S02.E08: Safe Zone

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: Still trying to piece together Dr. Hunter's lost formula, Rachel grapples with the fact that Niels, her sworn enemy, is now on board Nathan James, while Chandler works to gain intel and reverse the brainwashing Michener suffered at the hands of the Ramseys.

[Human]

That single man tear, slays me every time.  So many feelings packed in this episode, I was pretty surprised the writers and actors had it in them.  These bottle episodes almost always turn out so well.  

[Dowel Jones]

What?  No battles with the  RMS Wanker?  Rats.  It looks like it's a race to New Orleans, now.  Seriously, good episode with a significant amount of exposition.  I think, though. that the Ramses crowd would have a tough time convincing anyone with a smidgeon of common sense that the Navy was trying to hoodwink them, especially after doses of the vaccine were just recently delivered en masse by various armed services transports.

 

Was that a fireplace insert in the corner of the conference room?

[xaxat]

I never would have guessed that my favorite episode of the season could be one without any bang bang. That was a really good psychological drama. 

 

And while I am a critic of both Democratic and Republican presidential policies, I do respect the office.  And that last scene, with all of the symbols, really worked for me.

[TV Anonymous]

For those in the know, how many O-4 are typically in an Arleigh Burke-class DDG? So far we have 2 O-5, the CO and XO, which I think is right. But then there is only one O-4, LCDR Garnett the CHENG. There was LCDR Barker the TAO. Should there not be more than two?

Edited August 3, 2015 by TV Anonymous

[Artsda]

That was a great episode, didn't even realize there wasn't any fighting until they brought up the sub being damaged.

[rove4]

That was a really good episode. I also didn't realize there was no heavy action until it was over. It was hard listening to the President recount how he mercy killed his daughters. And Chandler's last salute had me chock full of feels. It felt like Chandler was saluting more than just the office. He was paying respect to the man and the fact that he'd pulled himself out of a horrid personal nightmare.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Well, this pretty much seals the end of the series.  Kirk can't be Kirk anymore.  It was fun while it lasted.

[thuganomics85]

I guess after having a big action episode last week, they were going to follow it with a quieter one.  I was surprised how small it was, and really was just about two guys.  I'm pretty sure a good 80% of this episode was just Chandler and Michener, with others like Slattery, Jeter, Tex, and Scott only popping in for a scene or two.  Still, I thought Eric Dane and Mark Moses were pretty good in the scenes.  I kind of suspected it was going to end up that Michener killed his daughters to put them out of their misery, but I didn't see the son being the carrier coming.  I also liked the brief clip we saw of him before/during the outbreak, where you could see that, while me probably wasn't meant to be the President, he did seem good at his job.

 

Jeter's line about how thought Chandler really just wanted to be a solider again and wanted someone to "salute to", was interesting. All things considering, I think Chandler's done a good job at leading, but I can see why being the leader would be hard, and how he would kind of want to have someone to report to, and not feel like he has to carry the entire mission to save the planet on his shoulders.  I'm sure he'll still remain in charge in a lot of ways, but I'm sure he is hopeful Michener will take over in other ones.

[millennium]

It was a good episode but ... do you really want to follow and take orders from someone who could so easily allow himself be talked into GENOCIDE?   Even if he's all you got?   Seriously.   Michener is no better than Alfre Woodard in Baltimore.   Maybe even worse.   Major lapse in judgment on Chandler's part.

Edited August 3, 2015 by millennium

[MissLucas]

Surprising episode - I never expected this show to go all intimate theater. Great acting and writing underscored by the fact that they did not have to resort to naval porn to distract from ludicrous plot points. I'm still dubious about the guy though - because I ultimately agree with this:

It was a good episode but ... do you really want to follow and take orders from someone who could so easily allow himself be talked into GENOCIDE?   Even if he's all you got?   Seriously.   Michener is no better than Alfre Woodard in Baltimore.   Maybe even worse.   Major lapse in judgment on Chandler's part.

But it was a refreshing change of pace and a break from the Benny Hill sub was quite welcome - all those bloody shenanigans brougth the show a tad too close to Zoo and a reminder of what is at stake was necessary.

[Raja]

Well, this pretty much seals the end of the series.  Kirk can't be Kirk anymore.  It was fun while it lasted.

