Review: 'Last Resort' - 'Cinderella Liberty': Back to Pakistan
A crisis disrupts a visit from the crew's family, and James flashes back to what started this mess
Jessy Schram and Jay Hernandez in "Last Resort."
A quick review of tonight's "Last Resort" coming up just as soon as the pen is mightier than the sword...
Like most "Last Resort" episodes, "Christmas Liberty" was something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the hostage situation on the boat felt like a bit much even for a show about a nuclear submarine gone rogue in the middle of a war with Pakistan. On the other hand, I was very glad to see Pakistan itself become the center of the story, as the nuking of a country should ultimately be the bigger deal in the global scheme of things than the shenanigans Marcus is up to as king of the island. The moment where the Pakistani admiral said he drew inspiration for this act of terrorism from Marcus himself was particularly strong, as it showed just how thin the line is between the theoretically righteous act of rebellion that Marcus has committed and the murder of innocent civilians the admiral was responsible for. And given that the show won't be continuing past these 13 episodes, I was glad to get a pretty full explanation of what the SEALs were up to and why James spent the first half of the season getting drunk at Tani's bar.
Plus, even when women are being shot and thrown overboard, and Christine is being kidnapped to parts unknown, you've still got Andre Braugher doing Andre Braugher things, like the marvelous reaction to Grace producing the launch key at the most necessary moment (and Marcus understandably assuming that she's the CIA mole), or simply his pained response to the first civilian death. As with "Homeland," which has gone down its own narrative rabbit holes at times this season, great acting forgives an awful lot. And Andre Braugher is Andre Braugher.
What did everybody else think?
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupWar Chief Shake Zula
December 6, 2012 at 10:19PM EST Reply to CommentI guess my tolerance for implausibility (and need to be thrilled by my television) is just higher - I thought the hostage situation was a perfect escalation of stakes for everything that's going on.
joel I didn't see this until last night, and I'm not sure what Alan's issue here really is, but I found the prospect of watching innocent civilians brutally murdered and thrown into the ocean to simply be too much. Granted, this comes a few weeks after a madman murdered children, so maybe my opinion is colored by that, but I found the premise of this episode stomach-turning at best.
December 27, 2012 at 12:38PM ESTThe reasoning of the Pakistani general doesn't really make much sense. The Colorado fires on India, and India then retaliates by firing on the Colorado, the island, and Pakistan. Obviously there will be no question for India why they were fired on, and annihilating every single living being from what's left of Pakistan won't be much of a judgment call.
So I guess if you throw out repeatedly showing brutal murders and a ridiculous "plan", then this was an OK episode because at least I finally know why we nuked Pakistan.
RANDY ROACH
December 6, 2012 at 10:39PM EST Reply to CommentIS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT CABLE CAN POSSIBLY SAVE LAST RESORT?
bitchstolemyremote It's REALLY unlikely. Shows that get saved are exceptions to the rule and this one doesn't seem to have the "passionate/cult fan base" that other 'saved' shows have
December 6, 2012 at 11:14PM ESTDewMan There is a slim chance this show can get saved....it all depends on viewers and also, by signing this petition can also help....see below.
December 6, 2012 at 11:30PM ESThttp://www.change.org/petitions/abc-sony-television-renew-last-resort-2
War Chief Shake Zula Dewman, we all want Last Resort somehow saved, but pandering false hope isn't going to instantly make it more appealing to another network, especially since Shawn Ryan has made it well known that ep 13 is being written as a series finale.
December 6, 2012 at 11:49PM ESTEd I could see Last Resort going to TNT.
December 8, 2012 at 5:52AM ESTIt'd be a nice lineup; Southland followed by Last Resort.
bitchstolemyremote
December 6, 2012 at 11:13PM EST Reply to CommentLike War Chief, we didn't have a problem with the episode. Actually thought it was really well plotted (though the DC storyline bothered us for the first time). Like that Cortez is being humanized a bit, so she's not just a stock villain.
Our take: http://wp.me/p2MfmI-1Qz
Pete
December 6, 2012 at 11:36PM EST Reply to Commentglad to see my favorite two shows in the same post: Last Resort and Homeland.
And then there was one :(
berkowit28 They're not in the same post - and why should they ever be, when one shows on Thursday and the other on Sunday? What are you trying to say?
December 7, 2012 at 2:27AM ESTEd Berkowitz, did you not read Alan's post? He mentions "Homand" at the end.
December 8, 2012 at 12:26AM ESTEd "Homeland" (…stupid autocorrect)
December 8, 2012 at 12:27AM ESTPETE I'm just saying... I like both of the shows. I really don't get why Last Resort has to be cancelled, Homeland had its ups and downs too.
