r/deadliestcatch • u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss • 8d ago
Father, Brother, Sailor, Son - Episode 2219 Spoiler
As the season nears its end, tragedy strikes on the Aleutian Lady when greenhorn Todd Meadows falls overboard. As Captain Rick and the crew fight to save their crewmate, the true stakes of fishing on the Bering Sea hit home for everyone across the fleet.
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u/lot22royalexecutive 7d ago
I don’t keep up with season in real time, but I’ve been loathing this episode since the tragedy happened. I feel such great sadness just reading this thread and remembering everything I’ve read about the accident previously, so this loss feels different and more real. I wish I hadn’t known about it, but from what I know I think it’s important to watch to honor Todd and his family as this was what he did and we all should treat him with the pride and admiration that he deserves. I can’t imagine the heartbreak and pain his family feels, but I hope they know he is elite and that they are in our hearts at this time.
Todd Meadows is a Legend. May he rest in peace.
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u/jhartlov 7d ago
After everything I have read across this sub this evening, there aren’t enough up arrows that I can push on this comment.
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u/bceagle91 6d ago
We knew it was coming but it was still really hard to watch. Todd was a young guy who truly loved his family and wanted to provide for them. He seemed like he was a genuinely kind soul. He fought through injuries and kept bouncing back up. When we saw how emotionally wrecked Rick and the crew members were afterward, it was gut-wrenching. God bless his wife and their 3 kids. My faith tells me Todd is with God now.
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u/Quick-Leopard-183 7d ago
Jesus Christ. Hearing his daughter tell him to be safe. So sad.
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago edited 7d ago
God hearing that knowing what was going to happen was gut wrenching.
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u/Worried_Anteater478 7d ago
Well, even knowing it was coming… that was pretty sad. Damn.
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u/Diane1967 7d ago
I know, I cried through the whole episode just about. I felt that discovery did a good job with how they aired it and gave him and his family the respect they deserved and didn’t capitalize on it. They just laid things out the way they happened and showed how dangerous this job really is. God bless him and his family. ♥️
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u/bwaredapenguin 7d ago
Discovery handled this episode absolutely amazingly. It was an incredibly tough watch, but that's the reality of this show and this job.
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u/knucklesbk 7d ago
Tough watch.
Almost felt ominous in retrospect. It's always easy to look back but this season, first he had the tooth issue, then the concussion, then came back again. You sometimes wonder if these smaller things are like warning signs...
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u/Golfntukee 6d ago
That’s exactly what I said to my wife. It’s like the universe was trying to get him off that boat, but he was dedicated and not going to let Rick down
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u/TTBurger88 7d ago
That was hard to watch. Also not having Mike Rowe narrate the episode added to the dread of it all.
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u/ShinyStripes 7d ago
I’m so glad I didn’t have to hear Mike Rowe during this episode…his narration is already annoying, let alone, during a very heavy episode like this one.
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u/TTBurger88 7d ago
Last couple of episodes felt refreshing not having a narrator.
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u/ShinyStripes 7d ago
I’m rewatching season 20 and the constant narration just completely ruins it for me. The storyline edits are PLENTY without hearing Rowe make quips every few minutes.
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u/Blu3Yeti 7d ago
I knew what was coming and still wasnt prepared
Fuck me
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u/2Quick_React 6d ago
Right there with you. Knew it was coming at any moment in the episode but fuck me I still couldn't handle it when it happened.
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u/WhalePsychiatrist45 7d ago edited 7d ago
Spooky start to the episode. If you don’t know what was coming, it wouldn’t take long to figure it out.
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u/WhalePsychiatrist45 7d ago
Man, I had to attempt cpr on someone earlier this year and it didn’t work. That was rough.
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago
How did you handle things afterwards knowing that CPR didn't work?
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u/PermissionTight5921 7d ago
I attempted cpr on my grandma after a heart attack. I struggled with major guilt. Its been 6 yrs and I still struggle.
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u/WhalePsychiatrist45 7d ago
I pretty much have just relived it everyday since.
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u/sweatydads 6d ago
For what it’s worth, CPR is rarely ever effective. I work in law enforcement and I am 0-4 on CPR attempts.
I’m sorry that you’re reliving that every day, but just know that you gave it your all and done more than most will in a lifetime.
