Recap: The Last Ship – Bread and Circuses

 

 

Episode 403:“Bread and Circuses”
Written by Ira Parker
Directed by Bobby Roth

[photos courtesy TNT]

The world’s crop supply is suffering from a red rust. There will be nothing to eat soon, and the crew of the USS Nathan James is chasing down viable seeds. This takes us right into this week’s episode and the hopes that Chandler (Eric Dane) rejoins his crew.

Vulture team arrives in Oran, Algeria to look for Mahmond’s (Faruk Amireh) family before Omar (Anthony Azizi) gets to them first. People seem tight lipped, but Sasha (Bridget Regan) and Azima (Jodie Turner-Smith) manage to figure out that it is Mahmond’s grandmother who has the seeds.

At the mansion, Chandler wakes in Lucia’s (Sibylla Deen) bed and steals her necklace, using it to break into an office in the mansion. I get excited at this point because I’m starting to believe Chandler isn’t just going with the flow of it; he does have a mission, he does still care about the world and his crew. None of the stuff he finds looks like anything he understands, so back to bed he goes.

Vulture team sets out to find Mahmoud’s grandmother, Djamila (Gloria Laino), but realizes that Omar is already there questioning her. The scene takes place in her home and she lets Omar search her bag to find nothing. In anger, he throws the table over to find the seed canister hidden in one of the table legs.

Now that Omar has the seeds, it seems like he’s going to make a clean getaway. Sasha knows she as to do something, and she springs into action! She’s clearly the leader of this away team and it’s cute how Fletcher (Jonathan Howard) just worries about her all the time. Omar and his crew leave by helicopter, but not before Sasha puts a tracker on it. Sasha’s smirk as the helicopter flies away is just perfect. She’s a badass.

Giorgio (Jackson Rathbone), Lucia, and Chandler — or the beautiful people as I now refer to them — are on a boat heading back to the beach fighting on Sardinia. Just as I’m thinking, how are they are going to merge these two stories together and get Chandler back on the Nathan James, in walks Omar!  Wow, that was convenient. Giorgio offers Omar 10 million dollars for the seeds, but Omar has upped the price. This all takes place in front of Chandler, whose ears and eyes are wide open as soon as Omar mentions the American Navy is after him. Tensions get high, but Lucia steps in to promise crops if he indeed has the seeds.

Now, remember the tracker? Yes, Vulture team is there with Slattery (Adam Baldwin)! Giorgio invites Omar to the big fight on the beach while his men check the viability of the seeds. Chandler is fixing to fight as Giorgio’s man on the beach and Vulture team will see him and then bam! The band gets their lead singer back! On to the main event…

Sasha will spot him first, I’m sure of it. She does! Next to spot Chandler in the arena? Slattery with the best line…”of all the gin joints…”  So, all the important people are there and now it’s time for the fight to begin. Wait, Chandler’s all alone in the ring and the ref is asking for volunteers from the audience to fight Chandler. Who steps up? Slattery! I get really excited about this ‘fight’, but I know they are going to stage it and that’s exactly what they end up doing. If you know a bit about boxing, you know that ‘holding’ is boring and that’s what they do so they can exchange intel. Slattery does get one good shot in for Sasha though. Ha ha, that was good.

Just before the fight there is a lot of eye contact between Chandler and Lucia and Chandler and Sasha. So basically Sasha figures out that they must be a thing. As quickly as this all comes together, it never felt forced by the writers. The episode had fluidity and it was believable to a point. Greece is big. Giorgio just happens to be the seed buyer? Okay, I’ll play along and forgive because of the action this episode gives towards the end.

Chandler ‘knocks’ Slattery ‘out’ and he falls into the basement where they are testing the seeds.  Chandler goes down there to witness the deal as Giorgio makes his way down there REALLY fast. He was sitting in the viewing box at the top of the arena and now he’s in the basement? Whatever. Vulture team does what Vulture team does best, they attack. In the midst of the action, Chandler reveals to Lucia who he really is and takes the seeds from her and gives them to Slattery. They all exit to chase Omar and Giorgio leaving Slattery to escort Lucia to the Nathan James. Once they are alone, she stabs him and escapes.  

Omar and company and Giorgio and company face off because they think each one has been had by the other. Lucia gets Giorgio on the walkie-talkie to tell him who Chandler is and that they have the seeds.

Vulture team all make it back with Chandler too, but no sign of Slattery and the seeds. They know something must has gone wrong. The scene cuts to Slattery who’s bleeding, with no weapon, with the seeds, and on the move.

This was a bit of a change to the show’s usual MO. When it ended, I thought, they aren’t going to wrap this up right quick? No doubt I’m tuning in next week! Chandler’s back and he never leaves a man behind!

The Last Ship airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on TNT.