December 8, 2012 at 12:40PM ESTKianna
December 6, 2012 at 11:56PM EST Reply to CommentI wish they had jettisoned the Christmas party scenes, because it really ratcheted the tension downward. Although it was a nice touch at the end to hear the TV commentator blaming Marcus for the civilian deaths.
Also couldn't believe Christine would kiss Paul in full view of a TV camera, she had to have known Sam would see that footage. That just seemed like useless romantic angst (although I'm not sorry Paul is dead). Still, Andre Braugher makes up for a multitude of sins.
Why the love
December 7, 2012 at 1:20AM EST Reply to CommentHonestly, while this show has managed to be half-decent at times, it's really not that great. I managed to catch tonight's episode after not caring for a while and realized when I did that I hadn't been missing much.
The Shawn Ryan touch, if there is such a thing, is largely missing from this show. And while I have great affection for Andre Braugher thanks to Homicide among other things, he's doing an Andre Braugher parody here - I don't get the love.
Overall it's a ludicrous premise that shouldn't have survived a multi-year series anyway so lets hope they wrap it up and move on.
RyanT It's sad to me that "ludicrous premise" is something bad nowadays. I'd rather we get shows that push the boundaries rather than stick with the same old, same old.
December 7, 2012 at 1:41AM ESTEllen M. As far as a ludicrous premise goes - it's all in the execution of the story. If the execution doesn't make you believe it - that says it all. (Who would have believed a show about a likable serial killer would have succeeded for 8 seasons? Minus Season 6, of course.)
December 7, 2012 at 7:01PM ESTI liked the premise of this show because it took us to a place we haven't been before. But I have been disappointed by the execution of the story. I have savored seeing Andre Braugher and have also enjoyed Scott Speedman.
But each week I have been disappointed because we have been pulled in too many directions that have not been connected well enough for me to care about the characters. I haven't cared about too much past the sub's crew, the Seals' mysterious mission and the mole.
So, I guess I'll re-watch Strike Back when we say farewell to the Last Resort.
mgrabois
December 7, 2012 at 1:52AM EST Reply to CommentI wonder at what point the show creators got the cancellation news, and where subplots were cut or changed so that the series could come to a conclusion. It felt like this one started taking it in that direction.
sepinwall Later. They were shooting either the 11th or 12th episode, I believe.
December 7, 2012 at 8:38AM ESTberkowit28
December 7, 2012 at 2:30AM EST Reply to CommentWhere exactly did Grace find Marcus' key? Whose door was it hanging from, and why didn't she tell him exactly where she found it?
Kyle7 That was Marcus' door. I don't think telling him it was hanging on his door would have changed anything; presumably sometime between this episode and the next she'll say, but it's not like he'll mistrust her any less.
December 7, 2012 at 3:18AM ESTovnio
December 7, 2012 at 9:28AM EST Reply to CommentThere's only one real issue I have with the show right now, and it's carrying over from last episode:
WHERE IS THE COB??????
I'm sorry but you can't show him getting his feet torched and then injected with drugs and then not even give us a glimpse of the guy for two episodes (though at least he got name-checked this week).
Anyway, I still like the show a lot. I'm consistently surprised at how little praise Scott Speedman gets. He's doing a great job playing the straight man to Braugher's crazy captain. Not saying Braugher doesn't deserve all the attention and kudos he gets, but when I watch the show I'm actually more invested in Sam, not Marcus.
(though I roll my eyes whenever they try to force a romantic subplot with the French woman, or when they have Christine do something stupid around Jay Hernandez --- that final kiss when Hernandez died . . . the less said, the better)
And add me to the list of people flabbergasted whenever someone complains that they "don't see how this show could last with this premise". I don't understand. Maybe it's just me, but why would I care how they're going to make it work, as long as they make it work? (which, in my opinion, they have). I'm not the showrunner. As long as they deliver entertaining TV, then I'm good. If two or three seasons down the line, the quality declines because the premise doesn't lend itself to being stretched out that long --- well, then I'll stop watching. But why complain about something that hasn't even happened yet?
Which leads me to my other pet-peeve sort-of related to this show: people that refused to watch it because they "knew it would be cancelled". I told people that I liked the show, that they should try it. It's one thing if they try it and don't like it and that makes them not watch it. But to not try a show because you think it might get cancelled? To figure you'll wait until the dvd is out? And then to complain when the cancellation happens? ("See, I told you!"). That's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You're not teaching the networks a lesson when you don't watch a potentially interesting show because "they always cancel the good stuff". Or rather, you are teaching them the wrong lesson: you're telling them you're not interested in that show. Whose loss is that, really?
