TV Review: THE LAST SHIP: Season 3, Episode 1: The Scott Effect [TNT]

The Last Ship The Scott Effect Review. The Last Ship: Season 3, Episode 1: The Scott Effect showed us how the world was changing after what happened last season as the cure went everywhere. For newly promoted CNO Tom Chandler (Eric Dane), the fight to keep humanity at bay continues. As we enter the new season, the mission to find the cure may be over, but Tom and his crew must now navigate through this new world order and stop those are taking advantage of the cure for their own agendas.

The story expands in two episodes with the team heading to Asia in the first part ‘The Scott Effect’. The episode starts with a powerful speech by POTUS Jeffrey Michener (Mark Moses) as he leads the US into a bright future where severance packages are being given to citizens around the country. We also learn the terrible fate of Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra) after the season two finale. Everybody has already come to grips with the late doctor’s death as the world honors her memory by continuing her work in distributing the cure. However, there are some who are tarnishing her memory by taking the cure for their benefit. Her death has taken a toll on Tom, but that hasn’t stopped him from fighting new enemies who threaten the future of humanity.

President Michener sends Tom on a humanitarian mission to meet with Chinese President Peng Wu (Fernando Chien) after hearing news of the virus spreading to China. In their first meeting, the two men don’t see eye-to-eye on what’s best for humanity. Their big gathering among the other Asian country’s leaders turned into a battle of wits to see who’s morals were best for the people. Tom has remained to be one of the good guys that everyone roots for as he proves to be quite aspiring to his peers. He also impressed his old Navy buddy Sasha (Bridget Regan), who now works as a diplomat in China on behalf of the US. Wu, however, isn’t much of a fan of Tom and questions why America is helping his enemies. This causes Tom to question whether a relationship can be forged with America and China since they are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to distributing the cure. It was nice to see Tom reunite with hacker Valerie Raymonde (Tania Raymonde) who now works for the government to secure connections around the world. We also did see a bit of a romance between her and Wolf Taylor (Bren Foster).

Back on the USS Nathan James, Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin) has become the captain of the ship since Tom became CNO. The rest of the crew are doing well under his order and are heading on course to Vietnam to assess the virus situation that’s been happening there. Since President Wu decided to hold off on the cure, it has already caused the virus to mutate into a more deadly one. So without Dr. Scott to help make the cure, the question is how the world will manage without her expertise. The first hour of the premiere ended on a gruesome point as the Nathan James crew end up under attack by a band of Asian bandits as the crew celebrated at a nightclub. With the crew in peril, the show has gone into new territory, as everyone is pretty much in danger on both sides.

The episode ended with Tom Chandler and Valerie about to head back home, but seeing that Asia is in need of help, Tom decides to stay behind and help. Despite being hesitant on his decision, Valerie lets Tom stay while she heads back to smooth things over. Things start to turn south when something catches Valerie’s eye and orders the pilot to go back, but it’s too late as the plane ends up being blown to bits leaving Valerie to possibly be KIA.

Overall, the new season’s first hour started low-key as the world mourned Dr. Scott’s death but it also has shown the state that the world is in after the cure has been found. Things started picking up towards the end as a new threat rises for the crew of the Nathan James, putting them in a treacherous position. Even another death for the show tends to push the new season into high gear. Eric Dane continues to blow viewers away with his performance as a man who just wants the world to be safer and in good hands as he navigates this new era in human history. The episode also gives us a lot to look forward to as we enter a brand new season filled with possibilities for both the characters and the story.

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