S01.E02: Welcome to Gitmo

[AimingforYoko]

Chandler and his crew head to the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay in search of food, medical supplies and fuel; escaped prisoners attack the search teams; the teams enlist the help of a private contractor.

I heartily endorse the addition of John Pyper-Ferguson.

Well, I suppose one could call the encounter with the prisoners at Gitmo heavy-handed, but if they didn't deal with it, they would be accuse of ignoring the elephant in the room.

 

[marieYOTZ]

I sort of feel like this show could be entirely replaced with the cast of Battlestar Galactica and be about the same.

[Watcher0363]

Okay that was some serious military porn. A very well done episode as far action goes. Even in a pandemic al qaeda is still an unreasonable pain in the butt.

[xaxat]

Good military porn, OK action scenes, but the writing on the show is soo bad. In addition, since Bay productions always portray members of the US military as hyper competent professionals the characters (with the exception of Mitra and possibly Blackwater) are flat and too similar. 

[Constantinople]

How many al Qaeda were there according to the contractor?  Because it seemed as if there are a lot more than he said.

[bmoore4026]

Needs more John Philip Sousa being played during the battle scenes, intercut with scenes fireworks and American Flags waving wildly.

[Jordan27]

I really liked it.  But, two things were really silly. 

 

The guy who was nervous in training and on the mission.  An important mission like this and you're taking a guy who looks like he needs to bagging groceries at your local supermarket.

 

And the scientist going out to save the soldier.  Sorry, but she's too important to risk her life over one guy. 

Edited June 30, 2014 by Jordan27

[ottoDbusdriver]

I think I'm out -- the writing on this show is so bad.

 

The good doc outlines how the disease spreads -- airborne contact with infected or the recently infected dead.  So what do they do with the first American they encounter at Gitmo -- take him at his word that he's not infected.  Fuck !! They should be putting him in quarantine for the 3-5 day incubation period.  Plus with dead bodies all around and the fact he was in close contact with the Al Qaeda who may have been infected wandering around the base.  The stupid, it really burns.

 

Releasing the detainees was just stupid -- did these clowns really not expect them to take up arms (what with all the military hardware lying around) after being locked up for possibly years ?

 

How did the Russians track them to Gitmo exactly ?

Edited June 30, 2014 by ottoDbusdriver

[paulvdb]

How did the Russians track them to Gitmo exactly ?

The scientist who spies for them. He told the Russians that they were going there and they told him to delay the ship so that they could catch up with them.

[thuganomics85]

I guess after dealing with some Russians in the pilot, it was already time for the gang to take on some members of Al Qaeda!  Although, I never got the logic over why John Pyper-Ferguson let them out in the first place.  Did he really think they were just going to do their own thing, and not cause any problems?  Stupid.

 

More military porn!  And plenty of other cliches, like the panicking solider who finally gets it together at the end, and that one guy who refuses to mourn his friend at first, until the very end of the episode.  Oh, and of course it's in front of his love interest, so he can cry in her arms.  They are leaving no stone unturned here.

 

Commander Adam Baldwin still doesn't like all of Captain Eric Dane's decisions.  I'm sure this problem is only going to escalate. Meanwhile, almost everyone on the ship was hating on Dr. Rhona Mirta, until she saved that guy, because, luckily, she did some medical training, before the whole brilliant scientist thing.

 

Uh oh!  The Russians are back and want Rhona Mirta!

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Sorry.  The terrorists would have seen to it that the fuel tanks would be blown to kingdom come in the event the Yankees came.  

 

How convenient that all the dead were couped up in that one room.  Nobody died in some random areas?      

 

Gotta love precision shelling from a 5-inch barrel.  Hahahahahaha.  In the area?  Sure.  But, that?!  Riiiiiight.  And precision air gauges?  

 

The writing for the XO is so beyond laughable.  What happened to bitching at Capt. God?  Now he turns into badass warrior who plays chess in battle (thinks several levels instantly) who is all about wiping out whatever he needs to.  Then, when ONE sailor is down, he decides he needs to risk the only hope for mankind?  Hahahahaha.

