’t need to drive the boat for shore trips, being a leader also means communicating effectively and motivating his team – things that go beyond just knowing technical skills.

Aesha is a strong leader who believes a team is only as effective as its weakest member. She recalls a difficult experience on her first boat trip, where a sexist captain treated her so poorly she confronted him and left. Determined not to repeat that behavior, she’s stayed true to her word. She’s direct with V, guiding her on tasks like cleaning the dryer filters, but also quick to praise and celebrate successes, like when V sets the breakfast table beautifully, even including the small jam jars.

The interior department is working incredibly well together. Kizzi is very efficient and enjoys training V, doing so with both kindness and a good sense of humor. V, raised by hardworking immigrant parents, is a dedicated and quick learner who seems poised to improve throughout the season. The only potential problem is Kizzi’s personal life – she’s single and admits to feeling a little too free. She’s been flirting with people in other departments, and a guy named Tommy is constantly texting her. She playfully admits she enjoys the attention and being treated like royalty. So far, Max, Nathan, and Josh have all responded to her flirting. She even hinted to a friend that some drama is brewing.

Looks like the boatmance storylines are on hold – all the drama is currently focused on the deck crew. This week starts with Nathan crashing the Jet Ski into the deck lights while guests were watching. Sandy calmly talked to him about what happened, but that was just the first of several conversations they’d have. Considering Nathan had only been working on the boat for a few hours at that point, it was a good reminder that the season hadn’t even really begun! Sandy still believes Nathan will be a good addition to the team, he just needs time.

Max and Christian agreed their first day was awful. While it initially seemed like they’d connect over feeling lost at sea, Max quickly became frustrated to discover Christian didn’t know how many Seabobs were on board. Christian seemed strangely detached, almost lost in thought, and worked at a very slow pace. Sandy and Nathan assigned Tessa the watch from midnight to 3 a.m., then Christian took over. Nathan left a list of tasks for the night shift, and Tessa diligently completed them all, while Christian simply ignored it, instead choosing to nap and watch online videos about cryptocurrency.

Max was annoyed to find the boat messy when he woke up. He was determined to motivate Christian to work harder, so he told Nathan what had happened. They checked the task list and discovered Tessa had completed everything assigned to her, while Christian hadn’t done any of his. Nathan complained to himself that he was frustrated, but he didn’t confront Christian directly. He struggled so much with communicating with both Christian and Tessa that when he tried to reach them on the radio to retrieve the water toys, neither of them had their radios with them, forcing Nathan to go find them. He weakly told Christian he just wished they would work with more speed and enthusiasm.

Josh takes care of breakfast, and despite being a bit eccentric – he even leaves himself encouraging notes like “Breathe! Push Yaself! You are just cooking, so just cook!” – he’s a skilled chef. The first dinner on the charter is a success, and he’s unfazed when one guest surprisingly declares they dislike tiramisu. Josh quickly offers a backup dessert: a beautiful raspberry and chocolate mousse. He’s up before 6 a.m. the next day making muffins and parfaits, but the guests request a variety of different breakfast items instead of his special poached eggs with avocado and bacon. Josh handles the unusual requests with grace, sharing his story of sobriety and his renewed outlook on life while expertly preparing each order. Despite the pickiness making him slightly anxious about dinner, he delivers another fantastic meal, earning a perfect 12 out of 10 rating from the guests.

Nathan was running around in a frenzy, Josh was busy creating a strange nut and egg dish, and Max was trying to entertain himself and Aesha with a jellyfish. He touched it, then instinctively put his finger in his eye, which immediately burned – he said it felt like Tabasco sauce! I have to admit, Max is incredibly funny. I might not enjoy working with him – he can be a bit of a know-it-all, especially considering he only started applying himself after a trip to Bali – but he’s hilarious. Even Sandy was laughing when he couldn’t explain why he touched the jellyfish in the first place. After rinsing his eye with water and applying some ointment, he was quickly ready to take the guests on a tour of the town with Aesha.

Nathan asks Christian to drive the small boat because Christian has experience and Nathan trusts him. Soon after, as they approach the shore, Christian and Max start arguing about where to land. Max eventually takes over driving, insisting he can beach the boat himself. We learn that Christian’s history of being bullied has made him quick to anger when he feels belittled, and Max continues to treat him disrespectfully.

I really want to support Christian, but it’s difficult. Max and Aesha took the guests to a charming historic town, but they were let down by the lack of high-end shops and the limited selection of local souvenirs. At 5:35 p.m., Aesha contacted Christian to request a pickup. It took him more than 15 minutes to untie the tender and start the engine. Aesha and Max repeatedly called his name on the radio, while Nathan, surprisingly, didn’t seem concerned about the delay. By 6:15 p.m., Christian still hadn’t arrived. Back on the beach, Max and Aesha discussed Christian’s slow response, which the chief stew pointed out is a critical issue in yachting. She thought Nathan would be upset, but he didn’t even acknowledge the problem. A reminder from Josh – that a leader needs to *act* like a leader – would have been helpful.

Tessa, who Nathan and Sandy both describe as quiet and withdrawn – someone who doesn’t speak or contribute much – observes as the conflict between Max and Christian grows. After hearing about it from Tessa, Nathan assures her he’ll address the situation the next day. Instead, he ends up making things worse. Rather than speaking directly to Christian about his errors, Nathan complains to Tessa and Max, which unintentionally gives Max power over Christian. A real problem arises because Christian didn’t complete some tasks overnight, but he doesn’t discover this until after the guests have departed. Unaware of the issue, Christian excitedly tells Nathan about the Davinci videos he watched during his shift. It’s only then that Nathan points out Christian was supposed to be working and shows him a list of tasks Christian was never informed about. Just writing this is incredibly frustrating.

The attempt to dock the boat quickly turned chaotic. Max and Christian were chatting at the front while Nathan called out distances, which really annoyed Sandy, and she scolded them over the radio. Then, Nathan started making mistakes with the distances and directions, leaving Sandy feeling like she was docking without any guidance. Tessa, who always acts like she knows everything about boats, couldn’t figure out how to operate the *Bravado* and didn’t feel confident enough to throw the rope to the dock, so she asked Nathan to do it for her. Honestly, I can barely drive a car, let alone work on a boat. But if I absolutely *had* to help, I think I could manage to throw a rope a short distance – how difficult could it be?

Although everyone was stressed, the boat made it to the dock without any new damage, though the deck crew’s spirits were low. Sandy, frustrated by their performance, told Max and Christian she wouldn’t silence them again during docking and offered Nathan some constructive criticism. Luckily, the charter guests were thrilled with their experience, calling it the best they’d ever had. Max thanked the lead guest, Carl, in an odd way for his support of the “crypto environment,” but the gratitude was genuine, as the guests left a generous tip of 30,000 euros – over $2,800 per person! Sandy praised Josh and the interior team, and offered some encouragement to the deck crew.

Even with a financial bonus, tensions are still high between Max and Christian. While flipping the boat, Max asks Christian to help with a few quick tasks – moving a hose, covering equipment – as he finishes cleaning. However, Christian resents being told what to do, especially when Max is rushed. This leads to an argument that seems loud enough for Nathan to hear across the boat. Christian accuses Max of intentionally provoking him, and Max appears to be challenging Christian to react physically – though everyone knows a physical fight won’t happen. The next preview suggests Nathan might fire Christian next week. While Christian isn’t performing well, it would be an easy way out for Nathan to fire him without first giving him proper guidance. It turns out Christian wasn’t even aware a list of his duties existed!

Read More

2025-10-07 03:56