The Last Ship Review: 2×12 “Cry Havoc”

We all knew that at some point Chandler and Ramsey would go nose-to-nose at sea and one would lose, but what we didn’t know was just how damned good that moment would be.

The Last Ship — The grieving crew of the Nathan James press on and Captain Chandler (Eric Dane), instead of hiding, decides it’s time to take the fight to the Ramsey’s once and for all and sink the Achilles. With the help of Val (Tania Raymonde), Chandler plans to use the Valkyrie network to fool American survivors helping the Immunes track and hunt the wounded Nathan James in the in and around the Mississippi Delta. Misdirection should lure the unsuspecting Achilles into a trap, that is if Val can be trusted, but it will also put everyone in harm’s way in the process. Not willing to risk the cure, the medical teams, the children and the life of the President, Chandler sends them ashore under the watchful eye of XO Slattery (Adam Baldwin) to wait out the coming battle. Captain Chandler and his crew will only have one shot at surprising Sean Ramsey (Brían F. O’Byrne) and once that shot is taken, it’s anyone’s game.

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Once ashore, despite orders to remain hidden, Dr. Scott (Rhona Mitra) simply cannot stand idly by when a chance encounter with sick survivors gives her an opportunity to test her contagious cure. The test works and karma favors the brave. The ground crew learn that the Achilles and the fleet of civilian ships are not the only threat. A ground based missile system lies in wait for the Nathan James and it’s use would easily turn the tide in favor of the Ramseys. In what may be the most intense fifteen minutes of television this year, both Captain Chandler and Sean Ramsey match wits at sea while the ground team fights to save their shipmates from the danger on shore. After losing four the previous week, everyone white-knuckled the last few minutes of this episode not knowing who might live and who might die this week on The Last Ship!

The redeeming power of shadow games.

To say that Val had an uphill climb to gain trust from the crew of the Nathan James would be an understatement. Everything the crew had worked for from the beginning had been pulled from under them by Sean Ramsey and the Valkyrie network of lies. Having seen the truth first hand, the only real question would be if Val would ante up and begin setting things right.

The shadow games concept for deceiving the roaming crews of Immunes into thinking that the Nathan James was in one location while she silently crept up from a different direction was clever. Val’s idea to flood the network with misinformation about the whereabouts of the James and use that information to set up the Achilles was vital to the plan’s success. We simply loved that the crew wasn’t going to forget her role in their grief while she did it.

Val had a lot to prove and Christina Elmore’s shocker of a line was not only great writing and character development for LT Granderson, but it set the tone for the entire hour by letting us know very clearly where Val stood and in fact what the stakes were for everyone.

“Relax. I’m not a double agent. I’m on the ship too.” ~ Val

“I’m not worried. The first sign you’re not on our side, I’ll kill you myself.” ~ LT Granderson

Ramonde’s of reaction rolling her eyes with the realization that Granderson was more than a bit serious was priceless. Granderson has had a lot of atonement and grief to work through herself. In the dark shadow of survivor’s guilt after LT Chung’s (Andy T. Tran) death, she clearly has adopted a zero tolerance policy for anyone that might harm the crew of the Nathan James or prevent them from saving the world.

Seeing Val’s reactions amongst the discipline of the crew during the entire crisis was also telling. The call from the previous week was indeed answered as everyone did their jobs. Val’s plan did work. LT Granderson and others acknowledged that with looks to her more than once. Val still has an uphill climb to be trusted, but she is in a much better place than where she started. It would seem successful shadow games and being in the line of fire with everyone else will earn you some points.

The collective sharpness of parting and the breath of life.

The decision to separate the group and send not only the President (Mark Moses), but the cure, the medical staff and the children ashore heightened the tension throughout and made for tearful goodbyes. The reality hit home when Chandler handed a note for his family to Slattery. Two proud men acknowledged each other with the respect of those that have long served side by side and have come to trust each other completely.

