Tag: Eric Dane

The Last Ship: Safe Zone (review)

Eric Dane as Commander Chandler
Last week’s episode of The Last Ship, had plenty of white knuckle moments as Chandler pulled the president from Ramsey’s grasp and Safe Zone is a slower ride but no less intense. While there were no shootouts this week or any action sequences, the storyline following the new president was emotional and almost as full of suspense as the previous episode.

Safe Zone belongs to Eric Dane, as Commander Chandler, and to new cast member Mark Moses who plays the new president, by default, Jeff Michener. Adam Baldwin proves that he can play understated very well thank you in his scenes with the president. Rhona Mitra only appears very briefly toward the end where she shows the “recovered” commander-in-chief the virus-filled teddy bears that Niels was working on.

The whole of the episode was based upon Michener’s realization that Ramsey’s lies were his aid to dealing with the horror of what he had done to his daughters. This, added to the fact that he brought his son down to the safe zone; who then infected everyone, put the man straight into internal meltdown mode. Ramsey’s group took in the new president with sickening ease. After talking to Baldwin, whom Michener accused of lying to him, the president reveals to Chandler that he wandered around the survivor camps attempting to get the disease.

While the storyline followed the journey of XO Slattery and Chandler “curing” the president of his “brainwashing” from the Ramsey brothers, it was also about trying to give the survivors some semblance of the old order. Chief Jeter (Charles Parnell) tells Slattery at one point that Chandler is working hard to “turn” the president because he needs someone to “salute to.”

In essence Jeter is correct, as proved at the end of the episode when Chandler squares up and salutes the new president, because the commander of the Nathan James realizes that with the Ramsey’s spreading lies and fear, the remnants of the country need a figure head. Sean realized this and it was this knowledge that motivated him to condition Jeff Michener to be theirs.

While the threat of the sub is not directly dealt with until late in the show, when Michener reveals to the crew that the Achilles has a sound matting problem, the mercenaries provided an indirect threat via the president’s belief that he was one of the “chosen.” Something that he was desperate to cling to as it made the horror of what he had gone through easier to cope with. It took a lot of work from Chandler to “break” Michener and to make him realize that the Ramsey’s were not the answer.

This was a powerhouse episode in terms of performance. Eric Dane proved that not only can he be heroic and one hell of an action figure, but he can portray deep emotion that is touching, gentle and moving. The scenes where he listens to Michener talking of murdering his daughters to save them from the horrific death they faced from the virus, were tear inducing, even before Dane’s character loosed a few tears at the presidents story.

As the tormented new US leader, Mark Moses was full of self tortured anguish and he did this so well that it came as no surprise when he tried to kill himself. A brilliant bit of acting that took him from suspicious patsy to tragic figure in one episode. The chemistry between Dane and Moses was brilliant and when Dane’s Chandler tells the grieving man that “We’ve all done things,” the viewer gets caught up in the emotions and the moment.

The clues were there, the presidents distrust and unbelieving attitude while dealing with Slattery, showed a desperate side to Michener. Sean Ramsey had become his talisman, as had the group of the “chosen” and to not follow Ramsey’s doctrine meant his family’s death had no meaning.

As Chandler points out later, why on earth would the man try to infect himself and die in the most horrible way imaginable if not as a sort of redemption. The slow reveal combined with Slattery’s lack of faith in the new president and Jeter’s calm appraisal of Chandler’s needs made this an episode with an almost perfect combination of writing, script and direction.

It says much about the writing of this series that by the end of the episode Michener was no longer a figure viewed with suspicion. Mark Moses and the writers allowed the character to become all too human and tragic. His initial allegiance with the Ramsey’s made perfect sense and the new president was no longer in the category of villain, reluctant or otherwise.

“Creepy Git” (As Ned refers to patient zero) Niels was nowhere to be seen and the only real reference made to him was in relation to those horrific pandemic teddy bears. While Chandler has stated that the next port of call for the Nathan James will be New Orleans, one can only hope that they stop along the way to blow the Achilles and the Ramsey’s crew of mercenaries out of the water.

The Last Ship airs Sundays on TNT and is top notch post apocalyptic fare.

The Last Ship: Alone and Unafraid (recap and review)

The Last Ship still photo
In the previous episode of The Last Ship two of the three teams had infiltrated the “Chosen” camp and met the “new” president and XO Slattery ordered the comms buoy blown up, in Alone and Unafraid Chandler has gotten himself close to the president. Green and Tex are on a convoy with Niels who is up to something and Wolf-Man is trying to keep track of it all for Slattery.

Like other excursions in this season, the action in Alone and Unafraid is pretty impressive. While it took at least one other episode to build up to this segment’s “big fight” (and at least half of this episode) the payoff was some excellent edge of the seat viewing. After Chandler, who orchestrated the whole thing with Burk and Ravit’s help, gets to guard the new president, they then set up a rescue for the country’s new commander-in-chief.

After setting up a possible threat, Ramsey’s team, and Chandler (who tells the mercenary that his name is Tommy) take the former Secretary Michener through the convention hall kitchens. As they enter Burk and Ravit strike and together with Chandler they fight a pretty spirited battle with the mercenaries. The conflict is savage and drawn out. Burk takes out one baddie with a broken mop handle through the chest and Ravit takes out another one with a couple of forks.

Chandler takes out his group with armed flair and then goes head to head with the last one standing. After winning, he then delivers the coup de grace to the wounded mercenaries who reach for their weapons. The “president” reluctantly allows himself to be escorted from the building. Outside the convention center, Wolf-Man snipes guards who get in the way and clears a path for Chandler, Burk, Ravit and Michener.

Tex, who Niels sort of recognizes (as Patient Zero queries Tex about where he may have met him, the man tells Niels to leave him alone as, “You’re kind of creeping me out, man.” In that instant, Tex and Ned are ethereal twins who share their discomfort at being around Niels.

Both men are right to be disturbed about Niels. The thing that Danny saw the man working on was a virus delivery system to be put in children’s cuddly toys. After the two men grab Niels and his deadly teddy bears and rejoin Chandler’s team and Wolf-Man, Green destroys the viral toys with fire.

Niels has been shot, during the fracas against the work detail meant to deliver the viral payload, Ned was shot in the face as well. Later, the bloodied brother of Sean will demand that his “bruv” take care of that ship.

Back on the Nathan James, XO Slattery and the crew are playing a tense game of cat and mouse where the destroyer has to find a quiet spot to release the “helo” aka, helicopter. It will need to collect Chandler and his team along with the president. The sub’s crew, between bickering and stopping just shy of fisticuffs, are trying to track the Nathan James to blow her out of the water.

Once the three teams regroup at the pick up point, a truckload of mercenaries arrives and they have to fight their way to the chopper. The Navy cuts the soldier’s for hire down pretty easily and once they board, Tex asks who the passenger is. Chandler says that Michener is the Commander and Chief and Tex’s look of disbelief says it all.

Back on the Nathan James, it is apparent that Michener is more of a “believer” (part of Ramsey’s “Chosen” schtick) and less of a presidential reality. He is escorted very much against his will deeper into the ship and Slattery also questions the man’s motives.

Back at the convention center, Ned heckles Sean and once again demands that he do something about the ship. He also makes it clear that they should just “nuke” the US, a country full of “ungrateful buggers.” *The writers are still having a hey day getting all that Brit dialogue spot on.*

Sean looks pretty irate which is not surprising since his “ace in the hole” has been snatched out right out from under this proverbial nose. Ned has always been for blowing up the Nathan James, killing the crew and turning America into a nuclear wasteland. It remains to be seen just how much Sean will take on from baby brother Ned’s suggestions.

Once again, The Last Ship gave viewers a great action filled (continuing) storyline. Producer, and star, Eric Dane keeps giving the same sturdy performance and it is plain that he was born to play this type of role. Adam Baldwin shows that he can still pack a punch into whatever performance he gives no matter how small the screen time and Ebon Moss-Bachrach should get some sort of gong, an Emmy or something, for his portrayal of Niels.

Kudos again for the writers of the show and for the two actors playing those bickering Brit’s the Ramsey brothers; Brían F. O’Byrne (Sean) and Nick Court (Ned) these two chaps are value for money and without their spot on portrayal, the mercenaries would take on a comic book air of villainy versus the real deal the actor’s help bring.

Now that Michener is on board the Nathan James and Niels has been caught (and his disgusting toys destroyed) perhaps the destroyer can sink that sub, although not too soon, yeah? Those Ramsey’s and their crew make a pretty good group of villains, bruv. The Last Ship airs Sundays on TNT don’t miss it or you’ll be a muppet…Yeah?

The Last Ship: Achilles (recap and review)

Niels being greeted on the Achilles
Last week on Solace the Nathan James rescued the hospital ship, shot up quite a few mercenaries and captured one Spanish sailor from the organization. This week in Achilles on The Last Ship Slattery begins questioning the Special Ops Spaniard who appears to be over emphasizing his injuries. The Nathan James begins a dangerous game of hide and seek hoping to gain the advantage over the Ajax class British submarine, the HMS Achilles. It is revealed that the man who commands the sub is another zealot, like the preacher in the park, “a believer,” as he puts it and despite Niels initially being in over his head he manages to plumb new depths as the villain we love to despise.

Within moments of being on board the submarine and meeting the commander, Niels causes dissent between the brothers running the show and his reveal that Chandler defeated the legendary Russian Admiral Ruskov is met with a combination of disbelief and cheers. Slattery learns a bit more about the mercenary crew and their commander from the captured member of their crew. The XO accuses the captive of lying about the extent of his injuries.

The crew of the Nathan James learns that the submarine is the Achilles; a nuclear vessel that is being helmed by a madman, according to the Spaniard, and Chandler begins a protracted battle of wits against the sub’s commander. Both go silent while trying to pinpoint their opposition’s location. The mercenary prisoner, Juan Carlos, begs to be brought topside as he does not want to die below decks, chained to a bunk. Slattery takes him up and continues to question him.

Mason proves that he is pretty good on sonar as he finds the Achilles. Sean Ramsey and his brother Ned continue to argue and disagree at every turn and the crew on the sub veer between enthusiastic certainty and bickering. After the two vessels go silent Slattery, who is topside with Juan Carlos, decides that the captive has a beacon inside him. The Spaniard, who starts coughing up lots of blood, tells the XO that everyone on board the Achilles is like him.

Slattery then orders that the beacon be removed from their prisoner. Dr. Scott reluctantly agrees to the surgery and the British sub uncloaks and fires a salvo of torpedoes at the Nathan James. The ship returns fire and takes evasive action. Despite several “fish” being deployed both the Achilles and the Nathan James miss and no damage is taken by either vessel.

The “beacon” turns out to be a USB flash drive with all the locations of the labs on it. This was what Sean was going back for not just fellow believer and member of “The Selected” Juan Carlos. Just as Lt. Granderson deciphers the drive, the British nuclear sub deploys 26 ballistic missiles, all aimed at the lab locations. Chandler orders intercept missiles fired from the the Nathan James and only two of the Achilles rockets are taken down.

Niels discovered the lab locations via a communication from Dr. Hunter that was retrieved from the Solace. After the missiles are launched from the sub, Patient Zero gloatingly inflates his importance to the British led group of mercenaries and Ned wants to sink the Nathan James. Sean informs the crew and his brother that they will take over the US instead.

This week’s episode had something for everyone. A standoff, chess-like maneuvers on the open seas and a brief, white knuckle, battle between the nuclear sub (“That never runs out of fuel,” says Chandler.) and the Nathan James, a suspenseful medical surgery, Niels being even more despicable, and further insight into the more than slightly mad mercenaries on the Achilles.

The writing this week was exceptional, as were the performances from the two actors portraying the Ramsey brothers; Nick Court as Ned and Irish actor Brían F. O’Byrne as Sean do a brilliant job as the two British troops who took over the nuclear sub and run the group of “selected” mercenaries. The dialogue from the Brit members of the crew was spot on and include many military, and prison officer, slang terms. Real kudos to the writers of this episode for getting it right.

