Last Resort review – 1×05: ‘Skeleton Crew’

Well that was certainly the best hour of Last Resort since the pilot, now wasn’t it?

Let’s bitch it out…Everything about ‘Skeleton Crew’ worked for me and I think I know why: all of the plots converged on a single task. Despite the fact that the action was divided between the action on the sub as Grace (Daisy Betts) captains the Colorado with James (Daniel Lissing) to repair a defective underwater sonar detector while Chaplin (Andre Braugher) and Kendall (Scott Speedman) negotiate a truce with Security of Defense William Curry (Jay Karnes). We also get the introduction of a new character, Senior White House Advisor Amanda Straugh (April Grace), who makes quite the impression before being summarily murdered by Grace’s father, Admiral Shephard (Bruce Davison) in the single most shocking moment of the episode.

‘Skeleton Crew’ manages this feat because it’s never entirely certain what will happen next. Aside from recognizing that Daniel won’t run out of air and that Chaplin won’t make a deal (otherwise there’d be no show) the pieces are delightfully up in the air. Grace has been working her way up to earning the respect of Joseph Prosser (Robert Patrick), but the game of nuclear chicken she plays with the four other warships who cross the 200 mile line is pretty darn risky. Toss in the role-playing “who’s in/who’s out” negotiations between Chaplin and Kendall, including all kinds of bon-mots and juicy soundbites about honour, patriotism and truth during wartime. It adds up to a heck of a tightly wound-up plotline that suggests there’s plenty of room to grow this island drama.

Other Observations:

• As predicted, Christine (Jessy Schram) and Kylie (Autumn Reeser) hook-up to take down the DC conspiracy. I like these two together, especially when Christine admits that she’s not taken in by Paul Wells’ (Jay Hernandez) good guy routine. We’ll see what kind of trouble these two can get into now that they’re hitting up the media
• It’s clear that the secret to unraveling what happened in the pilot with Pakistan is related to the six Navy SEALS. Admiral Shephard also sheds light of the circumstances before the nuclear attack when he suggests the UN was prepared to condemn the US and 1/2 of the former joint chiefs were ready to depose the President. So should we assume that the President is behind these actions in an attempt to bolster his popularity or defer being removed from office?
• Unfortunately I fear this may be the last we see of Admiral Shephard. I’m pretty sure you can’t fatally shoot a White House advisor and wound the Security of Defense without ending up in a dark hole somewhere
• Tani (Dichen Lachman) exists solely to kiss Daniel and wipe down the bar. This is nearly enough to make me hate the show. Do they not know what she’s capable of?
• James is a Navy SEAL and therefore can survive for six minutes without air. Hurray for television and huge suspensions of disbelief.
• Finally, Chaplin unpacks his photos. Guess that means our crew isn’t leaving the island any time soon. Hopefully ABC agrees

Best Lines:

• Kendall (to Sophie, in dress whites): “I look like an ice cream man.”
• Jeffrey: “Grace, you can stand on the com until the rapture comes, but that don’t make you my captain.”
• Grace (over intercom as the four warships close in): “It’s a party and we just became the piñata.”
• Kylie (to Mimi): “Catch a powder or I’m erase you from every guest list in town.”

Did you enjoy ‘Skeleton Crew’ as much as I did? Were you concerned James would drown? Did you enjoy the quips exchanged between Chaplin, Kendall and the Secretary of Defense? And were you surprised when Amanda bought the farm? Comment off below!

Last Resort airs Thursdays at 8pm EST on ABC