The Last Ship (TV Series) Friendly Fire (2015) User Reviews

Guilty?

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 7/10 · 29 December 2016]

Chandler suspects that Dr. Scott has something to do with the unexpected demise of Niels. An investigation is launched and little clues all around seem to point to Dr. Scott. What will Chandler do? And will they discover something else about Sean and his people?

The episode centers basically on the investigation and it does a great job in making things interesting. There is a conversation between Chandler and Dr. Scott that tells everything: Dr. Scott killed Niels without trial, to advance her investigations of a new cure, out of the system, out of the rules. Chandler tells her that the rules are there to be followed. Consciously or not, the writers explain in that little scene a lot about socialization, the role institutions play in making us learn what is right or wrong (like drills or military marches that make all soldiers work together at the same time), and how we learn who has the right to use violence in a legitimate way. Why can Chandler go around killing people but Dr. Scott not, even if she is trying to create a new vaccine?

"The Last Ship" is not the most morally or philosophically interesting show, but sometimes, maybe without even noticing, the writers offer the viewer some really interesting moments. This episode is fascinating because of the dichotomies it offers. And Dane and Mitra due a great job with the material, making the viewer care about this showdown. Thrilling.

Terrible Writing! How can the Captain fault the Scientist that saved the world?

[CzyboutFlix · 6/10 · 17 August 2021]

"He died too quickly." Drop the mic as the Scientist leaves the Captain's cabin.

What?

[baddder · 1/10 · 11 December 2019]

This Episode might be the stupidest episode I have ever seen in any TV show I don't know what the writers where thinking. How do you punish The doctor (who Saved the world) for Killing the biggest terrerost who ever lived he killed more then 5 Billion people? Also she had A good reason. Also they kill less evil people everyday like its nothing. But when The Doctor does the right thing by killing the worst man in history she's punished WTF??? Worst episodes ever. I enjoy the show overall but this episode was so stupid I hate it.

Poorly written episode

[morelach · 4/10 · 22 January 2023]

This was a very badly written episode of an otherwise good show. Neils was a one man holocaust, directly responsible for, and intentionally, killing millions of people, so the crocodile tears over what Dr. Scott did to him was over-the-top moralistic baloney. The whole story line was bad. Captain Chandler's and XO Slattery's insistence on the investigation and the treatment of Scott was ridiculously over played. Much worse things had already happened aboard that ship, much of it by the captain and crew, and THIS is the event they decide to get bent out of shape about?! Baloney. Disappointing episode.

Look in the Mirror

[jlhendrix8888 · 1/10 · 12 September 2015]

This was the most ridiculous episode yet. The Commander and crew investigating the doctor and discoverer of the cure for the virus because she killed the man responsible for creating and spreading the virus. In his death, she was able to create a cure that would spread from infected to infected just as this maniac spread the virus to begin with. But after the Commander and crew returned from their mission on land where they slaughtered hundreds of American citizens, they were able to find time to denigrate and demean the doctor for her actions, hold her accountable, and treat her like a criminal? This man has killed hundreds without emotion or empathy and is now passing judgment on others? The show was way too high and mighty to begin with. This episode just made that into a comedy and a comedy of errors. I think the last ship just sunk.

Don't hold the POTUS accountable but bl;ame those who saved the world

[praqoon · 5/10 · 21 November 2022]

I have some SERIOUS issues with this episode and storyline! The Last Ship has been really great up to now. SPOILERS ALERT for those who have not watched previous episodes.

The President of the United States, by his own confession, murders his own daughters by strangling/smothering them as they sleep after witnessing the death of his son. He relayed this to Captain Chandler after his suicide attempt in a previous episode. The President carried this out at his dying wife's behest, so he informed the Captain. Captain Chandler told the President that the information would go no further than him. Given that the Presiden'ts daughters were completely innocent of any crimes, although very sick with the virus, this was at least cold blooded murder abd at most a mercy killing. However, it was still murder.

Doctor Rachel Scotts did the same with her confession to Captain Chandler. When she told him that Niels death was intentional, and that she could have managed to find the solution to formulating a new type of delivery for the cure without killing him. Remembering that Niels conspired with Admiral Ruskov to destroy the Nathan James and all onboard (except Dr Scott) and he was was guilty of spreading the virus infection and causing the death of approx. 5 BILLION people (for which even a death sentence would be too light a penalty for such a person). Yet he is captured and treated well by Captain Chandler and the ship's crew.

So, the POTUS' crimes have not been addressed or even took into account, and the Doctor who saved the world with a cure to the virus is treated with utter contempt by Captain Chandler for her actions in killing Niels. It seems the only problem the Captain has is that he wanted to use Niels as a frontman against the immune's propaganda. There's nothing to say people will believe Niels any more than the POTUS, or anybody else for that matter. So what is the REAL problem with Doctor Scott killing Niels? It seems crazy to think there ever would be any!

I've been enjoying The Last Ship so far and jumped from my seat with joy when Niels finally got what was coming to him. However, this episode where Captain Chandler condemns Rachel Scott, restricting her freedoms until a time when they reach shore where she will be made to account for her crimes, is VERY confusing and doesn't seem to align with the rest of the writing in the series so far. Surely the Captain can understand Rachel Scott effectuating revenge for the immune's killing of her mentor, Dr. Julius Hunter, who Niels was instrumental in helping the immune's to locate and murder. They did not have proof of what Niels did but they knew Niels was familiar with the Cult leader who was the one to kill Doctor Hunter!