We also finally got a tender baby moment between LT Foster (Marissa Neitling) and LT Green (Travis Van Winkle) as the two parted. Marissa Neitling easily wears her emotions on her sleeve as an actress and when she tears up we all do with her. The two shared a beautiful goodbye and we finally got that kiss we’ve all been waiting for (shippers rejoiced!). Both actors were tender and gentle in the moment and the weight of parting was felt in his exhale as she walked away.

But it was the lack of words between Chandler and Scott that might have said the most. Both have mended fences after a philosophical divide nearly tore them apart. That isn’t yet resolved, but one has to think that Chandler’s position is softened a bit after she saved his life. The last long look between them with no words was expertly done by both. Shippers cheered once again at a glimmer of hope and Tex (John Pyper-Ferguson) cemented the words not spoken with his own acknowledgement of what it meant in a beautifully shot scene inside the tent where the land team had taken refuge. The combination of music, lighting and mood in Rhona Mitra’s performance made the moment linger and all of us wondered what she had wished she’d said.

“Hardest thing about goodbyes. All the things you didn’t say. All the unresolved stuff. Your feelings. What not. You and the Captain. You get a chance to say what you need to.” ~ Tex

But just when things seemed most dire, Dr. Scott got the moment she needed for another step of her own redemption and perhaps most of all, a step toward forgiving herself for any wrongs she may have made in trying to create a right. We all knew she wouldn’t stay in the tent as ordered and yes, it was convenient that passer’s by were sick, but it was exactly what was needed for the plot to move forward and Rhona Mitra delivered.

In a gorgeous and emotional moment she embraced the sick child and exhaled. In so doing, she shared the breath of life and the contagious cure. If there is to be a true resolution to the Ramsey and Immunes arc, it will start with this tender moment where one family will spread the truth instead of lies. In fact, karma was already paid back in kind when the news of the missile threat was gained from the exchange. The ground team had a chance to save their shipmates from a threat no one knew existed.

Shades of Red October.

For all the emotion and buildup, this episode didn’t disappoint when it came time to truly cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. That Shakespeare fellow did have a way with words, but it was once again the contrast between the crews of the Nathan James and the Achilles that hinted a difference and a deeper meaning to the title. Shakespeare knew well that this was a call to pillage a let chaos reign. But where that anarchy was certainly felt aboard the Achilles with its unruly crew, the officers and crew of the Nathan James, even when things were most tense, never broke from their discipline.

When things did get rolling and all hell broke loose, Sean Ramsey’s realization that Val had helped to set a trap brought things full circle. With zero visibility by sonar, the Nathan James was nearly blind and the Achilles completely unaware. In the quiet moments between the two ships scrambling to out think the other Director Greg Beeman earned his keep with tight shots and creative editing that highlighted two leaders on a solitary quest to kill the other in a deadly game of open sea hide and seek. The harrowing moment when both commanders realized at the same time their ships were right on top of each other, the calm ended with a roar that didn’t let up until the end of the episode.

“Son of a .. he’s right below us.” ~ Chandler

The ensuing fight at sea and the ground team’s assault of the missile position made for some of the most intense television we’ve watched this year. The entire sequence was a gritty mix of seamanship and courage in the face of fire. In fact, we were doing our fair share of cheering as Slattery laid out the only option for success with no time to spare or margin for error.

“Okay, here’s the plan boys. WIN.” ~ Slattery

“Good plan.” ~ Tex

With a tense musical background, creative camera angles and aggressive editing, the entire sequence of ground and sea engagement took on a pace that was frenetic, but equally clear. Excellent dialogue and performances kept us in the moment and made the entire sequence easy to follow without ever losing the tension. That’s simply fantastic television on a budget and we all held our collective breaths.

While we had no doubt that Chandler and crew would somehow emerge victorious, we still weren’t sure what the cost might be. When both Green and Slattery were shot, there’s no doubt that the audience as a whole let out a collective gasp. We know we did. Baby moments and tearful farewells flashed in our minds, but for this week at least our cast seems safe though worse for the wear perhaps. We do know this, seeing both the Nathan James and the missile placement firing on the sub simultaneously was indeed a damn fine sight.

