The Last Ship Season 4 (TNT) (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Season 1 Thread
Season 2 Thread
Season 3 Thread

The fourth season premieres tomorrow night with a two-hour premiere starting at 9/8c.

Based on William Brinkley's popular novel, The Last Ship chronicles a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world's population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James avoided falling victim to the devastating tragedy. But the world that existed in the aftermath was drastically changed, going from a population of 7.5 billion and growing to a population of less than 1.5 billion and still falling fast. Most of the world's governments fell, and autocrats divvied up the map.

In the first season, the Nathan James found the cure.

In the second season, the Nathan James spread the cure across America.

In the third season, the Nathan James attempted to spread the cure to the rest of the world -- only to have that noble cause undermined by enemies foreign and domestic. Captain Tom Chandler defeated a heinous plot against America that had infiltrated the highest levels of the provisional government, but at a terrible cost to his principles and moral clarity. Ashamed and disenchanted, he resigned from the Navy and devoted himself to being the father his two children desperately need.

The fourth season picks up sixteen months later, with the remaining peoples of the world finally protected against the scourge of the Red Flu. But now a new scourge threatens the continued survival of life on Earth: In the aftermath of so much chaos, much of the world's agricultural expertise has been lost. And now a terrible blight is wiping out what remains of the world's crops. Unless a solution can be found, the entire planet will starve to death. And as the crew of the Nathan James desperately scours the Mediterranean for a solution, the question remains: Where in the world is Tom Chandler?

Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy"), Bridget Regan ("Agent Carter") and Adam Baldwin ("Firefly", "Chuck") star in this action-packed series. "The Last Ship" also stars Charles Parnell (Pariah), Travis Van Winkle ("Heart of Dixie"), Marissa Neitling ("Leverage"), Christina Elmore (Fruitvale Station), Jocko Sims ("Masters of Sex"), Bren Foster ("Days of Our Lives") and Kevin Michael Martin. The series is produced by Turner's Studio T in association with Platinum Dunes, whose partners – blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form – serve as executive producers. Co-creators Hank Steinberg and Steven Kane also serve as executive producers, along with director Paul Holahan. Kane serves as showrunner for seasons four and five, having previously served alongside Steinberg for the first three seasons.

Trailer:

 

[Doug Wallen]

Since I work second shift, I have the dvr set for this one. Looking forward to viewing these two season premier episodes.

 

[NeilO]

The fourth season premieres tomorrow night with a two-hour premiere starting at 9/8c.

At least on my DVR guide it is listed as 2 one-hour episodes. I have not read any summaries so I don't know how closely tied the two are. Of course, if it is anything like the past seasons, they should be intense.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The idea of a blight decimating the global food supply is a good one, but it was silly to try and tie it into the Red Flu. AFAIK, plant viruses don't jump to animals and animal viruses don't jump to plants. They should have just made a separate bacteria, fungus or mold.

It looks like we're in for another season split between two locales, with the mission of the Nathan James intercut with Tom Chandler's more personal journey. I have no doubt that Georgios and his sister will soon tie into the larger conspiracy over the seeds for the one plant with proven immunity to the rust, but in the mean time those scenes leave me antsy to jump back to the main action.

Chandler must trust his Greek girlfriend a lot, since he apparently left his kids in her custody. There was that wonderful shot where his daughter is smiling at him, but then her expression hardens when she realizes he's back on the warpath again.

It looks like Tex's daughter is the helo gunner aboard the Nathan James now.

 

[NeilO]

The idea of a blight decimating the global food supply is a good one, but it was silly to try and tie it into the Red Flu. AFAIK, plant viruses don't jump to animals and animal viruses don't jump to plants. They should have just made a separate bacteria, fungus or mold.
...
Chandler must trust his Greek girlfriend a lot, since he apparently left his kids in her custody. There was that wonderful shot where his daughter is smiling at him, but then her expression hardens when she realizes he's back on the warpath again.

It looks like Tex's daughter is the helo gunner aboard the Nathan James now.

Agree about the virus jump and that it is still a good emergency. Though a quick look shows a possible example of one going from plant to human, but not confirmed. It is discounted by one person saying "claims the virus lacks the biochemical key needed to gain entry into a cell, and thus couldn't possibly infect human tissue". A more recent article discussing going from plant to bee.

I was wondering what happened to Chandler's children and was confused about that scene. He just seems quite irresponsible in that regard.

