# The Last Ship, S1E1 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445 "2014-06-23T14:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/41 "2014-07-08T17:35:50Z")
How did they they get close enough to pick up the lovebirds after the attack on the cruiser? Did they swim for fifty miles? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/42 "2014-07-08T20:02:03Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Would the captain and the XO be in the conn tower in blue camos? My bit of googling implies that you don’t usually wear those in regular, non-about-to-get-dirty service. The CO and XO wouldn’t be in the conning tower at all because they are only found on submarines 😃 Navy crews on ships now wear Flame Resistant Variant (FRV) blue coveralls. The blueberries are out except for some use in port or while manning the rails. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/43 "2014-07-08T20:36:37Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How did they they get close enough to pick up the lovebirds after the attack on the cruiser? Did they swim for fifty miles? > 🙂 Yeah, I was wondering about that myself. Also, one would think that the supposedly masterful and wily Russian (Hey! He wrote the book!) would have the approaching Zodiac meet a similar small boat some distance away from the cruiser rather than just have them come on in with unverified personnel on board. There was quite a lot of odd dialogue and behavior in this week’s episode. Ok, Captain Blue Eyes’ “I need to look him in the eyes” as an excuse to meet with the Russian commander was pure Action Show Cliche #101, but then the remark about downing five of their “airships”… now, don’t get me wrong, an appearance by attack Zeppelins would improve this show immensely, but I’m pretty sure those were helicopters he was referring to, and I can’t imagine why he didn’t just say that. Did kind of enjoy that the Russians’ vessel was supposed to be a Kirov-class cruiser; just the right amount of badass, IMO. I did some reading and apparently their reactors are in pretty bad shape; maybe we’ll get a scene of radiation-burned zombies toiling away in the engine room later in the season. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/44 "2014-07-08T20:51:34Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I did some reading and apparently their reactors are in pretty bad shape; maybe we’ll get a scene of radiation-burned zombies toiling away in the engine room later in the season. Fewer mouths to feed. I think that was truly stupid, even for Commies. It does not inspire confidence in one’s crew. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/45 "2014-07-08T21:37:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Fewer mouths to feed. > I think that was truly stupid, even for Commies. > It does not inspire confidence in one’s crew. Heh. “And now, to convince you of my sincerity, I will slice off my own nose!” ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/46 "2014-07-09T12:51:56Z")
we could tell the baddie was a REAL baddie cred because he was willing to coldly and suddenly shoot one of his own guys just to make a point. Surely that’s never been cheap movie/TV shorthand before 😉 The weird thing about these is it retroactively makes earlier uses of this tired. Vader was badass for choking a bad guy, but it’s been done 50 times if once since then. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/47 "2014-07-09T13:43:36Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > we could tell the baddie was a REAL baddie cred because he was willing to coldly and suddenly shoot one of his own guys just to make a point. > > Surely that’s never been cheap movie/TV shorthand before 😉 > > The weird thing about these is it retroactively makes earlier uses of this tired. Vader was badass for choking a bad guy, but it’s been done 50 times if once since then. Vader was bad-ass for 2 reasons a) first guy he choked - he picked up one handed and threw him like a rag doll b) second guy he choked - he did it without even touching the guy! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Cashless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Johnny\_Cashless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Cashless)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/48 "2014-07-10T12:50:52Z")
This show is utterly desperate nonsense; it’s like 1970s made military porn. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/49 "2014-07-14T13:18:11Z")
Ep 4 was a rather _Macguyver_esque item in which the crew of the _Nathan James_ must cope after a power failure leaves them short of fresh water, while a lack of air conditioning threatens to wreck the scientist’s efforts to come up with a vaccine. This episode, while still stuffed with bombastic behavior and dialogue, actually managed to build a bit of tension. Adam Baldwin had a rather Jayne-like moment in a scene where he explained to the turncoat scientist why it would be a good idea to get back to work helping out on the vaccine, and we learn (supposedly) how to rig a destroyer as a sailing vessel. The Captain, and the audience, endure a rather bizarre speech in which one of his subordinates tries to buck him up by talking about some terrible act he (the subordinate) was responsible for in the past, and we continue to be told every five minutes that everything will be fine as long as discipline is maintained, with the Army guard they picked up in Guantanamo as the example of how not to behave. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/50 "2014-07-14T14:27:32Z")
