Deadliest Catch : Season Finale

So last night brought the final episode of the season for Discovery's number one show, Deadliest Catch. To sum it up, it was basically an episode reflecting on the season as a whole for all five of the boats featured. Obviously the big story of the season was about Captain Phil and his untimely death. It's going to be very difficult for many people close to Captain Phil and the Cornelia Marie to be without his presence. Sure, he was only a crab boat captain, but he was such a huge individual in that industry. He knew the tricks of the trade which was no surprise considering he got started in crab fishing at the age of 17 (even earlier if you count the trips he had with his dad). I'm sure if Deadliest Catch didn't pan out as a show earlier on, Captain Phil's death wouldn't have an affect on the everyday man like it does today. But the show is huge, drawing record numbers. Captain Phil became a celebrity, whether he liked it or not. And when the headlines came out last winter about his initial stroke and eventual death, entertainment news websites picked that story up. Phil Harris was a special individual; not only was he blunt and often said what he thought, but he also had a softer side and really did care about people. He was a larger-than-life individual and his presence will truly be missed on that show. I know I certainly will miss him; after all, he was my favorite captain.

So it will be interesting to see what becomes of the Cornelia Marie. His two sons, Jake and Josh, want to continue as part of the Cornelia Marie. As of last word, they are looking to buy their dad's share of the boat and continue the Harris legacy - possibly even going so far as to captain the boat. But those ambitions will take time and money, something they're a bit short on as of now. Hopefully we haven't seen the end of the Cornelia Marie on the show because even without Phil, that boat deserves to continue and many more stories need being told from on that deck.

As for the F/V Northwestern, Edgar Hansen is making louder grumblings about taking a break from the boat to devote more time to being with family, and to give his body a break. He is relief captain to his brother Sig, but he's mostly on deck and in charge of everything that goes on there. He's been crab fishing since he was 18 years old - and this past season was his 22nd. His kids are growing up and he's rarely there to be a part of their activities. His body is aching more and more with each passing year so it'll be interesting to see whether or not he ends up taking a break during the upcoming crabbing seasons. Edgar's shoes are very difficult to fill and would leave an incredible hole on the Northwestern's crew. Sig Hansen definitely has his work cut out for him if in fact Edgar takes a break this upcoming season.

On the F/V Time Bandit, the Hillstrand brothers are encountering a dilemma of their own. Retirement is quickly approaching both Johnathan and Andy - who've spent many years as captain and on deck of their own boat. They are looking for a successor to take over their boat; someone with leadership and the knowledge of running a boat. Johnathan's son, Scott was a likely successor, however, he hasn't quite shown the willingness to learn more of the operations involved, such as learning the engine room and knowing what it's like to be in the wheelhouse. Fellow deckmate Mike Fourtner became the leading candidate but then it all seemed to get to his head and his ego really swelled to unimaginable proportions. A minor feud broke out between Scott and Mike on deck, who began jabbing back and forth at each other because by rights, Scott should get first dibs on becoming the successor, yet Mike was handpicked by Johnathan and Andy. So needless to say, don't expect to see both Johnathan or Andy out of the wheelhouse anytime soon.

As for the F/V Wizard, there really weren't a whole lot of surprises on deck this season. They hauled away an incredible amount of crab and came home with big bucks. Don't expect too many changes to the crew on deck heading into the new season this winter. As for the new boat featured on the show this year, the F/V Kodiak was really a fun boat to watch. It was captained by "Wild Bill" Wichrowski - a sharp-tongued man who really got off to a poor start with the King Crab season, but hauled away an incredible amount of Opilio crab that netted big bucks for his crew. There was so much happening on this boat from a dysfunctional crew on deck to a member of the Discovery Channel camera crew getting seriously ill from seasickness. Despite all of the shenanigans that went on, they really had a successful crabbing year. I really enjoyed the dynamic of this boat and hope it gets filmed again in the upcoming new crab seasons.

So there we have it, the end of another Deadliest Catch season. The break in between seasons is a long one; we have to wait until next April for new episodes to return. But what can you expect, the height of the crab season is during the winter. Let's hope the upcoming crab seasons are successful and safe for all of the crews out on the Bering Sea. Because after all, what we've seen on the show, it's no wonder that job is one of the deadliest in all the world.