 

The Russke Captain is also a joke.  He knows good and darn well that there is no more world order.  Why would he go out of his way to ruin any chance for a cure?  What good does leading a ship do ya when you are doomed without figuring out how to get along with whatever modernities have survived?  Ugh.

 

One thing I really liked was the communal sharing on deck.  That was an excellent command decision and it was beautiful, to boot.  They had to come to terms with reality and be OK about moving on as a crew.  Good stuff.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The scientist who spies for them. He told the Russians that they were going there and they told him to delay the ship so that they could catch up with them.

 

Oh yeah, forgot about that -- mainly because it was just so boring that of course there's a mole on this ship.

[seacliffsal]

I just couldn't get past the fact that the terrorists were released.  No special forces or contractor is going to do that when they will all be in the same place and that not only were they terrorists but the most hardened and dangerous ones.  I also don't buy that the terrorists would chain the door to the hospital-I would think that they would want them to come out so that they would be easy targets.  I also agree with ottoDbusdriver that they shouldn't risk infection without a quarantine.  Oh well...

 

I did enjoy other aspects of the show and really liked some of the supporting players.  I will continue to watch, but geesch, use some common sense in the storylines.

[ZoloftBlob]

sort of feel like this show could be entirely replaced with the cast of Battlestar Galactica and be about the same.

 

Oh thank god I am not the only one. I've already got one character I call Lesbian Dualla. Lets see, Captain Manly is Adama, only he can't do the speeches nearly as well, the president is some woman who got the role because everyone else died, Dr. Scott is a sort of good guy Dr. Baltar, XO Adam Baldwin is channeling Tigh, and the security dude who keeps crying is Lee. Add some glowstick religious ceromonies on the deck and a wall of selfies, and we're there. Followed of course by an enemy with incomprehensible motivations, the Cy-Russians.

[HalcyonDays]

Okay, me standards are low because I was entertained during this episode. Yes, there are flaws but...

 

Gito Guard letting out the Al-Quada prisoners. Uh, no. Because you really cannot trust them, also the prisoners may not even realize the extent of

the world wide destruction due to the virus. They may have thought it was just a "American" ploy or whatever, and they responded as expected. They wanted to ensure their own safety, so makes sense.

 

The fact the Gitmo Guard was NOT quarantined. True, the doctor said the first sign is lethargy and a couch (good luck those on the ship overworked with a dry throat), but incubation times will vary before symptoms appear. Also, the guard could be a carrier and immune to the virus itelf (as a small percentage of a population tend to be). Just like Typhoid Mary from the early 1900's, where she was a carrier with no symptoms but infected many people are her. Bringing him onto the ship and not being sure was just wrong procedure.

 

The airborne part. How long is the virus active for in the air? Some will die immediate (cannot survive out of the human body), some may linger for some time. When they are almost out of air in the hospital, I was like  - but the corpses are dead - no one is exhaling the virus anymore. And ripping off your air mask only two meters from the contaminated area isn't really safe either. If the virus is lingering in the air, contaminated air will come whoshing out when then go outside and it's possible one could breathe it in. Just nitpicking.

 

This is supposed to be a war ship - so these personal should be trained in combat, right? The teenager who was all nervous and scared was odd, and also when they were doing the ambush exercises on deck - I got the impression they were not properly trained for combat and were doing it now quickly. But again, it's a war ship. This should be a mere training exercise.

 

Best parts - Military porn! I'm still in. It's enjoyable to watch.

[ZoloftBlob]

This is supposed to be a war ship - so these personal should be trained in combat, right? The teenager who was all nervous and scared was odd, and also when they were doing the ambush exercises on deck - I got the impression they were not properly trained for combat and were doing it now quickly. But again, it's a war ship. This should be a mere training exercise.

 

Actually this was an interesting point of realism. The US Navy does not really focus on teaching the sailors how to shoot. It would actually be pretty unusual if all the sailors were suddenly infantry specialists. I mean, the ship engineer (the woman who was shot) very rarely in her normal duties would even leave the ship, let alone need to wear combat gear and carry a gun. While the dumb kid being nervous and scared is cliche, that also might be the first time since he qualifed at basic that he even held a rifle.

