TNT's The Last Ship - Episode 5.06 "Air Drop"
Nathan James must seek the aide of a prominent rebel leader in order to create a staging area before mounting an invasion of their own.
In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of TNT's The Last Ship.
"Air Drop" was written by Ira Parker and directed by Paul Holahan
Alisha's death was a pivotal moment in the season so far. However, does the show really have to spend so much time on the hunt for her killer? It's clear that Kelsey is going to continue to play a crucial role in the climatic moments of the season. But does she really need a backstory to be introduced to make the audience feel more complicated about her? Here, she spends time with her sister and daughter. No new insight is really given on her though. These inclusions don't mean a single thing. It just provides an update for what she's doing and that the Navy has finally discovered where she's hiding. It's the one place where they already thought to look. It also highlights how Tavo is going increasingly impatient and paranoid. As such, he is willing to activate this spy network once more thinking it was the reason he got this far in the first place. He is becoming disillusioned with the leader of his military, Martinez. Again, this could be perceived as valuable insight. It proves that Tavo is becoming even more like a dictator. He may have started all of this as the voice of the people believing he is doing the right thing to ensure that the future is brighter than the past for South America. And yet, he is a monster who is killing his own citizens the moment they betray him. All he needs is the hint of deceit and distrust for him to sentence them to death. The show plays it as a big moment when Martinez has to kill one of his own soldiers he likes for no reason whatsoever. It's a power move on Tavo's part in order to get Martinez in line. Martinez has had the confidence to roam this world believing that his plans were leading this revolution to victory. And now, he may no longer have the trust and support of his leader. That relationship is breaking down in a significant way. It may lead to betrayal. This may be Tavo's downfall. And yet, it's really not the most engaging aspect of this story either. Of course, things are just as grim and depressing when it comes to the Nathan James and U.S. government. The season has been teasing that Chandler is depressed. All of this could make it seem like this could be his final mission. He continues to put himself in dangerous situations even though it's more likely than ever before that he won't return to his family. This could be the end for him. It's the show playing things with the finality that comes from knowing this is it. There won't be any more episodes after this season. It's building up to the final resting places for these characters. Right now, the show just keeps utilizing the same tricks in order to build suspense. The season started with the uncertainty of who was alive and who was killed in action because of the cyber attack. That hack was devastating and forced people to react without full awareness of the world around them for a couple of episodes. And now, the cargo plane that Chandler is on is destroyed with everyone just assuming that he goes down with it. Instead, he survives and manages to get to the rebel camp in Cuba and negotiates with their leader before the supplies even arrive. It's so unexpected and shows just how miraculous it is that Chandler continues to survive in this world. However, it's still just a bunch of cheap thrills in the moment while setting up uncertainty for the future. The Cuban rebels may not be able to take back the island. Plus, the Nathan James is shocked to learn the mystery ship from Colombia isn't where it is suppose to be according to their radar.