“Tex” (the guy the picked up in Gitmo) is/was a civilian contractor I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Abet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Abet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abet)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/51 "2014-07-18T22:01:00Z")
I like LT Nipples. Her boyfriend is a bit on the emotional side though. I think he is getting PTSD everytime somebody gets killed or shot. And he may even compromise a mission because he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. Better watch out LT Green, Tex is flirting with everything that moves. ---
**Author:** ![xXxtinaxXx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/46a35a/32.png) [@xXxtinaxXx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xXxtinaxXx)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/52 "2014-07-20T16:30:19Z")
It was painful getting through the first episode. They completely lost me in the last 15 minutes when they received the 5 day old orders reading, “North Carolina is not safe. President wants us to change course for Mayport. There’s a lab in Jacksonville that’s supposed to be secure.” Next scene the XO is giving a debriefing on the mess deck…after that the captain pulls him into a conversation aside where he tells the XO they haven’t heard from anyone in Mayport, the lab, etc…XO says, “We’ll know more when we get our boots on the ground…” Capt says, “We aren’t going… the lab is 200 miles inland…blah blah blah…” Ok, I am willing to suspend my disbelief but this is ridiculous. Come on at least get the geography right or don’t bother using a location. Mayport NS is maybe 19 miles from Jacksonville FL. They desperately need new writers to keep this show from sinking. ---
**Author:** ![Abet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Abet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abet)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/53 "2014-07-27T20:18:33Z")
Tex was told no fraternization. He is not in the Navy–or even in the military–so that rule should not apply to him. And the guy who told him about no fraternization is the guy who is fraternized with Lt Nipples. Some irony. In fairness to Lt Green he told Nipples that he loves her but “stay away from me.” I do like the fact that everyone on the ship is so gung-ho about their mission. The book this was based on they had some grumblings and doubt about the CO’s decisions which ultimately led to…? I wish they had more enlisted people in the story. Almost all the major characters are officers. The only enlisted character of note is the Master Chief. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/54 "2014-07-27T22:14:19Z")
Has this POC been renewed? ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/55 "2014-07-27T22:21:50Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > Has this POC been renewed? I kind of hope not. I keep finding myself watching it. It’s a train wreck in more ways than one, and every time I drive by, I’m rubbernecking to see how bad it is. The thing that has me really annoyed right now is that somehow we’re supposed to believe that the US government has collapsed… and yet there are survivors on every island the ship stops at, all of them involved in pointless Lord of the Flies/Heart of Darkness behavior. If there are enough random survivors - who had no forewarning or equipment to survive the disease - on these islands, then surely there should be no problem keeping the US government running on a skeleton crew. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/56 "2014-07-28T00:19:52Z")
> [@Abet](#): > > Tex was told no fraternization. He is not in the Navy–or even in the military–so that rule should not apply to him. He is on a US Naval vessel, where the Captain is Lord and God, so the rule surely does apply to him. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/57 "2014-07-28T00:47:55Z")
You could just google it. On July 18, 2014, The Last Ship was renewed for a 13-episode second season. ---
**Author:** ![turner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@turner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turner)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/58 "2014-07-29T03:37:37Z")
Yeah, the writing is pretty bad, but honestly, it reminds me of Star Trek in a lot of ways. A ship on its own, captain always on away missions, impossible problems solved in the most unlikely ways, horrible writing in the first season (at least for TNG). What is kind of interesting though, is the Captains body language. I was in the military for 20 years and still work in DoD. His body language is very senior officer–right down to the way he plays with his hands while speaking in a “relaxed” (though not really) manner in front of the crew (I think its the subconscious fondling of the Academy class ring–I’ve seen the habit in all three services). Its either a very observant touch by the actor or very good coaching by the advisers. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/59 "2014-07-29T04:43:46Z")
Which is the worse show: Last Ship or Under the Dome? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445/60 "2014-07-29T13:28:02Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Which is the worse show: Last Ship or Under the Dome? Throw in Falling Skies and The Strain;) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-last-ship-s1e1/691445.md?page=4)