FINAL CRUISE: The Last Season of The Last Ship

[Noname Given]

Why do writers always have someone go off to confront a loved one they suspect of betraying them or their country or whatever only to kill them off? It's such a lame ass cliche...it really should be retired.

What was even worse..they don't teach Navy personnel how to fight? Also, why do they have to go the "No...it must be a misunderstanding...it couldn't be...my girlfriend is a spy!!??" route with her too, it really made the character look dumber then she already did.

I at least like that the ultimate virus attack was more multi-faceted because as someone who deals with IT security, the opening episode where the guy took a Flash Drive to an old style internet cafe (in a foreign country no less), and somehow launched a virus that took down the ENTIRE U.S. computer network - I almost stopped watching this season right there. I can take SOME suspenstion of disbelief, but they generally had been decent on the military side of this so that whole sequence just came across as utterly implausible unless the only thing left on the U.S. side were Apple ]['s and TRS-80ies. (Google them kids. )

 

[Romulan_spy]

I'll be surprised if that doesn't happen.

I think I may have gotten twisted in my double negatives. I think that the Nathan James will sink in the end.

 

[Kirk Prime]

Yeah--I found that death a bit crazy myself. A fair fight and she loses? I don't believe there is one person in the US military that would lose a fight against that woman in that situation--that is a FAIR fight. Not one.

I also don't get why the US has only one ship. I know a few ships were destroyed in the first episode, but that was the entire US navy? I realize during the virus that many people died. That's people, not ships and equipment.

Also, I would think that in a situation like that, a draft would have been instilled to return our military to full strength.

 

[Romulan_spy]

Yeah--I found that death a bit crazy myself. A fair fight and she loses? I don't believe there is one person in the US military that would lose a fight against that woman in that situation--that is a FAIR fight. Not one.

Normally that would be true. The only explanation that I can come up with is that she allowed her personal emotions to get in the way. After all, this wasn't just a fight with a stranger, like a home intruder. This was a confrontation with a lover whom she had just learned had betrayed her and the country. The emotions she was feeling may have caused to momentarily drop her guard out of sheer shock of the betrayal or maybe she was not fighting as forcefully as she could have because a part of her did not want to hurt the person she loved. That could potentially explain how the other woman managed to get in that fatal stab that seemed to catch Granderson by surprise.

 

[Kirk Prime]

I hear what you're saying, but a trained soldier/sailor, once committed to hand to hand, would not let herself be stabbed like that. She might have even hesitated, but once it started, her training should have taken over. She should have known weaponry was in the kitchen and would not have allowed her to get there, and would have been prepared for it.

I've loved this show overall, and I'm enjoying the season so far, but that death was a bit much.

 

[Admiral2]

I know it's only been a few days in the show, and they are in the middle of a crisis, but when is the Acting Ensign* going to get an actual uniform?

*Yes, I know he's not an "Acting Ensign" as he has in fact been properly commissioned. But I liked the Wesley Crusher comparisons we were making to him a few weeks back.

Heck, I'm still making them. I got no problem calling him "Acting Ensign" until he puts on a uniform. There's gotta be some place he can get a spare set of khakis...

I hear what you're saying, but a trained soldier/sailor, once committed to hand to hand, would not let herself be stabbed like that. She might have even hesitated, but once it started, her training should have taken over. She should have known weaponry was in the kitchen and would not have allowed her to get there, and would have been prepared for it.

I've loved this show overall, and I'm enjoying the season so far, but that death was a bit much.

I'd like to argue with you, but I can't, because the exact same thing occurred to me when they started grappling.

I actually find the whole plotline odious. Bad enough the girlfriend was playing "long-suffering Navy Wife," but to have it turn out she's "THE MOLE" is just annoying. And what's even more annoying is her motivation. She just heard Tavo speak ("Chest Thump! Wave!" has got to be the dumbest bad guy salute I've ever seen.) and just fell in whole hog to the point of conducting espionage? Really?

And Enterprise Is Great is dead on too. You know that what Acting Ensign Crusher will find will lead back to you and the girlfriend. Tell somebody now, then stand down and let them send the freaking Shore Patrol to arrest her.

I've loved the show, too, and of course I'll keep watching, but people around these parts know I'm easy. I'll watch anything with a ship in it, so I'm just taking the dumb with the awesome.