[Arynm]

There were 14 Al Queda and I counted as they all died. They actually had the right amount. Color me impressed. I was not impressed with the guys without their masks on greeting new guy with a handshake? No thanks, my mask would have been on. Still love it, I am glad they explained the disease vectors, it was bugging me that I did not know how it spread. It seems like it has 100% fatality though. We haven't met anyone that had it and survived.

[Watcher0363]

When it came to the prisoners they had only two choices. Let them go or shoot them in the head. 14 prisoners with no utilities no back up staff medical, janitorial etc.. Plus this is Cuba, sooner or later the Cuban survivors would find their way to the facilities. You would hope the prisoners would grasp the realities of the situation, but after so many years in prison at the hands of western devils. Mercy and forgiveness may be long dead in them.

 

At this point with so many long dead, this virus should be burned out by now. Oh and those bodies should have been in serious decomp by the time they arrived.

[HalcyonDays]

Actually this was an interesting point of realism. The US Navy does not really focus on teaching the sailors how to shoot. It would actually be pretty unusual if all the sailors were suddenly infantry specialists. I mean, the ship engineer (the woman who was shot) very rarely in her normal duties would even leave the ship, let alone need to wear combat gear and carry a gun. While the dumb kid being nervous and scared is cliche, that also might be the first time since he qualifed at basic that he even held a rifle.

 

You know, I was thinking this actually. The operators on the bridge, the engineers, mechanics, etc - those who run the ship - are not going to be training in combat. I did think that. But on a war ship, would there not be some of the soldiers trained for land combat, if the need arises? I would expect that this group would be the ones who would go ashore as a combat unit. So SOME must have been trained. On top of that, no one on the ship had died, so it's not like they were lacking personel. Maybe I am wrong, since it IS a ship and maybe the Navy thinks only combat from the ship.

 

At this point with so many long dead, this virus should be burned out by now. Oh and those bodies should have been in serious decomp by the time they arrived.

 

Isn't the theory that the faster acting, devasting diseases are the ones that die out first. You kill your host too fast, the host has no time to transmit the virus to others, hence it cannot survive?? And yeah, the heat from Gitmo should have seriously decomposed the bodies, unless the A/C is still running by some miracle. But still. Maybe the virus preserves the bodies somehow??

[ZoloftBlob]

But on a war ship, would there not be some of the soldiers trained for land combat, if the need arises? I would expect that this group would be the ones who would go ashore as a combat unit. So SOME must have been trained.

 

My pal who served on a carrier says not so much on a smaller ship like that. A carrier would have a contigent of Marines but a smaller ship like that, not so much. Realistically the crew of a ship is never going to ALSO lead ground assaults in a normal Navy situation.

[Jack Kerouac]

 

But still. Maybe the virus preserves the bodies somehow??

 

So they can later rise up and eat the FLESH of the LIVING!

[HalcyonDays]

My pal who served on a carrier says not so much on a smaller ship like that. A carrier would have a contigent of Marines but a smaller ship like that, not so much. Realistically the crew of a ship is never going to ALSO lead ground assaults in a normal Navy situation.

 

Okay, thank you for explaining that. That makes sense actually, that there would not be a need for them to go ashore. Thank you for the clarification.

Does your pal watch the show? Just wondering what else is accurate - militarywise - and what is not.

 

So they can later rise up and eat the FLESH of the LIVING!

 

ZOMBIES!! YES - This must happen!!

[Hanahope]

I too thought the contractor said there were a lot fewer guys than they ended up killing, and I thought it was stupid to let them go in the first place, especially if they out-numbered you.  Otherwise, its still pretty enjoyable.  Looks like a good standoff next episode.

[Raja]

My pal who served on a carrier says not so much on a smaller ship like that. A carrier would have a contigent of Marines but a smaller ship like that, not so much. Realistically the crew of a ship is never going to ALSO lead ground assaults in a normal Navy situation.

