‘The Last Ship’ season 2, episode 10 review: The aftermath of Rachel’s move
For much of season 2 of “The Last Ship,” the show has really put an emphasis on trying to establish the complexities of this world. It is a place that still very few have a real grasp of, and there are quite a few simple reasons for that. For one, nobody knows what the rules. We’ve spent much of the past several weeks trying to figure out whose side the President is really on.
So following Rachel’s decision last week to do away with Niels, the show did place itself in a little bit of a moral conundrum. How do you move forward from this in a way that actually makes sense? Here you have someone who is the best hope that the country has in getting a cure, but at the same time she’s also killed when she did not really need to. There have to be consequences for those actions.
We’ve taken a look already at the internet’s reaction to Tom’s handling of Rachel, and what seems to be potentially the end of their friendship. In many ways, we do see both sides in that Rachel is valuable, and some want him to cut her a little bit of slack. But, if he allows her to go guilt-free from this, what sort of precedent does this set in the future? Sure, Niels was not exactly a great person, but did he deserve the fate that he received?
As a whole, this episode was slower as we start to build towards a major crisis constructed by Sean and the Immunes. The back is up against the wall for the Nathan James, and they don’t have the public image on their side. They have to find a way to solve the conundrum that is the cure, and stay alive at the same time. Grade:B.
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JRA
August 21, 2015 @ 3:50 pm
Niels, like hitler, deserved to die in the most gruesome fashion.
JRA
August 21, 2015 @ 3:48 pm
Are you kidding me. Niels didn’t deserve death. He wiped out 80 percent of the worlds population and then intentionally went around breathing on people. He assisted in creating the teddy bears of death. This twist in the show is stupid and ruins a series I was enjoying.
GPR
September 1, 2015 @ 4:50 am
I agree 100%
Vinnie
August 18, 2015 @ 6:51 pm
At a time when there are millions of American in jeopardy of still being killed and the U.S. is under attack by a foreign invader, it would be rediculous to waste time on punishing one of the good guys for killing one of the bad guys. Sure I would read her the riot act for taking it apon herself to kill Niels without permission. I’d put what she did on blast, tell everyone on the crew what she did, and let everyone know that the rule of law still will be inforced. Normally there can be no exception for murder, but in this case I would make an exception. If anyone in a TV show every deserved to be killed it was this guy. Let’s forget about the 5 Billion people he possibly killed, they don’t know the exact number and that might have been an accident. But, what they do know is that this guy was making biological weaponized teddy bears to hand out to children. If Captain Chandler was any kind of a leader he would have had Niels executed at sea after the initial interrogation was over. I’m just glad that next Sunday the TV series “Fear the Dead” is starting up. I’ll follow the series”The Last Ship” using “On Demand”, but I’ve Iost interest in this show somewhat. If Captain Chandler is going to fight a ruthless enemy that is willing to drop nukes on hospitals while making speeches about morality to people helping him, I can’t understand why anyone would want to be under his command.
Paul Hatfield
August 18, 2015 @ 2:50 am
He did what he had to do, but he could ask for a presidential pardon. Even though Rachel has not been convicted in a civilian court, the president can preclude any charge as Ford did for Nixon. I think the crew would understand. However, I am not convinced POTUS has fully leveled with Chandler about what he knows.
Vinnie
August 17, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
Unfortunately we won’t be able to forget it happened if Dr. Scott is locked away from major decision making in the show. Niels was a total waste of life. It would have made more sense if a no-name crew member had killed Niels. Then there would be an issue because soldiers are suppose to follow orders. It will be interesting to see how many other on the ship will be upset about what Dr.Scott did.
TrishaH
August 17, 2015 @ 5:55 pm
A totally wasted episode. Drama created where there was none, and characters WAAAAY out of character. Couldn’t believe it was the same show.
Gonna forget this episode ever happened……………………..
Jose Gonzales
August 17, 2015 @ 4:48 pm
Sorry, everyone, I have to agree with Captain Chandler. Everyone under the law has the right to due process, including the worst of criminals, except in cases of warfare, where the person is an immediate threat to the safety of innocents or soldiers in battle. Niels was in custody, not an immediate threat to anyone, and no one, including Rachel, has the right to make themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Chandler made the difficult, unpopurlar, but CORRECT choice.
misslucas
August 17, 2015 @ 5:13 pm
Funny he didn’t do the same thing last week after POTUS confessed to killing his two daughters (and thousands of people by breaking the quarantine). Yes, mercy-killings are not the same as cold murder. The problem is that you can’t have your hero one week happily accepting grey areas and mitigating circumstances and the very next week have him pontificating about the rule of law.
Vinnie
August 17, 2015 @ 4:16 pm
This was the worst episode of the series. The person that saved the world is punished for killing the person that was responsible for infecting it. I’ve lost all respect for Captain Chandler if he continues with this notion of punishing the person responsible for saving the lives of his kids and crew. Dr. Scott should take her case to the crew. She should ask for an immediate trial at sea. She should not allow herself to be restricted in anyway and remain as a functioning member of this crew.
Terry LeRoy Payne
August 17, 2015 @ 3:09 pm
This is a great show! However, inserting the holier than thou in regards to Rachel is a farce. Would any jury convict someone who murdered Hitler? Placing restrictions on Rachel will instead do the opposite effect. It will lower moral and cause anger against the Captain. History in this timeline would say the Captain was dead wrong. He didn’t need to throw a party, but some milder slap on the hand would be appropriate.
Always following the book eventually leads to disaster. No “book” can anticipate the millions of probabilities. “The Book” is a guideline with few absolutes. Clauswitz understood this in his theories of the fog of war. His ideas have stood the test of time.
Military rule never works, partly because it is far too rigid.
cylon
August 17, 2015 @ 6:09 pm
I did laugh when he said she would be handed over to civilian authorities. What? What civilian authorities? Even if there were any that weren’t part of that cult, who would convict her? The accused just took out the man who is quite literally the greatest mass murderer ever in human history and basically set us back by centuries. I mean, I get it in the context of the show (ie, US Navy endorsed TV show, so they have to perfectly toe the drawn out military line to make sure don’t fall outside that). The only valid point Chandler had is that Niels could essentially “prove” that the virus wasn’t some divine thing and act as a crucial piece in any anti-immunes propganda, which is the Immune cult’s most powerful tool in getting people to side with them.
marc
August 18, 2015 @ 8:37 pm
the point would have been relative if he saved same of the survivers but he left them to die. putting on a uniform does not make you a hero.Saying no to a bad order or fighting a battle you might or will lose because it’s right remember ww2 i was just following orders does not cut it. Your the last captain act like one, lead don’t follow
Nicholas Donato
August 17, 2015 @ 5:53 am
Lol yes Matt I think he deserved it after creating the virus and intentionally murdering innocent people and worst of all children, not to mention help massacre countless others supplying zealots with the coordinates to send nukes. He wasn’t tortured or disfigured, in fact he got away quite easy. He would only continue to do more harm if given the chance. If that doesn’t classify as deserving than nothing does.
RemusL
August 17, 2015 @ 8:08 am
I think the writers are trying to use the law and order rationale as a way to pump up the drama within the good guys camp. Niels was basically a walking sentient plague bomb. He thought only of himself but even worse, he used his deadly contagion to murder innocents, including kids and folks who went out of their way to help him. Every moment he remained alive meant there was risk of him passing the virus to some susceptible human or animal, spreading the plague further.