TV Review: Last Resort, 1.3 - "Eight Bells"
The one thing we have out here is our loyalty to each other! Thats it!
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Last Resort remains a mixed bag for this sardonic reviewer; I found the first half of Eight Bells to be thoroughly riveting and watching Marcus and Sam navigate their way between a duo of destroyers was great TV. The second half wobbled slightly but overall it was a solid passing. My problem remains that I dont have a burning desire to see the next episode any time soon. From the get go, this episode displayed loyalty under fire. Of course the crew are going to be restless and theyre going to have questions. Theyre on an alien island far away from their homes and theyre being depicted as enemies of the state. The growing unrest prompts Marcus to release Joe from the brig and, so long as he backs the Captains play, hell get them home where Joe will be able to save his own skin by handing over Marcus. I felt this was a good move as it promotes Robert Patrick to something more than a smirking one-liner. The beauty of this episode and show is that its lethal. It refuses to let Chaplin have a moments rest and this can only be a good thing considering Andre Braugher is a mighty fine actor. Not only is his own country starting to weigh in on him, but the islands local Joe Pesci, Julian Serrat (Sahr Ngaujah) is not happy with the way his new guests are treating some of the island folk. His scenes throughout the episode are great to watch and hes been given a role that will continue to grow in a wonderfully antagonistic sense. Hes not messing around either; when Chaplin fails to meet his, very reasonable, demands, he shoots one of Chaplins men immediately. There is a degree of respect that has to be afforded to this guy and its something that Chaplin will need to learn fast. Elsewhere, there was some decent action involving the submarine. I feel Last Resort is allowed to really be at its best in these types of situations and watching them react within the Colorados steely hull was terrific. However, its at its worst when it removes us from this situation. I have no qualms about what Last Resort is its escapist TV. Its not trying to make a message about the political or global situation and I dont consider it a massive character study. I have no interest in this blossoming romance between the bartender and the rogue soldier, nor do I particularly care about her misogynistic bohemian lifestyle or that her father looks a lot like Hurley. I dont buy their relationship and I dont buy their characters. I wished theyd stop trying to sell it. Off-island had the potential to be another bore-fest, but its anything but. The writers used it sparingly and ensure that what we do see, matters. Kylie Sinclair, an executive member of her familys weapon-manufacturing company is racing around, manipulating everyone else to do her work for her. She talks fast and expects everyone else to keep up with her. I like this character; shes confident, smart and will have a say in how everything pans out. The writers are very adept in their writing for her and the off-island scenes. Scenes should only be included in the final product if they add something to either the plot or the character and I felt that we learnt a lot from the off-island scenes in this episode. We discovered what kind of woman Kylie is; strong and confident, but will happily use her sexuality in order to manipulate those around her into doing her own chores. We saw her possibly-season-defining phone get stolen and we met her father. A good haul for the off-island brigade; it's able to hold its own for now and I did enjoy seeing a brief appearance by The Shield's Jay Karnes. Overall, theres a lot to like about this show. I dont believe execution is its strong point but I believe it has accumulated a great cast who have a special aura and energy about them; a willingness to succeed. There were a few cracks in Sam this episode which I think will have an effect on the remainder of the season and itll be interesting to see how much longer he can hold his frustration in. Elsewhere, when the hell will Marcus crack? Hes kept insanely cool so far but with all these issues inching further and further into his already fragile psyche, hes surely a tick away from having a massive meltdown. I do find it odd that no one off-island has spoken about the bomb that was launched on the Middle-East in the Pilot though I do hope that wasnt just for convenience.