There were some learning moments in tonight’s Swamp People. We saw that a demanding father can learn a lesson or two from his own child, and that hyperactive dogs have no place on a gator hunting boat.
Here we are at episode 805 of Swamp People, one in my mind that should have been called “Gunner’s last stand” as the entire episode — up until the end — we were mostly worried that the needy puppy dog was going to get his inquisitive head trapped in a gator’s long sharp jaw.
Handsome former baseball star Dwaine Edgar opened the show with a salute to his dad Daniel, noting his unflagging work ethic. He was brutally honest.
Dwaine mused that some resentment is brewing with his father, who eschewed pursuing an education for swamp living and hard work, all while watching his son become a worldly pro baseball star. Heavy stuff.
Despite this confessional, it is now day 11 of alligator hunting season, and at the crack of black, three generations of Edgar men are seen sipping coffee and discussing this episode’s strategy. “Team Edgar is in really good shape right now,” says the patriarch Daniel.
The Landrys are up with the chickens too, about 43 miles away in Pierre Part. Troy asks Chase, Holden and Jacob if they are pumped.
He wagers a bet, the loser has to cook supper for the winner. Ain’t no take out in the swamp y’all, people eat real food out heyuh! Troy says he has to fill 10-15 tags a day during gator season so it’s time to motor.
First gator kill from Troy and Jacob at the King’s honey hole is a paltry five-footer.
About 75 miles away in the waters outside Hammond, Ron Methvin and Bruce Mitchell have set 60 lines and need to up the pace to get them all pulled in.
Ron’s dog Gunner is all over the place, perilously close to the edge of the boat. He keeps sticking his head in the water over the side to drink!
Bruce philosophizes that gator-hunting is like scratching a lottery ticket while Ron is realizing Gunner is not the smartest hound in the dogpile.
He is rightfully worried that his needy lovebug of a dog will impede their gator wrangling. They wrap their 6-footer and Gunner snuggles in Ron’s lap as they move on down the road.
Near 100 miles to the south in Bayou Black, Robert “Frenchy” Crochet and Gerard “Gee” Singleton are focused on their gator bidniz.
These two are a riot. A huge gator is on the line but he pops it, then a quick-thinking Gee drag lines him and bam, they get an 11-footer.
Back to the Edgar clan. Dwaine and Edgar are getting on each other’s tits. They aren’t catching a whole lot until Daniel pulls up a gator on the line. Daniel bitches about Dwaine’s inability to kill the gator on the first shot. Messy.
Pierre Part sees two Landry boats, with Troy really wanting to win a catered home-cooked supper. There’s a tree-shaker alert for Troy as he says: “We got excitement coming.” The line is heavy as Jacob feels it out. The frigging gator is enormous!
Some 42-odd miles south in Bayou Black, Gee and Frenchy are getting it done son, and have pulled in four monsters.
Gee makes a loop in the line to create a handle as the tangled vegetation is in their way. A huge 11-foot gator “with attitude” is bagged and he gets the signature Gee and Frenchy blessing. #teamwork
Back outside Hammond, Bruce and Ron are running to stand still. But Gunner is overheated in the metal skiff and needs to get fresh water. They have to stop.
They manage to catch a gator but Gunner is all over the place, and Ron is worried and regretting his decision to bring the dog.
About 75 miles away, Chase is on the hunt. He knows he has to prove his worth to Troy. His dad is called the King of the Swamp after all.
A local toothy prehistoric fish called Gar was baited with a jug, and the gator took it all. The jug is now submerged meaning that this fella is likely a monster.
The red jug appears as Holden has him in his sights. He misses. Chase takes the rifle. Chase hits the gator and treble hooks him. “He’s a f****** giant!” says Chase.
Okay, so the Edgar clan is still on the prowl, a line is spied, it is taut as Dwaine readies the gun. He flubs it again. Gets him the second time. Dwaine tells Daniel to ease up. Poppa don’t preach! Dwaine is tired of the lectures.
Gee and Frenchy are ravenous out on the bayou and are each tucking into homemade sweet potato pie. The pair are taking five as the two reminisce about Jerrold’s Barber Shop where you could get a pie and a haircut for a quarter. Jerrold’s still rocks the pies but the prices have gone up a bit.
Pierre Part has yet another tree-shaker. Troy calls him Sasquatch and bags a 13-footer! “We sitting low,” he tells Jacob as the boat is barely above water.
Our episode’s drama queen on four legs is still Gunner, who is really slowing down Ron and Bruce. The two are approaching another tight line and Gunner sticks his head in the swamp to drink. Bad dog!
Thrashing, rolling and gator-fied drama ensues as Bruce shoots the beastie and makes the decision to leave his beloved restless Gunner home and safe. We can finally breathe.
Now it’s time to settle the Landry score. Who is cooking supper for whom?
“Let’s unload,” says Troy. Chase’s gator measures 11ft 7in. Troy’s big boy Sasquatch is 12ft 5in. Holden and Chase lose the bet. The requested dinner is some barbecue and Jacob hopes it’s not the funky bait chicken that Chase decides to cook up.
Edgar clan post-mortem time. Daniel sorts the day out with his oldest son Joey. “He [Dwaine] is too sensitive,” says Daniel to Joey, who counsels his pop on how to finesse these learning moments as a father, while a pensive Daniel gives it all a think.
Our two peas in a pod, Gee and Frenchy, have bagged a mess of gators and are loving life. They are eating more sweet tater pies as Frenchy is dancing and laughing, having a good ol’ time and he tells us he doesn’t care about color.
This cajun white boy blends in seamlessly inside this African American barber shop and he is a gen-u-ine part of Gee’s extended family.
Meanwhile, at Chez Landry, Chase and Holden cooked up a feast of barbecue and now all I can think about is getting me some ribs. Them damned close-ups of that good Louisiana food! Make you talk like Troy Landry all up in heyuh.
Next week Kristi Broussard nearly loses her leg in the sizzle reel. The good news is at least Ron’s dog Gunner is home laying on his dog bed.
Swamp People airs Thursdays at 9/8c on History.