 

[Aragorn]

The writing on this show has always been.... simple? Easy?

 

[Admiral2]

The writing on this show has always been.... simple? Easy?

[Starlord]L'il bit o'both?[/Starlord]

 

[The Wormhole]

I think that the Nathan James will sink in the end.

Yes. I was agreeing with that assessment.

I also don't get why the US has only one ship. I know a few ships were destroyed in the first episode, but that was the entire US navy?

Because this show is really insistent on maintaining the accuracy of The Last Ship as a title.

Chest Thump! Wave!" has got to be the dumbest bad guy salute I've ever seen.

It is getting difficult not to laugh during the Tavo scenes. BTW, anyone else get the impression he is totally going to be betrayed by his wife?

The writing on this show has always been.... simple? Easy?

The show has definitely always taken on a simplistic world view, which truth be told is part of its charm.

 

[Admiral2]

It is getting difficult not to laugh during the Tavo scenes. BTW, anyone else get the impression he is totally going to be betrayed by his wife?

Actually, It looks to me like she's playing both Tavo and his Number Two. She's definitely working some kind of angle, but I'm not sure who gets taken down when she makes her move.

 

[The Wormhole]

Something tells me by the finale she'll be revealed to be the real villain of the season.

 

[Kirk Prime]

You know that what Acting Ensign Crusher will find will lead back to you and the girlfriend. Tell somebody now, then stand down and let them send the freaking Shore Patrol to arrest her.

I've loved the show, too, and of course I'll keep watching, but people around these parts know I'm easy. I'll watch anything with a ship in it, so I'm just taking the dumb with the awesome.

First of all, I hadn't even thought about Acting Ensign Crusher as an analogy, but I have to say, that's frigging brilliant. It's like the virus killed every computer expert except him, and he's the only one who can figure things out.

This war seems very difficult to believe for a several reasons. First, this show has done a brilliant job showing the competence and greatness of our military. That should extend beyond the Nathan James.

And people from the Nathan James should not lose said competence once they step off the ship like Alisha did.

An attack this blatant would anger what was left of the United States. Even if 2/3 of the country died, that leaves over 100 million angry Americans. Diseases do not kill infrastructure or destroy machinery. They drew parallels to WWII and I think the American population would step up.

Because this show is really insistent on maintaining the accuracy of The Last Ship as a title.

Now for what it's worth, I take that as they were the Last Ship able to function. As in, because of their assignment, they were kept away from the virus.

 

[The Wormhole]

First, this show has done a brilliant job showing the competence and greatness of our military. That should extend beyond the Nathan James.

It's not exactly unheard of for shows to focus on a particular branch of the US military to favor that particular branch over the others. EG Stargate was practically a USAF recruitment ad at times, but wasn't so favorable towards the other branches. At least The Last Ship isn't vilifying the other branches. In fact, aside from an Army General who doesn't mind showing his irritation, there's more or less 100% cooperation between everyone at the command centre.

An attack this blatant would anger what was left of the United States. Even if 2/3 of the country died, that leaves over 100 million angry Americans. Diseases do not kill infrastructure or destroy machinery. They drew parallels to WWII and I think the American population would step up.

Of course, it's only been a couple of days since the attack. Even if the recruitment centres began being overrun by young people swept into a patriotic fervor to defend their home, it's going to be a while before this produces results for the Nathan James or the command centre.

Now for what it's worth, I take that as they were the Last Ship able to function. As in, because of their assignment, they were kept away from the virus.

The show definitely seems to treat them as the Last Ship Period. When we did start seeing other Navy ships in the third season, there was dialogue establishing them to be brand new ships, and given at least two of the ships seen in this season's premiere were named after post-plague Presidents, they're most certainly new as well.

 

[Scout101]

Which is insane. Even if 75% of the Destroyers were lost during the virus (fighting, destroyed, not maintained, or left in a foreign port and captured by that country post-virus), that still leaves 16 or so here in the ol' US. And there's plenty of other types of ships. They're not super easy to make, either, especially if most of the people with experience doing so are dead. Maybe they just re-named existing ones, but either way, the ships and weapons shouldn't be a problem after such a severe reduction in population, it's the people to USE them competently that should be the shortfall. It probably doesn't even make sense to drydock and fix the Nathan James right away, just move the crew to one of the other ones tied up in Norfolk and carry on with their day...