Maybe they are back with Iraq over and Afganistan winding down but the Marine detachments aboard aircraft carriers were removed. Some sailors would be trained for boarding parties and anti piracy missions. Now Nathan James is carring an artic warfare naval team with a war dog but I am not sure if they are SEALs or not. They have not been portrayed with the cinematic swagger that SEALs normally are on TV/movies.

 

As for the contractor, maybe in future episodes the crew will correct this but it seemed wrong for him to be using the sarcastic "Commodore" reference to the Captain. And now that the Captain has recruited him for the crew he needs to be put in line just as the XO was. Even if the President, we were only down to the House Speaker in the line of succession unless I missed something at the end, and the authority she wields is paper only.

[Jordan27]

So they can later rise up and eat the FLESH of the LIVING!

Hey, you spoiled the season two opener. 

[jcin617]

Isn't the theory that the faster acting, devasting diseases are the ones that die out first. You kill your host too fast, the host has no time to transmit the virus to others, hence it cannot survive??

Yeah, exactly;  you have to be contagious and physically well enough to travel to spread it world wide.   Dr Whoever said that the incubation period is 3 to 5 days?  That seems a bit too quick to cause a pandemic of this sort.  

 

I scoffed at how quickly they accept "I'm/We're not infected!" at face value -- I would treat everyone I met as infected until they passed quarantine and/or some kind of antibody/viral test.

[Auntie Anxiety]

I'm getting my shows confused.  First I was waiting for the dead people in the hospital to start growling and coming alive, getting ready to pounce on the sailors.  Guess I'm missing The Walking Dead.  Then the sailors going through the hospital supplies in their haz mat suits made me think I was watching McSteamy in a typical Grey's Anatomy season finale.  Okay, maybe I watch too much tv.

[Kelda Feegle]

I completely had the nervous soldier pegged as the redshirt of the episode - must be losing my touch.

[bluebonnet]

Just saw the show.  It had been on my radar for a while and I was excited for it to start because apocalyse and military porn!  But damn.  I was expecting typical summer show fare.  And this show is almost there.  There were too many things that made it feel implausible and way too cluttered.  The starting point of having no idea what was going on in the world was completely absurd, especially since total collapse of governments was imminent or had already happened.  But mostly because apparently the only hope humanity had was on that ship.  Seriously?  The captain didn't get the heads up that he was carrying the hope of humanity?  And in those four months, did they really not cross paths with another single ship?  Hard to believe.

 

Then the cluttered feeling.  The show would have improved exponentially if they tightened up a few things.  They are already going to be in need of basic supplies, information, and the cure (and all the stuff that goes along with creating and testing it).  There really is no need for them to add the need for fuel on top of that.  They could have simply put them on a nuclear ship and saved all the 'boat is breaking down' drama for the future and spent more time developing the story and characters right now.  There's plenty of drama without them adding the drama of running out of fuel.  

 

Still, I think I'll stick with this show.  If only for Adam Baldwin.  It's insane that he isn't the lead actor.  

[shapeshifter]

Still, I think I'll stick with this show. If only for Adam Baldwin. It's insane that he isn't the lead actor.

Me too, same reason. Plus John Piper Ferguson.

Adam Baldwin never is the lead. He doesn't need to be, because his presence already fills the room.

I wonder if they'll have a line (after they inevitably wipe out the Russians) about how they're relieved not to have to share the food.

Pretty funny that the spoils of war are potato chips instead of liquor. Because the good guys are so wholesome and pure. JPF's character will taint that pool. Heh. I wonder if he'll bring out Adam Baldwin's character's snark at last.

I wasn't sure what message exactly they were going for with having all the "Al Qaeda" faceless like they were not human, but then when they gave the one hostage taker a voice, I figured it might just be a budget thing.

Edited July 3, 2014 by shapeshifter

[izabella]

I just caught up with both episodes.  I like it enough to keep watching, and can mostly ignore the inaccuracies, though the plot holes might end up being too much for me in the end.  I've watched worse!

