The Last Ship Review: 2×13 “A More Perfect Union”

The Last Ship taps into deep emotions again and again as the second season comes to a close and then it threw us all for a loop in the last few seconds.

The Last Ship — The Achilles, with the Ramsey brothers on board, may have been sinking to the bottom, but pockets of Immunes led by Kevin MacDowell (Patrick Brennan) clearly aren’t going down without a fight. As the Nathan James made its way inland, up the Mississippi River, to spread the cure at various stops announced ahead of time by President Michener (Mark Moses), MacDowell planed to counter by exposing the crowds to the virus and blaming the Navy. When Jeter (Charles Parnell) warns his in-laws to stay way on an open channel, no one shows at the Vicksburg stop and all at first seems lost—but hope remains that in Memphis, the cure can start to spread.

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Meanwhile, Tex (John Pyper-Ferguson) on a personal mission to find his daughter, finds instead that she has heard of the cure and is headed to Memphis as well to receive it. When Tex discovers the true plans of MacDowell, the race is on to reach Memphis, save his daughter and prevent the Navy from being blamed for yet another disaster. The Nathan James, Tex and MacDowell all reach Memphis, but in a moment when things could go horribly wrong, everything finally goes right. All are cured and Tex is reunited with his daughter, Kathleen (Jade Chynoweth). With success the group cruises on to St. Louis, where to everyone’s surprise a huge crowd awaits and the celebration begins as the cure is spread. As everyone settles in to start the world anew, one last Immune follower finds Rachel (Rhona Mitra) alone and with a single gunshot leaves her life and her knowledge of the cure in the balance until the next season of The Last Ship!

The Ramseys may be at the bottom of the ocean but that just gave MacDowell an axe to grind.

Kevin MacDowell (Patrick Brennan) and the remnants of the Immune movement didn’t all go quietly into the night with the sinking of the Achilles. Not that we expected they would, but we weren’t sure what to expect after the clash between ships the week before. With Immune leaders surrendering in exchange for pardons, MacDowell took a different route and Patrick Brennan milked every bit of his sleazy role this week. MacDowell was a man on a mission to create chaos and in some small way salvage any victory in the wake of his mentor’s plunge to the bottom.

“We’re a global organization. You [Michener] know how big our reach is. I’ll get out of your hair for now, but rest assured, you and me, we’ve got unfinished business.” ~ MacDowell

When the dust settled, Brennan added a bit of flair to the threat the Post-Ramsey Immunes posed, but even scarier were MacDowell’s henchmen. Devout and unwavering, they had bought into the cause so completely they were willing to die for it. Curtis (Travis Hammer), the most unstable and most devout of the bunch, became the poster child for Immune crazies everywhere and made us cringe with his programmed responses and unflinching loyalty throughout.

The Ramsey brothers were certainly fleshed out and made sense, but even though we know MacDowell and Curtis were devout, their motivation seemed to be simple revenge with a side helping of furthering the global Immune agenda. Beyond Brennan and Hammer, the Immunes were somewhat soulless and two-dimensional. In essence, they were simply fodder for the good guys to eliminate.

Any nits aside, the tension and opposition for the crew of the Nathan James was well outlined. The head of the Immunes had been removed, but parts of the body were still fighting. It was a final last gasp by an enemy that wasn’t as well defined as it could be. The execution was well done as always, but the motivation behind MacDowell and Curtis, outside of their roles as zealots, wasn’t nearly as clear as the motivations of the Ramseys. Was there a more personal connection for both MacDowell and Curtis that motivated them beyond the rest? Did they owe something to the Ramseys that we did not get to see? We may never know, but those small details would have been enough to make us understand they’d never give up and why. Granted, Curtis in his final act of defiance, the shooting of Dr. Scott, proved his programming was without any cracks, but was he crazy or was he motivated by something deeper? We’ll hope to see in Season Three as the aftermath of his actions are likely going to be where everything starts frantically when the next season begins.

Personal stories set the tone (and path) for the larger drama.