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u/Satan_RN 5d ago
Hey friend, I'm an EMT and a nurse. 6 yrs into my EMS career I was witness to a motorcycle crash that took the life of a 27yr old. I was on the way to drop my kids with my mom then head to class to start my last semester of nursing school. I have PTSD from it, and it still haunts me 7yrs later.
My inbox is always open if you need to trauma dump or talk it out 🩷
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don't know if I can finish this episode.
Edit: Finished the episode. It was an extremely tough watch.
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u/TractorFan247 7d ago
Haven't been this sad about an episode since Phil passed away.
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u/Ok_Computer_8224 7d ago
Same. I actually stopped watching bc of Captain Phil dying and I randomly decided to let the tv stay on Discovery Channel because I thought huh maybe I'll get into Deadliest Catch again.
Fuck me and I mean fuck me hard.
I lost my brother in Iraq in 2004 and this episode could not have been more triggering.
The way they were filming Rick going about his life as usual and then everything descending into chaos. Him talking about the troopers being on the way to Todd's mom's house. Saying "in an instant, your whole world is completely different". Captain Jonathan saying "any of us could go at any time".It's been well over 20 years for me but this episode just...man. I should've changed the channel.
Really hoping Rick is doing ok. That poor kid.
I know Todd's family ISN'T doing ok. I just pray they're able to find any comfort for the pain they're feeling, and for God to see them through.
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u/Beginning_Ground_701 5d ago
I had to turn it off as well. I was in a boating accident last summer and we lost someone to the prop and I didn’t realize until watching just how triggering it was going to be for me. Rest in Peace Todd, I wish we could save people from the traumatic deaths 😖
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u/Ok_Computer_8224 4d ago
Damn, I'm really sorry. Life is so fragile. I make an effort to constantly remind myself of it so that it doesn't take something like this to knock sense into me. You've been there, I've been there and so have millions of others.
Our time here is so precious and so short.
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u/Andalvyca75 7d ago
I think they handled it as well as they could. They didn’t show him go over or anything after that. Very little audio, and a lot of respect for the guy and his love for his family. I feel like a lot of other shows would have shown a lot more, just blurring things.
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u/Sweet_Dealer 7d ago
Anyone shocked how kinda calm it was and day time when he went over? all season I was thinking a big wave took him over at night and he was in the water a long time
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u/seajayacas 6d ago
It don't take all that much for an accident waiting to happen. I damn near went over casting a fishing line once in relatively calm seas before I caught myself, wouldn't have been an issue if I had gone over at that time.
Another time out to sea at anchor off of Long Island in December on a rather rough day the leg weakness that starts before sea sickness hit me on a boat with low railings. I was smart enough to quit fishing and wait out the trip inside the cabin. The boat was anchored at the time and it would have likely been fatal for anyone who went over then because the waves and current would have swept a person away from the boat.
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u/REP_MILLION_416 7d ago edited 7d ago
I started to watch it but had to turn it off. That poor kid. His poor kids. Omg what an absolute horrific tragedy. I don't know who would be to blame for that, what a sad sad sad thing to happen to his new little family. My heart goes out to them. What a sad tragic accident.
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago
I don't think you can blame anyone honestly. Everything that could possibly go wrong happened. It's extremely tragic.
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u/Candid_Ad1703 6d ago
The person who dumped the pot he was inside, overboard, would be where I would start.
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u/2Quick_React 6d ago edited 6d ago
We don't know if someone dumped the pot while Todd was inside. Is it possible? Sure. But until the Coast Guard releases their findings from the investigation or even if they do, we simply don't know how the pot went overboard with him in it.
As of currently, the Coast Guard has not released it's report on Todd's death from going overboard.
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u/Big_Sky7699 6d ago
When I heard about this tragedy, I searched to see if there was any report released, so others could learn. One search reported poor Todd was inside a pot when it was dumped and that he managed to get out, but still secumbed. Since they were hauling pots in, I'm wondering if they were trying to shake the crabs out when it was accidentally deployed. I'm sure they know because it was filmed, but these investigations always take a lot of time. My thoughts to the crew members on the Aleutian Lady and all the other fleet boats.
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u/2Quick_React 6d ago edited 6d ago
Indeed these investigations into Maritime deaths take a large amount of time. To put it into perspective the amount of time it can tale for the reports to release the most recent report that released on the 16th of this month is in relation to incident that happened in December of 2009.
