Recap: THE LAST SHIP – Don’t Look Back

[All photos courtesy TNT]

 

 

Episode 313 “Don’t Look Back”
Written by Jill Blankenship and Onalee Hunter Hughes
Directed by Peter Weller

The United States is no more. The region leaders have taken over and their corruption and greed have left the people starving and homeless. This is what the crew of the USS Nathan James returned to and this is where we find them for the last episode of the 3rd season of The Last Ship.

Chandler (Eric Dane) has finally arrived at the San Diego Emergency Center. California United Forces (former US Marines) have stripped the region of its resources to hoard them for the region leaders.The people fear anyone in uniform because of their actions, and Chandler is met with rejection from the people. POTUS Oliver (John Cothran) talks to the people, gets information, and tries his best to reassure them that it will get better. Major props to Cothran, he’s very believable as a good and trustworthy man.

Now, Castillo (Al Coronel) has given up all the information about the other three region leaders. The Vulture Team decides to break up into small teams to kill the three other region leaders and Allison (Elisabeth Rohm). Chandler wants the kills to happen quickly and simultaneously, and I got super excited. Yup, just kill them. Quick, easy and effective, I only wished they would kill Allison first.

The teams are assembled. Slattery (Adam Baldwin) and Wolf (Bren Foster) go after Croft (Eddie Driscoll) and he’s captured first. Now, this is where I got confused. In the planning phase, Chandler says “Take out the region leaders”. I assumed they meant kill them, but it looks like they are just arresting them. Chandler is orchestrating all of this from the USS Nathan James. Wilson (Dougald Park) and Croft are captured fast. Tex (John Pyper-Ferguson) and Meylan (Emerson Brooks) go after Roberta Price (Lucy Butler). No luck, she’s not home. Sasha (Bridget Regan) and Kara (Marissa Neitling) go after Allison, but they run into a snag. Roberta is with Allison at the White House. Allison just knew Castillo sold them out. She increased security at the White House and brought Roberta there to help set off the drone that will allow Witt (Patrick St. Esprit) to finally kill Chandler. Chandler sends all the teams to the help Sasha and Kara, but it’s going to take too long and Kara and Sasha go in.

Now, as a woman, I can’t express how much I enjoyed this. The guys went after the guys and they were caught quickly with not much action. It was Kara and Sasha going after Roberta and Price. There was a ton of action during these scenes and watching these great actresses play off each other in the ultimate good versus evil was just good fun! Roberta and Price are smart women, using political manipulation at its worst. Then there is Kara and Sasha, military integrity at its finest. They gave these women the stage and it was perfect!

POTUS is having doubts they can get the country back. Chandler convinces him in his way that he can do it. The USS Nathan James comes under attack at this time, and it becomes imperative that Kara and Sasha take out Allison. They have to move in and do without backup. Allison, knowing that she has the upper hand, has Roberta assassinated.

The attack continues on the USS Nathan James and the entire crew works together to fend off the attack long enough to have Kara and Sasha take the White House. The entire season was building up to this moment and it didn’t disappoint. The combat scenes, explosions, and just all-out war were magnificent. I didn’t see anything that took me out of the moment. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

When the smoke clears and the White House is secure, Allison manages to escape. Good grief, they just can’t get this woman. Allison and Witt board a plane and this is the first time I look sideways at this episode. Allison has managed to convince the United States military to turn against its country and follow her. Allison is going to play her final card. This whole time, she’s had her goons looking for Chandler’s kids. Yup, this bitch went after his kids and killed his father kidnapping his kids. She wants to exchange the kids for Chandler.

So, don’t these guys KNOW this is wrong? The military DOES NOT kidnap children, under ANY circumstances. As soon as she’s got the kids, wouldn’t they just drop their weapons and say, “Hey, um, this isn’t right.”? But, I guess there wouldn’t be the standoff there was. Chandler boards the plane, Tex sneaks on the plane, and Slattery has a standoff off with the guys in uniform. Slattery pleads with them to put down their weapons and remember their oaths. Meanwhile, Tex works his magic and he and Chandler take out all the bad guys on the plane, leaving Allison cowering on the floor.

It’s over. The forces outside surrender to Slattery. Chandler’s daughter informs him that grandpa, Chandler’s dad was killed. Chandler is devastated and points his gun at Allison to kill her. Tex pleads with him not kill her. It gets worse when he finds out Tex was shot. Tex dies with his last words to Chandler being, “You’re a good man.” With Allison going on and on about why she did what she did to “save the country” it clearly becomes too much for Chandler and he shoots her dead mid sentence. Oh man, I wanted her dead so bad, but when it actually happens, I know it’s going to cause more problems than it solved for our hero. I immediately thought, “Oh great, Tom Chandler is going to become ‘Rick the Farmer’.” That’s a Walking Dead reference…you can read those recaps here too!

The final scene has Chandler deboarding the USS Nathan James in civilian clothes. He’s clearly conflicted by his actions.

That does it for season three! TNT announced a season four at San Diego Comic Con, and then two weeks ago announced a season five! They were obviously pleased with this season’s performance and so was I! That will do it for me, until next summer!