Ok, off my soapbox.
Extraneous_Ed Agree with you 100%. I made the same comment last week about "where is COB?" How many days has it been since he got blowtorched? Has he been AWOL the whole time? Has it been a day? 2-3 days? A week?
December 7, 2012 at 10:39AM ESTMatt_H They said this episode that the COB hadn't reported for duty. My assumption is that he is still off in the woods somewhere, unable to make it back to camp due to his severly burned feet.
December 7, 2012 at 10:44AM ESTExtraneous_Ed Right, but how long has it been? The whole rape trial last episode covered at least 2 days or so, right? And then this ep was another day. So the COB is gone for 3+ days, and nobody really notices? Or goes straight to the captain? After they've already had plenty of other people kidnapped? It's just a passing "he hasn't reported for duty, sir."
December 7, 2012 at 10:56AM ESTAnd if he's been in the woods for days, that's bad storytelling. Not even a shot of him for the viewer to let us know what's going on?
Extraneous_Ed
December 7, 2012 at 10:40AM EST Reply to CommentPaul getting shot was so predictable; an easy out for Christine so she didn't have to break his heart. You know, since he really was just a nice guy. Felt like a narrative cop out to be honest.
Beekayz The look on her husband's face when she kissed Paul was amusing, though.
December 8, 2012 at 1:07AM ESTFreeze06
December 7, 2012 at 1:06PM EST Reply to CommentI did like that the guy controlling the boat turned out to be the Pakistani soldier whose brother was killed in the SEAL mission. Sobering reminder that our adventures abroad can have unintended and possibly detrimental outcomes. I also agree that Scott Speedman has been doing a great job as the voice of reason on the island.
I do not mind the DC subplots, but I think that has to do with my love for Autumn Reeser. She has a knack of conveying emotions to which I gravitate. I do have to mention that she is becoming television cryptonite. She has now had multiple shows cancelled that I know of (The OC, Last Resort and No Ordinary Family to name three) where she was or became a regular character after short runs. People may start writing her off as bad JuJu.
Joey Simmons
December 7, 2012 at 4:12PM EST Reply to CommentStrongest episode to date. Going to miss the show.
Ed
December 8, 2012 at 12:31AM EST Reply to CommentYour review is right on, Alan.
However, there's a typo in the first paragraph under the intro. The episode is titled "Cinderella Liberty", not "Christmas."
Is ABC sending out advance screeners for the remainder of the season?
Barbara
December 8, 2012 at 11:47AM EST Reply to CommentWrite a comment...Caught it last night on On Demand. Somebody out there needs to write a winning vehicle for Andre Braugher. Anybody remember Thief? They messed that one up the way they're messing up Last Resort. Making personal relationships the focus, not the solid underpinning of the main plotline. I wanted to see successful heists in Thief. And I wanted to see the power-grabbing rogue "neo-cons" in Washington up to more shenanigans - with one layer uncovered only to leave the season with a deeper layer suspected. Hated the Pakistani pirates - big let-down, when looking forward to Christine getting the information. I'm a writer, and I've written pages like this when I don't know where I'm going next but just want to up the ante - but when I read it over, I know it sucks, it doesn't fit. That's what I see happening here. And Paul wasn't a good guy. Christine knew he was trying to turn her against her husband. That kiss was unnecessary and out of character.
Alan -- Kiss was unnecessary? She knew he was playing her, but she knew why, for his kid. More importantly, he had just risked, and lost, his life to save her. A kiss to a dying man isn't an invitation to hanky-panky, it's thanks and farewell.
December 10, 2012 at 6:30AM ESTLee
December 8, 2012 at 3:32PM EST Reply to Comment"...and why James spent the first half of the season getting drunk at Tani's bar."
Did he need any other reason besides Tani?
Brian
January 11, 2013 at 8:38AM EST Reply to CommentI have really enjoyed Last resort, upset that it is canceled but given the technical goofs of late it is inevitable
The Captain of a "Burke" DDG (Though it looked more like a Perry FFG) using the sea chicken to attack another ship, saying his destroyer was no competition for a SSBN, unable to mount credible defense against ADCAP...lost me there
Brian
January 11, 2013 at 8:39AM EST Reply to CommentI have really enjoyed Last resort, upset that it is canceled but given the technical goofs of late it is inevitable
The Captain of a "Burke" DDG (Though it looked more like a Perry FFG) using the sea chicken to attack another ship, saying his destroyer was no competition for a SSBN, unable to mount credible defense against ADCAP...lost me thereWrite a comment...