We can’t blame Jeter (Charles Parnell) for having second thoughts once he realized his in-laws were alive. We’d have been tempted to tell our own family to stay away out of fear that the Immunes might act on the announced positions too. Our only qualm with Jeter’s actions wasn’t really with him at all. It was that the seed was planted in his head by Cruz (Ness Bautista). Wasn’t this the same Cruz that just a week before reassured Burk (Jocko Sims) that we’d have to simply work harder to get the country back? And yet now he was playing the opposite role with Jeter? Granted Cruz is recurring character, but we’d like him to at least be consistent or if he changes, to know a bit of why.

Seed planting aside, Jeter’s actions made sense. We applaud his stand up reaction to how things unfolded once he realized that his open-channel announcement for his in-laws to stay away from Vicksburg may have made all the difference in the low turn out. What is done sometimes can’t be undone, but Jeter, a man of honor, stood up and accepted the disappointment of his Captain and President for his actions. There was likely no one more relieved than Jeter when things finally worked out well in St. Louis.

Charles Parnell has been the spiritual core of this cast and crew. Having the burden of early failure fall on him and having him own up to it made for character growth opportunity, but it was painful to watch and all three men played the scene perfectly.

“For people to get a message like that from our ship? It’s gonna take a while for people to trust again, whether or not they heard what the master chief said. He knew it was an open line, and he made a choice.” ~ President Michener

“You’re right. I’m sorry, sir. Won’t happen again.” ~ Chandler

But the part that made the larger stories work in this show, and in this episode in particular, was that the more personal conflicts set the tone. Jeter’s personal choice had a ripple effect and that highlighted how carefully everyone must be in order to get things to some level of normal again. Everyone in the country has been on edge and no one knows exactly where to turn or who to believe. This was exactly how the Immunes took control and it will take an even stronger message of the truth to reclaim the country.

But small moments of forgiveness are the place where healing starts and Jeter’s moment of reuniting with his in-laws after years of not seeing them was an example of just what the country needed in the aftermath of the worst plague in human history. That’s good writing and good setup for the future.

In addition to Jeter’s personal conflict, we were pleased to finally get some personal background from Tex (John Pyper-Ferguson). Not much had been said of his family, but with the defeat of the Achilles it was definitely the organic move to have him search for his daughter after sticking around to help the crew of the Nathan James get as far as they had. His loyalty needed a reward and the release by Chandler for Tex to find his daughter was exactly what this show needed.

After all, it’s the personal stories and the emotional connection to characters that make us root for them and even fan favorites like Tex need that deeper thread for us to get behind. His search, though completely organic, was certainly convenient since we learned his own daughter was also headed to Memphis and in his pursuit, it was Tex that discovered MacDowell’s true motives to scare away the crowds at Memphis. We found it a little convenient that Tex made all that happen just because he stumbled upon the right people in the right place, but to be completely honest all that was nearly forgotten after the emotional reunion with his daughter. If there was a dry eye after John Pyper-Ferguson’s beautiful plea for forgiveness, those people need to check their pulses and priorities in life.

“Dad, mom–“ ~ Kathleen

“I know.” ~ Tex

“I can’t believe you’re alive. I missed you so much.” ~ Kathleen

“[Voice breaking] Can you forgive me? Can you forgive me for not being there?” ~ Tex

“[Nodding] Yeah.” ~ Kathleen

It’s these kind of emotional moments, done so well, that have helped make this show a success. The writing team seems to know that very well and keeps delivering, but hats off to John Pyper-Ferguson for a fantastic emotional performance.

One of the best feel-good endings ever…

The tension leading up to Memphis, the ultimate defeat of MacDowell and the curing of the crowd were a huge relief after all we’ve been through this season. Kudos to the writing team for giving us a moment to breathe and soak in the good things this crew has done for the world they live in and for the success these characters have achieved. But perhaps most beautiful of all was the arrival in St. Louis.

As the crew realized that they were on the doorstep of success with a huge crowd awaiting them, a combination of music, great performances and beautiful cinematography gave us the celebration we needed after all the bad everyone had been through. As the crew interacted with the crowd and the music dominated the scene, each and every member of the cast had beautiful moments. One could not help but wonder if this sequence was filmed as a beautiful goodbye should this ultimately be the last episode of the series, but regardless, it was an inspiring moment that set up the celebratory mood to come and make way for reunions and introductions.