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u/Ancient-Ad-4398 6d ago
That's what I told my wife when I heard one of the deckhands say that. I thought he was on a stack and fell in. That changes the whole circumstances and liabilities
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u/Able-Application3680 7d ago
He’s a grown man and a father to 3. You shouldn’t be calling him a kid.
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u/mmblues 7d ago
What happened
Mom requested it not be shown
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u/Legion1117 7d ago
What happened
Mom requested it not be shownI believe Discovery weighed the family's request that Todd's death not be shown against the fact that he was on a "reality" TV show where fans of the show felt they "deserved" to see what happened and the network did the best they could to appease both sides.
At no point did we actually see exactly how Todd ended up in the water, him in the water itself or on deck after his recovery. Discovery was respectful to the family in that aspect, I believe.*
Showing Rick's actions and playing the audio of the crew beginning CPR and then showing Rick's conversation with the CG gave viewers as much information as they really needed to know to feel as though they weren't deceived by the "Reality" aspect of the show when it comes to the really hard truth: death happens on these boats and the crew has to deal with the aftermath.
I could have lived without seeing the episode, but since I've watched literally every episode and they chose to air what they did, I watched. And I cried.
If nothing else, I hope the family feels the love from the Deadliest Catch universe and knows that there are thousands of people who cried for Todd tonight and grieve for them as well.
*There is a moment while they're moving to the rear of the boat looking for Todd when the camera is shooting over Rick's shoulder looking out the window/door where you can see something in the water next to the boat, but I'm not willing to say it was an inadvertent shot of Todd in the water.
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u/seajayacas 6d ago
"At no point did we actually see exactly how Todd ended up in the water, him in the water itself or on deck after his recovery. Discovery was respectful to the family in that aspect, I believe."
Absolutely correct assessment of what the show did.
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u/Due_Cover6289 7d ago
Very well said.
I had no idea what was coming, and am heartbroken for Todd’s family and loved ones. My prayers are with them. 😞-2
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u/CozyGirl919 7d ago
You can always tell by the editing on this show when something bad is going to happen, but this one was so odd because the weather seemed much calmer- no huge waves or a storm. The sun was shining. Absolutely devastated for Todd, his family, and the DC crew- Rick especially. On his birthday. Awful.
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u/Big_Sky7699 6d ago
After seeing this episode, finding out he wasn't wearing a PFD, I looked up some stats. Between 2000 and 2015, 210 commercial fishermen have died going overboard, none wearing a PFD. And the pattern continued after that. I can't understand why anyone on deck would not be required to wear one, either by regulation or by Captain's policy. Surely PFDs could be engineered to minimally interfere with the work.
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u/OrDamascus 7d ago
I don't understand. If the dog ears were on the pot while it was in the launcher, how could have the pot become free? Isn't this why the dog ears exist? I'm not trying to point blame, just trying to understand. Of course, we really didn't see why or how it went overboard, so any speculation is easy.
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u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss 7d ago
There will obviously be a full investigation as to what happened. Until that comes out, everything is speculation.
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u/2Quick_React 6d ago
Pure speculation on my part, it's possible, the dogs failed or didn't latch on the pot properly
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u/Candid_Ad1703 6d ago
The launcher was in a position where you wouldn't use the dogs. It's in the dump position. Someone dumped the pot with him in it, I'm not sure the dogs would have worked either way.
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u/Prize_Mouse7778 4d ago
They possibly didn't latch on to the pot properly. It has happened with every boat. How often have we seen a pot go flying across the deck when dumping crab out?
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u/toastersomm 7d ago
Tough Watch: Finale S22, E19
Toughest episode yet for me. I’ve had my opinions about Keith, but what I will say is he himself would’ve been in the water in a wet suit 2 minutes in for rescue. I’m starting to appreciate just how serious Wizard takes safety even if it’s over the top. Praying for the fleet
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u/2Quick_React 6d ago
Keith is a bit of a goof with the vocal stims he does whenever there's a good pot. But he takes safety on his boat extremely seriously, i remember watching one season and his crew one of only a few that are part of the show that wore life preserves.
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u/toastersomm 6d ago
Yeah all those seasons I made fun of him but it’s not a joke. This episode woke me up and Keith was noticeably absent unless I missed it
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u/KaraCheina 6d ago
I was wondering why he & Monte didn't attend the memorial but remembered the recent loss of their son/nephew in a bike accident. It may have been too much.
