Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Killer Tuna

As a seasoned cinephile who’s seen more ships sail than Titanic, I must say that Below Deck Mediterranean is a rollercoaster ride of drama, humor, and culinary calamities. The latest episode was no exception, with Jono’s immortality test and Aesha’s unending energy keeping us all on the edge of our seats.

Friends, Romans, fellow citizens, lend me your attention; I’ve come with news about Jono – not to celebrate him, but to share an extraordinary turn of events. Incredibly, it appears that Jono has somehow defied the natural order and survived another week. However, before we can rejoice, a storm named Medicane Daniel forces Aesha, Nathan, and their guests back to the boat, where they’re confined indoors for the time being. As I observe, it seems that everything on this team is managed by Aesha alone. Even when entertaining the guests, she impressively manages to make an ordinary wine tasting seem more sophisticated, or in other words, makes drinking a lot of wine appear as a refined activity.

Tonight’s party topic is mermaids, leading Jono to opt for seafood. This seems somewhat cannibalistic in nature, but I doubt Ariel would ever consider eating Sebastian or Flounder. Although one of the merman costumes has rubber balls hanging from the ankles, it appears no one’s pondering too deeply about it. As usual, Aesha finds the humor in it all. She remarks that anyone familiar with her knows she has a fondness for spherical objects. This setup cleverly suggests she adores basketballs, but instead, she expresses affection for her fiancé Scott’s… well, let’s just say certain parts of his anatomy. I could have done without that tidbit of information.

At dinner, I find myself tense as Jono dishes out tuna carpaccio to everyone, fully aware that Jennifer doesn’t consume raw seafood. To my surprise, she remains remarkably calm about this and even compliments its beauty. One of the other diners queries, “Why can’t you eat it?” To which she responds lightheartedly, “It could be fatal,” followed by a laugh. In awkward moments like these, laughter is often the best response. It turns out that Jennifer, due to an iron overload condition called hemochromatosis, can only consume cooked seafood, a detail she had noted on her preference form multiple times. This revelation comes as a blow to Jono’s professional standing, and matters are made worse when Captain Sandy confirms the oversight while checking in with the guests. That’s quite the setback indeed.

In a surprising turn of events, an incident occurred that typically wouldn’t happen with Sandy. She appears to have let Aesha go without consequence, which is unusual given Sandy’s meticulous nature. The chief stew is overstretched and unfortunately missed this instance. When Sandy confronted Jono about his actions, he humorously tried to bluff by stating that using excessive lime “cooks” the fish, to which Sandy responded with a heart emoticon. In an effort to find a replacement chef immediately, she contacts Norma at the yacht crew placement agency. Fortunately, the primary passenger Pamela is too intoxicated to notice or care about this near-fatal incident, so it won’t impact her tip. It seems appropriate to restrict Aesha from feeding Pamela with the choo-choo train fork now, as Pam’s gaze suggests she’s already on another journey.

Jono seems to have had an incredibly difficult night, but it appears everyone working in the interior has faced a challenging night. Bri is frantically searching for her black evening gown, which has left her in tears. Aesha works tirelessly for 18 hours without a break and still feels compelled to remind Ellie to tidy up. Ellie views this as overly critical management, and her irritability only intensifies the following morning due to oversleeping. She also forgets her phone in a guest room, fearing that someone might discover something private. However, Aesha believes she should never have her phone with her while working. Instead of admitting she could improve, Ellie feels taken advantage of. Aesha is optimistic that adding a fourth stew will resolve all their issues, and now that the leak in the extra crew cabin has been repaired, Sandy is prepared to recruit one. This news brings Aesha great joy. I suspect both the labor lawyers and accountants dealing with her overtime are equally pleased.

The following day, the weather improves enough for some sea activities, and that’s when Gael and Joe have a disagreement about where to dock their jet skis. Joe assumes it’s because she resents him giving her orders, but I suspect it’s due to deeper feelings: she feels uncomfortable that he dated Nathan, ignored him, and recognizes his attempts to manipulate the stews. Similarly, I doubt Joe would be so understanding about Bri losing one of his shirts if he didn’t still harbor romantic feelings for her. As for Bri, she keeps her distance from Joe and fights off temptation by imagining him as an older man. Does it seem like anyone else is envisioning Joe as the character Carl from “Up”?

The Mustique heads back to the marina for the evening to celebrate Janie and Steve’s 25th anniversary with a black and white theme and fireworks. Aware that his job is on life support, Jono double-checks the preference sheets for dinner and makes sure everything is cooked for Jennifer. His calamari octopus and king crab bruschetta go over well, but the dessert is a disappointment. Evidently, Jono should’ve triple-checked their requests because they were hoping for a creme brulée or soufflé. Instead, he put ice cream on a cookie on a slice of cake. Honestly, I’d eat it in a heartbeat, but Aesha and Janie deem it not anniversary worthy. If the tuna got him fired, the cookie was the nail in his coffin. Or should we say the cardamom in his Mexican food? Jono’s more deflated than a botched soufflé.

Even though Jono appears to have been resurrected, he surprises everyone by whipping up beignets for breakfast. It seems like a desperate attempt to stay on board since Sandy calls him to the bridge following the charter, ready to dismiss him. However, Norma can’t find a replacement chef at the moment. In an unexpected turn of events, Jono springs back to life! Sandy inquires about his choice of a cookie instead, and he confesses it was more convenient after a difficult dinner. For now, Sandy prefers a mediocre cook over no cook at all, avoiding another situation like season six’s Matthew incident. As a viewer, I would enjoy watching the crew attempt to cook, but I recognize the reasoning behind their choice. And instead of an aftershow, how about giving Norma from the placement agency her own spinoff?

At the team gathering, Sandy praises the crew for maintaining high spirits despite being confined at the dock. As recognition, they receive $25,000; on top of that, the new stewardess will start work today. Joe is overly thrilled by this development, while Ellie appears unhappy. Aesha initiates a cabin reshuffle: Iain gets the single room, Bri moves in with Jono, Gael goes back to sharing with Aesha, and the new crew member will share with Ellie. She seems like a child who just learned they’re becoming an older sibling and is upset about it. I can’t wait to see Ellie’s response when she discovers that the new stewardess is a blonde wearing a leotard. That’s pretty much what excites Ellie!

2024-08-27 06:54

Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Killer Tuna

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