The Last Ship 4x05, "Allegiance" - For clarity and morale, a new direction feels needed at the right time

At the halfway point of the season, The Last Ship finally feels like it has its bearings again. The initial adventure that took place as Tom Chandler found his way back to the Nathan James felt like an overdue and long-winded exercise that could have sacrificed some runtime for the sake of brevity. But nevertheless, now that the crew is effectively back together, an invigorated energy that seems to have been lacking has in some ways returned.

There's a lot to process despite that most of the episode was contained in the Nathan James. The main crux is Tom Chandler wondering if he can basically re-enlist, and despite the foregone conclusion, his indecision does chafe at the crew that took slights to his disappearance, which help to add some depth to the proceedings. The other draw in the episode is the slightly late reveal that the El-Alamein's captain (so the speak) is British intelligence, and urges Fletcher to turn his back on the Americans and steal the seeds to make sure the Brits are the first to benefit from any new Red Rust-resistant crops.

It makes for an interesting choice for Vellek to remain a background force, so seemingly influential and powerful - and his supposed expertise being much needed - that he can sway an entire nation away from whatever allegiances they hold. Part of the charm of The Last Ship is that it doesn't forget the seemingly larger picture or global scale it finds itself in. With the UK still reeling from their own internal struggles (referred to and glimpsed at back in season two), it shaped their nation in ways the USA of this show in vastly different ways. It will interesting moving forward to see how the UK acts as a secretive antagonist against the Nathan James and what demands it will place on Fletcher. It's an age old and well worn plot to demand someone's loyalty between their home and newfound friends, but it'll be interesting to see how it unfolds nonetheless.

And lastly, it doesn't seem like 'nostos' will be done with just yet. The show seems to give the impression it will somehow return in some form or other, with Doc Rios trying to research the origins of the plant while it seems like even a single dose has hooked Slattery in some respects. The final scene seems to imply the habit is not kicked, and the allure of it might be too strong.

But regardless of where some of these threads might end up, for now it seems like the show has at least set a course that looks like the right direction.

• Burke is still reeling from the effects of the attack in Rota, as he becomes more paranoid and unhinged. He is finding it problematic that the enemy is not so clear cut, so it will be interesting if and when his path coincides with Fletcher's.
• Not sure how I feel about Kandie's speech about Chandler, the Nathan James, and destiny. It seemed a little too on the nose in regards to the whole exercise of the show than anything else.