The Last Ship Review: Courage (Season 5 Episode 9)
Another hero falls on The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 9, “Courage,” and this one is especially painful.
This entire season has been a culmination of what the team has gone through, the way they’ve persevered and rebuilt, and the way they’ve continued to fight the good fight, no matter what.
The episode opens with Miller, who has made it through this alive so far, but not without life-altering injury. Still, he’s Miller, and there’s a positivity and lightness that surrounds him and feels hopeful as he pushes through and adapts to no longer having his legs.
His face when he learns the Nathan James is gone — there’s a realization there — reflects hope and his faith in his teammates. He knows exactly what it means that the ship isn’t where it should be. It means shit’s about to go down, and it means there might be a chance for the US to win this war.
Back on the ship, our soldiers are preparing for the invasion while also taking the time to speak to a camera about their experiences.
That’s a tactic that feels like it’s used in shows a bit too often, but here it’s subtle, and it does exactly what it needs to do. It gives us these small, revealing character moments and it helps us digest what’s actually happening and the emotional ramifications.
Burk answers a question about being scared, referencing his friend and describing fear as something you have to let go of. He also takes the time to speak directly to the camera — directly to Miller. He doesn’t know it.. but this is his goodbye to his friend.
Burk goes down on a mission with Cobra team to scout out the new beach where the James wants to invade. He and Danny board an enemy ship, and he’s killed so suddenly and tragically that it’s worth pausing to take it all in. He dies in Danny’s arms.
So, so many characters have died on this show, but this one is one of the more painful ones because we’ve gotten to know Burk so well and watched him evolve from the very beginning of the series.
On top of that, we’ve watched his friendships develop and we’ve seen him question the violence. At least has his this beautiful moment of peace not long before he dies — floating in the water, looking up at the stars.
I’m gutted, you guys.
This is going to hit Danny in a big way too, I think. Earlier in the episode he tells Kara this is his last mention, and he tells her he wants to focus on their family.
We’ve only seen glimpses of what life has been like for them since the time jump, but it’s enough to know it’s been a difficult road and that Danny has been hardened. All of this has taken a toll on him in some dark ways.
We’re seeing the change in Chandler as well. I only wish things weren’t moving quite so fast. I’d have loved us to be able to see more exploration of all of these changes for him and for the other characters as well.
What Chandler, in particular, is dealing with is boiling low beneath the surface. This episode reveals just enough of his anxiety. He has to take time to pause, and there’s a memory of him being told how war has changed him. It has.
He’s still a hero, he’s still a remarkable soldier and leader, and he’s still focused on doing what’s best for his country. But the worst has also been brought out in him, and he’s reaching a breaking point. You can see the panic in his eyes, though it’s only seen for him in a private moment.
The camera comes back into play with this as well, which works really nicely. Chandler is asked what’s going on in his mind the night before the attack, and it’s a chance for him to share thoughts we wouldn’t otherwise hear.
He’s thinking of Nathan James. Not the ship, but the ship’s namesake. He tells the story of Captain James, and I can’t help but wonder if this is foreshadowing. As Chandler says to Slattery earlier in the episode, “history tends to repeat.”
Other thoughts:
- The Last Ship often tells a story of underdogs being victorious, and I love that this episode does that more than once, from Gator’s “Frogger” plan to Swain’s new software.
- Burk isn’t the only death that takes place on “Courage.” The plan to take down Gustavo takes an ugly turn, with Hector as a casualty.
- It’s nice that the soldiers on board the ship get to enjoy a small escape with a classic film the night before the attack takes place. Their laughter and smiles are bittersweet.
What did you think of this episode 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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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.