Well they have been broadcasting that Adama version 2.1 was coming and now he is here. I guess Mr President will be safer aboard Galatica then sitting in the Norfolk base guarded by almost every surviving US Navy SEAL.

[JackONeill]

I don't get why anyone would think some disembodied voice warning everyone about the Nathan James will be successful. (Sure there will always be nuts, and anit-govt-types.)  But our boys made friends in Baltimore (after killing lots of people, 'cause that's how we do things). Plus there's Norfolk, loaded with military types. People "saw" the cure.

 

But I guess if you play on people's paranoia.

 

The thing is though -- Why in the world would anyone believe anything that the yahoos from the Benny Hill sub had to say?

[crabbypants]

Why does Alex Jones have a fanbase?  Put people into a situation they are completely unprepared for and they'll latch on to anything that appears authoritative.  I'm surprised they turn to foreign nationals, but any port in a storm I suppose.

[xaxat]

It was a good episode but ... do you really want to follow and take orders from someone who could so easily allow himself be talked into GENOCIDE?   Even if he's all you got?   Seriously.   Michener is no better than Alfre Woodard in Baltimore.   Maybe even worse.   Major lapse in judgment on Chandler's part.

 

I thought the Chander/Slattery debate did a pretty good job of covering their options. Slattery, like you, thought that Michener was shot and made a good case that he should only be used for intel. However, I agreed with Chandler that the Nathan James needs him, as the president, to establish not just the continuation of the government of the US, but the legitimacy of the mission of the Nathan James.

 

There are people like Alfre Woodard out there making all sorts of claims to power. But none of them has as valid a claim as they do now. And I thought the final scene showed that, despite the flaws of the individual, the trappings of the office are a very powerful symbol as they try to put things back together.

[iMonrey]

I'm impressed with just how strong this episode was considering this is a show that relies so heavily on its action sequences, especially this season. But I was thoroughly engrossed throughout and that wasn't necessarily the case in the past couple of episodes. It's strange that the quality of the writing can be this strong and yet they sort of missed the boat (no pun intended) when it came to coming up with a premise that could sustain this show beyond its first season. Between Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin and Mark Moses, the acting was surprisingly engaging as well. 

 

I think I can sort of buy the idea that people would believe the government, Navy, etc. might be peddling a false cure as an experiment because paranoia would undoubtedly be at an all-time high. And I think maybe that should have been the basis of the second season on its own - the difficulty of putting society back together after it's been so indelibly shattered. I think these cartoonish cult leaders with the submarine was something we didn't really need to keep the story interesting. 

[Jordan27]

I don't get why anyone would think some disembodied voice warning everyone about the Nathan James will be successful. (Sure there will always be nuts, and anit-govt-types.)  But our boys made friends in Baltimore (after killing lots of people, 'cause that's how we do things). Plus there's Norfolk, loaded with military types. People "saw" the cure.

 

But I guess if you play on people's paranoia.

 

The thing is though -- Why in the world would anyone believe anything that the yahoos from the Benny Hill sub had to say?

Why do people believe in global warming in our world today?  Paranoia.  No society is immune from it.

[Dowel Jones]

Chandler brought up a good point in his discussion with Michener.  Suppose you do eliminate everyone based on their immunity to one virus.  What about the other viruses, bacteria, other assorted maladies that await the human host?  Given that the actual immediate objective for the Ramses' is world domination rather than the propagation of the human race, but their entire enterprise is effectively doomed.

[Human]

Why do people believe in global warming in our world today?  Paranoia.  No society is immune from it.

I think people probably recognize climate change as reality due to all of the scientific research validating it as accurate.  

 

On the other hand, in the show, people only have the word of someone giving the cure that it's actually a cure.  There is no government oversight, no peer reviewing, just the word of people on a ship with big guns.  Paranoia sprouting from this is only natural and being concerned about a purported cure is a matter of safety.  Not believing global warming and/or having a sense of paranoia surrounding it gets into tin foil hat territory.  

Edited August 3, 2015 by Human

[xaxat]

I don't get why anyone would think some disembodied voice warning everyone about the Nathan James will be successful. (Sure there will always be nuts, and anit-govt-types.)  But our boys made friends in Baltimore (after killing lots of people, 'cause that's how we do things). Plus there's Norfolk, loaded with military types. People "saw" the cure.

