Tag Archives: Last Resort

Last thoughts on ‘Last Resort’

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last-resort-series-finale-controlled-flight-into-terrain

“Last Resort,” the good series with an awful name that evoked images of a “Weekend with Bernie”-style 1980s comedy, started off strong. The amazing Andre Braugher led a very good cast in the story of the Colorado, a U.S. Navy nuclear sub that goes renegade after its captain, Marcus Chaplin (Braugher) refuses to nuke Pakistan. The U.S. government reacts badly, to say the least, and makes the Colorado a target and Chaplin is named public enemy number one.

It turns out that something is rotten in Washington, and Chaplin, executive officer Sam (Scott Speedman) and crew hole up on an Indian Ocean island. They’re quickly isolated by a U.S. blockade, set upon by mutineers led by the chief of boat (Robert Patrick, we love you) alternately battle and canoodle with islanders and dally with the Chinese, who offer aid to score points on the global stage.

But after a strong start, the show seemed to grow more and more complicated and shed viewers who probably couldn’t keep up. I watched every episode and I found myself lost at times among all the characters and double-crosses and triple-crosses.

The 13th and what turned out to be final episode, “Controlled Flight Into Terrain,” had been written before producer Shawn Ryan found out the show had been canceled. Ryan took the time to retool the episode, however, jamming in resolutions for the characters and the central plot of the series and bringing the plot to a close.

In a single hour, we saw the resolution of the mutiny, the return of an old enemy from the crew, the climax of the Washington intrigue that served as the backdrop for the show and a homecoming for some of the members of the crew of the Colorado.

“Last Resort” probably bit off more than it could chew, not unlike “Lost” before it. But I can’t fault Ryan and the show for being too ambitious. Viewers didn’t turn out, however. So the boat was permanently beached.

‘Last Resort’ canceled

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No real surprise here, but ABC today canceled “Last Resort,” the serial drama about a nuclear sub and its crew – led by captain Andre Braugher – who go on the run after their defiance of orders puts them in crosshairs.

“Last Resort had some strikes against it from its first episode:

The name was awful. Really, why in the world would you call a show about the mutinous crew of a nuclear submarine, taking refuge on an Indian Ocean island after being targeted for extermination by a U.S. government conspiracy, “Last Resort.” It sounds like the subtitle to a sequel to “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

It aired at 8 p.m. Thursdays. I know there are only so many timeslots, but why would ABC air an hour-long serial drama at 8 p.m., and opposite “Big Bang Theory,” a hit comedy that would appeal to the same audience as “Last Resort?”

Its mythology and storyline were probably too complicated for many viewers. We had the government conspiracy, the various players on the island, the conflict among the crew, the intrigue involving the D.C.-based defense contractor … Too much going on for viewers who prefer “investigators investigate crimes” for their hourlong TV fare.

I enjoyed “Last Resort” but didn’t lose my heart to it. I’ve been disappointed by the cancelations of too many series, including most of the hour-long dramas introduced in recent years – “Threshold,” “Flash Forward,” “Alcatraz,” etc – to capitalize on the success of “Lost.”

Apparently producer Shawn Ryan says the first 13 episodes will be completed and there will be some kind of resolution. I’ll be checking them out.

 

On the TV: What I’m watching (and looking forward to)

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Thanks to a lot of work and only a little bit of time, I’m playing catch-up on fall TV shows.

There’s nothing at the moment that I’m looking forward to as much as Sunday’s return of “The Walking Dead.” Here’s hoping the third season of Rick, Daryl, Merle and the rest will be a great one.

Really, considering the machete hand that Merle is sporting, how can it be anything but cool?

In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been watching.

“The Mindy Project” features Mindy Kaling, late of “The Office,” in a sitcom she created and writes. Kaling plays a very different character from Kelly on “The Office.” In this case, she’s a physician who (sitcom cliche alert) is more proficient at work than in her personal life.

Kaling has a likable presence and the supporting cast is quite good. And here’s a bonus: The second episode was better than the pilot.

“Alphas,” in its second season on SyFy, is one of the best shows I’m watching now. This series about a group of mutants who work for the government has a nice, X-Men-type mythology – good mutants versus “evil” ones – an intriguing bunch of characters and a good cast.

“Alphas” is also casting to appeal to geeks, with recent appearances by Summer Glau of “Firefly” and Sean Astin of “Lord of the Rings.”

“Last Resort” continues to be my favorite new fall show. I’ve written about its first two episodes and I’m looking forward to the third.

“Raising Hope” has been on for a few seasons now but I’m always pleasantly surprised by how fun it is. It’s a silly, non-sequitur-filled show about a goofy, white trash family. If you liked “Scrubs,” you’ll probably like it.

‘Last Resort’ episode ‘Blue on Blue” pushes buttons

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Two episodes in, ABC’s serial drama “Last Resort” is still surprising me, not only in its level of intensity but in how it’s advancing its plot.

So far we’ve seen an exchange of nuclear weapons, a country wiped half off the map, a rogue nuclear sub and, with the second episode, maneuvering by other countries and interests.

Anybody else having trouble imagining this series running five years?

