Contributor: Henry T.
Written by David Wiener
Directed by Michael Offer
After what occurs in this episode, I’m starting to wonder if Marcus Chaplin really is growing into his “Colonel Kurtz” crazy persona, or he’s bluffing his way through everything in a last-ditch attempt to retain his honor and dignity as a military officer. There are also personal reasons for Chaplin’s actions here, and they factor into the face-to-face negotiations between the commanding officers of the Colorado and Secretary of Defense Curry, representing the United States of America. Like “Captain”, this episode maintains a tension and focus that is pervasive throughout.
That is helped by keeping much of the action on or near Sainte Marina. The negotiations between Chaplin and Curry are directly connected to what was happening onboard the Colorado, as they run out to the blockade perimeter to fix some kind of sonar barrier. That leaves the smaller events for the subplot on mainland America, which thankfully don’t take up too much screen time. Both Kylie and Christine are rapidly becoming unnecessary and extraneous characters in the overall narrative.
The situation in Sainte Marina is made clear from the start. Secretary of Defense Curry makes an appearance in the episode that’s not just a voice on the radio. Tagging along is a member of the National Security Council named Amanda Straugh as well as a group of what look like Army Rangers as security. They are on the island to negotiate some kind of truce with Commander Kendal and Captain Chaplin and let the sailors stranded on Sainte Marina go home. It’s immediately apparent that each side won’t give in to the other’s demands. It also doesn’t help that both sides have reasonable points in their respective arguments. Chaplin requests a public trial so that every one of his officers can explain their actions in the wake of firing a nuclear missile at their country.
Curry wants to throw the book at everyone who follows Captain Chaplin, short of the death penalty. It’s fascinating to see how each stage of the negotiation escalates, culminating with Chaplin physically threatening Curry when he mentions Chaplin’s dead son. Chaplin has been the picture of cool since he defied the order to fire in the pilot episode, but here, he becomes unhinged at the mere mention of his dead son. Is it an act to gain leverage or genuine anger? Is he in the right here, or does it not matter since many think he’s just a crazed warlord with some nuclear weapons? It seems to me to be a little of both.
The world has become a big mess in the wake of the Colorado’s firing on the US. The US government may be destabilizing; we learn here that China has invaded Taiwan, and that the UN has formally condemned the United States due to the instability. The wild card remains what Curry will do about the SEAL unit that the Colorado picked up outside of Pakistan. I was looking for any sort of reveal in Curry’s face when Chaplin mentioned the SEALs during the negotiation, but he gave away nothing. There has to be something going on that involves that mission and it should be addressed in the coming episodes.
For now, the situation gets more complicated when Admiral Shepard pulls a gun and kills Straugh, then wounds Curry as they are escorted away from the island. Chaplin’s play may have been to save as many men as he can by goading Kendal into taking Curry’s less harsh deal (which is anything but throwing Kendal and the officers in federal prison). Also complicating the negotiations is the Colorado’s secret operation to repair a hole in the sonar barrier that surrounds Sainte Marina. Grace takes command of the submarine during the operation, and while it’s not as tense or nerve-wracking as the previously shown submarine missions, there are elements that work in the show’s favor.
COB Prosser is a little bit of a one-note character, but he can deliver subtle antagonistic put-downs (often only at Grace) with the best of them. Grace and King succeeded in both evading the fast-attack submarines from the blockade and repairing the sonar barrier so that should at least garner some of the COB’s respect. At some point, the Colorado is going to lose a faceoff against the blockade because the results of the submarine missions are getting repetitive, thus dragging the show down. The mission did fit with what was going on in the negotiations, resulting in an episode with a better flow than any of the post-pilot episodes.
The writers then made the smart decision to put Kylie and Christine together on the mainland, and they may yet combine their efforts to reveal the big conspiracy in the US government that hasn’t been getting much coverage of late. Kylie is still annoying as a character, but there’s less of her here so there’s less to annoy. Christine at least is smart enough to figure out that her “friend” is taking advantage of Sam being absent and hitting on her with impunity. The major problem with this show is still finding that delicate balance between both stories and making a wholly entertaining episode out of it. This episode at least indicates that the show is taking a small step towards doing just that. Now, they have to demonstrate an ability to do it on a consistent basis.
Score: 8/10
