A rescue operation is put into motion to get back Tom and Tex, while Rachel’s research takes a new turn, in The Last Ship “Two Sailors Walk Into a Bar.”
The Great Escape
In my review of the last episode, I remarked how nice it was to see Tom and Tex getting some bonding time. While it wasn’t exactly under the best conditions and they were fairly certain they were going to die at the time, it was still a great moment. So it was good to see their bonding continuing into this episode. I liked that Tom never let Ruskov get to him and neither did Tex. They used some humor to get them through a bad situation, which definitely put the Russians off. You can always see a captor falter when he can’t get a rise out of his hostages and though Ruskov tried to hide it, I know he wasn’t pleased that Tom and Tex weren’t exactly frightened of him.
The Cure?
Thanks to Bertrise, it looked like Rachel actually found a vaccine for the virus. Of course, we only really saw it work on the monkey and not on a human. We never saw if the Russian officer survived being exposed to Sorenson’s severe halitosis (so to speak). It almost feels like finding a vaccine this soon in the series is too easy, so I’m very suspicious that there’s more to the story. Perhaps we’ll find out that the monkey died later or that it only works on primates and not on humans for some reason. Either way, I really don’t think this is all over now that Rachel has made her breakthrough.
More Than a Kiss
How brilliant was it for Rachel to sneak a note and (what looked like) a knife blade to Tom with a kiss? I think we all knew something was up because, while they’ve been friendly, Tom and Rachel certainly weren’t at the point of kissing in their relationship. Plus, like Tex said, Tom is still a married man and I think Rachel would respect that. It wasn’t exactly a new trick, but it was still a good one as it did manage to fool the Russians.
I thought Rachel was very brave in this episode, volunteering to be taken aboard the Russian ship with only a few weapons and a plan. Anything could have happened and she could very well have ended up as Ruskov’s prisoner so I applaud her guts in that situation.
Wins and Losses
It was interesting to see Rachel’s reaction to finding out who Sorenson was. The more we learn about him, the creepier he becomes and I’m not at all comfortable knowing that he managed to escape from his bubble. Even though the team left the Russian ship in ruins, something tells me we haven’t seen the last of Patient Zero yet.
Once again this series delivered a powerful ending to an episode. I knew there was no way the team would get on the ship, rescue Tom, Tex, Kelly and Ava without at least one casualty. And, unfortunately, as soon as Danny congratulated Cossetti for doing a great job, I knew it would be him. Watching Danny carry Cossetti back to the ship is something I don’t think I will soon forget and I admired the way that scene was juxtaposed with the scene of Topher being reunited with his family. Time and again, this show has given the message that wins cannot be had without losses, especially during an apocalypse.
My favorite bits:
Tex: “Is there a magic show?” – Gotta love Tom and Tex keeping their sense of humor at a time like this.
Tom reassuring Ava that her father loved her very much.
Tom replying to Ruskov’s jabs with nothing but his name, rank and serial number.
Will getting to meet Bertrise.
“Hey! No talk! Or I kiss your ass!” — Methinks someone hasn’t studied enough English.
Mike telling Rachel she was very brave and he was proud to know her. Aw.
Tom and Tex discussing various escape movies to try and come up with a plan.
Being completely shocked when Rachel kissed Tom. I mean, I know she’s up to something, I’m just not sure what.
Finding out exactly why Rachel kissed Tom. Brilliant.
I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t help but to laugh at a man screaming in fear over another man breathing on him.
Tex: “Aren’t they expecting you back in Transylvania before sunrise?”
Mike finding a unique way to announce to his crew that they were going to get their people back.
Tex: “Now you can kiss my ass.”
The team invading the Russian ship, like bosses.
Waiting for Tom to rescue Kelly and Ava. So glad I didn’t have to wait long.
Topher being reunited with his family.
Danny carrying Cossetti back onto the ship. Wow. Just… wow.
The very slight smile and nod shared between Rachel and Mike.
What did you think of this episode of The Last Ship? Do you think Rachel’s vaccine will really work?
The Last Ship airs on Sunday nights at 9pm on TNT.
(Image courtesy of TNT)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