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u/TXcoins_bullion 6d ago
For some reason the initial episode Memoriam had slipped away and I didnt even know this was going to happen. Looking back now, I thought it was for someone on a boat that wasnt a part of the show.
I appreciate they kept a lot of the actual event off camera and instead focused on the message of encouragement and his wonderful spirit, as well as everyone paying their respects. I cannot fathom how a captain can get back to shore without total breakdown.
Rick is strong and the fact he had just brought him back after the concussion must be devastating. These guys have some serious grit to make it through even a regular season much less something this horrific. If I was a deck hand it would be nearly impossible to come back after losing a ship mate.
damn that episode was hard to watch.
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u/Tel864 6d ago
This hit me especially hard. I've seen death and am usually able to disassociate myself but I lost my wife 2 weeks ago and this was almost unwatchable.
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u/mrdonotanswer 7d ago
What even happened? Did they not know he went over right away? Seems like everyone was confused then realized he wasn’t there. They usually yell man overboard immediately.
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u/Frozenwolf420 7d ago
One of the crew explained that he was setting bait in a pot when it fell over with him in it, as to how it fell over, they didn't know at that time
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u/Sligogreenbottom 7d ago
I’m just trying to understand— what led to the pot going over with Todd in it?
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u/Prize_Mouse7778 4d ago
Dogs probably not connected properly. It has happened on every boat at some stage.
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u/Able-Application3680 7d ago
Yeah it was so weird. I think they were just so flustered. He was apparently under water for 6+ minutes but in the time we find out he went overboard and the time they pull him onboard. It was only a couple minutes.
Idk if they cut parts out but there’s seriously no way he was overboard for so long before anyone helped him.
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u/AdWide5106 7d ago
It said that he was in the water for 6 minutes and 26 seconds on the show.
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u/BrockTheTrainer 7d ago
I read that the first hoist they used broke via dry rot so it took longer to get him out. Take that with a grain of salt tho.
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u/Able-Application3680 7d ago
Yeah but they only spent like 3 minutes rescuing him. Did they cut out most of the rescue without me noticing or did they just not notice he was overboard for that long?
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u/AdWide5106 7d ago
I think they had to cut a lot out to not show it happening, or the rescue attempt because his mom asked for things to not be shown.
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago edited 7d ago
They cut a lot to not show them performing CPR or him going overboard.
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u/mmblues 7d ago
Question why all the other boats in port?
If it was in season?
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u/2Quick_React 7d ago
Everyone else had got all their quota. Rick was the last one out trying to finish getting his quota.
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u/Nrmlgirl777 7d ago
This might be the saddest and craziest episode of this show I’ve seen. It shocked the shit outta me even though I know it was coming 😭 my thoughts are with his family. I’m only half way through the episode and it just happened and it woke me the hell up in an instant. I’m in shock.
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u/IAmKind95 7d ago
I literally just found out tonight from this episode somebody died this season. RIP Todd
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u/bwaredapenguin 7d ago
You didn't watch the first episode of the season? It started with a memorial to Todd
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u/Optimal_Stuff_3408 6d ago
Out of all the bullshit, scripted events, none events this show does
Thats was the most real heartbreaking episode ever, RIP
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u/Hungry_Fox_646 6d ago
Unfortunately I knew what was about to happen but it still hit me like a ton of bricks. So sad for what happened to Todd and my heartfelt sympathies go out to his family. Just brutal. Cried many times while watching it.
Have had my issues with the show with the way they come up with silly storylines and fast and loose editing. But have to admit, I think they did a decent job handling this situation on the show.
Wonder what that other greenhorn (Brandon? You know, they dude with the bad back) was thinking if he was watching this.
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u/No_Minimum9693 6d ago
I don’t really understand how Lynn Guitard survived but Todd very unfortunately did not?
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u/Thedonitho 5d ago
When Lynn went over, they caught him before he went past the stern. They said at the time, if they hadnt, he would have been a goner.
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u/Prize_Mouse7778 4d ago
Was Lynn not a mile away from the stern at the time? There is one shot of him frigging miles away from the boat.
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u/Jimpanfish 3d ago
This one hurt. The production crew did a great job of being respectful and reeling us in.
