The Last Ship Review: In the Dark (Season 3 Episode 7)
Just when things are feeling hopeful, everything falls apart.
On The Last Ship, “In the Dark,” Chandler and the rest of the crew manage to navigate their way out of enemy waters (thanks to cooperation from Takehaya) and are ready to head home. But that good news never makes it to President Michener.
This episode both begins and ends on a somber note.
It opens with Danny preparing to break the news of Cruz’s death to his sister as the crew mourns the loss of the three men who died. As usual, this show manages to balance emotional, human moments with, you know, plenty of action and explosions.
We even see the humanness of an enemy who we imagined to be purely evil — Takehaya. It’s still not clear what happened to the cure when it made it to his people, but now it seems more likely that it was tampered with before it made it to China.
Takehaya shows he’s vulnerable as he explains himself to Chandler. He watched his people die, and he feels like a failure.
And once his baby is born aboard the Nathan James, he begins to show his softer side. He agrees to allow the crew to give his child the cure, and then, helps navigate the ship through another minefield.
His minefield.
Chandler proves once again to be an incredible leader, realizing that he has to trust in Takehaya in that moment. Sometimes, you have to make those choices, and I think Chandler is good at reading people. Of course, it was also their only option, and by that point, Chandler had seen that humanness in Takehaya.
Michener is more vulnerable than ever. Jacob interviews the man who killed Rachel Scott, learning more about Michener’s backstory and ultimately, finding his weakness.
The fact is that Michener was never really ready to be President, but he was willing to try, and he gave it all he had. He’s been through hell and back with his own family, and now this pressure of trying to lead a country when so many are against him is just too much.
Just as Kara is ready to deliver the good news about the Nathan James, she finds, after forcing her way into his office, that he’s committed suicide.
It’s a tragic scene that’s difficult to watch. Michener really was trying, but there were so many forces against him. Now, things don’t seem so hopeful anymore.
Because who’s going to lead the country next?
Michener was working with Chandler, but something tells me that whoever becomes President next won’t be so willing to trust in the Nathan James. I gotta say, it makes me nervous.
Other Thoughts:
- Danny helping to deliver the baby is one of my favorite moments in this episode. So sweet. I hope we see him reunited with his own child soon.
- Rachel Scott’s absence is felt in a big way when they need her expertise to figure out what’s happened to alter the cure.
- Slattery arrives back on the deck and in uniform — a moment that makes everything feel like it’s going to be okay. It’s also nice to see him side-by-side with Chandler again.
What did you think of this episode of The Last Ship?
Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to give it our own rating!
Reviewer Rating:
User Rating:
The Last Ship airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.
Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.