Below Deck Mediterranean Recap: Shaky Relationships

This week, Joe’s filling in for Nathan as bosun, Aesha’s filling in as a deckhand, Kayley’s filling in for Aesha as chief stew, and I’m filling in for Rafaela writing this recap. We can get through it if the crew of Akira One can.

We pick back up mid-charter, with the non-update that Nathan isn’t sure when he’ll be back. Sandy says the deck team’s functioning at all is a minor miracle. She practices her new mantra: “I can dock this boat with three people.” Joy is excited to help out on deck and see what’s outside the world of the kitchen. As always, we love Joy.

But first, dinner service! The theme is Old Hollywood but looks more like new décor from Party City. Aesha offers to help, and she’s impressed when Kayley says they’ve got it without her. Gen gets to bust out her flapper dress only to witness the most horrific, awful, potentially career-destroying failure … 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’s not going to say anything, but of course she’s running to tell us viewers and will rat to Aesha before the episode’s half over.

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’s is hard to read, but Cooper’s appears to say “Good morning, my king, my boy, my savior. Yesterday you absolutely smashed it, and I couldn’t ask for a better teammate. We killed it yesterday; let’s keep it up!!!” Joe is gunning HARD for Nathan’s job, trying to show he can bring the positive leadership that was lacking.

Joe’s doing a good job, even if he’s annoyingly cocky in his interviews. Docking will be a huge test, and of course we’re 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.)

The other stews help out with lines and fenders, and the docking is a success. The tip is $21,000, approximately equivalent to Joy’s pinky nail. They include Nathan in the per-person $1,750, but Sandy announces he won’t be back until at least after the next charter. She officially names Joe acting bosun. Joe tells us, “I don’t want to go TMI, but I’m fully erect right now.” Yuck. (Our screeners don’t have closed captions, so I had to replay this a few times. There’s a 2 percent chance he said “a wreck,” but context clues and knowing Joe … again, yuck.)

Sandy says she loved watching everyone work as a team and set their egos aside. I’m reminded that Sandy has no idea what’s 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 “behind-the-scenes struggle.” 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’t 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.

In search of someone who will validate her complaints, Gen goes to Kat. She’s used to chief stews who yell and is thrown off by Aesha’s 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’m proud of Kat. She’s wise when it comes to stew dynamics, but I fear for her on the romantic front.

Things are awkward between Kat and Cooper at dinner, which happens to be on a crane in the sky. There’s 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: “Hell no.” He still likes her, but he doesn’t like everyone else’s involvement and the pressure that comes with it. Unfortunately, Joy makes this worse by asking how it’s going and then threatening to break his face if he breaks Kat’s heart.

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: “Two weeks ago he was a southern gentleman, and now he’s like Prince Hans–ing me.” Upset that she’s being played, she tearfully calls her friend outside the bar. Poor Kat. She deserves her Kristoff!

Mere minutes ago, Joe and Kayley were a burgeoning power couple, but Joe decides to “test” her by telling her that he’s going to say hello to some girls. She’s confused and not impressed when he tells her she passed the test. Both couples go to bed separately.

Sandy wakes up Aesha wearing a pirate outfit, but I was more focused on Aesha wearing her own merch as a pajama shirt. For their day off, the crew is treated to a ride on a pirate ship and a day at a beach club. Between this and the crane, I’m wondering if producers are spending the extra money they saved by not paying Luke and Nathan this episode.

On the pirate ship, Joe tries to clear things up with Kayley, but she wants to pause their relationship. Things don’t fare much better for Cooper and Kat. They agree she needs to get some things off her chest, but then he walks away before she can do so. Coop, what are you doing? We were all rooting for you!

At the beach club, things remain incredibly shaky — metaphorically and literally because Aesha has found maracas she is not putting down. Gen is annoyed that Joy is still entertaining Luke via texts and video chats. He’s sending her videos from Cape Town, and everyone cheers to Luke. Gen sips her drink, notably not clinking. She requests no more mention of his name, but Joe immediately keeps talking about how nice a guy Luke is. Gen has to walk away. She asks, “Why are we celebrating this guy?” And for once, she’s right. He wasn’t that nice of a guy! Joy video chats with Luke and even signs off with a “see you soon” and a kiss. Joy, you are better than this.

Aesha nudges Cooper to talk to Kat, and when he finally does, it sounds a lot like a breakup. He says, “Let’s just be friends and vibe.” Before Kat can say anything, the rest of the crew interrupts, ready for dinner. Cooper naïvely thinks they’re on the same page. Kat is confused and correct that giving her no explanation was an awful way of going about it.

Aesha’s maracas can’t help the tense atmosphere at dinner. They’re stretching for conversation so badly that Cooper’s reduced to saying how pretty the plants are. He quickly realizes Kat is not down to “just be besties.” Back on the boat, Kat texts Cooper that she doesn’t want to end the day like this. They meet in the bosun’s locker where we can’t see them, but their mics remain on. He finally explains his thinking, and Kat says she also doesn’t like everyone talking about them, but he made her feel like she did something wrong. Cooper pulls a complete 180 and says he does want to keep pursuing her. He concocts a rom-com plot: They’ll tell the rest of the crew they’re not hanging out or dating anymore, but they’ll keep seeing each other in secret. What in the Wattpad … Cooper pitches that it’ll be fun to sneak around for smooches. Kat agrees, and they both apologize. “Operation SECRET VIBING” has begun and may as well be called “Operation RECIPE FOR DISASTER.”

Charter No. 6 is up next: Primary Bunny will celebrate the launch of ECON CLUB with her closest friends. Before it starts, Kayley pulls Gen for a chat. It’s a solid effort to smooth things over, but she in no way breaks through to Gen. Gen tells us that if Kayley were on fire, she wouldn’t watch Kayley burn, but she also wouldn’t use her strongest hose?! I’m scared for Kayley.

On the exterior, Aesha’s maracas are no longer the newest crew member of Akira One. Season ten’s Max arrives as the new deckhand, somersaulting his way in. Is this a midseason jolt of high energy the crew could use? Joe’s a bit nervous. From the previews, it looks like Max could choose Team Nathan over Team Joe. Let the Bosun Wars begin.