by Ife Olujobi
ABC’s new drama “Last Resort” centers on the crew of nuclear submarine the USS Colorado as they grapple with a slew of military attacks and other issues that force them to make some high-risk decisions under pressure. Though there are 150 sailors aboard the submarine, the key protagonists seem to be Captain Marcus Chaplin, played by Andre Braugher (“Men of a Certain Age”) and XO Commander Lt. Sam Kendall, played by Scott Speedman (Underworld), with Daisy Betts as Lt. Grace Shepard, a prominent supporting character.
The pilot begins with things running as usual aboard the USS Colorado, including a weekly meeting with the two most senior female officers to make sure that no incidences of sexism or sexual harassment have occurred, a theme that runs throughout this episode and most likely will continue through the season. However, trouble strikes when the crew is sent an order from a secondary military network to send nuclear missiles into Pakistan and is fired upon by another American submarine after questioning the order. The USS Colorado then malfunctions and crashes into the ocean floor. Casualties are suffered and equipment is damaged, but within minutes of the narrative everyone is dry and the sub is back up and running on a course back home.
Visual and narrative inconsistencies like this were a turn off, as were many of the unexplained relationships and dynamics between crew members. It makes sense that the writers would want to leave things unexplained to entice the audience for future episodes, but the missing links made it hard to understand many of the character’s actions.
Despite some minor flaws, the overarching plot and themes were compelling enough to sustain the show. It was interesting that every act of violence portrayed was initiated by American forces, yet the American press tried to blame the attack on the Colorado on Pakistan, and used it as a reason to bomb Pakistan.
The power shift between Captain Chaplin and Commander Kendall also proved to be an interesting hurdle for the crew to overcome in the midst of all the other action. Captain Chaplin uses his power to make some outrageous and implausible decisions, and despite the show’s title, it was still hard to believe the measures he took as a last resort. This exposed his character as unstable, but also makes his suggestion of staying on their found island less surprising.
Whether or not the Captain and crew will actually stay on the island is unclear, especially with the many references to Commander Kendall’s wife and his need to go home, but with such unrealistically high stakes present, it would make sense for the rest of the season to be under a very different set of circumstances.
Ife Olujobi is a contributing writer. Email her at entertainment@nyunews.com.
