When last we left "The Last Ship":
- The intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Nathan James was looking for the cure to the mysterious and deadly virus.
- After a fiery standoff at Guantanamo Bay, the crew has a new member - Tex.
- Dr. Scott has regained some of the crew's trust after saving a wounded shipmate. Quincy, on the other hand, seems like a scoundrel. (I predicted that he would die this episode, but his information on the IMDb page has now been updated from "3 episodes" to "5 episodes." Dang.)
- A Russian ship has their sights on our beloved crew... and they're after "the doctor."
So the Russian ship we encountered during last week's cliffhanger starts off the episode by making some pretty bold demands. They know that the Nathan James has the primordial strain and they want it, along with Dr. Scott and all of her research. Commander Chandler bluffs, saying that he doesn't know what the Russian admiral is talking about - plus, Chandler is American and he doesn't take orders from Russians. The Russian admiral, who apparently wrote a book that Chandler had aboard, threatens to nuke the Americans, just like he did "to France" in the first episode. (Remember the mushroom cloud?) Chandler requests to meet face-to-face in hopes of negotiating a resolution to their situation.
In a couple quick scenes, we see Chandler asks whether any scientist with the primordial strain would be able to create a vaccine, then asking to "borrow" Quincy; Tex joins the team in full armor and jokes about alcohol; and Chandler mentions that the Russian admiral, whose name turns out to be Ruskov, "literally wrote the book on modern naval warfare."
Equipped with gas masks, Chandler and a few guards meet with the Russians, who claim they are not infected. Chandler's team keeps their masks on, regardless. Quincy runs a quick test which apparently verifies that the Russians are free from the disease.
Elsewhere, the Russians are unloading mines into the water. All the while, Adam "Mike" Baldwin is watching them from the bridge - and he's not scared to unload a few rounds, if necessary. He also gives us the most glorious quote of the season, thus far: "Mines... I hate freakin' mines."
The meeting of the minds remains a virtual standstill, as the Russians try a power play, claiming to be the last Soviet ship in existence, but Chandler isn't budging. He offers a small sample of the primordial virus, but refuses to turn over Dr. Scott and her research. Ruskov says Chandler will not be able to create a vaccine without one final ingredient that only the Soviets possess, but Chandler isn't having it. As he stands up to leave, he taunts Ruskov by asking how he and his crew will survive if the Americans have all the food. The admiral takes a gun, kills one of his guards, and says, "One less mouth to feed."
Back on-board the Nathan James, Dr. Scott tells Chandler that Ruskov is lying about the final ingredient, Quincy sneaks some test tubes, and the crew plots a way to escape the harbor without disturbing the Russian mines. A couple US scuba divers are shot down while looking for a way around the mines.
After a commercial break, the Americans fire a warning shot at a Russian boat and Chandler busts out some Russian, to the approval of his shipmates. The Russians agree to shut down their weapons and leave the harbor, but they want Dr. Scott and her research within 24 hours. Or else.
Later that night, Quincy grabs Dr. Scott at gun point and orders her to jump off the ship. She hesitates, like any smart woman would, and eventually breaks free, leading to a brief chase scene around the ship, which ends up right smack-dab in the middle of a bunch of shipmates. Quincy threatens to open one of the vials he was sneaking, which would infect and kill everyone on the ship. He admits to have been in cahoots with the Russians, who he says promised not to kill Scott if she came willingly. He finally backs down, gives up the test tube, and get handcuffed.
Dr. Scott tells Chandler that Quincy formerly studied in Russia and has friends there, but Quincy tells Mike that he had never met Admiral Ruskov until yesterday. This leads us to another brilliant zinger by Adam Baldwin - "So what were you two? Like, Facebook friends?" Awesome. In this interrogation scene, we learn a couple things. Maybe. You never know with Quincy, that rat. But anyway...
- Quincy says that his daughter is a prisoner on the Russian ship.
- He says that governments were getting scientists to withhold information during the outbreak that could have lead to the possible creation of a vaccine.
- He shared information with a Russian scientist who has since died. They had been communicating through sat-phone up until his death. One day, Quincy called the number and Admiral Ruskov answered, instead.
