Prior to the June 22 episode of “Deadliest Catch,” I had, if you’ll pardon the pun, never caught an episode. When I heard in February that the captain of one of the crab boats had a stroke and subsequently died a couple of weeks later, I wondered how and if it would be handled on the show. I was drawn to the episode, the first in a four-episode-arc that promises to show the struggles of Captain Harris’ family, for one simple reason — as Clark Bunting, the president and general manager of Discovery Channel said, these episodes “are reflective of issues that every family has to deal with.”

In the first episode, we see Captain Phil (smoking incessantly) talking to his sons about who would take over the boat one day. He also had painful discussions with his youngest boy, who admits during the course of the show that he is addicted to pain killers. Now these exchanges are not taking place in a well-appointed apartment on Park Avenue. These conversations are taking place on a crab boat during a brutal February in the Bering Sea.

When Captain Phil has his stroke, the boat is docked at St. Paul’s Island after having off-loaded its catch. As the EMTs are trying to get a response from Phil, his eldest son is trying to figure out who is going to take charge of the ship and get it home. The pragmatic problem solver is a familiar character in times of crisis, wondering how to exert control in a situation that defies it.

In last night’s episode, Captain Phil was put on a plane to an Anchorage ICU, accompanied by his youngest son, while the oldest stays behind on the boat. There is a very real scene in which a deckhand tells Josh, the oldest, that he should be with his father, essentially telling him that there will always be crab, but there won’t always be dad. The son is torn, wanting to keep the business running (I think it is only a three-month-season) and wanting to be with his father. The drama is authentic as Josh questions what his father would want him to do. In the end, he leaves for Anchorage, exhibiting the signs of a man who is lost in his fear.

In subsequent episodes we will see Phil in the hospital and we will see his family grieving. We will be privileged to witness a truly remarkable moment in television. Several blogs have asked if Discovery is crossing the line by airing these episodes. I think if it helps even one member of one family feel less alone while sitting in a hospital waiting room hoping for answers, it is a line that is well drawn, not crossed.

Be well.