FINAL VERDICT: Action, suspense and a thrill ride of an ending made this episode outstanding, but it was the added emotional moments for our characters that made this perhaps the best episode thus far.

Anyone watching got exactly what they hoped for out of this penultimate episode. After last week’s heart breaker, the tender exchanges, good byes and emotional moments of this week had much more gravity. Perhaps fewer people are safe on this show than we think. After painful goodbyes everyone was thinking the same thing as both Chandler and Sean Ramsey finally matched wits at sea in a true fight or die confrontation. We all wondered if any of our other favorite characters might not live to see the end of the season.

What fate befalls Sean Ramsey we won’t know until later. We’re television skeptics and until a death is confirmed we usually don’t buy it. That said, sometimes we don’t buy it at all. Characters are resurrected at nearly the same pace as they are killed off these days. Either way, this episode delivered a thriller of an ending. Kudos to all those involved in the production of The Last Ship for one of the best episodes of the series thus far.

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Writers Mark Malone and Nic Van Zeebroeck, along with the entire writer’s room, deserve a lot of credit for bringing together a conflict we all knew was coming in a way that lived up to the billing. Emotional highs and thrills weren’t muddied by elements that didn’t make sense and we were glad to see faith in the actors to deliver moments without many words needed. Where the action could have lost us, very good editing and dialogue kept us rooted in the moment and that’s what good television should do.

Veteran Director Greg Beeman was called upon to deliver the most intense episode of the season and he came through. That’s a credit to a lot of people and skills, but a director brings all those elements together. With a number of Visual Effects shots and action in two distinct arenas, Beeman was up to the challenge along with the entire production team for The Last Ship. Editor Andrew Cohen did a masterful job of aggressively moving scenes and creating pace from some amazing and beautiful footage by Director of Photography David Geddes.

None of it would have been as effective without the theme and music by James S. Levine and Jim Dooley. Tense and emotional where it needed to be, the music brought all the performances and production elements together. This episode was truly an ensemble success and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for The Last Ship when its season finale airs the following week. Sean Ramsey may be at the bottom of the ocean, but his lies have created a dangerous world that lives on beyond him.

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Who is going down tonight?? #BOOM
• This ends TODAY. I’d follow that man to the ends of the Earth and back. @RealEricDane
• That would be your one shot. This just GOT dicey. Big time.
• Even if we beat this sub, I don’t recognize this country anymore. I’m starting to feel the same @jockosims #HurtingMan
• I’ll see you soon. Baby moment. FINALLY. I’ve got tears .. @MarissaNeitling @TVdub
• That last look? “Don’t die dammit, we need each other.” @rednaughtmitra @RealEricDane
• We are OFFICIALLY dark until we hear they have killed that sub. I’m seriously nervous here. @AdamBaldwin
• I’m not worried, first sign your not on our side.. I’ll kill you myself. Damn! @tinalorenn
• Can we trust Val? She’s got a point, her ass is on the line too .. if that ship sinks, she goes with it. #TaniaRaymonde
• Hardest thing about goodbyes. All the things you didn’t say. Tex is the HEART of this show. @Johnny_Pypes @rednaughtmitra
• Its this the moment things turn? Despite protests, we needed this. #BreathOfLIfe @rednaughtmitra @AdamBaldwin
• Okay. After that moment, I’m going to insist from @rednaughtmitra that I need the cure too. #PrettyPlease
• Val .. That moment. Sean Ramsey isn’t COMPLETELY nuts. I’m puckering here..
• And now it’s down to TWO men. The wits of commanders are all about nerves of steel.
• .. right below us.. HOLY SHIT that visual ..
• Does anyone else get the distinct heaven and hell symbolism here?
• Does ANYONE else have a heart rate through the roof right now after that shit?? OMFG ..
• Here’s the plan boys. WIN. F**king A!! @AdamBaldwin @TVdub @Johnny_Pypes
• Was that not the most intense 15 minutes of television we’ve seen in a LONG time?? Everybody ok after that??? #ImNotSure .