 

So, this is just an action/adventure show more than anything else, right?  I got a little tired of the shoot 'em up, blow 'em up in both episodes, but I guess there's not much more that can really happen on a show with this set-up.  What more can they do since they're just a ship floating around waiting for the doc to create a cure?  They'll try to stay afloat while others try to steal the doc/cure for themselves.

[maraleia]

I'm having a hard time connecting with this show and having a lesbian character isn't going to keep me watching the show. This episode didn't help matters.

[Mei]

... no one on the ship had died, so it's not like they were lacking personel. Maybe I am wrong, since it IS a ship and maybe the Navy thinks only combat from the ship.

 

 

I could definitely be wrong, but I thought someone mentioned that they were looking for someone to replace Kevin(?), the guy that died on the cruiseship in ep 1, who  apparently had combat skills.

[Dowel Jones]

Hey, the dog made it!  So did the helo, but it disappeared again when they most needed it.  Speaking of the dog, would it not be infected, or the the virus restricted to humans?  Except the main leads, though. 

Looks like the show is going Star Trek on us, and I mean the original ST, where the five top officers leave the ship on every hazardous mission.

Wouldn't the first question of the contractor be "Identify yourself?"  Preceded by "Drop your weapon".

 

Pretty funny that the spoils of war are potato chips instead of liquor

They had their chance on the cruise ship.  I have no sympathy. Snark.

The additional problem with the fuel is that they took on a substantial quantity of contaminated fuel from the cruise ship.  It has to be disposed of in the harbor before they could refuel from the tanks at Gitmo.  The environmental concern is nil, but, as the XO pointed out, it's a wee bit flammable.

 

I heartily endorse the addition of John Pyper-Ferguson.

If you gotta have a semi-shirtless  smartass on your show... (I'm looking at you, Last Resort).

 

Speaking as a fireman, I can attest that if you have not had training on SCBA, or you're exerting or under stress, those cylinders (actually 30 min, not 1 hr), will not last anywhere near the ascribed time.  Having said that, I would think that the ship would have ample spares in case of an onboard fire.  Maybe they should have taken some extra along?  Of course, that mitigates the desperation factor, which allows for the dramatic rescue.  By rope?  What?

[dr pepper]

OK, can we knock off the stereotypeskys? "Captain-- that's a russian ship!" Cut to enemy bridge-- a man walks by holding a cigarette backwards. What, no female crew member built like a bulldozer? No one up on a table drunkenly doing the knee dance? How can we be sure they're really russian?

[Jack Kerouac]

OK, can we knock off the stereotypeskys? "Captain-- that's a russian ship!" Cut to enemy bridge-- a man walks by holding a cigarette backwards. What, no female crew member built like a bulldozer? No one up on a table drunkenly doing the knee dance? How can we be sure they're really russian?

 

Ever been to Russia? The cigarette backwards thing is pretty accurate actually.

[Haleth]

Pretty funny that the spoils of war are potato chips instead of liquor

They had their chance on the cruise ship. I have no sympathy. Snark.

Hey, I've been on an Italian cruise ship. Getting served alcohol was shockingly difficult.

[Danny Franks]

If I had any doubts from the pilot episode that this show was the most brainless, jingoistic, Michael Bay inspired piece of nonsense going, then this episode would have disproved them.

 

Evil, faceless Taliban types, lining up to get shot by the heroic, firm jawed American heroes (and someone can't count. Either it's beardy private contractor, or the writers of the episode, because there were way more than 14 nefarious zealots to be disposed of)? An even more evil Russian stereotype turning up at the end (he gets a name, and a face. Lucky guy), in his mean looking ship, with his quasi-fascist uniform and mood-lit bridge? Nervous, inexperienced soldier who comes of age and gains the acceptance of his gruff-but-caring superior? Woman wringing her hands helplessly as her troubled love goes into danger, and just keeps being so darned heroic that he might get hurt?

 

It's all so laughably bad, yet still compelling viewing. I think I need to devise a drinking game though, starting with 'take a shot every time Eric Dane's character says something macho and ultimately inane'. I doubt I'd make it through an entire episode before needing detox.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Danny Franks