'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 8 Review: Tragedy, tears and bittersweet wins kickstart the winter season
Spoilers for 'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 Episode 8 'Mayday: Scandies Rose'
It was 90 minutes of emotions that ran high on this episode of 'Deadliest Catch'.
'Mayday: Scandies Rose' focuses heavily on the boat that sank on December 31, 2019, taking with it five fishermen including the skipper, Gary Cobban Jr., and his son. The news of the loss left the captains and crew members of the show devastated. Sig Hansen of the Northwestern, Will Bill Wichrowski of the Summer Bay, Scott Campbell Junior of Lady Alaska, and Monte Colburn of the Wizard paid rich tribute to their dead brothers.
The episode alternates between footage of the US Coast Guard frantically scanning the treacherous Bering Sea for any signs of life while these skippers keep an eye out for any developments and try to keep their own crew together in their search for Cod and Opilia Snow Crabs. Colburn coming back to the season for the first time gets drunk after hearing the death of Gary Cobban and this delays the Wizard's start by a day. After some encouragement from brother Keith, they lift anchor.
Wild Bill may have had an early jump on the season, but the crew is not without its share of troubles. His engineer, Nick, gets almost killed after a mishap on deck and with the shockwaves in the form of the Scandies Rose capsizing, the crew struggles to focus. The final minutes of the episode sees Nick and Bill hug with tears that show how the incident deepens bonds and relationships between crew members. The message is clear: Family and friends first.
Lady Alaska might have cost Scott Campbell Junior all his savings and put him under a loan, but that doesn't deter the crabber as he weaves the rough seas. Trouble though isn't far away. A relatively talented, but new crew slows him down as does some technical snags in the form of a water leak and failed hydraulics that leaves him in a state of rage. But by the end of the episode, the news of Cobban Jr's death breaks him as he sobs uncontrollably. He may have made decent returns with Cod, but it wasn't anything to celebrate about.
Sig, after failed returns at his spot, gets dangerously close to the Russian waters and that's when the jackpot load follows. Each pot sees them hit three-figures in crabs, The tough seas may have battered and swayed the Northwestern, but undaunted, the crew carried on and yielded rich returns. Colburn, in his quest, encounters a rogue wave that almost drags greenhorn, Todd to the sea, but he makes it out in the nick of time. They too find a patch that sees the pots filled with crab.
However, the celebrations are dampened by the tragedy of the Scandies Rose and in the end, there's a tearful tribute as each of the skippers remembers their best moments with Gary Cobban Jr. Fans will appreciate the fact the episode touches an extra 30 minutes just so that it can feature the vessel and see the crew share condolences. With the winter crabbing season officially starting, the series is sure to feature some high-octane action, gripping drama and some exciting crab hauls.
'Deadliest Catch' Season 16 airs 8 pm ET on Discovery.