If you haven’t seen it yet – and I certainly recommend it – “Last Resort” is about what happens when the principled captain and crew of the world’s most advanced nuclear sub, the Colorado, gets orders through unorthodox channels to launch missiles on Pakistan.

Capt. Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) questions the order and is relieved of command. His executive officer, Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) raises the same concerns and another American ship tries to blow them out of the water. The global situation quickly spirals out of control: Another sub launches nukes on Pakistan and Chaplin is branded as a “nuclear madman.” Chaplin, Kendal and loyal but green Lt. Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts) decide to take shelter in the cove of an Indian Ocean island. Chaplin broadcasts to the world an ultimatum: Keep a distance of 200 miles or I’ll launch a nuke. Just to prove his point, he fires a shot over the bow of Washington D.C.

In the second episode, Chaplin and the crew are reacting to forces testing their resolve. Early on, a U.S. sub crosses the line and Chaplin chases it away. Then a jet appears in the sky and the sailors quickly figure out that a Navy SEAL team has jumped out at high altitude and is hours away from the island.

While Kendal and Shepard prepare an away team – sorry, I can’t stop thinking of “Star Trek” while watching “Last Resort” – to meet the SEALS, Chaplin takes to back channels to figure out just who’s about to invade “his” island.

The second episode of “Last Resort” impressed me with how quickly it advanced the plot. We learn what’s happening with Kendal’s wife (Jessy Schram) at the hands of the government back home and we learn that Chaplin is keeping secrets. We see Shepard’s leadership continue to be tested. And we get a better idea of the island doings, including the now imprisoned chief of the boat (Robert Patrick) and King (Daniel Lissing), a SEAL who might shake off his guilt to become a player on this chess board.

Random thoughts:

I keep expecting Hurley to show up in an old VW van. Some of the Hawaii locations look very familiar.

Braugher has a big scene each episode, either a dramatic speech or an emotional moment. The guy is Emmy bait already.

My favorite part of the show, besides the military speak and chain of command, is the strong bond developing between characters.

I love the show’s intensity but it also makes me wonder how they can sustain it.

‘Last Resort’ looks to have firepower

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“Last Resort” sounds like a bad 1980s comedy featuring Andrew McCarthy and Jon Cryer as a couple of buddies on the make at a Florida tourist trap.

But no, “Last Resort” is a new TV series on ABC, overseen by the creator of “The Shield,” Shawn Ryan, and starring Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman.

It’s also a pretty nifty hour of television that left me wanting more.

“Last Resort” debuts on ABC on Sept. 27 but it’s available for viewing now on Yahoo. I watched it tonight, prepared to be underwhelmed or at best just whelmed. But, surprisingly, I really, really liked what I saw.

Braugher is Captain Marcus Chaplin, commander of the U.S. Navy nuclear sub Colorado. Speedman is his executive officer, Sam Kendal. As the pilot episode opens, they’re at sea, tasked with rescuing a group of Navy Seals caught in the crossfire of a mission gone south.

The pilot takes a few minutes setting up the friendships and conflicts on the ship, among them the hostile attitude of Chief of Boat Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick of “Terminator” fame) and the potential for antagonism with the Seals.

But pretty quickly things go from a slow simmer to a rapid boil as the Colorado gets orders to launch four of its 18 nuclear missiles on Pakistan. Chaplin asks Navy commanders for confirmation through other channels and is promptly ordered relieved of command. When Kendal follows suit, another Navy ship fires on them, driving them to the bottom of the ocean.

Although the crew is split over the apparent disobedience of the captain and the executive officer, the two have enough support – particularly that of Lt. Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts), daughter of an admiral – to plow ahead and try to figure out what’s happening, especially when the world is told their ship has been destroyed by missiles from Pakistan and another Navy ship has apparently nuked Pakistan in return.

Chaplin and Kendal decide to “park” the Colorado off the coast of the island of Santa Marina, a tropical paradise that’s apparently run by a strong criminal element (foreshadowing of conflict to come? no doubt).

In a bravura monologue at the end, Chaplin sends out a video to the world with a simple message: Until we can figure out what’s going on, stay the hell away or we’ll unleash our nuclear arsenal on your ass.

A few moments of “Last Resort” didn’t ring true, particularly the abrupt “hey this island is nice, maybe we should stay here” moments at the end. But a lot of the show is fast-paced, snappy fun and the performances (by the leads, at least) are first-rate.

We’ll see how future episodes go, but the pilot is equal parts “Hunt for Red October,” “Crimson Tide,” “Star Trek” and “Lost,” with a little soap opera thrown in.

I’m really looking forward to the next episode of “Last Resort.”

But I can’t help but wish they had come up with a different name.

Random thoughts:

The terse nautical dialogue in “Last Resort” reminded me of what I liked about the chain-of-command-heavy episodes and movies of “Star Trek.”

The scene where a couple of characters strip down to their underwear, all the while spouting plot points, was silly. Really, really silly. And I’m almost certain nobody is going to hear the exposition.

The least believable parts of the pilot were the characters on the island. Here’s hoping the cliched islanders are written as well as the submariners in future episodes.