The Last Ship Review: Tempest (Season 4 Episode 6)

You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?

The Last Ship Season 4 Episode 6, “Tempest,” offers the kind of cat and mouse game this show does so well. It feels a bit like being in the middle of a video game as we watch the Nathan James plan its moves to evade the Greek ships.

They even make some unexpected — and risky moves — something this crew is known for doing, especially with Chandler and Slattery at the helm.

Sure, if it seems like the only option, they’ll go right through the Greek ships and head for a storm. Surprising their enemies and pulling off the unthinkable is what this crew does best.

Because of course, in addition to worrying about their enemies, the crew of the James also has to worry about mother nature. These are the kinds of scenes that make you hold you breath the entire time. We’re held in suspense as we watch the ship get battered and the people on board being knocked from side to side.

Master Chief is knocked down in the chaos, and we have to wonder if he’s injured worse than he looks at first glance. Kara’s shoulder is dislocated, but luckily, she has the doc there to fix that problem with a quickness.

At the center of all that is Chandler and Slattery working together as a team once again.

There may still be some conflicted feelings about Chandler being back on the ship, but the ease with which he jumps back in to work with this crew is unmistakable.

In the early seasons of The Last Ship, Chandler was almost too perfect of a hero, even when he did things that walked the line. Now, we’ve seen him as a flawed man, and we’ve seen some change to his character. Having him back on the ship after all that feels like he’s started a new chapter.

And a lot has changed since he’s been gone. Even though the moments are subtle, it’s clear he’s still adjusting to the fact that while he was away, everyone else was still moving forward.

That includes Sasha, who even asks Tom at one point if he’s jealous.

Unfortunately, for me, that rings a bit false. The romance between those two felt forced from the beginning, probably due mostly to the fact that not enough time was spent on it. It also came abruptly following the death of Dr. Rachel Scott.

I see that this is supposed to be a significant part of their story, and that could be a wonderful thing if it was explored a bit deeper. The problem is that this show often tries to do too much with too little time and too large a cast.

Speaking of Tom being jealous, it turns out that Fletcher is the enemy within. Though we can see that he’s conflicted, he still stops at nothing to get off the ship with those seeds and get them to Giorgio.

What an incredible betrayal — and it’s one that cuts deep not only for Sasha, but for everyone else who’s been working closely by his side for months.

It’s a mistake, of course. Because if there’s one thing we can count on, it’s that our heroes will eventually prevail, even if it means some casualties along the way.

Other thoughts:

• Miller reading The Odyssey is a bit on the nose, isn’t it? Poor Burke — now the book is ruined for him.
• Chandler has seen so many members of this crew die, and it’s heartbreaking for him to see it happen yet again.
• Seems like we have a budding romance between Wolf and Azima. Let’s see more of this, okay?

What did you think of this episode of The Last Ship? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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

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