S03.E05: Minefield

[HalcyonDays]

Quote

Episode synopsis: Chandler's mission becomes complicated as his position is worsened. President Michener faces pressure from the regional leaders.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Ahem, why don't they just back up the NJ the way they came ?

And it's bad enough that these mines are acoustic, contact and magnetic activated, but they are also smart enough to drop they tethers, and motorized to hone in on the largest metallic source.  FFS !!

When Takahaya have time to do all this in the last 6-12 months.  Against an enemy he didn't even know existed.  Seriously.

There are millions of Americans left after the red flu, I'm finding that hard to believe since the cure only showed up after a year of the flu ravaging the world.

Are they going to do this "Green's got a wife and kid" bullshit every time there is a dangerous mission ?  That didn't seem to be an issue when they went to Shanzhai last episode, and there was actual shooting then.

When the helo and the rib leave the ship you can see the path in the water where the NJ has been sailing -- considering that they have been maintaining a static position to avoid the mines, I guess they didn't erase that trail in post-production.

Chandler says to run quiet, but then the shot before they go to commercial is the NJ plowing forwards through the ocean.

Oh noesss !!! More political intrigue -- the President stands firm on his policies, but one of the governor's leaked the details of the high-level meeting.  And no one cares.

They knew exactly where the explosion took place, and they were there in minutes so why is search area so very large ?

I thought the torpedo exploding was supposed to set off all the remaining mines, but that apparently didn't happen.  Where did Takahaya get that torpedo from in the first place ?  Because that thing had to weigh a 1/2 ton (or more) to be that substantial of an explosion and manhandling it in a crappy little boat just wouldn't cut it.

The funniest part -- after the torpedo explodes, Chandler notifies everyone on the ship to brace for impact from the shockwave .... that never occurs.  And no one asks "What happened to the shockwave that we were bracing for ?"

Why was everyone YELLING in the helo like they didn't have headsets on ?  Because they all had headsets on.

Blah, blah, blah, Takahaya's wife has the daily double of red flu and malaria, and somehow the blood transfusions aren't working -- maybe, just maybe she was given the wrong blood type.

Are Sasha and Chandler finally going to bang ?

[JackONeill]

Taking a lot of time to get something accomplished doesn't equal Suspense. Talk about killing time.

So, Wolf liked the Israeli agent, then he liked Val the techie, and now he's got the hots for the copter pilot? Now Captain Tom is allowing himself to be seduced after losing his wife (and after just leaving an emotional message for his kids) and Rachel which may or may not have been something, but the writers couldn't decide.

Can women wear tighter tops? Can even the Nathan James carry enough hair spray?

Plus, I thought Captain Tom ONLY loved his ship?!?

[maraleia]

I'm still so damn conflicted about this show. If it weren't for Christine Ellmore and Bridget Regan I would've bailed already. So much of this season strains even TV plausibility. It's like they got all new writers.

[Raja]

2 hours ago, JackONeill said:

Taking a lot of time to get something accomplished doesn't equal Suspense. Talk about killing time.

So, Wolf liked the Israeli agent, then he liked Val the techie, and now he's got the hots for the copter pilot? Now Captain Tom is allowing himself to be seduced after losing his wife (and after just leaving an emotional message for his kids) and Rachel which may or may not have been something, but the writers couldn't decide.

 

I think Lt Ravit was more like a sister to him as he teased her about a relationship with the original Lt Burk.

[thuganomics85]

The Chandler/Sasha kiss just felt so weird, because Chandler rarely ever seems to have any kind of emotional attachment, outside of the ship, his crew, and the mission.  Even all the stuff with his wife and kids, came off more like a sense of duty, then his family.  So, the idea of Chandler actually getting romantic with really anyone, almost seems foreign to me.  Then again, it might have worked more if it had been Scott or something, but as much as I love Bridget Regan, Sasha really has been developed, outside of being kind of shady and almost too pretty (she really must have raided all of the beauty products on the ship.)