“You must be Kathleen.” ~ Rachel

“That’d be me.” ~ Kathleen

“I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you. My God, you’re pretty.” ~ Rachel

Outstanding moment followed each successive outstanding moment. As a sendoff for a season, few could be so uplifting and so inspiring. Whether it was Tex introducing his daughter to Dr. Scott or Jeter’s healing reunion with his in-laws after years of separation, each moment seemed to trump the last. With a spotlight for everyone it was a worthy ending for the long journey this crew has endured for two seasons.

FINAL VERDICT: Drama, tension and the right amount of personal touches brought The Last Ship to a close in its second season, but one of the best feel-good endings ever was punctuated by a shocker at the finish.

As Jeff Michener was sworn in as President, a chapter of this show closed in grand fashion. The shippers of this series also got their moment in the sun. After the source of their earlier discord was rendered null by a Presidential Pardon, Dr. Scott (Rhona Mitra) and Captain Chandler (Eric Dane) parted ways elegantly for the season with the sexual tension between them bubbling to the surface in the process. Progressively tighter shots and subtle queues by both Eric Dane and Rhona Mitra built the tension to a slow boil as the scene progressed. The result was exactly the right amount of spice to make us remember why we ship these two and just enough longing to make us look forward to more. The entire sequence was well done by all involved.

“Great dress, by the way.” ~ Chandler

“The judge’s daughter loaned it to me. She insisted that I couldn’t really go to an inaugural ball dressed in jeans.” ~ Rachel

“Mm. You could have pulled it off. I’ll see you when I see you. Be safe. When you get back, find me.” ~ Chandler

We enjoyed this scene for the subtle emotions it brought to the surface. While The Last Ship has thrived without frivolous romances and hookups, this is one connection the fans have clamored to see. But this show has been smart and has succeeded based on good writing and intelligent character development that is more grounded in the real world and less in Hollywood fantasy. The relationships have reflected that same realism. Relationships aren’t ignored, but when they happen, they occur naturally through the course of the narrative. In the end, this has made relationships, Kara (Marissa Neitling) and Danny (Travis Van Winkle) for example, matter more deeply when they do flourish. That’s a credit to a solid writing team and especially leadership from Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane who have both been driven by a vision for this show to be something deeper and more meaningful.

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But in the wake of success and in the mood of celebration this moment of rekindling between Chandler and Scott felt right. Chandler is a man that’s lost his wife and Dr. Scott has lost as well. Time and accomplishing their mission is what both of these characters needed. Whether these two ever come together is anyone’s guess, but as she walked away (and we noticed he didn’t take his eyes from her) the tone was set that it could someday happen and that simply left us on a high.

Good writing will make moments like that more meaningful and Anne Cofell-Saunders, who penned the script for this episode, crafted a subtle nod to what fans have hoped to see since the first season. Cofell-Saunders’s dialogue throughout helped give this episode the good vibe it was meant to have and aside from working around a few convenient plot points she crafted a solid script worthy of a season finale. The Last Ship has lifted us up as much as it has tugged at our heart strings and the writing in this episode in particular was exceptionally well crafted to celebrate the end of a season.

We know the overall high for the episode was made possible by the hard work of the entire cast and crew. It definitely takes a village to make a series successful, but veteran director Jack Bender brought it all together nicely to close the season. If the penultimate episode of a season is often the most action packed, the finale is often the most emotional and in that regard this episode delivered in spades. Bender and Director of Photography Cort Fey, ASC captured some of the most inspiring and beautiful moments of the season as the crew mingled and spread the cure. Original music by Jim Dooley capped the moment perfectly.

But that high came crashing down around us with one gunshot from Curtis (Travis Hammer) and his defiant final line of the season.

“Sic semper tyrannis.” ~ Curtis

This series will have a crisis on its hands when season three begins. Doctor Scott’s fate is certainly up in the air and rebuilding a country will present different challenges than the first two seasons have given us. What is next for The Last Ship and will the story make sense to continue aboard the Nathan James? For the moment, with her in dry dock, the answer isn’t necessary, but as the next season begins, we’ll need the crew to return to sea in a manner that makes sense. After all, can the show be The Last Ship if we’re not at sea? Can the writing team put them back in the water in a way that works for the story and with a new purpose that moves this show in a different direction without losing its formula that’s worked? Time will tell, but with a solid two seasons behind them, we have faith that the writers’ room will deliver. We do know this. We don’t plan to miss a minute of The Last Ship when it returns next season!

