Review: One of the difficult things about writing a television series set in the apocalypse involves finding a way to make the show seem fresh season after season. There are only so many ways to put the world in jeopardy before things start to seem a little stale. In many ways, this season's dwindling food supply storyline seems to be a retread of past plots (virus mutates, crew has to track down a McGuffin to solve all their problems, so on and so forth). That being said, I think it is important to reserve judgement, as it is still early in the season. In the past, this series has managed to pull off some pretty awesome twists. The writers may very well have something up their sleeves to make this storyline seem a little fresher.
Although the food supply plot isn't coming across very novel, Chandler's story in these premiere episodes certainly does. It's exhilarating to see a new side of our fearless captain. This is not your mama's Tom Chandler. No longer the cool-headed commander he's been all these years, this Chandler makes questionable decisions and is fueled by his bitter taste for vengeance. Granted, I do hope our protagonist does have a come-to-Jesus moment and reverts back to his old ways eventually. For now, though, I'm happy to go on a ride with this version of the character. Bravo to Eric Dane for exposing a whole new side to this character after three years on the series.
Overall Episode Grade: 8 Anchors Out of 10
