'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 2 Review: Saga snatches victory and king crabs from the jaws of Hagibis
Spoilers for 'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 2: 'Captains Orders'
Going toe-to-toe against a raging storm can be dubbed sheer lunacy. And maybe that too is an understatement. But sometimes taking the maximum risk reaps rewards, and in this case, the Saga snatches a win and some crabs from the jaws of the deadly Hagibis. Cornelia Marie rakes in the moolah as well in the form of a rich haul of king crabs. Battered, bruised, yet brave, the captains take a call that sees them hit paydirt. Especially considering the other captains and Russia in hot pursuit to pip competition and make top dollar for the crabs.
The Hagibis typhoon comes with history and records that'll have your long johns soaked. It was the strongest typhoon in decades to strike mainland Japan, and one of the largest typhoons ever recorded at a peak diameter of 825 nautical miles (950 miles; 1529 kilometers). And as it made its way towards the Bering sea, three ships— Saga, Cornelia Marie, and Southern Wind find themselves in its crosshairs. And despite taking on one rogue wave at a time, they go through enough before getting their hands on the prize.
For skippers Jake Anderson and Johnathan Hillstrand of the Saga, it's more about weathering the storm and working through, and as selfish as it seems, there's a method to their madness as Anderson skilfully navigates the storm taking in the occasional pounding and the constant slapping of the waves. The end result: Their pots bring in 35+ crabs with each haul bringing them closer to their target. When one of the fans called captain Steve Harley Davidson of Southern Wind a scumbag, he really meant it we guess, because the old sea dog attempts to milk Anderson's previous positions for more crab, except he turns out to have a meager collection.
He moves on to Northwestern's location where Cap'n Sig Hansen makes the smart move of backing off from the eye of the Hagibis and if it means leaving the pots, then that would be a necessary sacrifice. Except, Harley listens in on a private conversation and scoops up Hansen's pots and adds the crabs to his collection. It's a cheap shot, but guess everything's fair in love and fishing for king crabs.
Moving on to the Cornelia Marie, relatively young captains, Josh Harris and Casey McManus, are bang in the center of the storm, and still continue to wade through by wrestling the waves. They hit the huckleberry patch as their pots come up with a decent quantity of crabs. This comes in as a piece of good news considering the abysmal start they endured.
'Captains Orders' gives a detailed explanation about the psyche of the skippers. Big money comes at a cost, and sometimes it means asking the crew to go out there and risk their lives so they could get paid. And while at it, it also shows the concern and respect they have for their deckhands. It's hard to make decisions considering the conditions they're in, however, they do so and it's not always a calculated risk. Sheer bravado comes in at times, and this episode sees the gut move pay off.
Here's a look at the haul so far:
It's a pity for Summer Bay. The search for a new crew member sees them stuck at the docks and while they may have escaped the Hagibis, they are yet to open their account.
'Deadliest Catch' airs Tuesdays 8 pm ET on Discovery.