TV Review: THE LAST SHIP: Season 2, Episode 1: Unreal City [TNT]

TNT’s The Last Ship Unreal City TV Show Review. The Last Ship: Season 2, Episode 1: Unreal City had the crew of the Nathan James fight for their lives against a totalitarian government running in Baltimore. The first half of the two-hour premiere began with everyone on the Nathan James finding out the dark truth about White House senior staff member Amy Granderson (Alfre Woodard). We last left the crew of the Nathan James at gunpoint as both sides are on a frantic search for the cure.

After leaving his family hidden from Granderson’s troops, Captain Chandler (Eric Dane) leads his two commanding lieutenants Green (Travis Van Winkle) and Burk (Jocko Sims) into taking down the power plant that the troopers are using to fuel the city’s electricity by burning bodies of those who have the disease. While on this mission, they form an uneasy alliance with resistance leader Thorwald (Titus Welliver) in order to bring down Granderson and acquire the cure to save everyone under Granderson’s custody.

On the Nathan James, Quincy (Sam Spruell) continues to fight for his life as Commander Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin), Lieutenant Foster (Marissa Neitling), and Doctor Rios (Maximiliano Hernandez) work hard to save his life. Rios has also kept the virus samples safely hidden from the troopers who are anxious to find them. With the crew held hostage, they must rely on tactics and strategy in order to escape. Meanwhile, Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra) and Lieutenant Alisa Granderson are both under her mother’s custody, just as they start to understand how the apocalypse can bring the good and bad in people.

Amy Granderson shows just how far a person can go to save humanity, even if it means giving up your own. Alfre Woodard plays the part remarkably well with her sharp dialogues and made her character compelling to watch. Granderson sacrifices many of Baltimore’s citizens infected with the virus and saves only a select few who are worth saving. Granderson was a great villain to start off with in the second season as we see how the apocalypse can bring out a person’s true nature during a crisis.

Despite the show’s similar themes regarding end of the world scenarios, The Last Ship brilliantly executes it in a simple mindset. The troopers who follow Granderson are beyond redemption after killing many people, showing that only the strong survive and the weak are left for dead. These ideologies and the constant struggles are what make The Last Ship so enjoyable to watch.

Chandler and his team continue to help those in need, which is what this show is about so it’s good to know that the underground resistance needed them just as much as they do. Chandler is simply a man of honor who doesn’t back down from a fight or when injustice is hurled upon society. Eric Dane brings in a lot of heart and depth into his character as he has grown so much since season one. It’s hard not to think what Chandler must be going through after seeing all those dead bodies knowing that his wife may be among them. Knowing the possibility can really bring a man into doing what is right and getting the job done.

It’s not just the Navy who saw the worst in humanity, even Dr. Scott had to make some hard choices when it came to saving Baltimore with only a limited supply of the cure. When she was stuck between saving a mother or her child, she made the hard choice of saving the kid and the mother understood what needed to be done. That was a really emotional moment for Dr. Scott, and Rhona Mitra portrayed that with grace.

The one who truly stood out was Titus Welliver. A class act on every show he does, Welliver’s charisma and cynical wit was a great addition to the narrative. His presence basically stole almost every scene he was in. Thorwald was a character with many layers and Welliver pulled it off really well making his belief in the cause believable.

The first hour of the season premiere opens with an action packed and emotionally charged beginning where we find the Nathan James crew dumped into harsh reality that their home has become a battle zone. It didn’t leave any loose ends as we see that we are immediately dropped into the action as we head into the premiere’s second hour.

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