Questions, Comments, Concerns and My Reaction on Twitter…

• Since I missed the Season Finale of #TheLastShip while at #DragonCon2015 pardon me while I live+1 tweet my reactions. 🙂 lol
• We’ve killed a sub. Now what? I’ve successfully avoided spoilers, but OMFG has been the general reaction to #TheLastShip S2 Finale. 😉
• Coming to Tennessee! Whooohoooo! That was a hell of a speech President Michener. Now, how many believe it?
• I’m sorry for the onions. Hahaha!! I’d have fainted if Rhona did that to me. lol
• Kissing also works. We all thought it, Tex says it. I’d die if Rhona did THAT to me.
• Only one shot. Somehow I think this isn’t going to go as smoothly as we hope. I hope I’m wrong, but .. I know I’m not. Arg
• We’ll be out manned and out gunned. And they’ll know RIGHT where you’ll be. I don’t like this either Cruz.
• You and me .. we have unfinished business. We won a battle. There is a war ahead I think.
• Make sure you stay put. Jeter looks worried. Don’t lose faith Master Chief. 😉
• Um. Somehow I think it’s just the “phones” making the trip back to Europe. Argg.
• It’s a PR game as much as anything now. Yep. And it looks like YOUR PR isn’t going so well CO
• Find your girl Tex. Meet me in St. Louis, Louie. Tex has been so damned loyal.
• We have to keep them alive for a little longer. OMG. Sick people in a truck. WTF?
• Uh oh. Did that little message backfire Jeter?
• Stop right there easy rider. Tex does look the part on that bike
• That girl of yours, she’s got a hell of a heart. She’s part Tex. At least now he knows. To Memphis we go.
• It hurt to watch Jeter’s confession. CO looks deeply disappointed in the CMC’s judgement.
• It was an open line. He made a choice. That stung, because he’s right. Damn.
• Where were they taking you? Memphis. Oh shit. Looks like it’s going down in TN. Ahhh!!! #NotMyHomeState!
• Send the helo. This is all we’ve got. Dammit. This just got intense in a hurry.
• I really like Patrick Brennan, but his character is as slimey as they come.
• Can you forgive me? For not being there? Wow. That hit right in the feels.
• Now we’re all immune asshole. I think his picture is next to the definition of asshole in the dictionary.
• However this plays out, thank you both for everything you did to get us here. Amen to that.
• You were right Mr. President. This is the place. That felt pretty damned good CO. Now, where’s the other shoe?
• Ha! Well, Miller .. you got a kiss after all! lol
• This entire sequence is beautifully shot. Such an inspiring moment after all we’ve been though.
• Awe. Marissa Neitling with the kids was so cute! Kara is gonna make a good momma.
• I wonder where @TheLastShipTNT filmed all these sequences. In St. Louis? How did they fill out all the extras? #Beautiful
• My God you’re pretty. She takes after he mother. What a beautiful reunion for Tex & Doc!
• Well, you found me now. That moment had me in tears @ChasParnell! You cry, I cry.
• That’s a pretty big job sir. Don’t forget. I was number 12. This is such a feel-good finale. Wow.
• To Frankie Benz .. That would make a damned fine baby name I think. 😉
• Wow. That entire toast to everyone lost just struck me hard in the feels. Lost but not forgotten.
• Great dress by the way. You think?? lol
• I’ll see you when I see you. When you get back. Find me. Randler shippers just went nuts. lol I did notice that he didn’t take his eyes from her as she walked away. (I couldn’t either lol)
• Is now a good time? Holy hell what a kiss!! I think that was an enthusiastic YES! lol
• Sic semper tyrannis. You’ve got to be KIDDING me!!! I have to wait a year to find out what happens after THAT?
• Tremendous props to Anne Cofell-Saunders and Steven Kane for a stunning finale. Wow. I’m floored! And pissed! And proud as hell of this show!