The Last Ship Season Premiere Review: The Scott Effect / Rising Sun

I’m still having a hard time believing Dr. Scott is actually gone.

Dr. Scott’s death is confirmed verbally in the series premiere of The Last Ship, “The Scott Effect,” and there are even new ration tickets to honor her. But here’s the thing: we haven’t seen a body, and we didn’t necessarily see her die at the end of last season. Maybe I’m in denial, but I think I’m going to hold out hope a little longer.

The two-part series premiere of The Last Ship is incredibly intense, doing what this show does best by keeping us on the edge of our seats with big fight scenes and the occasional explosion.

Usually, these are things I don’t care for, but The Last Ship still manages a good balance of characters we care about and an overarching story that continues to keep me intrigued.

It’s a story that asks questions — how would we react in these impossible situations? When do you choose the good of the many over the good of the few, and when do you go back for the rest of your team?

Foster has to make one such impossible decision, and it’s heartbreaking. She doesn’t know what will happen to the father of her children after asking the Nathan James to turn around without him, but she makes the call she feels is best, despite the tears in her eyes.

The good news is that Green always knows how to hold his own, and that’s why he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters.

He also has Captain Chandler in his corner, who, as usual, manages to prove that he’s the perfect hero. Whether it’s showing up at just the right time to save his men, or knowing exactly what to say to get someone to make the right decision, Chandler is always, always an impeccable leader and a selfless human.

And the look on his face when he does save his men? Come on. There isn’t much better than that.

What I’m not so sure about is his apparent new love interest. This isn’t a show that needs to focus so heavily on relationships, but it does need them, as well as complex characters, to help continue to drive it. The relationship we had become invested in, or at least the one I had become invested in, was the slowly developing relationship between Chandler and Dr. Scott.

So the possibility of a new interest showing up so suddenly after Dr. Scott’s departure feels false. I’m sure we’ll come to enjoy this character, and I do think it’s time to see something like this for Chandler, but right now, it’s just too soon.

The direction this is all taking works well, though. The virus mutation and the fact there is a whole new problem, and a new enemy, still feels fresh. And I continue to enjoy the new president, who is still figuring out exactly how to handle the job.

There is one scene that’s harder to watch than it normally would have been, and it comes near the end of Season 3 Episode 1. It’s also one we all knew was coming. All I can say is that it was the right call to push back the premiere and not air on its original date.

Other thoughts:

• Where is Tex?! No, seriously. Where the heck is Tex?
• The denial continues as I also hold out hope that Val somehow survived that explosion.
• Favorite quote from Chandler: “I’m not worried about tigers. I brought a Wolf.”

What did you think about the series premiere of The Last Ship? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Last Ship airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.

 

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