 

[Stan]

Looking forward to this, the new season still on the DVR (I don't mind spoilers, so no problem reading what's happened).

Great show for the most part. A few things I disagreed with, like when the punk killed the doctor in the hotel hallway, and Mark Moses was a terrible casting choice, but overall pretty decent.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

After the "Twin Peaks" finale, it was strangely comforting to watch a show that telegraphs its intentions in concrete terms.

It definitely appears that Chandler is back on the Nathan James to stay, even though he's no longer a part of the Navy and doesn't have any formal roll. Now he's going to have to face walking out on his crew, and the repercussions from that. Starting with the young door gunner Kathleen Nolan -- who, 18 months ago, was a bereaved young girl who'd just lost her father and whom Chandler steadfastly refused to comfort.

I guess we're just supposed to forget that Chandler's kids are still hanging out on the Greek coast and that Georgios knows exactly where to find them.

 

[Carabimero]

The writing has definitely taken a step down this season. The dialogue is peppered with cliches. The action sequences and characters are not as smart, and there are gaping holes in logic, as Adam touched on with Chandler's kids (my wife said the same thing tonight).

IMHO the show was at its best when the crew of the Nathan James worked as a team from the last ship to save humanity. I realize by extension they are doing the same thing with the seeds. Problem for me is, it doesn't feel like it.

 

[Sean Bryan]

So this one plant/tree has immunity to the virus and the different players want the seeds to save our food supply (or to make a fortune selling to the highest bidder).

Couple of questions about that. Does the plant/tree itself not exist in nature? Can no one find one and get genetic samples in that way?

Once genetically modifified food is produced and given to people to eat there will also be genetic samples available to anyone who can get that food. So the monopoly couldn't be a long term position (though many more will starve the longer it takes to get out).

Unless the antagonists have more nefarious plans, if they they are ultimately after a payday maybe the US government should just buy it from them. They have to have more resources than other interested parties.

 

[Stan]

So this one plant/tree has immunity to the virus and the different players want the seeds to save our food supply (or to make a fortune selling to the highest bidder).

Couple of questions about that. Does the plant/tree itself not exist in nature? Can no one find one and get genetic samples in that way?

Once genetically modifified food is produced and given to people to eat there will also be genetic samples available to anyone who can get that food. So the monopoly could be a long term position (though many more will starve the longer it takes to get out).

Unless the antagonists have more nefarious plans, if they they are ultimately after a payday maybe the US government should just buy it from them. They have to have more resources than other interested parties.

Haven't started the new season yet, stuck in a major "Walking Dead" binge, Sounds like this really good show has started to go downhill. A tree will help save the world?

 

[Sean Bryan]

Haven't started the new season yet, stuck in a major "Walking Dead" binge, Sounds like this really good show has started to go downhill. A tree will help save the world?

Well, I'd say the writing isn't as tight and there are some major question marks raised at this point. But it's still entertaining.

 

[David Weicker]

I've always wondered at the motivations of villains - especially after worldwide calamities.

They all seem to want money.

With the Red Flu killing a large percentage of the human race, wouldn't most of the bank tellers be dead? Who would deposit all those millions they keep asking for. And what would they spend it on, with most of the shopkeepers in the grave?

For this season, if the planet runs out of food, would hoarding a few seeds really help?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought the show really found its footing again with tonight's episode, which dealt with the fallout of Chandler's decision in the finale. There's a weight that comes with the three-plus seasons we've spent with this crew, and that paid dividends here.

Chandler at this point, though, is sort of like James T. Kirk and the Enterprise. It's probably not a good thing to have the weight and hopes of the world again resting on one man's shoulders.

I still don't think I buy that Chandler would abandon his two young children on the Greek coast, with his 13-year-old daughter in charge of keeping herself and her grade school-age brother alive, and the only adult supervision periodic visits from Chandler's also-abandoned girlfriend. But at least they addressed the issue. Part of the issue is undoubtedly the fact that Grace Kaufman is a series regular on "Man with a Plan", but there were better ways to write them out.

I really liked the tension between Chandler and Tex's daughter, who needed him after her father died saving him, and who he also abandoned. I hope one of the arcs of the season is to see him earn back her respect. I also appreciated the callback to Chandler giving Diaz the challenge coin.

And while he's been directing episodes for the show since the second season, it's nice to see Peter Weller in front of the camera again. He makes for a good Big Bad.

