"Voluntold" featured the crew of the USS Colorado deciding who would stay and who would go home and, as the COB said, you'd think it would go something like this:

He asks the men if they want to go home, the only answer he's going to get is where's the boat and how many bags can I take. | permalink

But not so fast because who could bail on Andre Braugher after he spoke about honor and duty? The man certainly knows how to deliver a speech. Still, most of this Last Resort crew wanted to go home…and some of them were willing to kill to get the privilege.

I was impressed with Grace and Sam when someone opened fire on them and Marcus. Grace tried to bodily cover her Captain from the shots fired while Sam ran directly at their assailant.

Again, Sam and Grace worked for the good of their Captain and crew as Kendall persuaded Cortez to stay on and Shepherd worked on the the COB. Even with Prosser's many issues with his Captain, he wasn't about to abandon his post and, yet again, Robert Patrick skillfully delivered most of the best lines of the episode:

I got front row seats to the end of the world. You think I'm missing that? | permalink

Secretary of Defense Curry's tenaciousness when it came to taking out Marcus, Kendall and that sub walked the edge of fanatical. Anyone who could use the term "patriotic zeal" with an intensity that bordered on the salaciousness shouldn't be trusted. And Jay Karnes did a great job of making me feel his determination, even when we only heard his voice on the other end of the comm.

Josh holding the crew hostage with the grenade was a tense scene and Marcus was correct. He's been a ticking time bomb since the moment Red took that bullet, but his exchange on the sub was almost overshadowed by the Captain's simple walk to his ship. You could feel the entire crew hold their breath waiting for the next attempt on his life.

As Grace and Joe's exchange explained in this Last Resort quote…

Grace: He thinks he's bullet proof.
Prosser: No but he wants them to think that he is. | permalink

The scenes between the Lieutenant and the COB have become some of my favorite of the series. Part of her wishes he'd fall off the face of the Earth and he fervently hopes to help take her down in a court martial, yet there's a grudging respect between the two, or at least the realization that in order to survive they need to work together.

Overall, the scenes on the sub or of the crew on the island were where Last Resort was strongest. The show had me completely enthralled when I was watching the Captain, the COB and the rest of the crew trying to maintain order and persevere through circumstances no one could have foreseen.

It's on the mainland that my attention started to wane.

Kylie has a lot of potential. So far I've loved her spunk and the fact that she's not so much out to save the world as how to come out on top of it.  Although her motives certainly aren't pure, there's a mystery here she can't let go of and a pay day she won't walk away from quite so easily, no matter what she's told her daddy.

One detail was bothering me, though. Why would there only be one set of specs for the Perseus? Does that seem odd to anyone else?

I've enjoyed the moral shades of gray in Kylie's character but her powerful father trying to pull the strings left me ambivalent at best. I'll try not to judge too harshly and give that storyline more time to play out.

Christine was probably the weakest link but that's because her storyline seemed so obvious. They're dismantling her life, cutting off her finances and leaving her desperate so Sam's friend can come in and play savior, leaving her most vulnerable to being manipulated.

At this point it's hard to tell how smart, resourceful or steadfast Christine will turn out to be.  Her crazy tirade with the baseball bat both gave me hope and left me wondering how much of a push it would take to send her over the edge.

The further subplots of Julian threatening Sophie and Tani helping James made me wonder how many side stories this show can handle on a weekly basis.  Although I genuinely like all of these characters,  storylines felt a bit thin here, but then there's only so much you can pack into an hour.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that Last Resort isn't a two-hour thriller on a movie screen but a weekly drama that must be paced accordingly. Once again, it propelled its viewers on an intense, compelling journey. It's hard to ask for more.

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.