The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 6 Review: Air Drop
Dale McGarrigle
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This was one of those transitional episodes, where we checked in on everyone, but not a lot resulted from that.
After an episode in drydock, the Nathan James got back in the fight on The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 6.
Well, it tried to, anyway. But somehow it lost track on an Iowa-class warship. I'm still not sure how, but I guess that's a story for another episode.
So, what did we learn? This episode drove home the point that Tom is invulnerable and that Tavo has gone mad, seeing enemies around every corner.
Make no mistake. Tom is running this war, although he's good enough to run his plans by the President and the Joint Chiefs, mainly out of courtesy.
But all he has to say is that he feels something in his gut, and the rest will go along with his plans. Well, he has triumphed over every worldwide crisis in recent years, so he's got a winning track record. So what if he seems to be hearing things that aren't there recently?
Related: The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Warriors
What is up with Tom on that front? Is he being haunted by the ghosts of his past? Is it PTSD or CTEs from too many battle injuries? More importantly, is it going to paralyze him at the worst possible time?
Probably not. If Tom can parachute out of a burning plane, cauterize his gaping puncture wound with a heated rock, then hike through the jungle to find the rebel camp all by himself, then a little pain in the brain isn't going to stop him.
Oh, yes. I forget he led the rescue of Lima Team, probably by following the sound of gunfire.
Tom can do little wrong on the field of battle. On the home front, as shown on The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 5, it's a bit different.
It was good to see the crew of the Nathan James back in action, with a mostly functional ship. No satellite overwatch, but navies got along without that for centuries, so that shouldn't have been a deal breaker.
That said, the real mystery is how Tavo's warship didn't show up on radar until the last minute. Was it some kind of cloaking device? Is that how it managed to disappear when penned in a harbor?
Related: Watch The Last Ship Online: Season 5 Episode 5
Too bad. Kara and her crew were itching for a fight, if for no other reason than to test out the James' battle readiness, but they couldn't find their target. I'm sure that won't last.
Lima Team was an intriguing new wrinkle, with Navy and Marine personnel fighting side by side. They seemed to work together well, once everyone learned to ignore Miller.
It's too bad that first mission went SNAFU, with half the team getting killed and the other half landing miles away from the weapons cache.
After carefully sneaking through enemy territory, they recovered the weapons, only to be undone by a handful of drunken Cuban sailors with a walkie-talkie. If Tom and his new/old Cuban allies hadn't shown up, it wouldn't have been pretty.
I was glad to see that Fuentes hadn't betrayed Tom back on The Last Ship Season 5 Episode 4. They seemed to have hit it off back then, so, like Tom, I was surprised when Cuba switched sides.
The Last Ship's Bridget Regan Q & A
Fuentes must have been forced out by other officials, and then he went to the countryside to mount a rebellion. But, alas apparently that's a story for another episode as well.
Tavo has gotten so full of himself that it's either his way ... or a bullet in the head. That's not going to engender much love from the citizenry.
Now we see why Montano was willing to risk his life to get away. I thought Hector, the general, might be the voice of reason, but he caved to Tavo.
So Tavo was a restroom attendant at Disneyland? I'm betting it wasn't the happiest place on Earth for him. No wonder he hates America.
Now the question is whether the Americans will depose him or his own Gran Colombian subjects will. Ruling by fear isn't going to hold up for long, especially with American troops sweeping south.
Also, Kelsey still has a role to play in this conflict. She even has a sister and a daughter now that she abandoned to that sister.
Thanks to Tavo's ill-timed text, Clayton has a line on her so that she can be tracked down. It's hard for me to believe, but she must have some intel that's going to prove important to the war effort.
So, as I said, lots of storylines started, with very, very little tied up. They'd better get moving if this is going to get done in 10 episodes.
To catch up on the action, watch The Last Ship online.
Did you enjoy having lots of tension but little action? When will they catch Kelsey? Will people rise up against Tavo?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
