Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Last Resort

LAST RESORT











 Starring: Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Daisy Betts, Camille De Pazzis, Dichen Lachman, Daniel Lissing, Sahr Ngaujah, Autumn Reeser, Jessy Schram, and Robert Patrick

Created by Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan
Written by Karl Gajdusek and Shawn Ryan, Directed by Martin Campbell

Last Resort is a new high octane conspiracy drama from ABC. It centers on the crew of the fictional USS Colorado. When Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) is given orders through a suspicious channel to launch missiles against Pakistan, he questions the order and it relieved of his duties. Second in command Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) does the same thing and an attack is launched against the submarine. Though it is claimed to be from Pakistan, they quickly discover the order came from the US. Now that they are enemies, the crew lands on the island of Sainte Marina and takes over a NATO facility determined to prove their innocence and stay alive. Rounding out the large cast is the submarine crew including Lt. Grace Shepard (Daisy Betts), whose father is an admiral, natives of Sainte Marina, and power players in DC.

THE GOOD: Wow... what a pilot! This whole episode felt like a mini-movie filled with major thrills. It was expertly produced and acted as well. Andre Braugher killed in his lead role as the defiant yet noble Captain Chaplin. The camaraderie among the crew and particularly the relationship between Braugher and Speedman was a major highlight. So many dramas like this open with tons of conspiracies and sometimes you don't actually care what happens but here, I left the pilot episode really wanting to know what's next. It was also unique to have a setting on a submarine although now they are mostly on the island or at least it appears it will be that way in future weeks.

THE BAD: I heard a lot of questions about where the show goes from here in reviews and I have a lot of those same questions. I hope the show plays up the conspiracy aspect and doesn't turn into a culture on the island, which would be too close to Lost. Having the dynamics between DC and the rogue submarine was the strongest part at the pilot yet the very last scene had me worried that future episodes will be less like the pilot than I want them to be.

BOTTOM LINE: I don't know how the show continues from here or what episode two, three, four, etc will look like but I know that I'll definitely be coming back to see. The cast and Braugher in particular are a real strength of this show but I hope the creators and writers have a vision for this show and where they want it to be by midseason and by season's end if it lasts that long. So I loved the pilot, but I'm nervous for the future with this show. We'll see...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more