The Last Ship Season 4 Premiere – “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules” Review. Herculean Efforts.

Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2

Air Date: Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 9/8c on TNT

Rating: ★★★★★

“Ain’t nothing like watching the sunrise through the Pillars of Hercules.” – CMC Russell Jeter

In the season three finale, “Don’t Look Back,” Tex (John Pyper-Ferguson) looked Tom Chandler (Eric Dane) in the eyes and said with his dying breath, “You’re a good man.” But Tom was at a breaking point. Chief of Staff Allison Shaw (Elisabeth Röhm) had killed his father Jed (Bill Smitrovich), taken his two kids, Ashley (Grace Kaufman) and Sam (Aidan Sussman), as hostages, and indirectly killed Tex. Killing Shaw seemed like what needed to be done at the time; however, her death didn’t make him feel better and it didn’t bring back the dead.

<i>The Last Ship</i> Season 4 Premiere – “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules” Review. Herculean Efforts. 2

Fletcher and Sasha (R) talk to Mahmoud (L) about the seed that could save the world’s crops.

As season four of The Last Ship begins, a farmer (Dean England) checks ear after ear of corn only to find his crop is infected with the “red rust” virus. The “red flu” that nearly wiped out the world is now killing the world’s food supply, inching what’s left of the population closer to global famine. But hope lies thousands of miles away in Morocco. Could a “palm seed” really be the answer to saving the world’s crops? It’s up to the team of the U.S.S. Nathan James to once again save the day.

In the two-episode season four premiere, “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules,” the action, drama, and mystery abound. From the moment that farmer pulls the husk off the corn revealing the red infected kernels in “In Medias Res,” to Tom getting hot and heavy with Lucia (Sibylla Deen) for duplicitous reasons in “The Pillars of Hercules,” I was hooked. I’ve been a fan of The Last Ship since the very beginning and I’m excited to see where the writers take us this season. And, if you haven’t heard, the show has already been renewed for season five.

In addition to our resident crew – Captain Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin), Command Master Chief (CMC) Russell Jeter (Charles Parnell), Lt. Danny Green (Travis Van Winkle), Lt. Kara Green (Marissa Neitling), Lt. Carlton Burke (Jocko Sims), Lt. Alisha Granderson (Christina Elmore), GM2C Eric Miller (Kevin Michael Martin), Lt. Cameron Burk (LaMonica Garrett), SPCO Wolf Taylor (Bren Foster), and Sasha Cooper (Bridget Regan), several new people have joined the show this season:

Sgt. Azima Kandie (Jodie Turner-Smith), who can definitely hold her own under extreme circumstances. Interestingly enough, she seems to have taken a liking to both Wolf and Alisha. Hmm, it will be interesting to see how this tryst turns out.

Fletcher (Jonathan Howard) is a British linguistics specialist who speaks many languages. It’s unclear how he came to be aboard the U.S.S. Nathan James but I’m sure we’ll find out more as the season progresses.

EN1 Kathleen Nolan (Jade Chynoweth), the daughter of the late Tex Nolan, is proving to be quite the valuable asset. I’m sure Tex would be really proud.

CWO3 Rodney Poyntet (Wiley Pickett) is a seasoned, veteran helicopter pilot with the call-sign, “Sunshine.” He’s still a bit of a mystery but with that call-sign, there has to be an interesting story there.

Tom and Alex have a brief moment of joy

Alex (Anthony Skordi), a Greek fisherman, befriends Tom and his children and takes them in. Tom also works with Alex as a fisherman.

Cali (Emanuela Postacchini) is Tom’s current love interest.

Mahmoud (Faruk Amireh) is an informant. He has access to the seeds that may be the answer to the global crisis. He used to work for Omar (Anthony Azizi—not seen) but betrayed him. Of course, that doesn’t go over well and during negotiations with Sasha and Fletcher in a local Moroccan market, things go south very quickly.

Giorgio oozes disdain. His elevated sense of worthiness is going to be his downfall.

Half Greek/half American pirate Giorgio (Jackson Rathbone) claims the seas belong to him. He controls the waters off the coast of Greece and forces fisherman to pay a hefty fee to fish in them. Talk about an a-hole. Rathbone does a great job of making me loathe his character almost immediately.

Giorgio’s sister Lucia doesn’t seem to agree with everything her narcissistic brother is doing. Her attraction to Tom is obvious but his attention to her serves an ulterior motive. The scarab necklace she wears is a key that unlocks a room to the mansion that may hold answers to what Giorgio is working on.

While this fighting style is barbaric, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy seeing Tom without his shirt on.

Captain Stavros Diomedes (Christos Vasilopoulos) is in charge of the Greek naval forces and is in cahoots with Giorgio. They have a side business that involves fighters. It’s very gladiator-esque, but there is more to it than meets the eye. Why would they have a medic checking the fighters’ blood before they fight?

Both “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules” are must-see episodes! After an open attack that seriously wounds Lt. Cameron Burk, Omar’s men infiltrate the military base to get to Mahmoud. The events that transpire in “In Medias Res” prompt the crew of the Nathan James to take immediate action now that the seeds are in jeopardy of falling into the wrong hands and they head to Algeria. The race is on to save the world…again. At the end of “In Medias Res,” in the Atlas Mountain Range near the Algerian border, a woman carries a container with “Global Seed Vault” written on it. The world’s hope of salvation now travels across the deserts of Algeria by camel; nothing to worry about, right?

<i>The Last Ship</i> Season 4 Premiere – “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules” Review. Herculean Efforts. 6

L-R: Miller, Danny, and Sasha check the perimeter as they emerge silently out of the water

During “The Pillars of Hercules,” an unforeseen predicament leaves the Nathan James utterly defenseless in open water. Without power, their communication and navigation capabilities are down. It’s up to Lieutenants Danny Green and Carlton Burk, SPCO Taylor, GM2C Miller, Sgt. Kandie, and Sasha to go ashore to stop whoever is attacking their ship.

Meanwhile, Tom begins a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Giorgio. This version of Tom is not the clean cut soldier we’ve seen in previous seasons. Sporting a beard and slightly longer hair, Tom still has that sexy swagger but with a definite sharp edge. He’s not going to let Giorgio and his men get away with what they did to Alex and the other fishermen. I have a feeling whomever Giorgio is working for is also tied to Omar. Tom may be seeing his old ship mates sooner than he thinks.

The production value, cinematography, and subtle nuances contained within both episodes lend an authenticity to them that makes every tactical move and glance that much more convincing. I appreciate that the global famine issue is addressed in several scenes in both “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules.” From people begging outside the gates of the naval base for food, and the ship’s cooks putting up signs saying, “One scoop per person; Take ONE only please; Please no seconds” in the mess hall, to two people sharing one bag of tea, it shows how critical the food crisis is, even for those who are trying to save the world.

In both of these episodes, the action sequences, drama, and acting all around make for one hell of a season premiere and I am looking forward to seeing how the season evolves. Tom may have left the U.S.S. Nathan James and tried to walk away from being a hero, but sometimes, you can’t fight who you are.

What did you think of “In Medias Res” and “The Pillars of Hercules?” I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment here or tweet me @judybopp.

Tune in to The Last Ship, Sundays at 9/8c only on TNT.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.