No way they're pumping out new destroyers only a couple years post-virus. They're barely pumping out classes in the Academy, and that's easier than building a warship.

 

[Kirk Prime]

It's not exactly unheard of for shows to focus on a particular branch of the US military to favor that particular branch over the others. EG Stargate was practically a USAF recruitment ad at times, but wasn't so favorable towards the other branches. At least The Last Ship isn't vilifying the other branches. In fact, aside from an Army General who doesn't mind showing his irritation, there's more or less 100% cooperation between everyone at the command centre.

I don't feel so much that the other branches are being slighted, but where are they? I find it hard to believe that our entire military at this point consists of one ship. An attack like the one depicted was essentially Pearl Harbor, round 2, and if something like that were to happen today, the reaction would be similar. I can't fathom that a post-virus US wouldn't rebuild the military to deal with precisely this problem. And under the circumstances, I would think that would also include a draft as the devastation to the population would necessitate it.

Of course, it's only been a couple of days since the attack. Even if the recruitment centres began being overrun by young people swept into a patriotic fervor to defend their home, it's going to be a while before this produces results for the Nathan James or the command centre.

Right, but the equipment should be there, and there should be enough of a standing military to really get the defense of the nation going.

The sheer amazing nature of how well the Nathan James crew performs would make it impossible for them to not have any real back up.

They're not super easy to make, either, especially if most of the people with experience doing so are dead. Maybe they just re-named existing ones, but either way, the ships and weapons shouldn't be a problem after such a severe reduction in population, it's the people to USE them competently that should be the shortfall.

That would assume a greater proportion of military died in the virus. I think if the virus was Thanos, it would all be random. Even if 2/3 of the country died, 1/3 of the competent military would remain, which in the years since the virus, could have been rebuilt--maybe not to what it was, but still more than enough to protect the borders.

 

[Scout101]

I assumed it was either greater than that, or more military personnel died (between the virus directly, and the fighting as the world order disintegrated). If that many military personnel survived, this should wouldn't be called The Last Ship, as they could have scraped together dozens of them right from the beginning. Guessing between the virus and the fighting, the military took a substantial hit at the beginning.

It's silly, and not likely, but it's the show. Should at least be a few subs that were not affected by the virus (hiding under ice, not at any port when the virus was active, etc), but they skipped that except for the bad guy a while back, and that looked more like he had a sub and a couple guys and patched something together. Guess we have to assume that a lot more ships were destroyed during the collapse...

 

[Aragorn]

A bunch of immune grunts can learn to operate a submarine, but there's just no way for the USA to train sailors.

 

[Scout101]

That a bunch of grunts was driving a sub (effectively!) was kinda beyond silly in the first place. Gotta be on the harder end of the spectrum to handle without a ton of training and experience. Doesn't exactly handle like a surface ship, not much knowledge translates from 'life experience', and not like you can look out a window to see how things are going. Can put up the periscope and kinda wing it, maybe, but the Nathan James would have sunk a sub operating like that in seconds. Plus, not exactly a gas engine, you've got that pesky nuclear reactor to figure out and keep happy so you don't go all K-19, etc.

I don't know that I got a specific answer, but I was on a sub recently and played with that question a little (if someone went all Search for Spock and stole a sub, how many people do you think it would take to operate successfully?). Didn't get a consensus, but it wasn't a small number, and they'd have had to have pretty solid training and experience. Plus obviously only a single shift worth of crew. But 'handful of grunts' had zero chance.

 

[The Wormhole]

Should at least be a few subs that were not affected by the virus (hiding under ice, not at any port when the virus was active, etc), but they skipped that except for the bad guy a while back,

Actually, that's where things get funny, in season 4 there is a reference to a US sub which did survive the plague. Which I guess would mean Nathan James never really was the "Last Ship." Oh well.

 

[Admiral2]

Actually, that's where things get funny, in season 4 there is a reference to a US sub which did survive the plague. Which I guess would mean Nathan James never really was the "Last Ship." Oh well.

Well, if you really wanna be anal about it, subs are considered boats by those who serve in them, not ships.

So maybe it was The Last Boat?