 

But I guess if you play on people's paranoia.

 

The thing is though -- Why in the world would anyone believe anything that the yahoos from the Benny Hill sub had to say?

 

One of the biggest figures in the anti-vaccination movement was a woman whose biggest credential was that she was a Playboy Playmate. Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) is a powerful force that can be exploited even in a world where people have easy access to information. 

[Rambler]

It was a good episode but ... do you really want to follow and take orders from someone who could so easily allow himself be talked into GENOCIDE?   Even if he's all you got?   Seriously.   Michener is no better than Alfre Woodard in Baltimore.   Maybe even worse.   Major lapse in judgment on Chandler's part.

 

From what I understood, the president didn’t believe that the immunes would be killing anyone. They would just segregate themselves from the non-immunes and the non-immunes would eventually die out... or some such nonsense like that - I wasn’t paying that much attention because I was having withdrawal symptoms from missing my weekly dose of military porn.

 

[millennium]

From what I understood, the president didn’t believe that the immunes would be killing anyone. They would just segregate themselves from the non-immunes and the non-immunes would eventually die out... or some such nonsense like that - I wasn’t paying that much attention because I was having withdrawal symptoms from missing my weekly dose of military porn.

 

You're correct -- but he was willing to sit by and let an entire population die out.    Passive genocide.

[Jordan27]

I think people probably recognize climate change as reality due to all of the scientific research validating it as accurate.  

 

On the other hand, in the show, people only have the word of someone giving the cure that it's actually a cure.  There is no government oversight, no peer reviewing, just the word of people on a ship with big guns.  Paranoia sprouting from this is only natural and being concerned about a purported cure is a matter of safety.  Not believing global warming and/or having a sense of paranoia surrounding it gets into tin foil hat territory.  

Nope, in the real world, there are people giving us their word that the climate is in danger.  There is political pandering, no peer reviewing, just the word of people with a political ax to grind.  Paranoia is only natural when people are so gullible.  Believing in global warming is just silly nonsense. 

[StatMom]

I'm impressed with just how strong this episode was considering this is a show that relies so heavily on its action sequences, especially this season. But I was thoroughly engrossed throughout and that wasn't necessarily the case in the past couple of episodes. It's strange that the quality of the writing can be this strong and yet they sort of missed the boat (no pun intended) when it came to coming up with a premise that could sustain this show beyond its first season. Between Eric Dane, Adam Baldwin and Mark Moses, the acting was surprisingly engaging as well. 

 

This was my main takeaway as well. I've gone from a qualified "this show is good as a summer action yarn" to just a straight up "this show is pretty good!" Sure, lots of cliches, especially in the battle sequences, but I'm always engrossed and the hour goes by quickly. And this week, the acting was right up there. Good work, Duck and McSteamy.

[millennium]

LOL, that WAS Duck.   I didn't recognize him but he left me with a general queasy feeling and now I know why.   It wasn't just genocide -- it was Duck!

[RustbeltWriter]

I was utterly flabbergasted that this show was able to put together a script so well that the actors actually got to show us they can do their jobs really well. That scene with Chandler and Michner where everything finally came out was intense and well acted. I was genuinely surprised.

 

Adama has his Roslyn now. I wonder if the president will stick around and if we'll actually get to see society being rebuilt or if they will do something boneheaded like kill him.

[Human]

I hope this president sticks around for a while, at least until the Nathan James cuts through the Panama Canal in order to go fight the evil Chinese.  They should be next up on the evil foreigner list, right?  Russians, British, Chinese....

 

Has the NJ been broadcasting communications to the population?  Did they send out broadcasts about the cure or at least order radio broadcasts telling of the cure?  I can't remember if they have done any sort of propaganda campaign.  

 

Nope, in the real world, there are people giving us their word that the climate is in danger.  There is political pandering, no peer reviewing, just the word of people with a political ax to grind.  Paranoia is only natural when people are so gullible.  Believing in global warming is just silly nonsense. 

Wow.  

[iMonrey]

I'm not altogether certain Michener has really changed sides, so it wouldn't surprise me if he turns on the Nathan James and goes back to the Immune Cult the first chance he gets. Maybe that's just the consequence of casting Mark Moses in the part, I'm so used to him playing shady characters I can never fully trust him.

