Last Resort Round Table: "Skeleton Crew"

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This week's Last Resort had Lt. Grace Shepherd in the hot seat as she became captain of a "Skeleton Crew" during an emergency repair mission.  In a thrilling turn of events, a power player ended up dead and it wasn't who viewers expected.

Our Last Resort Round Table team of TV Fanatic staffers Jim Garner and Christine Orlando are joined once again by Andrew of Film Geek Radio's Dispatches From Sainte Marina podcast to decide if James and Tani have staying power, whether Christine and Kylie are up for the fight, and if Captain Chaplin is too close to the edge.

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1.  What was your favorite scene?

Andrew:  I really liked watching Grace come into her own as temporary captain of the Colorado. It's been a few episodes since we saw some good ol' fashioned torpedo dodging, and watching those nukes spin up is always suspenseful. She's a good tactician, and I was glad to see the COB finally show her some respect in the episode's closing moments.

Jim:  Grace and COB in any scene together... they started with him feeling he knew better, settled in the middle with them verbally teasing each other and then ended with COB finally showing her that she had earned his respect. They may still bicker, but I'm pretty sure he won't let anything happen to her now.

Christine:  I'm with Jim in that any scene with Grace and Prosser is golden but I'm going to go with the Admiral killing Amanda Straw and injuring Curry.  It literally had me yell at my TV because I never saw it coming.  As much as the Admiral loves his daughter, I didn't think he had that in him.



2.  Who got the best Last Resort quotes of the episode?

Andrew:  "That is the United States of America in there, and they do not apologize!" This line from Sam really underscores what Last Resort is all about: the United States and evolving perceptions about what her role should be as a superpower in the future. The show acknowledges the guilt many citizens feel about our foreign policy blunders over the past decade, but it's also a hopeful story that with good leadership we can get better. The line also ultimately plays a role in the final deal Chaplin is able to get from Curry--whatever the SEALs did, it was important enough that the government would rather give amnesty to the crew than risk a bombshell that might require (among many other things) an admission of guilt.

Jim:  Tie: Grace "How did you ever stay married" with the reply COB: "Stayed deployed."

Christine:  "I am not a politician. If you say my son's name again I will crush the jelly from your eyes."  So, about ten minutes after Marcus counsels Sam to control his emotions he grabs Curry by the neck and delivers this line.  Not only did it make me cringe, it drove home exactly what the Captain may be capable of.

3.  James & Tani. A long term romance or a life affirming moment?

Andrew:  Long-term. Their relationship has been budding for a long time now, it just took King's near-death experience for it to finally bloom.

Jim:  Can I just answer "yes"? We knew there were feeling growing and nearly dying 300 feet down would certainly wake James up to the things that are important. 

Christine:  Am I the only cynic here.  Yes, he and Tani have feelings for one another but the guy was nearly left on the ocean floor. This was a life affirming moment. It might grow into more but will most likely end the moment James gets to leave the island.

4.  Kylie and Christine. A dynamic duo or a disaster in the making?

Andrew:  They'll work well together... at least until Kylie has to choose between her prototype and Sam's best interests. I expect her father won't appreciate this new development, and he's definitely a man of influence. I expect the relationship between Kylie and Christine will face a few obstacles in the near future.

Jim:  Given that the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorn" is very true, these TWO women scorn on the same mission is going to introduce a new (and very dangerous) player in the game. 

Christine:  I loved finding out that Christine knows she's being played.  I know nothing will be easy but if these two are willing to go all in to get to the truth, they may be unstoppable.

5.  Do you think Grace would have really launched the nukes if pushed?

Andrew:  No. She'll do it if she's ordered to by Chaplin or Kendal, but I don't think she'd actually nuke D.C. just to show she has what it takes. Besides, once those nukes are launched, the crew of the Colorado doesn't have much leverage to keep the rest of the world from blowing them out of the water.

Jim:  I think she would have fired them in a heartbeat... But I don't think she would have let them detonate, she would have blown them up before they could hurt anyone.

Christine:  I'm really not sure. Making the threat is one thing but pulling the trigger is entirely another.  I'm not sure she has it in her to do it without being ordered.

6.  Is Captain Chaplin a man on the edge or a calculating strategist?

Andrew:  Both. He knows how to negotiate, but part of what makes him so good at it is that he won't back down from what's best for his crew. It's this devotion that could ultimately be his undoing, if he lets it go too far. It would be easy for searching for "the truth" to become justification for a martyr complex.

Jim:  Calculating, very, very calculating. Did you notice he had his bags packed? He had planned all along to go to prison if he could get his men a good deal or his day in court. A man on the edge wouldn't be packing for the future as he is too busy destroying today.

Christine:  I'm with Andrew on this one.  I think Chaplin is quite the strategist but his obsession for getting the truth out there may very well make him a matter for the cause.

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

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Last Resort Season 1 Episode 5 Quotes

Daddy finally letting you take the car out of the driveway?

Prosser

Control your feelings or I guarantee Curry will control them for you.

Captain