‘The Last Ship’ season 2, episodes 1 and 2 review: Did Chandler make it back to the Nathan James?
Sometimes it can be easy to caught up in hyperbole, saying that an episode of a show is better than anything that came before that. Some of that can just come from buildup, and waiting for so long to see a show back on the air that almost everything suddenly seems amazing again.
Yet, there is no real hyperbole here at all in proclaiming that season 2 of “The Last Ship” started with a pair of episodes that were infinitely more intense and dramatic than almost all of season 1. There was a cinematic feel to the story that was hard to avoid, and it was thoroughly exciting to watch so many of these characters wrestle with some of the problems they were facing while so much chaos was surrounding them. For Chandler, getting back to the Nathan James was only part of the problem. There was also the issue of his family, and also making sure that Granderson did not cause any further chaos. Remember when we once had a little more faith in her? All of that was lost even before we realized that she was basically using human bodies as fuel.
One of the parts of the episode that could be problematic here long-term is that Granderson was one of the best villains that the show has ever seen, and was developed / performed so well in this episode. Yet, she is now dead. We wonder if the problem was that Alfre Woodard had another job in “State of Affairs” at the time, and maybe producers were not sure how long they would have her.
As for the most mysterious part of the episode, we are wondering what in the world is going on with Sam Chandler. Is there a new twist here with the virus that is causing the sickness, or is he suddenly better now? He appeared far healthier in the second episode than the first, and we have to hope that the show is going somewhere with this. Otherwise, the storyline with Chandler’s family in general in the premiere will feel somewhat lackluster in retrospect.
While some of the side stories do hamper the premiere somewhat, we at least applaud the action sequences, having a great adversary, and a little hope at the end with Chandler and his family getting back to the Nathan James. Maybe this will be a sign of good things to come. Episode Grade: B.
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