500 feet beneath the ocean’s surface, the U.S. ballistic missile submarine Colorado receives their orders. Over a radio channel, designed only to be used if their homeland has been wiped out, they’re told to fire nuclear weapons at Pakistan.
Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) demands confirmation of the orders only to be unceremoniously relieved of duty by the White House. XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) finds himself suddenly in charge of the submarine and facing the same difficult decision. When he also refuses to fire without confirmation of the orders, the Colorado is targeted, fired upon, and hit. The submarine and its crew find themselves crippled on the ocean floor, declared rogue enemies of their own country. Now, with nowhere left to turn, Chaplin and Kendal take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of the Colorado to an exotic island. Here they will find refuge, romance and a chance at a new life, even as they try to clear their names and get home.
We put Last Resort to the three episode test. I am a fan of Andre Braugher, and it looked interesting. I am always game for a good political drama. My initial assessment of the show came out fifty-fifty, questioning the staying power of tension in the series.
With any good thriller tension is the key and it is the challenge for the writer. Tension is a balancing act between keeping your audience’s attention, while also requiring them to come back for more. An example of a successful series able to master this high wire act was the fox series 24. Keifer Sutherland has become forever identified with his creation of the always-out-of-breath, intense Jack Bauer and was the key to keeping the tension high and tight every week.
We watched three episodes of Last Resort. The three episode test is meant to give every new show a fair shot. Like most books if you can’t grab me in three chapters (or episodes) I am moving on.
Last Resort has almost all of the elements for a thrilling hit. Set against the controversial political backdrop of a crumbling US, the submarine captain and his crew face the struggle between military ingrained blind faith and the basic human instinct to survive. The writers peel away to reveal the threat of mutiny from within, unprovoked nuclear warfare, an island ruled by a warlord, and dueling agendas from all sides of the fence.
After the first episode I was intrigued, and after the second unfortunately I was less impressed. Something wasn’t connecting, and then there was the third. This episode was the reminder of why it is called the three episode test.
The show stepped up and I took notice. The lack of intensity in the second episode was a let-down. There was tension, but obviously not enough if I was ready to throw in the towel.
The third episode kicked up the adrenaline and solidified the story. It showed the extent the show is willing to go for the sake of drama, and it changed my mind. I do have some concern in regards to the number of plot lines going consecutively. It may be too much to keep track of and become frustrating.
I will say, I am in for now. Fingers crossed the show keeps its momentum.
Last Resort is on ABC, check local listings for time and channel.
Live*Love*Laugh Everyday…
There are still some sketchy parts of the show but it is still building up momentum. Other than that the show is coming together slowly but surely. I’ve got the Hopper timer set each week to make sure I don’t miss anything. This show is still getting its bearings but it’s turning out to be a really good show. I was a little worried after the pilot but now I think it will stick around for at least a season. The show is doing a good job with what’s going on between the islanders and the crew of the Colorado. There are times when the show comes across as preachy but when confronted with the material in the show I’m not surprised. I just have to grin and bare it. My DISH co-worker is a huge fan of Andre Braugher and that’s how I ended up watching the show. So far it has definitely been worth it but please NBC writers: do something constructive with James.
I agree with your analysis and didn’t realize it until you explained your 3 episode test. Although, by the time I saw the first episode my hubs had already pulled out and I wasn’t expecting to like it, so I was happily surprised when I did. I was mixed on the the 2nd and now, I’m pretty intrigued by the whole thing. It will be interesting to see how they keep it fresh…or not.