Deep, introspective performance by newcomer Mark Moses and perhaps the finest performance to date by Eric Dane. Superb writing and a highly cerebral, yet deeply emotional, approach to the human condition as it faces the abyss of human extinction.
Bueller? Bueller? We couldn’t find many either.
As a Captain and his President clash in a contest of truths, the sins of their pasts may be the key to unlocking a future worth fighting for.
The Last Ship — With newly minted President Jeff Michener (Mark Moses) securely aboard the Nathan James, CO Chandler (Eric Dane) finds that his work is just beginning if he hopes to convince Michener that Sean Ramsey (Brían F O’Byrne) is not who he claims to be. In order to win the hearts and minds of America to rally behind a President for everyone, Chandler will have to undo the belief within Michener that a world where Immunes evolved to replace all other humans isn’t the moral choice to ensure the survival of mankind.
RELATED | The Last Ship Returns: Everything You Need To Know For Season 2
When Chandler manipulates Michener into revealing information about the damaged Achilles, the two men nearly reach an impasse, but as the heartbreak and horrors of Michener’s past are revealed, the brutal truth of the apocalypse opens the door for both me to connect. In what is certainly one of the most emotive and inspiring episodes to date, The Last Ship challenged these two leaders to reach an understanding that could shape the entire world of The Last Ship going forward.
Whose truth is the real truth?
Much will be said of the stellar performances of Eric Dane and Mark Moses opposite each other in this very intimate view of the horrors that a true apocalypse can visit on the minds of those that live through it, but Writer and Director Hank Steinberg deserves amazing praise for this episode emerging as stellar television. Two men, with two truths and two doctrines had to clash in an intelligently written contest of wills in order for this episode to be the unqualified success it became.
As the early moments unfolded with a very defensive Jeff Michener being shown the truth of what the Ramseys were doing behind the scenes by XO Slattery (Adam Baldwin), we saw one set of beliefs override the other and in a brilliantly scripted sequence of scenes we were left wondering if Jeff Michener were not only aware of the Sean Ramsey’s plan, but complicit in its darkest and most devious elements.
But in a very smart move, Steinberg gave us a glimpse of the strength that Michener possessed before the apocalypse. Archive footage showing the man as he was before the world crumbled. One with conviction and determination. The question, so eloquently raised by the collective command crew of the Nathan James was—who was Jeff Michener now? A radical true believer in the divine providence and natural selection of the Immunes? Or a man who could be made to see reason and understand that madness need not rule a world left in shambles.
As both Slattery and then Chandler interviewed Michener, with the others watching for every reaction and clue to this man’s true loyalty, one thing became abundantly clear. Jeff Michener, or at least something inside him, despite all arguments to the contrary, believed in the Ramseys as the best chance for the national survival and saw them as a means of securing a new future upon an Earth cleansed of all those not deemed worthy by the virus. That’s a scary prospect and Mark Moses made us believe he’d quite clearly drunk the Kool-Aid and was still in the process of licking up every drop.
“How many of you are even left on this planet? How spread out are you? We have to protect ourselves The people strong enough to survive. That’s Darwin. That’s the Law of the Jungle. That’s biblical.” ~ Michener
With Michener preaching the gospel according to Sean, even quoting from lines he’d heard Sean use, it was painfully clear that something inside this potential President had changed from the videos shown prior to the plague. We suspect that the apocalypse would break many if it every really happened and Jeff Michener certainly fit the bill of a man who needed to believe in a different truth. One where he was absolved of any blame and that let him see a possible future where the chosen few moved humanity forward. Moses and Dane were both excellent in their banter, but the true genius of these scenes came from the writers’ room, and from Steinberg, for crafting intelligent dialogue that showed how two truths could co-exist and especially how it might be just as easy to believe one over the other if the circumstances were right.
The Achilles Gambit.
Mark Moses made us believe Michener was truly on the fence between the elitist Immune ideals and a broader and more compassionate view of all mankind. He did it through conviction in his words that said one thing and any number of mannerisms that hinted at his inner struggle between two different truths. But any progress Chandler may have made in pulling Michener over that fence toward the truth could have evaporated completely as Chandler played him for information about the Achilles.
In what Slattery coined a “good bluff”, Chandler worked Michener into a corner to learn that the sub was wounded and unable to head to New Orleans. That gamble certainly paid dividends toward maintaining the safety of the crew, but Michener could have easily been lost in the process. Not enough superlatives can be said of how well both Dane and Moses played off of one another. But great writing helped set the stage for all the memorable scenes ahead and it was Jeter (Charles Parnell) that laid out the wisdom we were looking for to bring all this full circle.
“I think I blew it. Trapping him like that. Got the intel. Might’ve lost the man.” ~ Chandler
“The Ramseys offered a narrative that made his tragedy something he could live with. You’ve got to gain his trust, sir. Then you’ll need a new narrative that’s stronger than theirs.” ~ Jeter
We love it when a story is so well crafted that a moment of clarity like this gives us chills because of its simplicity and truth without giving away how things will eventually play out. The insight set the stage for the next interaction where Chandler came clean on his ruse about the sub and began the process of relating not to a potential President, but to the man himself.
What breaks a man can remake a man.
As fathers and husbands, both men finally reached common ground. The loss and suffering of family at the hands of the virus made for a tender moment between two men who were beginning to understand one another and that moment was a heartbreaking one in a brilliantly crafted episode, but the real heartbreak came as things unraveled.
