Tuesday, August 22, 2017

The Last Ship 4x01 “In Media Res” and 4x02 “The Pillars of Hercules” start us off in a new direction



"When is it gonna stop Danny? We're the good guys, right?"

There’s always a particular charm in watching the good guys of any worthwhile drama constantly finding themselves on the back foot. If anything, it is the modus operandi of The Last Ship, as its namesake implies. I have always found it interesting how the show has constantly found ways to take what is ostensibly a recruitment tool for the U.S. Navy and wrap that around in a drama where forces find themselves in a fight for sheer survival. In some way, this show has always carried around its post-apocalyptic setting as strongly as the Michael Bay-funded naval action drama. 

It’s something of a hidden gem to see a television drama that has this superficial brouhaha but still manages to anchor itself in actual, interesting drama. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of times where characters share quiet moments or make idle chatter that gives additional depth and attachment to those on the journey, but the main drive is usually what mission these soldiers and sailors find themselves on. 

“In Media Res” is an interesting choice of a title to begin what feels like a brand new course for the show. It’s starting to become something of a habit for the show, taking a cue from the previous season by leaving the audience with a semblance of a victory for the crew of the Nathan James, but thrusting us and them into a brave new, once-again post-apocalyptic world where one solution leads to another problem. The problem this time is that about a year and a half later, the deadly Red Flu that tried to wipe out humanity was stopped when everyone was immunized, but the virus has simply jumped and started devastating the world’s food supply instead. It’s made quiet clear at the very start of the new season: there’s only one cure to this, but the good guys don’t have it, but they’re trying to work on getting it back.

Meanwhile, the great hero of The Last Ship has exiled himself away to Greece after the events at the end of the previous season. There’s a particular strength to this show when it uses other perspectives to do world building, and though I do hope for Tom Chandler to find his way back to the bridge of his ship, it is always interesting to see how the world has changed. In Greece, seedy men control the food supplies in the region and what basically amounts to a warlord holds the people of the Aegean in his thrall by lavishing them with food for loyalty, meanwhile levying hefty taxes on those that actually do the work of harvesting what food they can get. There's also some interested detail where a concoction can stave off the hunger, but it's basically an addictive drug for the masses.

An interesting use of in media res in the actual episode titled, “In Media Res”, occurs in the third act, just after Tom and Alex abscond with the food Giorgio and his men had taken from them, along with the attack on Naval Station Rota. We see Tom and his friends celebrating, happy to have flipped the bird on their oppressors for a night, enjoying their spoils for the night; meanwhile the crew of the Nathan James has to fend of a deadly attack on the naval base. The act breaks and then, immediately after, we’re hit with the aftermath. The crew of the Nathan James learns the true nature of the attack and has to deal with the hurt and damage inflicted on them; meanwhile Tom realizes the consequences of his actions. Especially in the latter, there is no need for a long-winded scene with our villains capturing Alex and leaving him for dead on the boat for Tom to find; we simply find ourselves in the moment with Tom, knowing his actions have cost someone their life. It was an interesting choice but I felt as if the execution was lacking somewhat.

“The Pillars of Hercules” is a much more straightforward affair to follow up the premiere. Quite simply, the Nathan James is caught en route to their intended destination, knocked out and ambushed and having to fend for themselves as best they can in the Strait of Gibraltar. It’s an issue common enough through the run of the series but, like many of these episodes, the Nathan James story usually allows the characters to shine in their own ways in what is a generally standard affair as they do what they can to pluck themselves out of a bad situation. It does a good job of showing the resourcefulness of the crew that the show has accumulated over time and even for their recent additions, giving them some much needed fleshing out. Meylan, who I thought seemed reticent and generally a quiet figure in the previous season, now has much more to add to the proceedings and fits in well. Diaz – who has been in the background most of the time after his introduction – now has moved up in the crew and also has a budding romance with Nolan, opening up her and the helo operator Sunshine (of which I hope to see more of both of them).

On the other hand, despite some of my reservations about Tom Chandler’s exile adventures in Greece, he is making some headway by taking a trip with Giorgio’s gang to what seems to be some kind of fancy Mediterranean fighting ring, led by some mysterious individuals that have a hand in the Greek navy as well. I would not be surprised if this leads into the Nathan James’ search for the ancient seeds they need, but it will be interesting to see how this conspiracy pans out, especially given the enemy seems to be fairly competent and well equipped to keep the U.S.’s sole naval destroyer on their toes.
 

  • Again, because of the time jump, interesting to see Burk and Miller sport beards. (Danny too.) Alas, it seems they will be at odds for a while.
  • And interesting to see a Kenyan soldier and British intelligence agent come aboard the crew of the Nathan James. Always delighted to see a more multicultural crew fighting together.
  • A shame that the older of the Burk brothers had to take such a severe injury in the attack, but it means that Kara is coming back on the ship. Always felt that she belonged more on the ship than off; though I did enjoy her time spent in the US administration last season regardless. She always seemed to be a much more interesting character to follow anyway.
  • Not sure how I feel about the whole Tom Chandler playing dumb here. Sure, he “fights smart” as I am told but nothing in that fight choreography really told me anything besides who hit harder.