'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 20 Review: Skippers battle treacherous storms due to super snow moon
Mother nature's fury is hard to appease and even harder if you need to go crabbing, the super snow moon phenomenon poses multiple problems to skippers and one of them is high and treacherous storms along with extreme icing. This not just adds to the weight of the vessel, but also adds to the terrible working conditions, forcing the skippers to divide time and staff between breaking the ice and setting down the pots.
The Cornelia Marie bears the brunt initially as greenhorn Maria Dosal struggles to keep up. The enthusiastic Maria, who's known for her incredible work ethic, has some difficulty in working against the storms as she makes a few mistakes, such as throwing off the hook into the ocean accidentally. This ticks off the skippers Josh Harris and Casey McManus. However, by the end of the day, it is about second chances, and despite the tough day out, it is a good crab outing for the Cornelia Marie.
The same can't be said for the Wizard as Monte Colburn & co practically spend their time chopping off the ice. Two days have passed since they so much as whiffed some crab scent and even the set pots come up empty. Monte makes a bold call to go north in the final minutes of the episodes. However, they can take solace from the fact they are leading in the profits table thanks to some good runs earlier in the month.
Troubles arise for Southern Wind and Lady Alaska skippers, Steve Davidson and Scott Campbell Junior. For one, it is an engine issue after a rope tangle and for the other, it's a sea-flea infestation that ruins the bait. Eventually, Steve figures out that going reverse and applying some tension would snip the rope giving him full power, while Junior sets the pots deeper to avoid the flea fiasco. The two skippers come up with decent amounts of crab.
In a way, it does look like it all ended well for the skippers in the episode, but that said, it wasn't easy for them to find solutions. The episode further showcases the tough challenges these captains and their crew members have to face and has a clear message that the profession isn't for the faint of heart. That said, 'Deadliest Catch' dishes out another neat episode in the form of 'A Problem Like Maria' and gives fans every reason to tune in on Tuesdays.
'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 airs Tuesdays 8 pm ET on Discovery.