Suicide is not a trivial thing. And neither was it treated as such on The Last Ship. A man pushed to the brink by things he feels can no longer bear sometimes makes poor choices. Jeff Michener did just that. His suicide attempt and the conversation that followed with Chandler were some of the most moving scenes of this entire series.
To finally admit one’s deepest and darkest sins that left unchecked can strip a man bare of his soul and well-being, is the first step toward redemption. Both Eric Dane and Mark Moses were spectacular through this entire sequence. Emotions surged and the deep motivation that we didn’t quite understand at the beginning—the deep need for reasoning that made sense by the Ramseys—was revealed. Not only did it make sense, it also gave both men moments of growth. To admit the things they regretted and move forward for something better.
“We’ve all done things That are hard to live with. So let this be your redemption, if it needs to be, because it might be mine.” ~ Chandler
The Last Ship can deliver action and drama on a scale that has a cinematic quality. Those have been on full display in the earliest episodes of Season 2 with stunt and action sequences that a number of Hollywood films would be happy to have. But as the season has progressed, we’ve gotten exactly what we needed to make those elements have more gravity. We’ve gotten character development and growth that have pushed this show to be even better.
FINAL VERDICT: An emotional and moving clash of world views unlike any seen on The Last Ship to date may very well have made this the finest episode thus far. This show just gets better and better.
Writer and Director Hank Steinberg was quoted at SDCC 2015 as saying that one of the unique qualities of The Last Ship was that there was no typical episode of this show. He went on to describe a future episode involving only a handful of actors and no real action sequences as a prime example of how this show can be different each week and yet still be distinctly an episode of series. There is no doubt to us now that he was referring to this week’s episode in those comments.
“Safe Zone” may be the finest episode of The Last Ship yet. Subtle queues and intelligent dialogue brought vividly to life the struggle of a Captain and a President both wrestling with the best ways to step from the soul-crushing ashes of the old world and into a new one. To do that, the writing team, and specifically Hank Steinberg, had to examine what breaks down a man to his basest parts and what can build him back up when the brutal truth of his sins is laid bare before others.
RELATED | The Last Ship 2×07 “Alone and Unafraid” Review
The result was a magnificent interplay between two men that ultimately may shape the future of the human race in the world of The Last Ship. Eric Dane and Mark Moses both deserve tremendous praise for their work to bring this emotional script to life. While Dane and Moses were the emotional focal point, both Adam Baldwin and Charles Parnell were essential in driving the plot and keeping us focused. Ever the realist, Slattery was the voice of practicality and to keep things balanced, Jeter was the optimist delivering the clarity we’ve come to love from him. Together, the four men combined to provide some of the best work we’ve seen this year.
The Last Ship faces the dilemma of a world that can only be rebuilt upon hope and a vision for the future that learns from the past. That hope must provide a means to deal with devastating losses and move forward. The healing bond formed between Captain and President made for an excellent example of what the entire world needs. Through the shared sins of two men, we see the chance for a new beginning.
As Chandler reminded his President that all things said needed remain between them, we couldn’t help but wonder if it were already too late. Had Michener already shared his deepest sins with Sean Ramsey? And if he did, will Ramsey play that vital card to discredit everything the crew of the Nathan James will work to build? We don’t know, but we do know that on a show where secrets are as deadly as torpedoes, we’ll be watching The Last Ship to find out!
Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…
- Yes he did say that LT Chung. President of the United States.
- IF the first 200 people that come into contact with him think he’s tainted, it’s not gonna work. Amen to that @AdamBaldwin
- Smart. Watching. I like this. Chandler is a smart man.
- This is the smartest thing they could have done. The truth is the best way to show him.
- We need to see what he does when he’s alone. We all need to see that @RealEricDane
- Nicely done detective. LOL They sent the best man in for the Job I think.@AdamBaldwin
- Now, we find out what kind of person Michener is at heart and how well he sees truth from lies.
- Eye to eye. And here is the gamble. All that’s at stake is the entire world.
- We are strong because of our strength. Well that’s political “non-talk” .. ugg
- Convince me. F**kin A. THAT was a brilliant stroke. Who will convince who?
- He may not be what we asked for, but he’s what was given to us. Weak argument dude ..
- Survival of the fittest. Biblical even. This dude is a little whack.
- Yours will die out .. on your own. WTF???
- Great bluff. Hell yes.
- You’ll need a new narrative that’s stronger than theirs. I love Jeter. @ChasParnell
- I understand why you’d be looking for meaning .. I’m tearing up. This is heartbreaking.
- It’s not destiny Mr. President, but yours can be something different.
- And just what truth have you uncovered there with two separate manifests CO?
- He’s the President. That’s still gonna mean something to people. Can you unbreak a broken man?
- We’re never going to get there until you FACE what you can’t let go of. CO has been the detective now.
- No. You don’t. Tell me. It’s just you and me. Tell me! This is gut-wrenching. My heart is dying here.
- We’ve all done things .. that are hard to live with. Utterly brilliant television tonight.
- So let this be your redemption if it needs to be, because might be mine. This might be the best episode yet. #Subtle #Moving
- If this isn’t the most intimate view of the horrors of the apocalypse, I don’t know if I’ve seen it on this show. #Brilliant
- I think just about anyone else wold have given up on me. #Salute Perhaps the most inspiring moment yet on #TheLastShip
- Serious props have to go out to #HankSteinberg for both writing & directing such an inspiring episode. #Emmy
- While we’re at it @RealEricDane & @MarkMoses6 deserve #Emmy nods for 2×08 as well. Absolutely stunning work @mrstevenkane
Leave a Reply