Though nuclear weapons are terrifying, I have come to the real
ization that it will be a tiny organism grown in a lab that will kill us all. This is what makes The Last Ship scary as hell.
WARNING:MILD SPOILERS AHEAD
You have to wonder not so much if something like this could happen, but when it will happen. We are living in a time when medication resistant germs and infections are becoming increasingly more prevalent and the number of people contracting diseases such as measles and mumps are on rise. All of which is frightening. The idea that microscopic organisms can take out an entire population really makes you want to wash your hands more often.
TNT’s newest show, The Last Ship, is loosely based on the novel of the same name by William Brinkley. In the novel the crew must deal with the aftermath of a limited nuclear war; the television adaptation has the crew dealing with a global pandemic. The premiere episode entitled, “Phase Six” introduces us to the crew of the fictitious destroyer, USS Nathan James. This ship is the last beacon hope for a world that is dying.
In the first episode, the USS Nathan James has been sent on maneuvers to the Arctic with 2 civilian virologists: Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra) and Dr. Quincy Tophet (Sam Spruell). The scientists are actually researching a mysterious virus while using the pretense that they are studying Arctic Terns (a small bird that uses the Antarctic for their breeding ground). The civilians are the only ones who have any idea what is going on back in “the world”.
When the crew finishes their training ops the ship’s commander, Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) breaks radio silence only to find out that a plague is killing off the world’s population. Nations are falling and our own government has lost its leaders; it is up to Chandler and his crew, they must fight to survive and find the cure.
The Last Ship is produced by Michael Bay and is a good mix of action and drama. The level of realism is what makes this show quite frightening. One of the things that I enjoyed about The Last Ship was the fact that there is so much more going on than just trying to cure the virus. I don’t think I could sit and watch yet another show that is just a soap opera, set in a lab trying to cure a plague.
If the first episode is any indication of what we can expect this season, The Last Ship will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final episode. I really enjoyed the first episode. I like a show that can be both cerebral and action packed. The Last Ship also stars Adam Baldwin (Chuck, Firefly) and John Piper-Ferguson (Alphas, Burn Notice).
The Last Ship premieres tonight on TNT at 9pm.