- The admiral killed the scientist friend and captured Quincy's family, which is now being held hostage.
- Quincy was supposed to take Scott and the samples to the Russians. There was a boat waiting for him to use.
Well, it's apparently true. Quincy's wife (who is WAY more attractive than him, by the way) is being held on the Russian ship. The admiral offers her drinks and semi-hits on her. Creep.
Chandler and his crew begin plotting a way out of the harbor and he asks one of the female officers (Lieutenant Foster) to join him on the mission because they need a female on the team. Foster's secret boyfriend, Danny, with whom she was briefly shown in a supply closet in Episode 1, objects to her leaving the ship. He wants to go, too. And they say chivalry is dead.
The crew of the Nathan James initiates a last-minute DIY project teaching TV-watching Americans how to make strips of aluminum foil look like a naval destroyer on a radar screen. Doesn't look too difficult. Add that to my to-do list for this week. "Time to disappear," Chandler says. Like a boss.
Got it. They needed Foster to go on the mission because she and Danny are running as decoys for Scott and Quincy. Got it... Those tricky Americans. By golly, they've done it. Oh gosh, they've got rockets. They're going to blow the Russians back to where they came from. The Russians realize that it's not Quincy and Scott when the small boat speeds up instead of going in for a slow approach. Lt. Foster and Danny whip out some semi-automatics and take out a few of the Russian guards, then bail into the water. By then, it's too late. The boat crashes into the Russian ship and explodes.
After a narrow escape, the U.S.S. Nathan James is on its way out of the shallow, coral-laden harbor, safe and sound with no apparent damage to the ship. On the other hand, the Russian hull was breached, they're taking on water, and at least a dozen of their men are dead. But the Russians, although duped by the tin foil radar scheme, live to fight another day.
While the vast majority of Nathan James-ers are quietly celebrating their death-defying escape, Foster and Danny are having a little spat. Danny is upset because his emotions for her got in the way, delaying their mission, and almost costing Commander Chander and company their lives. Frustrated, he tells her that this is why... He can't finish the sentence, but he would have said that this is why they're not supposed to date fellow crew members. He drops the "I-L-Y" bomb and then tells her to stay away from him before stomping off in a fit of anger. So much for that whole "chivalry" thing, I guess.
Chandler asks Quincy if Ruskov had a back-up plan. Quincy doesn't know. Quincy gets upset at Chandler for apparently having killed his family. Chandler shouts back, "No, YOU killed your family." After a heated exchange, Quincy demands to know what Chandler would have done, had he been placed in that same position. Chandler storms out of the room without saying another word.
Back on the Russian ship, we await our cliffhanger. Ruskov heads down to a lab very similar to the one that Scott and Quincy are running on the Nathan James. There is a man working in the lab. He seems frustrated with his work, especially now that the Soviets did not apprehend Dr. Scott. The scientist chases after a small, white lab rat, which he catches with some difficulty. He tells Ruskov that he hates the way his men look at him - like some type of circus attraction. He tells the admiral that he needs Scott and some of the primordial strain, and Ruskov walks away. The scientist holds up the rat, which struggles to escape. It looks, for a moment, like the man is preparing to eat the rat, but what he does is, perhaps, even more strange. He breathes on the rat, fogging up the camera. And that's all we get for this week!
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What we learned:
- Some of what Quincy told Chandler appears to be true - his family (or at least his wife) appears to be on board the Russian ship.
- The Russians nuked France. Also, Ruskov's intel gave us a little bit more insight into how devastating the virus was.
- The Russian ship is not totally out of commission. This is not the last we've seen of them.
- There is another scientist working actively for the Russians - and he likely needs a breath mint.
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So... what did you think? What questions do you have? Whose side is Quincy on? Whose side is Quincy's wife on? And is that Russian scientist Quincy's friend who he presumed to be dead? It looks like the crew of the Nathan James is in trouble next week - and so is the engine room. Should be interested!
I liked this episode. Now that we've gotten most of the exposition and background story out of the way, we can now focus on characters and action. I thought Baldwin's dialogue tonight was hilarious, at times, and I am really starting to like the Chandler character. So far, I think this was the best episode of the series.
But what did you think? Sound off in the comments section below. Or not. Whatever.
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