I enjoyed the ways they figured out how to get past the Minefield well enough, but the whole "Oh, no!  Did Wolf and the other dude, die?!" drama took way too long and it was obvious that it would end well.  It's going to take more then a mere explosion to kill the almighty Wolf!

Still not entirely sure why all these territory leaders think they have enough power to make Michener do their bidding, and then were so shocked when he basically told them to stuff it.  Still not sure why this reporter is so damn important.  I'm guessing that his info isn't coming from any of the territory leaders, but Nestor Serrano's character.  Still don't trust the guy.

Takahaya now has a wife, who is also sick, but the blood doesn't work for her, since she has malaria.  I think.  Kind of fazed out of that stuff.  Pretty boring, actually.  Even Adam Baldwin seem too bored to do his normal scenery chewing stuff, and just seemed to be going through the motions.

I'm sure the crew loves it when Chandler plays favorites with Green.  Still not over when Chandler found out about him and Foster, and was way more harsh towards Foster then Green.

[Dowel Jones]

If the Nathan James was surrounded by mines, how did they travel into that position?  Or did the mines gang up on them and circle around behind them?

Chandler's  instructions to Sasha were to get to Okinawa if the ship went down.  Yet the helicopter is showing low on fuel as soon as the operation is complete. Not good planning, folks.  Love that the helo has idiot lights for critical operations.  Low Fuel!  Turn Back Now, He's Not Worth It!

How did the pirates manage to fire a seemingly complex piece of ordnance from a fishing boat?  12v Diehard for the ignition?

So the Pres. is feeling his oats with the regional authorities.  No more Cheerios for you!  And you're struggling with housing, basic services, etc., but next month are the Congressional elections?  Better get that reporter on your side so you can have live coverage of the 23 people that actually took time to vote.

[Latverian Diplomat]

On land there's a "We're standing in a minefield" trope, which works because there's no easy way to back out, no one was paying attention. But with the sonar, they could see where all the mines were, so if there was a safe path in, they should be able to find it. Maybe the ship got "lucky" but the path back put them too close to mines for a safety margin, even though they passed closer than that on the way in? I guess you wouldn't count on that sort of luck twice.

So, a bunch of pirates have the resources to invent and deploy a whole new mobile mine technology, but they only have one torpedo?

Humanizing the Pirate Captain with a sick, pregnant wife didn't do much for me.

Clearly the reporter is supposed to be a villain, and the actor does a good job of making him seem extra-dickish, but he is doing the job reporters are supposed to do, so I'm a little uncomfortable with how the show wants us to see him. On the other hand, I don't see why the American people would be on the edge of rioting because every detail of a hostage rescue mission on the other side of the planet isn't being released to the public. Even in the post-virus world, I would think a crisis like this would create unity, not disunity, at least in the short term.  

They had to have that one diver get killed by disobeying orders, instead of just being on a dangerous mission. It could have blown when he first tried cutting the chain, for example. Sometimes people die even though they didn't screw up.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I have to give TPTB credit for turning back the clock with so much Navy porn.  I just wish it weren't so friggin' convoluted.

The torpedo came from behind the NJ, port side.  The motion of the boat putting it into position would absolutely have been picked up.  So, it did not travel far from its berth - where the pirates are.  Wanna bet the NJ chooses to keep going straight into the bay?  SMH

I am fine with the mine laying having happened some time before as a prophylactic against PRC (Chinese) forces - or anyone else - for that matter. 

I really did like the political stuff we got.  The tensions of unsustainable freedoms and the incredibly tenuous union were well displayed.  Would the peeps vote to maintain a continental country?  Human nature says no.  A confederacy is much more likely.  With trust being at such a premium, and all the misinformation which has necessarily gone out from St. Louis?  All those who have designs on personal power and wealth?  (I loooooooved the mention about property rights and how they were obliterated by the good peeps of the USA.  By the way - there is your crucial clue/truth as to the factionalism I describe winning out.  YMMV)   Anyway,  this bit of exposition was unusually excellent to me.

