Contributor: Henry T.
Written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman
Directed by Clark Johnson
At the core of this series is a major difference in philosophies. We have Captain Marcus Chaplin with his own brand of independent leadership for Sainte Marina. It gets much more complicated now that he’s allied with the Chinese. From the outsider’s perspective, Chaplin would appear to have gone completely rogue. It has been that way since the beginning of the series, and right now, we’re seeing the cumulative effect it has on the crew of the Colorado.
This episode was full of discussions on how others perceive Chaplin and his actions up to this point. What is surprising here is that all of the conversations amongst the crew are thoughtful and rational arguments that both support and oppose what Chaplin is doing. There’s a full-blown mutiny brewing in Sainte Marina, a storm is going to slam the island, and there’s even talk of a coup d’etat against the disgraced President. It’s a busy episode, but a very solid one that, if it had exorcised a pointless subplot, would have been a great one.
Things on Sainte Marina aren’t settled one bit, which lends a good source of tension to the events on the island. Sam is mourning the “death” of Christine in the usual angry lone wolf way, and his sour mood leads to the discovery that the Colorado crew is once again sowing mutiny against Captain Chaplin. The difference is that the COB has now joined the mutineers. The whole subplot with Mayor Julian getting the COB addicted to painkillers hasn’t gotten any traction so I’m glad it’s largely ignored here. This is a much more meaty storyline. Sam and the COB end up having a great conversation about why the COB has changed his allegiances towards Marcus, with the COB making salient points that Chaplin is no longer the man he pledged his loyalty to and that his decision to fire on the US essentially sealed that fate.
The COB’s point is proven in the newest submarine pickle the crew is put in: A US destroyer has orders to fire on the Chinese convoy supply ship that is headed to Sainte Marina. Chaplin needs that ship to keep his crew and the island viable so he’s forced to fire on the US destroyer in order to defend the Chinese ship. This is Marcus’ bed, and now he has to lay in it. I had no doubt that he was going to fire on the destroyer, possibly even sink his fellow comrades in the Navy because it all comes down to philosophical differences. Sam argued with the COB that Chaplin is adapting to each situation, but I see a man taking a hardline stance that isn’t changing for anything. It’s his way, or the highway. Again, that is tested when Grace and King defy Chaplin’s orders to fire on the destroyer by reducing the payload of one of the Colorado’s torpedoes. Instead of destroying the ship, the submarine cripples it and sends it home. It’s good to see Grace stand up and disagreeing with her commanding officer. She wants as little bloodshed as possible and is doing everything she can to achieve that goal. It may not happen the way she wants, but it will at least instill some doubt into Chaplin with regards to any future action.
I think part of Marcus wants to destroy the ship to prove his point. He feels weak, hamstrung by the arrangements right now, and the itchy trigger finger is his way to legitimizing what he is doing on Sainte Marina. He wants to be different from the lecturer the destroyer captain referred to. He doesn’t want to look weak, but at the same time, he wants to stay the enlightened man who “inherits the kingdom of Heaven” in the Bible. I now understand why the CIA would order Cortez to assassinate Chaplin right away. The episode earns many of its great action sequences because it’s rooted in the fundamental philosophical differences between the captain, who is supposed to be the leader making all of the right decisions, and his crew. That gap in thinking is causing a mutiny in the crew, which could prove catastrophic for everyone involved. What is the ultimate cost of the decisions being made, even if they might be judged as right? What justifies those decisions to be “right”?
That is also partly discussed during a meeting in Washington of high-level government officials. It actually descends to taking steps to immediately remove the President and Vice President from office. It would be an unprecedented step in American politics. Understandably, some people are uncomfortable with this notion, but those guys are overruled by what seems like a mob mentality. The coup is happening, and nothing can stop it. It may seem like whiplash plotting (indeed, the decision to go ahead with the coup is made and accelerated without much discussion), but there’s little time in the series to do anything else. They cannot afford to take it slowly.
Kylie is overwhelmed that this is happening, though she had a major hand in letting it go ahead. What happened in Pakistan with the planting of the suitcase nukes started the whole mess and it looks like the boulder is gaining speed as it rolls down the hill, unable to be stopped. Like the mutiny on the Colorado, this may not end up with everyone getting out unscathed. It’ll be fascinating to watch how the writers can wrap up both storylines. They don’t really need the whole subplot with Mayor Julian enticing various parties with the “rare Earth metals” that are beneath the island. We understand that Mayor Julian is only out for himself. The rare Earth metals feel like an unnecessary mystery that is out of step with whatever else is going on on the series. I doubt it will make much of an impact as we reach the end of the series.
Score: 8/10