To me this episode just doesn't make sense. Knowing Captain Chandler's character and mentality this is very much out of character and he seems to be biting off his nose to spite his face in this one. I sincerely hope there is a reversal of attitudes regarding Doctor Scott killing Niels and that the series gets much better. Up until now it has been solid, edge-of-your-seat entertainment. This episode is like seeing Bobby Ewing appear from the shower in Dallas and saying "WTF??????? OMFG as if we believe that!"

Realistic but still so so terrible

[docg-53751 · 1/10 · 22 February 2017]

The episode shows a commanding officer doing what real life commanding officers do all the time in real life. On one hand he is going "by the book" and on the other he has thrown said book out the window.

So first he commands a full investigation into the puzzling death of the single most lethal mass-murder in all of human history. He follows "the book" during the investigation and following summary incarceration of the one person responsible for the only hope the few remaining uninfected and the multitude of infected but alive have. Perhaps this is exactly as it should be, if one were to go "by the book".

But this commander utterly disregards the "book" with regard to the enemy combatants on the submarine and elsewhere. He was given very specific and clear orders but superiors that the cure and the subsequent mass production and distribution are his mission. This was given but a previously surviving president and the sec nav. The current president has not overridden these orders, nor offered a different course of action. So why does he deem it necessary to go off track and hunt these immunes? Why does he proceed to possibly hinder the mission with regard to Dr. Scott? Why does he repeatedly veer off mission for things he deems important, when doing so is in direct contravention to his mission?

Also, and more to the point, not only would this man that infected and killed billions of people have been destroyed in some way far sooner than this, but it seems to me that making a conscious effort to maintain the life of the one man responsible for the near genocide of the human race, a man that kills merely by breathing, makes him culpable for court-martial in that it is in direct opposition to the heart of his mission: saving humanity.

Though I reviewed this episode so low, I will say that the hypocrisy it shows is all to common in real life.

What we have shown in this series? theater of the absurd?

[deadked-80381 · 1/10 · 19 August 2015]

The writers decided that they do not overdo with patriotism and sense of duty. Apparently in America properly judge the characters for what they once did is not the right move, which still led to the rescue of the country \ the world, and in fact was the only option. Besides it has been repeatedly mentioned that it is a war, and in war all means are good, but no, it is necessary to condemn the man for what he's trying to help save the world, and because of that, because of the fact that allegedly they lost means of countering the propaganda? Oh, come on, if you expose the military naval such cool guys, you could, would not make such an absurd scenario.

Sorry for Google translator. Greetings from Russia

More inaccuracies AND demeaning to men

[bill-2158 · 1/10 · 9 August 2023]

Let's start with more cringeworthy errors. The enemy sub fires a bunch or torpedoes at the Nathan James. Instead of using standard torpedo countermeasures (Nixie) because there's no time (?), they instead fire their surface and air weapons like the 5-inch gun, CIWS, the 25mm...and chaff?

AN/SLQ-25 Nixie is a device specifically designed to counter multiple types of torpedoes. I won't go into details here. You can Google it to find out more. Let's just say that I don't think firing weapons in the water is going to fool a torpedo, and I've never heard of that being tried, much less being successful. However, the biggest joke is them firing chaff. Think of chaff as a mortar that fires little pieces of Mylar into the air, like a cloud. The idea is that a missile (not a torpedo) with active homing radar will see the reflection off the chaff and detonate in the cloud of chaff instead of the ship. Firing a cloud of little Mylar strips into the air that will EVENTUALLY land in the water is not going to do a thing to deter a torpedo strike. The mistakes just get more idiotic with each episode.

Now, their brilliant move of firing weapons into the water (God, help me) stopped all but one of the torpedoes, which hit the port-side bow of the ship - but did no damage and did not penetrate the hull. Totally absurd! This is like when missiles hit the superstructure of the ship right under the bridge and did no damage whatsoever. None of this is even remotely accurate!

Here's how I'm dealing with this show so I can keep watching it. It's obviously a comedy. It's not meant to be serious, and all these mistakes are really jokes that are intended to be funny. It's like a spoof of a military/action show or movie. That must be it - like Airplane, Hot Shots, or The Naked Gun. If only Leslie Nielsen was alive during the making of this show, he could have played a crazy admiral or something. It all makes sense now!

I also noticed something else. I've been paying so much attention to the navy-related mistakes (because it's most of the show), that I just noticed is the way some of the men are portrayed. Most of the characters, male or female, good or bad, are strong characters with at least some capabilities. I can't recall any truly weak characters on the show. However, certain male characters just turn to mush or spill all their secrets if a woman so much as bats her eyelashes at them.

Specifically, I'm thinking of the interaction between the characters of LT Carlton Burk and LT Ravit Bivas. Burk is this big, tough guy, but all Bivas has to do is tease him a bit and he's a bowl of Jell-O. Same thing with Niels and Dr. Scott. He's had this big secret, and all Scott had to do was snuggle up next to him and he's spilling his guts. Very demeaning. Most of the men I know, including me, would tell these women to go jump. Who writes this trash? In my opinion, they seem to have a low opinion of men.

I guess this show is meant for people that know nothing about the navy, but wouldn't you think a show like this WOULD attract current and former navy personnel? And the way they portray some of the male characters should be disgusting to all.