As the season opens, we find our favorite crew continuing to ride on the successes of the season 2 finale. It seems the world is becoming a little less fractured, due in large part to the efforts of President Michener, now-Chief of Naval Operations Tom Chandler, and the crew of the Nathan James. The only thing that could make things seem more perfect is if Dr. Scott had survived her shooting at the end of last season. In the first few minutes of the premiere, it is revealed that Rachel died at the hands of her attacker.
Despite the sadness he still feels about his friend's death, Chandler has little time to mourn in this set of episodes, as Michener sends him to Hong Kong for a summit on the cure. It is the Michener's hope that Chandler will deal with Chinese President Peng, who is hoarding samples of the cure as political leverage, causing the virus to mutate. While in China, Chandler, joined by Valkyrie and Wolf, meets with Sasha, a former flame and fellow Naval officer who is now working as a diplomat in China.
After a particularly tense meeting with Peng, Tom decides to stay in Asia upon learning that the Nathan James crew was ambushed and kidnapped at a party held in honor of their relief work in Vietnam. Getting off his plane and meeting back up with Wolf and Sasha, Chandler watches from the ground as the aircraft that was supposed to bring him back to the U.S. explodes in mid-air, resulting in Valkyrie's death.
Realizing that sinister forces are at work here, Chandler, Sasha, and Wolf decide to seek out Jessie, a former friend of Sasha's with whom she used to smuggle samples of the cure across the border against Peng's orders. Despite her initial reluctance, Jessie agrees to help the trio escape Hong Kong.
After several intense chase scenes, the Chandler, Sasha, Wolf, and Jessie end up on the Nathan James, as do Burke and Danny, who managed to escape the ambush in Vietnam. Rather than lick their wounds after everything that unfurled during this particularly intense premiere, the crew seems ready and determined to bring their kidnapped compatriots home and make their attackers suffer for what they've done. The end of the premiere is more horrifying than hopeful, though, as the final shot of the episode sees the men who attacked the Nathan James draining the blood out of one of Chandler's dead crew members. Creepy stuff, indeed...
Whenever The Last Ship airs its final episode, I have no doubt that this premiere will be included on some retrospective list of the series's best installments. This premiere had everything you could possibly want: action-packed set pieces, an awesome set-up for an exhilarating new conflict, and stellar stunts and effects. Despite being away for close to 10 months, the show has managed to keep the momentum it had going in its second season finale. That's not a simple task whatsoever, so bravo to the show's cast and crew for that.
Although the show managed to stay on track in terms of quality with the end of the second season, that's about the only that marks this year's episodes similar to those of last year. With all the job promotions that were made at the end of last year, it is interesting to see the Nathan James crew navigate new territory. Seeing Slattery as CO of the ship is a hoot, while watching Chandler navigate the world of politics and face a different kind of enemy in Peng is captivating.
If there is one change to the show this year that I see as being less-than-desirable, it is the exit of Rhona Mitra's Rachel Scott. It isn't so much that I am mad Rachel is no longer with us (I do miss the character, but I feel her death does bring new conflict for the crew). Rather, I am not too happy with the way her death was handled. I think the death of a character who was such a vital part of the show for its first two years deserved more than a slight mention at the beginning of the episode. We still know very little about how her death went down or whether the crew caught the individual responsible. Granted, there was a lot going on in this premiere, but it would've been nice had Rachel's death been expanded upon.
In light of Mitra's exit, we now have the joy of welcoming Bridget Regan of Agent Carter to the cast. As Sasha, I think Regan brings a wonderful new energy to the show. I think the chemistry between the actress and Eric Dane is just short of that between Ted Danson and Shelley Long. The pair play the whole back-and-forth, flirty/fighting, "will-they-won't-they?" thing with such ease. Sasha definitely has a different relationship with Tom than our former leading lady did, but that might be just what this show needs. I've said in several previous reviews that I wish they would give Chandler a love interest. It looks like that wish is finally coming true. I look forward to seeing what Regan adds to this show as the season continues. If the premiere is any indication, I think we are in for a treat this year, folks.
Overall Episode Grade: 9 Anchors Out of 10
