The Last Ship
Don’t Look Back
Original Air Date: Sep 11, 2016
Vincent Chia – Staff Writer
vincent@thetwocentscorp.com
As we reach the finale of season three of The Last Ship, it appears that Chief of Staff Shaw is intent on sinking the Nathan James and leaving the seemingly one-ship U.S. Navy to a zero ship Navy. Though, I think we all know that our heroes will survive at the end.
Captain Chandler arrives at San Diego Emergency Shelter, which appears to be at a gymnasium at a high school. The California United Forces evicted people from their homes.
Chandler plans on taking down the three remaining regional leaders in order to reinstate President Oliver’s central government. Kara adds Shaw to the list of targets. Chandler wants to take them down simultaneously. For one of the very few times in the series, Chandler stays on the ship and sends his trusty senior officers to apprehend the regional leaders. The land teams get divided into Vulture, Tiger, Raptor, and Cobra to apprehend Croft in NYC, Wilson in Des Moines, Price in Texarkana, and Shaw in St. Louis, respectively. Croft and Wilson are taken, but Price and Shaw avoid capture.
Price has flown to St. Louis to join Shaw. Their two thumbprints authorize a missile strike against the Nathan James. The James is able to intercept the missile, but he radar operator wonders why the missile seems to have dropped out of the blue. Chandler surmises that the missile came from unmanned drone.
Lieutenant Granderson is able to triangulate the drone’s operator as controlling the drone from the St. Louis. Chandler won’t send in Cobra team without back-up. Chandler orders Granderson to shoot down the communications satellite that is relaying commands from St. Louis to the drone. Although Granderson is able to identify the satellite, the James is hit by a missile before it can do anything. Radar is down and weapons are down.
Chandler orders the James to backtrack and use the black smoke billowing out of the James as cover from the visual sensors of the drone. Although Colonel Witt, Shaw’s trusty military sidekick, cannot find the James at this time, Chandler thinks it is only a matter of time. He asks Cobra team (comprising of Sasha, Kara, and Carlton Burk) whether they can successfully infiltrate the St. Louis White House in order to take out the aerial drone’s controller. Cobra team goes in. Chandler’s other teams have already started heading to St. Louis, but they are still at least 45 minutes out. The Nathan James goes radio silent, which also takes away the drone’s harpoon missile ability to locate the James through radar trackers.
The drone fires off a few more missiles, but they are all taken down by the James‘ countermeasures. Before the drone can launch any more missiles, Cobra team has managed to shoot their way through the White House and has reached the President’s room. Although the room has emptied out, Kara runs to the computer-in-a-suitcase that operates the drone (and I presume, other high level weapons such as nuclear weapons, which Roberta Price had mentioned). Thought: why didn’t Shaw take the computer with her as she fled? My best guess: she had no further use for the computer since it requires the thumbprints of two leaders and she was the only one left after one of her agents shot Price in the head. However, I’m not sure why she wouldn’t destroy the computer anyway. Maybe not enough time.
Kara finds that the drone has been set to auto-fire. She cannot change the command, but she crashes the drone into the sea and the James is saved.
About a dozen of Shaw’s men try to break into her office to confront Cobra team, but luckily, Raptor team has arrived in time and helps the Cobras secure the White House.
Shaw boards a private plane. Slattery and Wolf arrive at the airport and attempts to take Shaw into custody. There is a standoff outside of the plane hangar as Slattery and a few of his men block the plane, which is guarded by several military members who serve under Shaw. Shaw calls Chandler and notifies him that she has kidnapped Chandler’s daughter and son. She offers a trade, she will set the children free if Chandler surrenders to her.
Chandler arrives at Slattery’s blockade perimeter around Shaw’s plane (pictured above). Chandler boards Shaw’s plane. Shaw keeps her word and she releases the children. After the children leave the plane, Slattery orders the pick-up trucks moved so that the plane can take off.
As the plane starts to taxi, Tex has snuck onboard (through the cargo hold??) and shoots Shaw’s agents. Sasha snipers the pilot. The plan comes to a stop.
Chandler points a pistol at Shaw. Tex steps in between those two and tries to talk Chandler down. Tex tells Chandler “that’s not who you are.” Sadly Tex collapses. He was shot by one of the agents in the firefight. It appears he has died. His last words to Chandler are “You’re a good man.”
In anger, Shaw lectures Chandler that the world he believes in is gone. She says he needs to be more ruthless. Chandler shoots her dead.
Back onboard the James, Chandler has lost faith in himself. He remembers when he lectured Dr. Rachel Scott about morality and the rule of law. He doesn’t believe he has the moral authority to be a leader anymore. He has seemingly resigned his command and abandoned his uniform. Sasha is saddened and angered that Chandler has given up. Chandler gives Sasha a kiss goodbye.
On the ship’s deck, the crew salutes Chandler has he disembarks for the last time. Slattery says “Don’t Look Back,” Which I am presuming is some type of traditional well-wishing phrase for retiring officers.
Last season, the show lost the main character Dr. Rachel Scott. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Chandler goes for real this season, though, I’m thinking he will somehow be back next season. It will be interesting to know what the plot arc will be for next season. Virus-related? Politics related?
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