[HalcyonDays]

There is political pandering, no peer reviewing, just the word of people with a political ax to grind.  Paranoia is only natural when people are so gullible.  Believing in global warming is just silly nonsense.

 

Well, I disagree with that because we have lots of science and actual fact to back this up, but let's all not start arguing back and forth over global warming. Fact is, some scientific fact is true and absolute and undebatable, some "scientific fact" is twisted due to being influenced by money and power and politics. The goal is to parse out that influence and focus on pure cold hard science.

 

But anyway, let's move back to discussing the actual episode.

 

This was my main takeaway as well. I've gone from a qualified "this show is good as a summer action yarn" to just a straight up "this show is pretty good!" Sure, lots of cliches, especially in the battle sequences, but I'm always engrossed and the hour goes by quickly. And this week, the acting was right up there. Good work, Duck and McSteamy.

 

Ha! And I agree. I always liked the show - good mindless fun to watch but as others pointed out, this was a bottle "episode" to save some cash, but it was so well done. I cried too at Michener's confession, and though Eric Dane did a great job also "bonding" with him. And throughout the entire show, I didn't even realize the lack of military porn in the episode, and didn't miss the "wankers" in the sub arguing with each other. It wasn't until you guys mentioned it that I was like, oh yeah! No sub, no Brits arguing, no Ned and Sean, etc.

[Latverian Diplomat]

You're correct -- but he was willing to sit by and let an entire population die out.    Passive genocide.

 

That's a little harsh. As he said, the best medical information he had was that there could be no lasting cure or vaccine, and that Dr. Scott was a crank. (Frankly that's more plausible than what Dr. Scott accomplished in season 1, but the show's truth is the show's truth). I don't think it's "passive genocide" if there's literally nothing that can be done.

 

He was unaware of the efforts to destroy the labs or actively spread the virus. 

 

On the other hand, the line that chance immunity to one disease is "strength" or overarching "fitness" or "superiority" is BS, but his medical experts were all dead or out of touch by then, so he fell for it.

[Texasmom1970]

I liked the episode, the break in action did not bother me. I know there are problems and plot holes, but I still enjoyed it. Also I tend to forget implausible plot points when I look at Eric Dane!

[torqy]

My feeling at the end is that Slattery still doesn't trust "POTUS", and I'm not sure I would either.

Edited August 5, 2015 by torqy

[Bishop]

Excellent episode.  I love the action of The Last Ship, but a well contained bottle episode that tugs at all the emotions is excellent too.  I thought Chandler, as the captain, really shone in this episode.  He's a man who has the respect and allegiance of his crew and could easily "take command" on land if he wanted to, but he wants to restore the U.S. (and the world) as best he can with the law and order it once had.  Slattery wanted to give up because he considered the President a lost cause, but Chandler was determined to help him - although not forever.  When the President let slip that "if he only hadn't," it got Chandler to dig deeper, and the secret that the President was keeping was devastating and wholly credible as to why the President went off the rails.

 

I don't think the President is untrustworthy (although I may be proven wrong later on).  I think the only reason the President sided with Sean and the Immunes was because he was so grief stricken over what he had done - bringing his infected son to the South that caused the massive outbreak and then having to euthanize his daughters - when one woke up during it.  Ugh, I can't imagine that horror.  For the President, believing his actions were "fate" rather than choice helped ease his conscience because he couldn't live with his choices.  I highly doubt that Sean took the time to find out WHY Michener was willing to join up with him, let alone that the President revealed his truth to Sean.  THAT'S the only reason why Sean was getting through to Michener, and it was because it's what the President needed to hear.  It was Chandler, however, who broke down the walls, got to the secrets and the grief and the shame and made Michener accept it.  Chandler also shared his own grief and baggage with the President, and then gave him his word that what they discussed would never go beyond them.  The President has now purged his secret, and with Chandler's respect and the crews acceptance of him as President of the Untied States, he has a new beginning.  Like Chandler said "they need to look to the future now."   I would be very surprised if the President turns out to be a mole of sorts for Sean and the Immunes.

 

Very good episode and great acting by Eric Dane and Mark Moses.

Edited August 5, 2015 by Bishop

[ottoDbusdriver]

Chandler has basically turned into Dylan Hunt from 'Andromeda' -- restore the previous government and defeat all the baddies trying to do otherwise.