What was not excellent?  That anyone in that not-oval office would believe for a nanosecond that the primary problem before them was rescuing the NJ crew and preserving the ship itself.  What a daft proposition, given the meeting and the all-too real domestic strife.  It would be a nice political point if the NJ managed to come out of this in one basic piece.  Yet, against the core distrust, which is based on too much reality, China may as well be Neptune.

Is there no military attache ever with the CiC (president)?  Ugh.

Oh well, it's better to at least have this much than to not have any show at all.  Fingers crossed the next few plot maneuvers are not entirely fantastical.   

[oakville]

7 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

If the Nathan James was surrounded by mines, how did they travel into that position?  Or did the mines gang up on them and circle around behind them?

Chandler's  instructions to Sasha were to get to Okinawa if the ship went down.  Yet the helicopter is showing low on fuel as soon as the operation is complete. Not good planning, folks.  Love that the helo has idiot lights for critical operations.  Low Fuel!  Turn Back Now, He's Not Worth It!

How did the pirates manage to fire a seemingly complex piece of ordnance from a fishing boat?  12v Diehard for the ignition?

So the Pres. is feeling his oats with the regional authorities.  No more Cheerios for you!  And you're struggling with housing, basic services, etc., but next month are the Congressional elections?  Better get that reporter on your side so you can have live coverage of the 23 people that actually took time to vote.

I enjoyed the navy maneuvers even though it didn't make much sense. It was hilarious to watch Chandler & crew prepare for a shock wave that never came. I am happy that Wolf survived. 

The political intrigue is very interesting. It's surprising that elections would be held so quickly. Aren't there areas in the USA still under control by warlords? What's happening in Baltimore?

[iMonrey]

I don't get why what's going on in Asia is prioritized over domestic problems. I realize they have an expensive ship out there and a crew in trouble but it seems to me getting our country put back together should take precedence over issues most Americans could give a damn about when there are food rations and such. The whole thing with the president and his cabinet of regional leaders is falling flat.

I just can't with this pirate guy. In the first place, when you have to resort to pirates you are officially out of ideas. In the second place, Hiroyuki Sanada plays the same stock character no matter what he's in: by virtue of his stone face he is the designated badass wherever he goes. Giving him a pregnant, sick wife to humanize him isn't character development. I swear there isn't a cliche on earth this show doesn't love.

[Dowel Jones]

13 hours ago, Lonesome Rhodes said:

All those who have designs on personal power and wealth?  (I loooooooved the mention about property rights and how they were obliterated by the good peeps of the USA.  By the way - there is your crucial clue/truth as to the factionalism I describe winning out.  YMMV)  

That would make a good backstory on another show that wasn't dedicated to the adventures of a single Navy vessel.  How did those pompous buffoons end up as regional administrators, and so on?  I would love it to pieces if they pull out one of the Revolution maps of the USA and give Billy Burke and Giancarlo Esposito some cameos.  

[LordBowen]

The crew wasn't bracing for the shock wave itself. They were bracing in the event the shock wave set off the mine field.

[JackONeill]

21 hours ago, LordBowen said:

The crew wasn't bracing for the shock wave itself. They were bracing in the event the shock wave set off the mine field.

I was taken back to the old Star Trek days when the characters tumbled out of their seats to show "impact."

In fact, this show would make a good model for a Galaxy Quest style mock-up, Navy style.

[TV Anonymous]

So this band of rag-tag pirates, the band that can not help themselves with malaria, is able to create a network of naval mines able to trap a major warship. And those mines are capable to hone to their targets, meaning:

1. They have propulsion system complete with power supply that can remains underwater for prolonged period of time.
2. They have guidance system that can sense where the target is and lock into it and...
3. They have steering system to steer the direction of the mine based on input from the guidance system.

It looks simple enough on a first glance, but it is really not. Not to mention that the mines are smart enough to drop their tether when detecting an explosion.

While the show stays with its Navy-porn, I am disappointed that it is getting relaxed with the details:

1. Grooming standard.
2. Wearing of uniform.
3. Enlisted personnel calling an officer just by last name.
4. What do submariner dolphins do in the cabin of the CO of a DDG?