Swamp People has a new legend to crow about: Big Boy McCoy, the primary reptilian trophy of this week’s spiritual and solemn episode that saw Chase and cousin Holden Landry follow up a hot lead of reported bubble trails, Robert “Frenchy” Crochet and Gerard “Gee” Singleton turn the other cheek and the Edgar clan further descend into an existential crisis.
We open though with Kristi Broussard, who in her voiceover shares her plans to clear her homestead of alligators. The mother of two says: “One of the biggest things my husband and I will ever do is build a home…when you see alligators around your home, you want to get rid of them.”
A glorious sunrise is shown as dawn breaks on day 14 of gator season, and we begin our boat trip in Franklin, Louisiana. The half-way point is nigh and Daniel Edgar is giving Dwaine an accuracy test with a rifle. Daniel is adamant that Dwaine needs to up his aim game.
Joey is their mediator, still. “Dealing with daddy is a handful,” he says of the perfectionist Daniel Edgar.
Over 41 miles east in Bayou Black, there are 50 tags left to fill for Frenchy and Gee.
Yes, they have their trusty salt and pepper shaker in advance of hopefully many kills. The guys discover a poacher has cut one of their lines. Frenchy and Gee are very devout Christians. They pray that the poacher needed the gator more than they did and call it good.
About 120 miles west over in Pecan Island, Kristi Broussard and husband StringBean Justin Roy have plans to build.
Now Kristi is on a mission to protect her two babies from gator attacks. StringBean is in it to win it with Kristi as this welder and former gator huntress is gonna shoot some gators today.
Intent on a kill, Kristi tells her man to hold the line tight as she squares the gun on the gator’s head. Heavy rain and a band of hungry gators are circling their property. The day starts off good.
Then 120 miles east, on Grand Lake, Chase and Holden are stalking their first target of the day.
Holden’s friend tipped them to a massive bubble trail in the area which indicates a submarine-sized gator that Chase calls “Big Boy McCoy”.
The lure of a giant is driving Chase to obsession. He says: “I hunt his ass every day until we kill him…it’s personal now baby!”
Back to Bayou Black, Frenchy and Gee are gobsmacked that they caught a “Water Turkey” bird.
Frenchy has a soft spot for the bird and cuts him loose. “I felt peace after I let the bird loose, good always come back to ya,” says Frenchy.
In the rain of Bayou Benoit, Daniel Edgar spots a behemoth. Dwaine casts a line, and bags the gator saying: “Grab your rifle, that’s a big alligator! He’s 11 plus!”
They treble hook this monster, lose him and then connect while Daniel holds him as “two shot Dwaine” is cocked and ready and takes…two shots to kill it. Together they bag the 12-foot beast. Daniel still bitches about little things.
Okay, back to the elusive Big Boy McCoy, a legendary monster, much like the Landry kins’ own “Grande Noir” that haunted Daniel Edgar for 16 years. Except they haven’t caught this new gator gargantuan yet.
Holden is on the banks being eaten alive. Insane amounts of mosquitoes are all over this kid. A new plan is immediately devised.
Forget the alligators y’all, it’s the arachnids and prodigious insect life of the swamp that would make me leave tout de suite.
Some 123 miles west of Pecan Island, Kristi and StringBean are clearing their land still. Another monster is cruising the bayou. Her husband is as good a shot as Dwaine.
Third time’s a charm as they bag it. Kinda. Kristi is charged in the reeds as the shot gator rushes her. StringBean is cursing a Hot Doggit blue streak as they head off.
The Edgar situation is on full simmer. Eighty miles east in Bayou Benoit, Daniel’s hectoring has reached Def-Con 5 in annoying Dwaine. They have one gator and 99 problems. And a boat full of gators isn’t one of them.
On Bayou Black, French and Gee’s good karma is reaping gators. They nabbed seven gators already! And a big fella is staring them down.
They prod this dinosaur out of his hidey-hole and it’s on. The captured gator nearly swamps the boat as Frenchy says: “Salt and Pepper on fire!”
And as expected, they douse the reptile with seasoning and thank God for the good fortune.
Meanwhile, greenhorn StringBean is still struggling and hasn’t killed anything of note yet. Kristi sure loves him, though.
Her man goes down hard as he says, “Now my ball sack is wet.” Nice! He has to strip down before Kristi lets him in her truck.
On Grand Lake, it’s do-or-die time for the Landry duo as we wind down looking for Big Boy McCoy.
Holden is on point and sees something. Gun is ready, and the heavy line yields a “super heavy” monster! They got him! Almost.
Holden nearly goes in the water. Then they finally get the wily 12-footer. It’s one for the books.
We finish with the Edgar dilemma. The awful smell of manky stanky (seriously worse than fish) rotten chicken makes Dwaine reflect, and it’s negative: “I went to college so I wouldn’t have to live this life…I’m beat down.”
Daniel talks about Dwaine and his sensitivity, and how he needs to fight in this life. He says: “When my hands hurt, I know I’m making money.”
Seems like Dwaine may be rethinking his priorities. The sizzle clip for next week sees an angry confrontation. Maybe Dwaine is done, after all.
Anybody else miss our overachiever Willie Edwards? The one-man killing machine of Louisiana? He grows on you like moss.
Swamp People airs Thursdays at 9/8c on History.