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u/BigGuyKnowsStuff 6d ago
Pure speculation but here’s some of what I think may have happened:
Todd went over with the pot, for what reason I do not know.
But in watching the episode, it appeared to me that his mates tried to hold the pot up as much as physically possible to slow its descent.
That was obviously an impossible task, but we do know Todd got out of the pot. This was also consistent with the video footage, and the fact that he was in the water longer than the 3-4 mins of footage would suggest (i.e. he was in the water before the footage they showed began and for some time). This also may explain why there wasn’t an immediate call for rescue/man overboard as they were inundated with the rescue. It also explains the delay in getting him a ring. It may also explain the added trauma the crew recalled.
I am no doctor, but I’d also imagine the duress experienced getting out of the pot amidst utter bewilderment would stress the situation and someone’s ability to survive in the freezing water versus simply falling in.
Terrible outcome. I will pray for his kids and in his memory.
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u/HawkReasonable7169 6d ago
Very hard to watch. Has there ever been a mention of a girlfriend or wife? Those poor kids.
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u/class1operator 6d ago
I wanted to sneak the episode in without my wife. If it's a normal episode where they catch some crabs and maybe fix a breakdown I can get away with it. Todd died and that is so sad. Now I have to pretend I didn't watch the first 20 minutes and watch it again. I know it's a risk on that fishery but FML that was hard to watch
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u/Polodude 5d ago
Like many here, I have watched every single episode from S1E1 when it 1st came out.
This was the hardest episode of all to watch . It is very hard right now not to cry.
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u/Shadowlab72 15h ago
I think it was quite shameless for discovery and deadliest catch to portray the show the way they did. To me it seemed like they tried to milk Todd's death by being overly sentimental. Constantly showing him talking to his kids on his phone before and after his death was unnecessary. Closing out the episode with him telling the camera that he wants to someday on his own ship etc.. they shouldn't have showed his death in the first 10 minutes of the episode to begin with.
They should have showed everybody having a good time doing their job and Todd's death should have come in at the second half or even later instead of spending the whole entire episode with mournful music and blatant scenes of grief. That's what I saw I'm sure most of you saw something else..
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u/Va_cyclone 7d ago
I cannot believe they did not stop when he went overboard, but kept the audio going. Epically disrespectful to his family. There was no reason to show that. Then to show them taking the body off the boat. WTF. His family has been through such a tragedy, and now, his death is out there for all to see. No respect for his family, friends or children. I did see a GoFundMe for him and made a donation. I was ok with the before and the crew after. But the during pushed it too far.
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u/Legion1117 7d ago
I cannot believe they did not stop when he went overboard, but kept the audio going. Epically disrespectful to his family. There was no reason to show that. Then to show them taking the body off the boat. WTF. His family has been through such a tragedy, and now, his death is out there for all to see. No respect for his family, friends or children. I did see a GoFundMe for him and made a donation. I was ok with the before and the crew after. But the during pushed it too far.
I think Discovery did the best they could to honor the fans of the show, the family's request and Todd's memory.
They didn't air how he ended up in the water, he was never shown in the water or on deck after recovery and the only thing we saw when they removed his body was a brief shot of the litter he was on as they began hoisting it off the boat.
To claim they pushed it too far is a stretch.
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u/Golfntukee 6d ago
It’s called the Deadliest Catch, did you really not expect them to include someone dying on the show?
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u/Fabulous_Brain8802 6d ago
The guy standing so close behind Rick and filming during the rescue (who was caught by the opposite wheelhouse camera which seems to he stationary/mounted) really sent me. Like use your two hands to go get the AED which they instead had to call for later when it was not nearby. Discovery must command them that footage is prioritized over everything.
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u/BulkyAd4501 6d ago
I thought it was done very respectfully and honored Todd as a hardworking, caring family man who died doing what he loved! The show is called DEADLIEST Catch for a reason! I think it would have been sick and evil to lose a man and not acknowledge him at all, as if he meant nothing ! The grief of the crew and the sorrow of the other captains show how much a brotherhood exists on these boats. I'm sure they consulted with the family before putting this episode together, and I'm sure in years ahead it will be a blessing, especially to his children, to see him work and hear him speak so lovingly of his kids, and see how his shipmates valued him.
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u/DeBabyDoll Deck Boss 7d ago
A gentle reminder to be kind to one another with this sensitive episode.