The cast continue to crack on with some brilliant performances but this show belonged to O’Byrne, Eric Dane and Adam Baldwin. Dane has the knack of conveying great authority with an eye crinkle and O’Byrne manages to exude mad confidence in his characterization of the mercenary leader. Special kudos to Adam Baldwin who projected his thought process with little more than a minimal facial tic or glare. Masterful and pure Baldwin. Sadly, there was not much for Rhona Mitra to do in this episode but she did manage to handle that surgical microscope with authority as well as showing Dr. Scott’s dismay at having to perform the procedure.

In the show, things have been cranked right up in terms of suspense and Juan Carlos was correct in his summation of leader Sean, he is mad as a hatter. This idiot savant running the sub has already taken over Europe and now has his sights set on the USA and presumably world domination. This was a brilliant episode that left the viewer limp with relief and ready for next week’s episode. The Last Ship airs Sundays on TNT and is one of the best shows on television at the moment.

The Last Ship TNT Season 2 Premiere (recap/review)

Poster for The Last Ship
After last season’s finale of The Last Ship saw the ship taken over by former Congresswoman Granderson, who elected herself Baltimore leader after the established hierarchy died from the pandemic, and all of Chandler’s crew captured by her troopers, the TNT season 2 premiere takes up the story. Dr. Scott has been captured, along with Granderson’s own daughter and made a prisoner in Avocet where the woman expects the scientist to cooperate with making the primordial vaccine for the privileged few.

Chandler has escaped with his remaining family and a small contingent of men and he heads to the people burning power station to shut it down. Mike Slattery, the ship’s doctor and a few others are trying to keep Quincy alive and the doc takes the vial of primordial and hides it in his medical kit.

Dropping off his father and two kids, Chandler and his men take control of the power station and meets the leader of the “resistance” Thorwald and the two men agree to join forces to take Amy Granderson and Avocet down as well as get Chandler’s crew and ship back.

At the house, Chandler’s son is sick and his sister is getting worried. Scott talks Granderson into letting her treat some of the regular people and not waste the vaccine on healthy residents of Avocet. Tex learns what is really going on with Granderson from a local and he heads into the company grounds to find out first hand how he can help.

In last season’s finale, the crew of the Nathan James who were not taken back on board and held hostage, are horrified to learn how Granderson is keeping the lights on and Scott, in the first half of the season 2 premiere, Unreal City is horrified to see that there are people from Avocet selling false cures to the main population not considered worthy of saving by Amy Granderson.

On the destroyer a few men have gotten free and are trying to gain control of the armory and take out the troopers. In Fight the Ship Lt. Foster is strapped on an operating table and Granderson’s lead scientist is about to shove a needle into her fetus to make their own vaccine when the lights go out.

Chandler and Thorwald have cut the power and Dr. Scott, along with Tex, come in to rescue Foster just after she deals a little poetic justice to Granderson’s expert. Chandler’s plan is working, Granderson pulls out troopers from Avocet and the Nathan James to get the power back on, leaving both the ship and her headquarters vulnerable.

By the time the end credits roll, Chandler has won. Granderson steps down permanently after declaring she was not a monster and Thorwald bites the big one. Adam Baldwin gets to prove once more that any character he plays is the biggest bull in the woods and for the time being there is a respite for all those who have survived Amy Granderson and Baltimore.

As it stands, the Nathan James lost a few crew members but the survivors have drawn closer together and shown that they can work through anything. Eric Dane still exudes that quiet authority despite losing his wife to the flu. While that is hard on his character, it works well for the show’s plot line since it looks like Rhona Mitra’s Dr. Scott will definitely become a romantic interest to Chandler at some point.

TNT have done well with their post apocalyptic thriller and season 2 has gotten off to a cracking start. All the main characters are being brought to life by the actors playing them and the audience is beginning to care about more than the “top three.” There was enough action and shootouts to please viewers that are more action oriented. The Last Ship airs Sundays on TNT.

The Last Ship Finale (Recap and Review) *Contains Spoilers*

The Last Ship Finale (Recap and Review)

Episode 10 of The Last Ship is the show’s finale and if looking at IMDb means anything, a second season has already been approved. However, before that happens the crew of the USS Nathan James have to cope with having been cured of the plague and trying to spread the vaccine across a country decimated by the illness.