I've always wondered at the motivations of villains - especially after worldwide calamities.

They all seem to want money.

With the Red Flu killing a large percentage of the human race, wouldn't most of the bank tellers be dead? Who would deposit all those millions they keep asking for. And what would they spend it on, with most of the shopkeepers in the grave?

I think they're doing a good job addressing this point. While it's clear that there is some sort of paper currency that holds sway in the Mediterranean, the real currency this season is the seeds. More than the money, Omar's real interest in the deal was getting first dibs on the rust-resistant crops once Vellek's production line is up and running. Great Britain is in the process of stabbing the United States in the back for the same reason.

For this season, if the planet runs out of food, would hoarding a few seeds really help?

I think the idea is that these seeds provide the key to identifying the genes that make the ancient Egyptian plant immune to the rust, and then they can create GM cultivars of the core food crops like wheat and corn to replant the planet. In the real world, the papaya ringspot virus came close to wiping out the papaya crop in the state of Hawaii. In response, the University of Hawaii genetically engineered plants that were resistent to the virus, and made the modified seeds available to farmers free of charge. Now 80 percent of the papaya crop in Hawaii is genetically engineered. The end game here would seem to be similar.

As far as holding the world hostage, though, there would seem to be a ticking clock at play. Assuming he gets the seeds and creates a viable GM crop that's rust resistent, he can only whole the world hostage so long or there won't be anybody alive to meet his demands.

 

[David Weicker]

This week's episode was stupid (especially compared to prior seasons).

The ending was particularly horrible.

Spoiler

Jumping off a ship in the middle of a storm without knowing the current position, then finding and swimming to a tiny island whose direction was unknown at the time he jumped.

As for another boat picking him up, well that would be a hell of a vessel that could survive a storm that nearly sunk a battleship.

Oh, and why weren't the seeds under lock and key? Or put into multiple containers (so that some would be sent on the plane and some kept in reserve in case of an accident to the flight).

And I still don't understand countries being 'piggy' when the salvation of the entire world is at stake.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Oh, and why weren't the seeds under lock and key? Or put into multiple containers (so that some would be sent on the plane and some kept in reserve in case of an accident to the flight).

This is the biggest flaw in this season so far. If it's just about sequencing the genome, one seed should get them what they need. The show has yet to articulate why all of them are needed to accomplish the task.

And I still don't understand countries being 'piggy' when the salvation of the entire world is at stake.

This crisis has already reached starvation levels globally. Not being early in line for the GM crops could mean the difference between survival and extinction. The United States found the cure to the Red Flu first and spread it within its own borders first, before it started spreading it to the rest of the world (thanks to the immunes taking out their planes and the foreign pharma labs). So I get the logic.

But it's a high risk, high reward play. If the Nathan James retrieves the seeds and is able to grow rust-resistant crops, they should make sure that the United Kingdom and Greece are absolutely last in line. And they should drop fliers on the civilian populations of those countries, explaining why they're still starving, with the names of the politicians who put them in that position.

It'll be interesting to see how many of the Hydra-class frigates survived the storm. If they're down to just the one, then the advantages in technology and training for the Nathan James should given them a sizable advantage if it comes down to a shooting war.

 

[David Weicker]

Pretty good episode tonight.

That ending was terrific, and I sure as hell didn't see it coming.

Next week is a double episode season finale. I hope they resolve this particular arc, and not make us wait a year for whatever.

I know they've filmed most of the next season, so it might not be a full year

 

[Stan]

Pretty good episode tonight.

That ending was terrific, and I sure as hell didn't see it coming.

Next week is a double episode season finale. I hope they resolve this particular arc, and not make us wait a year for whatever.

I know they've filmed most of the next season, so it might not be a full year

Glad to hear they've filmed so much for a new season. Afraid it would just be cancelled with no notice.

It's had some really bad story-lines, but overall pretty decent.

 

[Stan]

Pretty good episode tonight.

That ending was terrific, and I sure as hell didn't see it coming.

Next week is a double episode season finale. I hope they resolve this particular arc, and not make us wait a year for whatever.

I know they've filmed most of the next season, so it might not be a full year

Is this truly coming back? I've read a few articles that say it will return this summer.

Some major flaws and ridiculous story lines, but I enjoy it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Is this truly coming back? I've read a few articles that say it will return this summer.

Yes, they filmed seasons four and five back to back. Season four aired last summer, season five is airing this summer. Here's a preview: