The Last Ship

The Last Ship (2014-2018) is an American action drama television series formerly airing on TNT, based on a book of the same name by William Brinkley. The plot revolves around the crew of the US Navy destroyer USS Nathan James as they struggle to survive in a pandemic-hit world.

Season 1

Phase Six [1.1]

[Commander Chandler is livid that Dr Scott has not been honest about her work in the Arctic despite having fought off an attack by Russian forces]

CDR Thomas Chandler: [grabs Scott's biosamples case] I swear to God, I will throw this overboard! I want answers!

Dr Rachel Scott: You want answers? Seven months ago, outside Cairo, there was an outbreak-- a virus of unknown origin. Its genetic structure was like nothing any of us had ever seen. It swept throughout the village, killing everyone that it infected. Egyptian officials claimed the outbreak was contained, but it wasn't. Instead, it continued to mutate and spread. The CDC and the WHO wanted to sample the virus from the victims to create a vaccine. But nothing worked. It was my belief that we needed to find the primordial strain here in the Arctic.

Chandler: The birds.

Scott: They're just the carriers. They pick up the virus from the melting permafrost. We finally found their feeding ground.

Chandler: So you have what you need to stop this thing?

Scott: I won't know until we get it back to the lab. We're running out of time. The virus back home is moving quicker than any of us could've imagined.

Chandler: How would you know that? We've been radio silent since we left Norfolk.

Scott: Because I have my own sat phone.

Chandler: We were at EMCON so no one would know our position!

Scott: We were at EMCON to protect my mission... Not yours. Orders came from the White House.

Chandler: Well, you led the Russians right to us and endangered my entire crew.

Scott: It was imperative that I stay in contact with the labs back home to keep them informed of my progress. I don't think you understand what we're talking about here.

Chandler: Enlighten me.

Scott: When we left Norfolk, the virus was at Phase Two, limited to small clusters in Asia and Africa. We are now at Phase Six-- global pandemic. 80% of the world's population is infected. The world is sick, Captain Chandler... Very sick.

Chandler: Are you telling me the whole world is dying, and they send two people to save it?

Scott: It took weeks to convince the government to even send me here. Most of my colleagues think that I'm insane.

Chandler: Are you?

Scott: I told you... that what's in that case... might be the only hope that we have.

Welcome to Gitmo [1.2]

[having secured Guantanamo Bay of the former Al-Qaeda prisoners]

CDR Thomas Chandler: I don't know how you feel about the water... but we sure could use your services.

Tex Nolan: Where you headed?

Chandler: We got some things to do, but when we're done, we're going home.

Nolan: Yeah, I'll sign up for that.

Dead Reckoning [1.3]

[Commander Chandler talks to Doctor Scott about Admiral Ruskov's demands]

CDR Thomas Chandler: Who else has been working on a vaccine?

Dr Rachel Scott: What, in the world? Everyone.

Chandler: What about the Russians? Were they close?

Scott: I mean, nobody was making any real progress. And I hate to say it, but they're probably all dead anyway. Why?

Chandler: If somebody had the primordial strain of the virus, the stuff you found in the ice, could they make a vaccine?

Scott: I suppose, if they had the right equipment and someone qualified to run it. But they'd be months behind us.

We'll Get There [1.4]

[Flashback to Commander Chandler's preparations to leave for the Arctic deployment]

CDR Thomas Chandler: Darien, I'm not going to the Med. Navy's sending us to the Arctic.

Darien Chandler: The Arctic? That's crazy.

Tom: Some cold-weather test on a new weapon system. It's all classified. It's happening very fast. We're gonna be at complete radio silence. No e-mails, no calls.

Darien: For how long?

Tom: Six months, maybe five.

Darien: Figures.

Tom: It's my last tour for a while. Then I'll be around the house so much, you'll be sick of me, I promise.

El Toro [1.5]

[The team has been caught by el Toro's men]

CDR Thomas Chandler: I'm guessing you must be El Toro.

El Toro: I am, indeed. And who do I have the pleasure of talking to?

Chandler: Tom Chandler, U.S. Navy. Your men took our weapons, CBR suits, and equipment. We're gonna need 'em back.

El Toro: You won't need your suits. There is no virus here. As for your weapons, I cannot have your men walking around with machine guns. That would frighten my people.

Chandler: Well, I'm afraid that's not acceptable. With respect, I don't have time to debate it. The remainder of my crew, some 200-odd U.S. Navy sailors, await our return aboard our destroyer, USS Nathan James, currently in the bay at the mouth of the river. We don't return by 2300 hours, they'll come looking. And rest assured, they will find us.

Lockdown [1.6]

[Chandler talks to the crew over the PA after Dr Scott shows him some prototypes of a Red Flu vaccine]

CDR Thomas Chandler: Good evening, Nathan James. This is the captain. I wanted to inform you all of our progress in the mission. As you know, a small team entered Nicaragua to find primates for Dr. Scott's test, which she hopes will be a vaccine against the virus. While there, we encountered a drug lord who enslaved 150 people. We eliminated his men and we eliminated him, freeing those healthy people there to establish a life for themselves. We also encountered several dozen infected people, including children. Yesterday, we couldn't help them. But perhaps tomorrow, we will be able to, because we came back to the Nathan James with 34 monkeys. Dr. Scott will now conduct her trials on those monkeys. But we... We are not waiting. We're setting a course for home. By the time we get there, we believe Dr. Scott will have a vaccine, and our mission will be completed. Today's a good day. Carry on.

SOS [1.7]

[Flashback to Oslo, Norway, six months before the outbreak]

Niels Sørensen: I don't understand why you won't listen to me. It's a splice overlap PCR reaction with an immune-modulatory gene. It will help the body identify the virus and create antibodies.

Professor Lindblom: Yes, yes. You are young and have a bright career ahead. And don't waste your time with schoolboy science fiction.

Sørensen: The virus is spreading. There are cases being reported beyond the Middle East. It will be in Oslo by winter. It is deadly and will likely mutate. We...

Lindblom: Niels. I am well aware of what's at stake. But what you are proposing is too dangerous. The Australians tried it on mouse pox. It was a complete disaster.

Sørensen: I've already done the experiment.

Lindblom: What?

Sørensen: On myself.

Lindblom: While you were gone. And it worked.

Sørensen: You are mad.

Lindblom: I'm still here.

Sørensen: Absolutely mad.

Lindblom: I'm perfectly healthy. Professor Lindblom, please.

Sørensen: You stay away from my lab. You hear me? I am finished with you! [storms off]

Lindblom: Professor..

Two Sailors Walk Into a Bar... [1.8]

[The Russians have captured Commander Chandler and brought him to Admiral Ruskov aboard the Vyerni]

ADM Konstantin Ruskov: I'd like to treat you with the respect your rank affords, but you are going to have to meet me halfway. Now, tell me of Dr. Scott's progress with the vaccine. She's close, right?

CDR Thomas Chandler: My name is Thomas Chandler, Commander, United States Navy, serial number 4242022634.

Ruskov: There is no need for that. The Geneva Convention doesn't exist anymore. Hell, Geneva doesn't exist anymore! [laughs] Ah... Still won't talk? See, I told you. He would rather go it alone and die than share in the glory of saving the world. Why else would you, the ship's captain, personally lead the mission to save some poor island girl? Like with all tragic heroes, your hubris brought about your downfall. What do you have to say to that, Commander Chandler?

Chandler: My name is Thomas Chandler, Commander, United States Navy, serial number 4242022634.

Trials [1.9]

[CMC Jeter remembers PO Cossetti]

Command Master Chief Russ Jeter: The ceremony will be at 0900. We'll have seven guns and the ensigns at half-mast. It'll be a hero's farewell.

CDR Thomas Chandler: He wanted to redeem himself.

Jeter: He never had to.

Chandler: He gave his life for mine.

Jeter: He gave his life for the mission. And now we're free...

Chandler: To finish it.

No Place Like Home [1.10]

[After seeing that USAMRIID's biological facility has been destroyed, the crew suddenly receives a call from the still-functioning local government]

CDR Thomas Chandler: This is Tom Chandler, commanding officer of the USS Nathan James, over.

Amy Granderson: Captain Chandler. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. We thought you were lost at sea.

Chandler: No, ma'am, we're alive and well.

Granderson: Oh! There you are. I got it. You must be nearby. I'm Amy Granderson. And I suppose an explanation is in order. As vice-chair of the President's defense policy board, I was briefed on your mission to the Arctic. I knew the risks of the coming pandemic, and I had my daughter transferred to your ship. You must forgive me.

Chandler: No apology needed, ma'am. Your daughter's been an incredible asset. Pleased to hear from you. We had no word from the presidential bunker.

Granderson: President Geller invited me underground. I declined. I-I felt the risk was too big to have so much of our civilian and military command in one confined space. Unfortunately, I was right.

Chandler: So the government is gone.

Granderson: For the most part, yes. Since the bunker went silent, there has been a breakdown of infrastructure, general panic, and, of course, a tremendous loss of life. I have tried to execute a contingency plan working with the state and local police to create safe zones. We have been hanging on as best we can. And I have been praying every day for your return.

Season 2

Unreal City [2.1]

[Dr Scott is trying to talk to Amy Granderson]

Amy Granderson: We have successfully taken control of the Nathan James. My people are collecting all your work as we speak. Now, with your research and your samples, Dr. Hamada and his team will eventually learn to make the cure themselves. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if you just agreed to work together?

Dr Rachel Scott: Work together? What, on your Darwinian experiment? Save those that you deem worthy and, what, just forget the rest?

Granderson: Perhaps I was overzealous in... "barbarians at the gate," I believe, is what you called them. Doctor, I watched a grown man beat a 12-year-old boy to death over a gas mask. I saw a woman stab her sister in the back for a can of beans. The apocalypse is here. It's been here for a long time. But I am willing to adjust my philosophy to suit your sensibilities if you just help me get the lab up and running.

Scott: What about the captain? And my friends?

Granderson: The best thing you can do for your friends is to let them know you've decided to cooperate with me. That will end this foolish bloodshed.

Scott: You say you'll help everyone?

Granderson: I will.

Scott: Well, then, prove it.

Granderson: And how do you suggest I do that?

Scott: You're wasting doses here on healthy people. Let me out into the street with what I have left... save people who are already sick. What, you think I'm gonna try to escape?

Granderson: I think it's silly. And given the state of the world, I think it's small.

Fight the Ship [2.2]

[Mike Slattery addresses the people of Baltimore]

CDR Mike Slattery: Attention people of Baltimore. USS Nathan James is back under the control of her crew. This ship is now engaged in the fight to free Baltimore and spread the cure for the Red Flu to all of its citizens. This message goes out to Amy Granderson and all those loyal to her. Nathan James has been liberated and has joined the fight against you. We demand your immediate surrender. Lay down your arms... or be subject to the full force of the United States Navy.

[The Nathan James crew and Thorwald's men have gained the upper hand at Avocet and Granderson is cornered trying to escape]

CDR Thomas Chandler: There are 200 more where I came from. You heard my XO. We've taken back our ship, this building is ours, and we're telling the people of Baltimore that your kill zone at Olympia is out of business. You have two choices... a trial... or a funeral.

Amy Granderson: [to bodyguard] I gave you a direct order. Shoot! [bodyguard wavers and stands down]

Bodyguard: I am not going anywhere with you.

Chandler: I found your daughter lying in a pool of her own blood, shot by your guards, under your order! My children were lined up to be murdered and sent to the ovens, along with thousands of desperate people... all so you can keep the lights on for your select few.

Granderson: You don't know! The virus was spreading! So you get to decide who lives and who dies?! There was panic, Captain, and I remained calm. Everybody was fleeing underground, but I stood firm! There was no plan and I built this. I'm the reason these people have survived this long.

Chandler: Except when you had the cure in hand, you wouldn't stop! You continued killing. It's over. Your grand social experiment is history. I'm offering you the chance. Surrender with honor.

Granderson: And who will judge me? You?

Chandler: Not me. A jury of your peers. Pick up the radio. Stand down your troopers. Shut down Olympia. Turn away your helo and come peacefully. It's the only way for you now.

Granderson: [on radio] Th-this is Amy... This is Amy Granderson. Stand down. Cease and desist all operations at Olympia. Repeat... stand down. We are surrendering. [Radio clatters] I am not a monster. I am not. [brings out vial and swallows] Dr. Hamada assured me that the cocktail provided a quick and painless death. I insisted on it.

It's not a Rumor [2.3]

[The Nathan James study all material recovered from the White House and play a video file labelled SECNAV]

Ray Mabus: [on video] Is this on? Can I start now?

Man: Yes, sir.

Mabus: The U.S. Navy is currently on a mission...

CMC Russ Jeter: It's the secretary of the Navy.

Mabus: ...to find the materials for a vaccine to combat the current deadly pandemic. Now, if y... you're viewing this video, you are a part of the new network of facilities in the United States and certain foreign nations which were chosen to produce and distribute the vaccine in the event their mission is successful. In order to protect the security of the labs in the new network, your locations have been kept secret. However, you'll be able to communicate with the civilian command, with each other via secure satellite connection. The codes for that connection have been embedded within the drive that contains this video. These codes have to be guarded at all cost. If... if and when a vaccine arrives...

CDR Thomas Chandler: No one's decoded this yet?

Lt Kara Foster: No, sir. We didn't know those encryptions existed until just now.

Chandler: Find me those labs. Do it quickly.

Foster: Yes, sir.

Mabus: Godspeed.

Solace [2.4]

[a SEAL operator talks to the Nathan James crew about the situation in Norfolk]

Damon: Me and my team were stationed up in Little Creek. When shit went down, we went inland. We only made it back here a few weeks ago. We got 34 military personnel in town as far as we can tell... some Army, some Marines, but mostly Navy.

CDR Mike Slattery: Our intel says there's a biosafety Level IV lab on base here.

Damon: There was, but the equipment got moved someplace and no one here can tell us where. We've been trying to divide the city into sectors, impose a level of control. We got people holed up in different safe houses... school gym, supermarkets, some of them even running on diesel generators. I don't know if we found them all yet, but we're still in the process of clearing the city.

Slattery: My people are about to head out there soon, try to find their families. Any information I can give them ahead of time will be much appreciated.

[in a cabin in Florida, a man addresses a group of people who applaud at every line he says]

Man: And let me tell you something else... we are more than just survivors! We are more than our grief, we are more than our loss, and we are more than our pain! Yeah. We were spared for a reason. We were spared because we were put on this earth to do something more! We were spared because we're special... because we are the rightful inheritors of the earth. This is our destiny... because we are the chosen! We are the chosen!

[Jed Chandler notices his son Thomas throwing out the garbage]

Jed Chandler: Gonna be puttering around all day?

CDR Thomas Chandler: Just getting the place in order.

Jed: [sighs] Well, I thought you might just be procrastinating... 'cause you don't know how to go back to the ship and tell that crew of yours that you're quitting. Do you not realize that they... that they can't do it without you? What kind of message are you gonna send to them, that you're, uh, George Washington and you've come back to work on your farm? You think because you got a... a lab in Baltimore and six planes with the cure that everything's in hand? The world is in chaos. There's a lot more to do.

Tom: And that crew is trained to do it, with or without me.

Jed: They need you.

Tom: And they don't? [referring to Ashley and Sam] And what if I don't come back? I'm gonna make my kids orphans?

Jed: You think you're the first soldier that had trouble leaving their family behind? Huh? During World War II, English naval captains put their wives and children in bunkers in London and went back out to sea... to fight the Nazis for years.

Tom: Wives and children, Dad. The wives were there.

Jed: [remembers what happened to Darien] I know you, and I know you're beating yourself up, but if you're looking for someone to blame, blame me. I should have never let her go to that town. So cut the shit and quit laying this guilt trip on yourself. There's no time for it. Whether you like it or not, you're Noah and that ship is your Ark.

Achilles [2.5]

[Dr Rachel Scott makes another audio tape entry]

Dr Rachel Scott: Hope. Such a rarified concept these days. High in demand... [sighs] And short in supply. I'm enjoying recording these logs again. Until recently, I had given up on them. With no connection to the outside world, they were serving as little more than just a diary. But now with the satellite network up and running, they have become my trusty carrier pigeons. I am happy to report that the cure has landed safely in labs across the country and in Europe, and I am on my way to you, Dr. Hunter, my friend, my mentor. We'll be stopping first in Savannah to set up a lab there, before heading down to you in Florida with the cure. As promised, I am uploading my data to the secured satellite, and I would love for you to take a look at the work we've done, and get your thoughts on faster methods for replication. Because time, as you well know, is of the essence, and millions still continue to live at risk. So take of yourself, old friend, and I'll be seeing you shortly.

[Carlton Burk is visibly taken aback by IDF Lt Ravit Bivas after she and Wolf are introduced to the Vulture team]

Lt Carlton Burk: Lieutenant Burk, Carlton.

Lt Ravit Bivas: Yeah, sounds great.

Burk: You know, when I was deployed in the Gulf, I spent some time outside Tel Aviv, a town called Gi-Va-Tayim.

Bivas: [Israeli accent] Givatayim.

Burk: Right.

[The Achilles has destroyed all the labs producing the vaccine, and the Nathan James crew is wondering why]

Dr Rachel Scott: I just tested Juan Carlos's blood. It turns out that he's naturally immune.

CDR Thomas Chandler: None of the mercs on Solace were CBR. Is it possible they're all immune? Everyone's like him?

Scott: I cross-referenced his blood against Bertrise's. Natural immunity, as it turns out, is a tad more common than I initially thought. Anywhere between 1% and 5% of the global population. That's how they took Europe.

Chandler: Now their mission is to destroy the cure wherever it exists, on a nuclear-powered sub that never runs out of fuel.

Scott: Yes, but we had the flash drive. How the hell did they know where those labs were?

A Long Day's Journey [2.6]

[Alisha Granderson talks to Dr Scott in the wardroom]

Lt Alisha Granderson: It must have transmitted to the satellite right before the attack.

Dr Rachel Scott: Have you watched it?

Granderson: Only long enough to know that it was for you, ma'am. But even from what I saw... It wasn't easy to watch. [opens video]

Dr Julius Hunter: Rachel, oh, God, I pray this gets to you. Listen, we're... We're under attack, Rachel, but it's important... It's important that you learn this. I've been working with the data you sent me about the cure. And I think I found a way to help. Using what I learned about the measles project... Now, I know you think that's crazy, but it works. I'm sending you the data now. It's here. Look, I don't... Oh, God. Listen, Rachel. It's all worked out. All you have to do is... I just somehow pray that this file gets to you, that you get it off the server, Rachel. [gets interrupted]

MacDowell: Okay.

Hunter: Got to know that... Rachel.

MacDowell: Come on, now. Take it all. We need to find that server. Okay, doc. No. Stand up.

Hunter: Please. Please. [killed by gunshot]

CDR Mike Slattery: Well, that's how they were able to get the locations of all the labs. Stole them from Dr. Hunter.

Scott: He was working on an experiment to turn my liquid injectable version of the cure into a powder so it could be released over populated areas via helicopters, planes, drones, even. I could manufacture a highly concentrated powder right here on the ship. We wouldn't even need labs anymore. So people could breathe in the cure. It would be very much like crop-dusting. Mass inoculations without glassware, needles, all the infrastructure that we no longer have.

CDR Thomas Chandler: Do you think Hunter was actually able to do it?

Scott: I know that he had some good results aerosolizing the measles vaccine, but I won't know until we get down to his lab in Florida.

[Dr Rachel Scott has an idea and presents it to Chandler]

CDR Thomas Chandler: What's that?

Dr Rachel Scott: [Blows] Cornstarch from the chief's mess. It turns out the secret ingredient that I've been looking for was being used to make pancakes.

Chandler: So you found it?

Scott: Well, I have the recipe, and now all I need is to build a machine to manufacture the micro powder, so I was hoping that you might be able to lend me one or two of your capable machinists?

Chandler: I think that can be arranged.

Alone and Unafraid [2.7]

[de facto President Jeffrey Michener tries to think of his speech, with Tom Chandler protecting him]

Jeffrey Michener: "...It is our responsibility as immunes to restore this great nation. And just as God chose Noah to survive the flood of the old testament, he has chosen us to survive this plague that washed away the sins of our world."

CDR Thomas Chandler: Yes.

Michener: Do I sound convincing? Do you believe it?

Chandler: Why, yes. Of course, but I don't have Sean's charisma.

Michener: I watched his videos. I've seen the translations into Spanish, Bulgarian. You don't understand the language, but you believe what he's saying.

Chandler: Bulgaria?

Michener: He has followers everywhere. I used to do Meet the Press every once in a while, but getting in front of crowds like this...

Safe Zone [2.8]

[Jeffrey Michener has been set up in the Nathan James wardroom and wants some answers]

CDR Mike Slattery: Commander Mike Slattery. I'm the Executive Officer of this ship.

Jeffrey Michener: I want to speak to the Captain.

Slattery: Well, he's presently indisposed... Wanted us to get acquainted till he gets here.

Michener: You are aware that kidnapping the President of the United States is a federal offense, punishable by death?

Slattery: The Captain was under the impression he was rescuing you.

Michener: At gunpoint, against my will?

Slattery: Sir, I don't think you realize who the Ramseys are or what their goal is...

Michener: You don't need to tell me anything.

Slattery: No, sir, I don't. Unless you want to be fully informed. I'd like to show you something, if I may. This is from August. She was second in succession... President then. These were her orders to us. [plays video file of President Geller]

President Kelly Geller: Morning, Commander. I know... the last you heard, I was Speaker of the House. The President died two months ago, the Vice-President a week later. What's left of the Federal Government is holed up 200 feet below the White House. Most of our population, along with our armed forces, is dying or dead. We have no allies, we have no enemies... Just a world of sick, desperate people. If Dr. Scott has the makings of a cure, you must come home... now.

Slattery: We came home. Found things not quite as hospitable as we'd hoped. No infrastructure... No government, no orders. So we went to the White House, and we were able to get our hands on many of the Presidential files and directives. This is the secretary of the Navy. I understand you... You knew him pretty well. [plays clip of SECNAV Ray Mabus]

Ray Mabus: The U.S. Navy is currently on a mission to find the materials for a vaccine to combat the pandemic. If you're viewing this video, you are part of the new network of facilities in the United States and certain foreign countries, which were chosen to produce and distribute the vaccine. You'll be able to communicate with the civilian command with each other. Hopefully, you'll then start producing and distributing the vaccine, and we can get to the task of rebuilding our great nation. Godspeed.

Slattery: We have the cure, sir. Dr. Scott was able to produce it right here on this ship. Guess you wouldn't have any need for it yourself. The rest of the world, the ones who aren't lucky enough to be naturally immune... We got to Norfolk, we found pilots, we sent doses around the country and to Europe, as we were ordered to do. The project to mass-produce the cure was well under way, and then we ran into some problems. This is a recording made by one of our scientists. He was trying to get a message through to Dr. Scott. [replays Dr Hunter's entire desperate message to Rachel] You might recognize that Irish accent. Those were Sean Ramsey's people. They gained access to our secret network, the location of all our labs, and they blew them up with their long-range missiles. Destroyed our limited infrastructure, murdered our scientists... All because they believe that they are the inheritors of the earth. That's why Captain Chandler rescued you from the Ramseys. I can only assume you knew nothing about this. I mean, if you did... This is a comprehensive look at Dr. Scott's protocols, experiments, and trials. Complete Captain's logs, combat center records, including our attempt at a response to the Ramseys' assault on our labs. It's not easy to listen to, but I think it'll be informative. I'll let the Captain know that you've been briefed. [leaves]

[Tom Chandler talks to President Michener about what happened to him in the early stages of the pandemic]

CDR Thomas Chandler: You blame yourself. You think you could've done something differently. Somehow, all those people would be alive... Your wife, your daughters? What could you have done differently, Jeff?

President Jeffrey Michener: Nothing. Nothing.

Chandler: We're going to New Orleans. And you're going to help us defeat whoever it is that twisted you all around, but we are never gonna get there until you face whatever it is you can't let go of.

Michener: There's nothing... Nothing to let go of!

Chandler: It was your son, wasn't it?

Michener: He was in Michigan. Summer session at the university.

Chandler: You had him brought down to Florida.

Michener: No.

Chandler: Against CDC protocols!!

Michener: No.

Chandler: There was no way to test him, but he seemed okay, and you let him in the stadium.

Michener: That's not... that's not what happened!

Chandler: I have the records from the White House.

Michener: No, you're wrong!

Chandler: Two days after you brought him to Florida, there was a massive outbreak in Ann Arbor.

Michener: No, please! Please! That's not what happened!

Chandler: The security details... they were lax! You couldn't have known. He infected everyone in that stadium... it was hot! They were careless with their masks! Your wife, your daughters.

Michener: Please! No! No!

Chandler: It was all on you.

Michener: That's not what happened! Stop it!

Chandler: You were the one who was supposed to protect everybody.

Michener: Stop it.

Chandler: And then you stumbled into the immunes, and they told you that it was all meant to be and that you were chosen and your children were not and that all of this was destiny. And it was easy for you to believe because you needed to believe it...

Michener: Because it was the only way to go on.

Chandler: There's another way now. With us.

Michener: I killed my daughters.

Chandler: I know.

Michener: No. No. You don't.

Chandler: Then tell me. It's just you and me... Nobody else. Tell me.

Michener: After my son died... And my daughters started getting the symptoms... My wife... She begged me to put them out of their misery b-b-before it became... And I did it. [Voice breaking] With my own bare hands. I smothered them in their sleep. But Hollie... She woke up. A-and she struggled. And that's the last thing she ever felt was her father betraying her. [Sniffles] So... What do you say about that?

Uneasy Lies in the Head [2.9]

[Tom Chandler talks to Jeter about President Michener's mental stability]

CDR Thomas Chandler: He's not ready... Not yet, at least.

CMC Russ Jeter: He's come a long way in a short time, Sir.

Chandler: And I want you to get him the rest of the way there. Be his guide, his preacher, his father, his friend... Whatever he needs.

Jeter: Aye, sir.

[Ravit Bivas reflects on how Israel was hit by the virus]

LT Ravit Bivas: I was stationed in the West Bank for three years, another two in Gaza. Thought I'd seen everything. Then this pandemic broke out. And I thought, you know, maybe now we have this common enemy. We even have this cure that we want to give to people. Maybe, just maybe, we'll stop killing each other. But nothing's changed. It's all the same.

Friendly Fire [2.10]

[At the ship's ringing of the 12 noon bell, Chandler talks to Dr Scott about her progress in developing a vaccine]

CDR Thomas Chandler: I was hoping to get an update on your progress.

Dr Rachel Scott: Well, I have a new plan. I was able to isolate the mutation in Niels' lungs that make him so contagious. And I introduced it to my vaccine. I injected myself with it about an hour ago, and then I breathed on an infected mouse, the same way that Niels used to breath on people as a way to kill them. If this works, if the mouse survives, in effect... I'll be able to breathe the cure onto people. And so will anyone else that I give this new shit to, which means that we won't need any more labs, any more infrastructure, or planes. All our problems will be solved.

Chandler: Except one. [Inhales deeply] Did you do it?

Scott: [scoffs] Oh, God. Are you really asking me this?

Chandler: That's exactly what I'm asking you.

Scott: The man who killed five billion people, including your wife and most of your crew's family, is dead. And now his lungs are gonna be used to save the rest of the people on this planet...

Chandler: Goddamit, Rachel!

Scott: Yes, I did it! And I'd do it again in a beat.

Chandler: I saw you a half-hour before I left the ship. You told me you were on the verge of a breakthrough.

Scott: I was!

Chandler: But you didn't tell me you had to kill Niels to do it.

Scott: I was hoping to avoid getting blood on your hands.

Chandler: I already have blood on my hands. You put it there.

[The Nathan James is hailed just after the New Orleans survivor fleet is destroyed]

CDR Thomas Chandler: This is Captain Chandler.

Sean Ramsey: Hello, Tommy. Given up on the Secret Service? Hope you enjoyed the fireworks. My boys worked hard on them.

Chandler: You just sent 10,000 people to their deaths. Stop hiding behind civilians.

Ramsey: You want to fight?

Chandler: Come out and fight. Let's go. You against me.

Ramsey: Oh, it won't just be me, captain. You see, the number of your enemies is about to multiply.

Valkyrie [2.11]

[The Nathan James receives a strange broadcast amidst distress calls from New Orleans]

Sean Ramsey: People of the surrounding area, my name is Sean Ramsey. I'm a lieutenant commander in the British Royal Navy. I came here as an ally of your United States Navy, but that was before I learned the truth. About the secret lab experiments, the release of the deadly virus by your military, and the subsequent government cover-up. By now, many of you will have seen the horrible video captured by witnesses on the scene. The US Navy ship that attacked New Orleans harbor was flying the American flag, but it doesn't represent you good people. That ship is a key part of a larger conspiracy to take over this country, and it won't be stopped until you are dead and a new world order is established. I know it's heartbreaking and Difficult to believe. But soon, you will have more evidence of the US Navy's role in creating the deadly virus. That is why we have created this mobile network to get out the truth... I am here to tell you that you are not alone. We Brits have not forgotten our special relationship with America... And to the captain of the USS Nathan James, who has kidnapped the American president and wreaked havoc on this great nation, hear this. We are coming for you. You cannot hide from justice. No matter where you go, there will be no safe harbor.

Cry Havoc [2.12]

[Tom Chandler talks to President Michener about the situation they face]

CDR Thomas Chandler: Mr. President, as of today, this ship has gone from being one of the safest places on earth to one of the most dangerous. You'll disembark with a team of our most experienced operators, led by the XO, along with the other assets we can't afford to lose.

US President Jeffrey Michener: I understand about the cure, about Dr. Scott, and about the children, but I'm the commander-in-chief...

Chandler: Which is why you need to be protected at all costs. You saw what happened the last time we faced these guys. There's no real choice here, sir.

[Kara and Danny have a moment before the away team deploys]

Lt Danny Green: Kara. This sub... You've beaten them before. You'll sink it this time.

Lt Kara Foster: Don't you dare make me raise this child by myself.

Green: That will not happen. Okay?

A More Perfect Union [2.13]

[President Michener makes a video message]

US President Jeffrey Michener: This is President Jeffrey Michener addressing all Americans from the Navy ship the USS Nathan James, which is now entering the heart of this great nation, the Mississippi river. We are survivors of this great plague, just as you are. We have struggled, just as you have, and we still have great hope in the future, just as you do. I know that you've stayed alive this long by isolating yourselves... And your families, that many of you have been living in fear, Fear of the virus, fear of each other... Fear of the unknown. There have been people out there who have taken advantage of that. Despicable rumors and misleading videos have been broadcast from this network, lies designed to manipulate you, to make you believe that this ship and the people on it are your enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth. The men and women on this ship are some of the bravest, noblest that I have ever met, and it is an outrage that their commitment to bring all of us the cure has been undermined by those who thrive on your fear. I can tell you now that we do have the cure for the Red Flu. Attached to this message is video footage where you can see for yourself our doctor attending and curing patients sick with the virus. It is our mission now to spread this cure to as many of you as we can. At noon tomorrow, the 18th, we expect to land at the docks in Vicksburg, where we will remain in port for six hours. On the 20th, we'll arrive in Tennessee. We have made contact with a few brave citizens at the college of Memphis. Our team will meet people there at 9:00 A.M., again, for a period of six hours. We'll end our journey at 10:00 A.M. the following day, the 21st, at the port of St. Louis. It's time to turn the tide and the bloodshed, put the past behind us, and heal this great nation, all of us together. Thank you.

[Dr Scott is heading back to her room, but encounters a strange man]

Man: Hi. Are you the lady who made the cure?

Dr Rachel Scott: Yes.

Man: Can I get it?

Dr Scott: Well, weren't you in the park earlier?

Man: No. I missed the party.

Dr Scott: Well, with so many people exposed, it's likely you caught it just walking into the hotel.

Man: Still, I'd like to get it from you... [walks closer] For history and all. How close do you have to be?

Dr Scott: Uh... That's close enough.

Man: Yeah. I think so. Sic semper tyrannis! [pulls out pistol and shoots Scott, then leaves her dead]

Season 3

The Scott Effect [3.1]

[President Michener addresses the nation]

US President Jeffrey Michener: This is President Jeffrey Michener. As usual, I speak to you from the historic Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri. On this, the 154th day of my presidency, I'm happy to announce that our American reconstruction plan continues on pace. In fact, if you're hearing me over an electric radio in the four corner states or seeing me for the first time on television, you already know that the Johnson hydroelectric plant is back online, providing consistent power to much of the Southwest. And from all over the country, we have more reports of Americans joining forces to fix the broken pieces of our nation. Yes, the American spirit is alive and well. Today, many of you will receive your newly printed ration cards to be used for all essential purposes. A reminder... These are not a replacement for U.S. currency. We continue to work with the banks to ensure everyone has access to their money and their property, but until our productivity can keep up with demand, these cards will ensure citizens are granted equal access to available goods. We ask for your continued patience and your help with this implementation. Dr. Rachel Scott's murder came as a shock to us all, but she died knowing that she brought life back to this great nation. And her sacrifice will not be forgotten. This St. Louis radio hub will continue to bring you updates and information, along with your local stations as they come online. Of course, I'll be back tomorrow to speak with you directly. Until then, I thank you for your contributions and your courage. This project will succeed because of you. May God bless you and the United States of America.

[Tom Chandler talks to Chinese President Peng about the rollout of vaccines in Asia]

President Peng Wu: China is still a great nation.

CAPT Thomas Chandler: President Michener hoped that you would be our partner in this endeavor.

Peng: And we are. But there is only so much we can do. We are under constant attack by warlords, pirates, and our own neighbors. Vietnam continues to confront us on our southern borders. And what does America do to help, Captain? You deliver more cure to my enemies.

Chandler: I think you got the wrong idea. Nathan James landed in sovereign Vietnamese territory on a humanitarian mission.

Peng: A humanitarian mission. And yet you deliver the cure using a guided missile destroyer. So tell me, Captain, do I really have the wrong idea?

Rising Sun [3.2]

[President Michener is contacted by President Peng]

US President Jeffrey Michener: Do you have some news for us?

Chinese President Peng Wu: I'm afraid I do. It seems that Captain Chandler's plane had some very serious engine trouble as it tried to take off from our airport. Unfortunately, the plane went down.

Michener: Plane went down? Are there any survivors?

Peng: We are searching the waters now... but we are not hopeful.

Allison Shaw: We walked right into this.

Michener: It is certainly suspicious, Mr. President, with what happened in Vietnam.

Peng: As I have told you, there are many rogue elements operating in the region. We suspected pirates at first, but your pilot radioed in with engine trouble. We are sending the transmission now between your pilot and our air traffic control.

Michener: Yes. Obviously, we'd very much like to hear that recording.

Peng: I assure you we will conduct a thorough investigation and keep you fully informed.

Michener: Well, we appreciate that, President Peng, and we will speak soon. [Peng hangs up]

Shaw: You're not buying that, are you?

Michener: I'm not jumping to any conclusions, and neither should anyone in this room. Let's hear that transmission.

Shanzhai [3.3]

[Tom has a conference call with President Michener]

CAPT Thomas Chandler: All that said, we have no concrete leads right now to help us find our people.

US President Jeffrey Michener: But you're certain Peng is behind this.

Chandler: He blew up our plane, to be sure But we have reason to believe that pirates from Shanzhai were responsible for the attack in Vietnam.

Michener: So... We sortie the ships in Okinawa. Shackleton and Hayward can be in the region in a matter of days.

Chandler: I appreciate that, sir, but those ships need to be in Japan, investigating the possibility of the virus mutation. And a larger presence here may draw attention, and it could be counterproductive. I need a lower profile.

Michener: You? You're the Chief of Naval Operations and, for all intents and purposes, the head of our entire military. I need you running our global operations from here.

Chandler: Sir, the James is without its senior leadership. I can't just leave anybody...

Michener: I understand your loyalty to your people, Tom.

Chandler: This isn't just about my people. You sent me here because the region is a tinderbox. I need to stay here now and find out why this happened, what the bigger play is... Not just to save my crew. Though I believe that will be the first step, sir.

Michener: I want to know where you're going and what you're doing at all times.

Chandler: Understood, sir.

Michener: Bring 'em home, then.

Chandler: I will.

[Wolf Taylor and Jesse tinker with her chopper at the Nathan James hangar]

Jesse: So, where'd you learn to fly? RAAF?

Wolf Taylor: Australian Antarctic.

Jesse: No, you're lying.

Taylor: Rich pricks love their volcanoes.

Sasha Cooper: Hey. How long till your bird can fly?

Jesse: Not soon enough. Then I'm out of here and this will all be a bad memory.

Cooper:You're going?

Jesse: That's what I said. I'd say we should keep in touch, but that's not your thing.

Cooper: Jesse. We need you.

Jesse: I got you here. Now I got to get back to what I do.

Cooper: Your cover's blown. You'll be the dead the minute you hit Chinese airspace.

Jesse: So I'll go to Phnom Penh or Mandalay. They need cure. I was headed there next, anyway.

Cooper: Look, I get it, all right? You're mad at me. But these people are the only ones strong enough to take on Peng and the people who kill your brother. If you want to help the rest of the world, you should be helping them.

Jesse: This isn't my fight. [Dumbstruck, Cooper walks off and Wolf looks at Jesse before dropping his hammer, indicating he's not helping her anymore]

Devil May Care [3.4]

[Takehaya parades the Nathan James crew he captured in Vietnam]

Takehaya: America, I want you to see this. You have inhabited our lands and our seas for far too long. The plague has killed, but you're killed more. We want you out. So, Jeffrey Michener, you will hear my demands. There are two U.S. Navy destroyers at the port in Okinawa. You will order them to turn around and move out of Asian waters. I have already executed one of your sailors. Do not test me. If you do not comply within 36 hours, the executions will continue.

[Slattery is curious about the frequent blood transfusions]

CAPT Mike Slattery: What's with all the blood, anyway? Cure not good enough for you?

Takehaya: The American cure is no cure. We were wiped out.

Slattery: Then you didn't have the real cure.

Takehaya: [shows vial] My dose. Made in USA.

Slattery: Doesn't make any sense.

Takehaya: The virus would've killed me. But I got lucky. I got shot. A transfusion from a cured person. The next morning, the symptoms were gone. But... it didn't last.

Slattery: That's why you started hunting fresh blood. Our blood. You went to a lot of trouble to get me and my people. Why us?

Takehaya: You needed to pay for what you did to my country.

Slattery: Look. We had... we had reports of possible mutation. What if those reports are right? What you're doing is making things worse. You can't send the ships back to America, you got to send them into Japan. Let them investigate. Our doctors will help. They'll help. I give you my word.

Takehaya: Your word means nothing.

Minefield [3.5]

[President Michener is trying to keep the peace between the regional government representatives]

US President Jeffrey Michener: Gentlemen, Mrs. Price, I'll remind you that we were sitting around this table just five months ago. We put our hands together and we agreed that this was the best arrangement for the country under reconstruction. The presidency, here, in St. Louis with the Chief of Staff and my Secretary of Foreign Affairs chosen from your regions. Senator Beatty with the constitutional authority to ratify certain new laws, and I thank you for that... and an expectation that all of you would try to maintain control over your regions until we sorted out how the boundaries could be drawn or whether or not we needed to elect new governors. Now, we've got congressional elections coming up next month, after which the people, through the voice of the new Congress, can decide whether or not to retain my policies. Until then, I say this... get a handle on your people. If you can't and you really fear rioting, I will not hesitate to use the full force of our armed forces to maintain order in this country. Now, I have a job to do, and so do you. As your president, I advise all of you to get to it. Thank you for coming and have a safe trip back.

[Tom Chandler talks to Kara Green]

CAPT Tom Chandler: Kara, it's May 27th. I'm recording this message at... 11:22 hours local time, South China sea. You should know Danny will be assigned off the ship, but in case we don't make it out of here... please forward the following message to my children. Mm. Ashley, Sam... I hope to God you never see this. But if you do... I wanted you to know... I wake up every day proud of you. Please never forget that. Be brave. Be kind to each other. Help each other whenever you can. And listen to your grandad once in a while. He's a pain, but the older I get, the smarter he seems to be. I wish I could have been there more. I hope you know that.

Dog Day [3.6]

Takehaya: Your friends will die, but you will live, and you'll be tied to me for as long as your heart pumps blood.

In the Dark [3.7]

[Danny Green writes a letter to Javier Cruz' family]

LT Danny Green: Dear Maria, earlier this morning, our team executed a mission to rescue the sailors who were taken from Vietnam. We were successful, but not without losses. Your brother, Javier, was among the three brave sailors who gave their lives in the operation. This was not the first time he put himself in harm's way for his shipmates. And I can honestly say that I'm alive today because of him. Javier was more than a sailor, Maria. He was a hero. He was not alone in his last moments. His last thoughts were of you and his beloved nephews. Javier never gave up and never gave in. And he lives on in the hearts of those of us who were lucky to serve with him. God bless.

[Tom Chandler visits a now-captured Takehaya]

CAPT Tom Chandler: I want details about what happened after you received the cure. You can keep fighting us, thinking we're monsters, or you can cooperate, help us figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Takehaya: I heard the call over the radio. The Americans are coming with the cure. We rushed to the port, thousands of us. Survivors. The ships arrived. American ships. And we lined up to receive our injections. They told us to spread out, to pass the cure on to the rest of our people. Soon... there was no way to tell who had the cure and who did not.... because everyone died.

Chandler: But other than the U.S. Navy, who had custody of the cargo once it landed? Could someone have tampered with the doses on the pier?

Takehaya: No.

Chandler: How can you be so sure? We delivered to dozens of countries on this ship. We always worked with the local partners...

Takehaya: I was a local partner, Captain. My crew was there. We'd made sure everyone received a dose. I was in charge. I was responsible.

Chandler: That's why you wanted those ships out of Okinawa. That's why you wanted to punish the people that brought you the cure. But why work with Peng?

Takehaya: I did not work with Peng.

Chandler: Oh, come on. The coincidence is too great. You kidnapped my men in Haiphong at precisely the same moment Peng blows up my plane in Hong Kong?

Takehaya: I do not call that coincidence, Captain. I call that luck.

[President Michener is forced to come on TV after reports of his gaffe early in the pandemic come to light]

US President Jeffrey Michener: My fellow Americans, by now, many of you heard about the reports from Florida and my time spent there. I wanted to take a moment to tell you the truth directly from me. I did not know that my son, Brian, was the carrier of the Red Flu at the time. I did bring him down to Florida from an area that I knew could be infected. As a father, I acted out of desperation. But as a public servant, I was derelict in my duties. Now, as your President, I humbly offer my sincerest apology.

Jacob Barnes: Contrition from the President. Since the release of that statement an hour ago, St. Louis White House remains on virtual lockdown, with no comments from his aides and no further information to support the President's statement. At this time of uncertainty, I will continue to pursue this story wherever it leads. Jacob Barnes, AMT News.

Sea Change [3.8]

[The Nathan James crew examines a jury-rigged missile they caught during an operation, noting that it carries an aerosol-based substance designed to resist the Red Flu vaccine ]

CAPT Mike Slattery: That's what Peng's hoarding. He could fire those missiles over uncured populations, so when the cure finally does arrive... It doesn't work.

Sasha Cooper: That boat was headed to Taiwan on a run. Jesse saw the missile near Vietnam.

Takehaya: And my wife saw the mist in Japan. By the time we got to the ports to receive the cure, it was already too late.

Paradise [3.9]

[Captain Chandler briefs President Oliver about the aerosol bioweapon developed by the Chinese at Paraiso Island]

President Howard Oliver: And how certain are you of this intelligence?

CAPT Tom Chandler: Fairly certain. Peng is too smart to do this out in the open. He'd build and transport these weapons out of sight to conceal his involvement.

Oliver: And what do you need from me?

Chandler: Sir, Shackleton and Hayward have been running in circles since this whole thing began. I'd like them to join us. We're gonna need them to take on Peng and what's left of his navy.

Oliver: My understanding is that President Michener once offered you those ships and you turned him down, choosing to run this operation solo.

Chandler: Yes, sir.

Oliver: And since then, you've left a lot of bodies in your wake, many of them American sailors. Captain, we don't know each other well, but you need to know that if my first act in office is to declare war on China, I'd like to base it on something more than the testimony of smugglers and pirates.

Chandler: Of course, sir.

Oliver: Go to this Paraiso island, find the source of these missiles, tie it to Peng, and I'll do everything in my power to help you finish him off. Consider those two ships under your command.

Chandler: Thank you, sir.

Oliver: Good luck.

[Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alex Rivera talks to Kara Green]

SFA Alex Rivera: Kara, glad I caught you.

Lt Kara Foster-Green: Secretary Rivera. What brings you to my office?

Rivera: I'm worried, Kara.

Green: About what, sir?

Rivera: About you, about whose team you're on.

Green: Sir, I am just as committed to the recovery of the United States as I was when I first landed in St. Louis with Captain Chandler.

Rivera: Ah, yes. The great Captain Chandler. The legend, the man that we devoted enormous amounts of time and resources to get out of trouble.

Green: I understand your concern, sir, but now that Captain Chandler has uncovered a genocide in Asia...

Rivera: A-Alleged genocide. Kara, you have to remember, we're living in a post-apocalypse. Facts and truths are just as much the victim of this plague as everything else. Right now, the best thing we can do is focus on the American people.

Green: I'm not sure exactly what you're suggesting. Can you be more specific?

Rivera: What I'm suggesting, Kara, is that while everyone is looking eastward, our country is collapsing beneath our feet. And when the chips fall, it's important you know who your friends are. Is that clear enough?

Green: Yes, sir.

Rivera: I'm glad.

[After the White House learns of the Chinese destroying the USS Shackleton and damaging the USS Hayward as they were reinforcing the Nathan James, Allison Shaw gets a little bit forceful on President Howard Oliver]

White House chief of staff Allison Shaw: Mr. President, through no fault of your own, you've stepped through the looking glass into the birth of a new America. The pandemic, the millions of deaths, the complete collapse of law and order demands a revolution of governance.

President Howard Oliver: Revolution? You mean coup d'etat. Who are you working with? Castillo?

Shaw: Castillo, Price, Wilson, Croft. America can no longer be governed by a central power, not now. Each region must look after itself.

Oliver: Sons of bitches. I knew it.

Shaw: Relax, Howard. This is a good thing. You knew that Michener was moving too fast, that America wasn't healthy enough to go back to the way things were. There are no states. There are no cities. There are only tribes scrambling out of the mud over the bodies of 300 million dead Americans. Face it, Howard... Democracy is a luxury that we can no longer afford.

Oliver: This is crazy. I mean, what the hell are you talking about?

Shaw: By now, Senator Beatty and Secretary Rivera are dead. If you try to contact any of your allies in the city, the consequences will be swift... As swift as they were for Jeffrey Michener.

Oliver: You're insane. That's it. Y-You've gone completely insane.

Shaw: Do you understand me, Howard? Your family, your friends... None of them will be safe if you do not play ball. Take a minute and think about it before you make any decisions you'll later regret. Everybody likes you, Howard. It's a big table, and there's a place for you at it as long as you go with the program. Have I made myself completely clear? This office is your home now. I'll see you in the morning. We've got a lot of work to do.

Scuttle [3.10]

[Kara Green and Jacob Barnes pore over a batch of data purloined from the White House, one of which is a map defining the US as regional territories with a splotch of red dots they think are storage facilities for basic necessities]

Lt Kara Foster-Green: Maybe that's what the dots are.

Jacob Barnes: No. The dots are prisons. Check them out.

Green: Benton, Arkansas.

Barnes: Yep.

Green: Bismarck, North Dakota. Big Spring, Texas.

Barnes: Yep and yep. 46 prisons for a population our size? All maximum security. And they're spread out evenly in the territories.

Green: There's controlling the troops, hoarding the food, and expecting people to resist.

Barnes: Beatty must've been getting cold feet. That's why he didn't go to the funeral.

Green: That's why he was trying to get to Rivera.

[Captain Joseph Meylan convenes a court-martial for Captain Chandler in the wake of an arrest warrant signed by President Oliver under duress]

CAPT Joseph Meylan: Captain Chandler... Before we begin, you're entitled to make an opening statement.

CAPT Thomas Chandler: I've spent half my life in the Navy. Like you, I did everything right. Worked my way through the pipeline just to get my chance to lead. Nathan James was my first command. Suddenly... I was thrust into a situation that no one can prepare you for. The world was turned upside-down, and all the rules were thrown out. But... the Navy taught me many things. Most importantly, it taught me to adapt. I had to make some difficult decisions. God knows I made some mistakes. But never once did I waver from what I knew to be right... The core values that run through all of our veins. Honor... courage... commitment. And I served my sailors as they served me and as we all serve this great country of ours. I didn't ask for this. I could've taken this uniform off at any time. But I always believed in the work that we were doing as a team, and the decisions that I was making as a captain. And though my tactics changed to address an insane world... my resolve and my dedication to the Navy never faltered. I stand by my record.

[Slattery and his men enter the room with weapons drawn]

Meylan: What the hell is this? [sees that the men are all from the Nathan James] I see. This was never about your guilt or innocence.

Chandler: You forced our hand here, Captain. There was a moment today... where I actually had my doubts. Thank you for removing those for me. When the chips fall, if I'm proven wrong, I'll face justice from a higher power than you. Cooper, Green, please remove the officers and sequester them in Helo Bay 2.

Lt Danny Green: Gladly.

Chandler: Captain, I need you to set a new course for Japan.

CAPT Mike Slattery: Yes, sir.

Legacy [3.11]

[The Nathan James crew has successfully killed Peng and his men at the Japanese National Archives]

CAPT Tom Chandler: Peng's only destroyer now belongs to me. You should know Cobra Team found a payload of anti-cure missile on board. According to the crew, that's the last of it.

Takehaya: So... it is done. The rest of Asia won't suffer as we did.

Chandler: Let's get you home.

Takehaya: I am home, Captain Chandler. I want to remain here... [Exhales deeply] On Japanese soil.

Chandler: Takehaya.

Takehaya: Kaito. My name is Kaito. Like my son.

[With President Howard Oliver rescued by Kara Green, Jacob Barnes, and Tex Nolan just as he was about to announce the decentralization of the US, Allison Shaw suddenly takes the stage further pinning President Michener's death and other events on the Nathan James]

White House chief of staff Allison Shaw: ... We are strong people, and we have survived worse than this. And those who still love life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have come together and formulated a plan to move forward. So in the absence of any working federal government, and deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, your regional leaders, Price, Castillo, Wilson, and Croft hereby call for the immediate suspension of the government of the United States. Each region will be able to govern itself and focus on reconstruction until such time as a central authority can be safely reestablished.

CAPT Thomas Chandler: Yeah. In other words, never.

Shaw: By the time you hear these words, control of the Armed Forces will have been split among the regional leaders, and I would like to assure you that the military turnover has been peaceful, thanks to an unprecedented collaboration between the nation's highest-ranking generals and your four regional leaders. All enlisted men and women are to report to regional military offices immediately to become part of one of four localized armies under the command...

LT Alisha Granderson: Captain, I can't get the generals on the line... Any of them. I tried to raise an entire Naval base. It's a coup, Captain.

Shaw: Thank you and God bless.

Chandler: Those men are already dead.

CDR Andrea Garnett: If there's no military, what's that mean for us?

Chandler: It means we're all alone.

CAPT Mike Slattery: We lost our country, Tom.

Chandler: Not yet. Captain, set a course for Naval Base San Diego, all ahead full. Take us home.

Resistance [3.12]

[Regional leader Manuel Castillo has been captured and brought to the Nathan James]

Manuel Castillo: Tom Chandler. Saved America from the virus, and they loved you for it. Then they got hungry. They miss things like heat, clean water, and Wi-Fi. They don't have any time for heroes now. So do your victory dance, and when the filthy masses turn against you, give me a call. I'll show you how to keep them in line.

CAPT Thomas Chandler: But I will never cooperate. Here's the deal, Manuel... From here on out, you no longer get to decide what you will and will not do. See, you had the chance to kill me, again, and you blew it... again. So you will cooperate.

Castillo: And why is that?

Chandler: Your army turned on you without hardly a shot fired. Once your partners find out you lost control of your region and Beatty's... They will cut you out like the cancer you are. And let's not underestimate the "filthy masses." Once they hear what you're really about, you'll need more than an army to keep them in line. But we can always drop you back off at the depot, see for ourselves.

Don't Look Back [3.12]

[Tex Nolan has convinced Tom Chandler not to kill Allison Shaw, but falls from a side wound]

Tex Nolan: You're a good man. [dies]

Allison Shaw: Go ahead. Take me away. It won't matter. Somebody else will take my place, somebody who sees the world for what it is and seizes the opportunity. The people are too wounded and scared to think for themselves. Today they follow you, but tomorrow, they will find another golden calf to worship. That much I've learned. Are you so naive? Captain, ‭you didn't save the world. You unleashed the worst in human nature. You really want to save the people, you need to terrorize them. You need to take them by the neck and shake them. You need to be more terrible so that they don't have to be, and deep down inside, you know it's true. The America you believe in is gone!

[Chandler takes a moment before he finally shoots Shaw dead]

[Chandler reflects as he prepares to leave the Nathan James]

CAPT Thomas Chandler: I speak to you today a humbled man. I've made mistakes. I was silent when I should have spoken out. I ran when I should have stood and fought. But in adversity, we find strength and courage. The great Naval Captain Nimitz once said "God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right, even though I think it hopeless." Stand with me. Fight with me. Because together, we can move forward. Together, we can be strong again.

Season 4

In Medias Res [4.1]

[The Nathan James secures provisions at Navy Station Rota, and as the crew transfer foodstuffs]

Gas Turbine System Technician First Class Michael O'Connor: [holds apple] So this could be one of the world's last apples?

Chief Culinary Specialist Bernie "Bacon" Cowley: Nah, virus hasn't hit apples yet.

O'Connor: Yet?

Cowley: Six months ago, we said the same thing about corn.

[Cali sits with Chandler as he prepares to go after her father, Alex, dies when Giorgio Vellek destroys their fishing boat]

Cali: You are leaving. I can see it in your eyes.

CAPT Tom Chandler: Alex told me that I couldn't run from destiny. I left home because I was confused... between justice and revenge.

Cali: And now?

Chandler: I want both.

The Pillars of Hercules [4.2]

[Tom Chandler, as Nobody, receives a glass of wine after defeating Moose]

CAPT Tom Chandler: Thank you very much. [sips] First-growth Bordeaux.

Lucia Vellek: You have nice taste in wine, for a fisherman.

Chandler: Just reading the label.

Vellek: You shouldn't let it go to waste. Could be the last growth.

[Danny calls up the Nathan James as they are trapped by Bin Dalik's men trying to disable a mobile missile launcher on the cliffside at Gibraltar]

Sasha Cooper: We can't wait!

Lt Danny Green: Weapon now armed and locked! Requesting danger close fire mission! One five-inch round. I authenticate... Whiskey Lima Tango Niner Zero. Danger close. Confirm!

LT Kara Foster-Green: [Sighs] We copy, Vulture. Set one five-inch round. Over. Batteries release. Kill target with guns.

[The Nathan James fires one round. Danny, Wolf and Sasha jump off the cliff before the shell hits the launcher]

Bread and Circuses [4.3]

[a man wraps up Chandler's hands]

Man: [in Italians] Next, hands. Give me your hands.

CAPT Tom Chandler: I'm good.

Man: Oh, you speak English, huh? Give me your hands. I'm gonna wrap 'em. You seem pretty calm for a guy facing death.

Chandler: I've faced worse.

Man: Oh, a warrior, huh? Yeah. Well, I've had my fill of warriors.

Chandler: You picked a funny profession.

Man: What, this? Oh, this is just a side gig, man. Here, they call me Il Dottore.

Chandler: You're a doctor?

Man: Philosophy. Everybody needs a philosopher, right? Especially now, this End of Days shit.

Chandler: And you just hand out wisdom?

Man: Indeed, I do. And here's your dose for today, man. Every single civilization since man walked out of a cave... Greece, Rome, Vikings, Asia, Aztecs, Africa... It's been ravaged and then decimated and devoured by the same set of fangs, and it ain't famine or plague or even war, in all of its lame excuse. It's the urge, man. The urge. Always dormant in our primordial brains, waiting like an arched leopard to pounce and butcher whatever the hell it smells for its own gratification. Did you know the leopard and the house cat are the only two animals besides man who kill for sport? For sport, man. Just for the buzz of bloodletting. Violence is an urge, brother. It's our urge. And if it were up to me, I'd cry havoc, slip the dogs of war back on the leash. Get 'em back protecting the sheep. Know what I'm saying?

Chandler: Then who's the shepherd?

Man: So you're a philosopher, too. [takes hand wraps and puts on some powder] Little herbal concoction. Get a little of this in the other guy's eyes... Poof, fight's over. If you gotta go to war, make it quick. [Snaps fingers] Bocca lupo. You know what that means?

Chandler: Into the wolf's mouth.

Man: Right on. Good luck.

[Cobra and Vulture teams are on the ground in Sardinia... and chance upon Tom Chandler at a local fight club]

Announcer: [in Italian] Who is brave enough to fight Hercules?

Man: [obviously drunk] I'll fight him. [stumbles trying to get past the ropes and everybody laughs at him]

Announcer: [in Italian] Get out of here.

Man: I'll tear him into pieces! Let's go. Giorgio... [Giorgio Vellek throws bottle at his feet. It shatters and everybody laughs at the man being startled]

Distant voice: [in English] I'll fight him! [Mike Slattery appears]

Announcer: [in Italian] Damn, what a big companion! People, our champion certainly has his work cut out for him today! [rings the bell]

Crowd: Hercules! Hercules!

CAPT Mike Slattery: Hercules? New call sign?

CAPT Tom Chandler: You like it? [Chuckles] Come on now. Make it look good. [the men parry but Slattery gets one good hit] I probably deserved that. [the men lock up; whispers] Let me guess... You're here for seeds.

Slattery: How'd you know that?

Chandler: They're in the basement.

Slattery: You're on the inside in this?

Chandler: Buyer's in the VIP box.

Slattery: Good thing I brought the whole gang.

Nostos [4.4]

[The man who wrapped Tom Chandler's hands is livid at Lucia and Giorgio]

il Dottore: You two are the butt of the biggest con since Ulysses jumped out of a wooden horse. Tom Chandler, on my yacht, in my house. And you two let it happen. I was that close to that guy. I was that close. He could've recognized me.

Giorgio Vellek: I didn't know it was Tom Chandler. I-I thought he was just a fisherman.

il Dottore: What did you say? What did you say to me? Hmm? What did you say to me?

Giorgio Vellek: I thought he was just a fisherman.

il Dottore: A fisherman. You thought. God, Giorgio, we are in the midst of a tectonic shift of a paradigm of human behavior. Now is not the time for you to think!

Allegiance [4.5]

[Flashback to a college lecture with Dr Vellek presiding]

Dr Paul Vellek: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Climate, disease, famine terrify us. And our terror begets chaos, aggression, and violence. And there's your end of days, man. World of hazards shifts at the speed of light... [snaps fingers] and we are neither poised, facile, or quick enough to adapt, thus, we panic, accelerate into hysteria, and kill each other. And this deficiency is exactly what destroyed every single civilization before us and is exactly what threatens to obliterate us now if we do not rapidly resolve ourselves to the hard problems and salvation that lie within evolutionary biology. And this is where I come in. [students laugh] Face it, natural evolution is a bust, man. Natural evolution used to be smart, but now it's half-baked and inefficient. Remember the appendix? Who the hell needs the appendix now? Appendix has been rolling around inside of us like dead weight for more than a millennium. Natural evolution is done. But with transgenic coding, we seize an immediate future wherein all people of all cultures can acclimate, adjust, and conform to any challenge of a dynamic planet in less than one single generation. And it is not just our bodies that will step on the gas, but our minds. Think about that for a second.

[Mike Slattery visits Chandler at the captain's private quarters]

CAPT Mike Slattery: Captain, a word? [closes door] Since you seem so keen on joining our fight... Every active ship in the fleet has a copy of these orders. This is a full Presidential pardon for any crimes you may have committed during the recent Constitutional crisis. This reactivates your commission, reinstituting you to the active duty rank of Captain. All that's required now is your signature. And you taking the oath again.

CAPT Tom Chandler: I left this ship for a reason.

Slattery: And yet somehow, here you are. This ship will always be your home as far as I'm concerned. But I won't lie to you... Master Chief has reported some mixed emotions from the crew at having you back. So for clarity and morale, you need to decide one way or the other, and soon.

[One of the refugees rescued from a fishing trawler - actually a Royal Navy officer - approaches Fletcher]'

CAPT Harry Sinclair: Hello, Fletch.

CDR James Fletcher: Hello, Harry.

Sinclair: El Alamein. Very subtle. Figured it would ring a bell.

Fletcher: "My grandpapa fought back the Jerries in Egypt." You wouldn't shut up about it. We started to believe you personally stood in front of Rommel's tank.

Sinclair: What do you want, Harry?

Fletcher: I have a message from the River House.

Sinclair: Could've telephoned.

Fletcher: Couldn't take the risk our cousins would decrypt it.

Sinclair: Yeah. Sure. Okay. So?

Fletcher: The special relationship with the Americans is no more. The labs in the US are not prepared to work with the progenitor seed. The UK is going it alone.

Sinclair: How? Our labs are worse than theirs.

Fletcher: We found a scientist. Home office says he has a lock on the science.

Sinclair: Let me guess. This scientist... His name wouldn't happen to be Vellek?

Fletcher: He reached out, made us an offer. We deliver the progenitor palm seeds, and England receives the first batch of plague-resistant crops. Our people will be fed. No waiting around like we did for the cure. Where are the seeds?

Sinclair: In the medical bay, under lock and...

Fletcher: Under lock and key.

Sinclair: Well, obviously I won't be able to get anywhere near them, filthy refugee that I am. [chuckles] You're gonna have to do it.

Fletcher: Me?

Sinclair: And find me a discreet way off this ship.

Fletcher: What do you mean, off the ship? You're just gonna swim away? We're due in Naples. There's a plane.

Sinclair: That's not happening, James. I leave with the seeds before the ship gets to Naples.

Fletcher: And what? I stay behind to face a firing squad?

Sinclair: No one will know your part. You'll remain on board to throw them off the scent. Can't have the Americans starting a war with England over this.

Fletcher: This is ridiculous.

Sinclair: Fletch...

Fletcher: I've been working with the Americans for months.

Sinclair: Listen to me, it's quite simple. Their people have fought and died for these seeds. And where were they during the Immune Wars, hmm? While they were spreading the cure with kisses and love, we were massacred. We're dying at home, Fletch. I'm sorry about your new friends, but this is a good deal. It's a dog-eat-dog world now. Have you eaten dog yet, Fletch? I have. It's no fun.

[Master Chief Jeter comes to Chandler after he is called out by Captain Meylan for trying to advise on how to get the seeds to the US when he's not even an officer again]

CMC Russ Jeter: Captain Meylan's under a lot of pressure.

CAPT Tom Chandler: He was right. I crossed the line.

Jeter: I didn't say he wasn't right. This isn't you. Walking around the ship like you're on a Tiger cruise. Since when did you become a passive observer?

Chandler: Master Chief...

Jeter: Don't Master Chief me, Goddamn it. You wanted to get away. Good. It's what you did. God knows you of all people needed a break. But for months, the rest of us pressed on. The missions changed, but our commitment never wavered. And although you were always in our minds, when you left, we were broken.

Chandler: I lost my way, Russ.

Jeter: You never lost your way. You may have turned your back on your calling, but your path was always right in front of you. It led you back to the Nathan James. This is where you belong.

Tempest [4.6]

[The man Chandler heard as il Dottore - Paul Vellek - confers with Greek admiral Demetrius on chasing the Nathan James]

Dr Paul Vellek: I'll explain it one more time. Look, Admiral, it is right there. It is right there in that blank box.

ADM Demetrius: What exactly am I supposed to be seeing there? It's as clear as a bell.

Vellek: It's the answer, the key, the eye of the hurricane. The proverbial missing link to my formula to save this planet lies within those seeds. Without those seeds, I have no product. Without the product, your country continues to starve. And that is exactly, Admiral, what you should be seeing in that blank box.

Demetrius: Doctor, I am a simple man. I don't have your gift with figures, but my patience can only last so long. You asked for our support. Greece gives you her confidence. You asked for fighters, we give you a warship. What, Dr. Vellek? What do you ask of my country now?

Vellek: More, Demetrius. I'm asking your country for more.

Feast [4.7]

[at a lab]

Christos Vellek: Well?

Dr. Paul Vellek: You see? I told you. [puts arm over Christos' shoulder] We did it.

Christos: Tell us, Papa.

Paul: The virus weathered two ice ages. It didn't just jump species, it jumped kingdoms, and it unleashed the most massive twin pandemic the world has ever known. Yet this seed, this small palm, Elaeis Virilis, survived all of it. I'm now going to take a bit of the genius of Mother Nature, I am going to mix it with my own, and I'm going to save this planet in an act of such benevolence that people will question why they ever believed in any other God.

ADM Demetrius: Something's wrong with me. I can feel it.

Dr Paul Vellek: Can you now? Well, I've switched off a single primal compulsion in you, Demetrius. An ugly one. I've freed you, man.

Demetrius: I must go home to my people, Doctor. They need me.

Vellek: No, no, no, no, no, no, Admiral. You're staying with me now. You, sir, are proof of concept. The inaugural man... homo Pacificus. And judging by the result, I'd say we're onto something. Stand up. Stand up. Take off your medals. You're no longer in charge. Take 'em off. Take 'em off. [Demetrius strips uniform and medals] Stavros will be taking your rank, your title, and your nation. It all belongs to him now and to me. As Dante, an Italian, said about Aristotle, a Greek, I am Il maestro dicolor che sanno. "The master... of all who know." What do you think about that, Demetrius?

Demetrius: I... I...

Vellek: Down, Demetrius. Sit down. Finish your food.

Lazaretto [4.8]

[Chandler debriefs Vulture team after they escape the Velleks' training base]

CAPT Tom Chandler: So Vellek isn't just injecting the fighters with Nostos, he's baking it right into their food.

LT Danny Green: It appears so, sir.

CAPT Mike Slattery: So that's why he wanted the seeds. He cures the Red Rust, mixes in the Nostos to create food that'll pacify his enemies.

Chandler: It's the perfect weapon. People eating it won't even know.

Slattery: Well, even if they did, what choice would they have?

[Fletcher suddenly makes a distress call to the Nathan James]

CDR James Fletcher: I say again, Nathan James, this is Commander James Fletcher. You were right. A biological weapon, something to do with behavior control. I'm not sure exactly how he's planning on using it, but we're in a warship headed to Malta. I say again, we're headed to Malta. You must stop him. You're the only ones who can. I know this doesn't make things right. You must believe me, I only did this to serve my country. Sasha, I'm so sorry I hurt you. I hope even if you don't forgive me, that you'll understand. I never meant to hurt - [signal is cut]

[Christos is at the lab with Dr Vellek]

Christos Vellek: Hey, Dad.

Dr. Paul Vellek: Christos, I was worried about you.

Christos: What are you worried about? Nostos blended seamlessly with the Red Rust cure. No need for injections. One plant contains it all.

Paul: Huh.

Christos: You really did it.

Paul: I did it, didn't I?

Christos: It's gonna be a bumper crop.

Paul: The secret was in just one base pair on the fourth DNA strand of Elaeis virilis [holds container], our beautiful palm seed. Come and look at it. It's magnificent. Come on, come on. [ushers Christos to microscope] Okay, it's just one...one switch, A to G.

Christos: Whoa.

Paul: No, look, look, look, look. It's one switch, A to G, on that one base pair. That's it. That's it. Nothing more complicated than that. But I-I-I-I'm making it so complicated.

[Giorgio Vellek enters the lab and looks at his father, revealing that he is just talking to himself; Christos only exists in his head]

Paul: I mean, I can't believe I'm making it so complicated. It's like a schoolboy could have figured this out. And yet it got by me. It got by you. It's magnificent. Semplice. [in Italian as he embraces Christos] You are the most magnificent son. [English as Giorgio walks off] Love you. Love you, love you, love you, love you more than olives, and I really love olives. Let me look. God. It's magnificent, huh?

Detect, Deceive, Destroy [4.9]

[The Vellek siblings argue with Admiral Stavros about their options to make a run for Malta]

Giorgio Vellek: You'll do as my sister ordered and continue on to Malta.

ADM Stavros: You Velleks, always looking for a battle with no idea how to fight one.

Lucia Vellek: Let me remind you, Stavros, that it was my father who put you in charge. And you can easily be replaced. Greece doesn't eat until the Velleks are happy.

[As the Nathan James' chopper prepares to launch, Ray Diaz sets aside Tex Nolan's daughter Kathleen, now a door gunner on the helo]

Boatswain's Mate Third Class Ray Diaz: Hey, Nolan. You know, if you're still looking for a call sign, I got one for you: Cupid.

[With Giorgio now dead from the battle with the Nathan James, Lucia confronts her father as he searches the lab for his Nostos brew]

Lucia Vellek: Giorgio's gone. Did you hear what I said, Dad? Giorgio's dead.

Dr Paul Vellek: The Nostos... I'm out of it. Do you have any?

Lucia: Your son has died. You need to feel that. Christos can't help you. He's been gone for years. And even dead, he cast a shadow over Giorgio and me. And now Tom Chandler has killed your only son. Giorgio died protecting me! He died protecting you! All Giorgio ever wanted to do was make you happy... and all you ever did was show him contempt. If you had just done what I said, that ship would never have found you. Giorgio died for nothing.

Paul: No. No, not... not... not... not for nothing. Not for nothing, Lucia. For this. For this. Soon, it will not only be the dead who know the end of war [whispers] but the living.

Lucia: Enough with the philosophizing. Giorgio was a hero. A hero.

Paul: Was he?

Lucia: Of course he was. Here. [gives her father a bag of Nostos. Paul gets to work crushing it on a pestle] Tell me, when you have your drink, will Giorgio be with you? Or is he useless to you, even in your perfect world?

Endgame [4.10]

[Dr Paul Vellek and his daughter Lucia consider their options]

Lucia Vellek: All of our warships are gone, Dad. We can't go to Malta.

Dr Paul Vellek: Leningrad. [sighs] We can't go there either. September 1941. Hittler's troops lay siege to Leningrad for days of the blackest, most wretched misery in human history. Do you have any idea what happens to your body when starvation sets in? It shrinks. Heart and lungs compress. Eyes, testicles, ovaries just shrivel up and wither away. Your muscles devour themselves. Temperature falls, you freeze.

Lucia: Why are you telling me this?

Paul: Nikolai Vavilov is why I'm telling you this, my daughter. I'm telling you this because hidden in a bunker barely feet beneath that monstrous decay and rot of existence in Leningrad was salvation, Lucia. The world's first global plant bank from Vavilov. Ten thousand seeds, roots, vegetables, protected not by guns but by science. By science. Yet even Vavilov's devoted acolytes couldn't beat the terror raging above them. And finally they, having never even touched one plant for their own escape from doom, also starved to death. I'm telling you this because you're my little girl, and I love you. And where Vavilov failed, we will succeed in spreading salvation to the world for the protection of its future, to protect your future. Because right now, from every point on the globe, planes are converging on Malta. And from there, we will deliver our gift to the world. Our gift to ourselves, Lucia.

[Vulture team assaults the Velleks' Nostos transport point]

CAPT Mike Slattery: Do you have the seeds?

SGT Azima Kandie: Negative. No sign of the progenitor. All of the crates are carrying plants covered in insects.

CAPT Tom Chandler: He's spreading the Nostos the same way the Red Rust spread, through leaf-eating insects. That's why there's only a few plants in each crate. They're just food to infect the bugs.

Slattery: Vulture Team, the bugs are the vector. I say again, the bugs are the vector for the Nostos. You need to destroy those crates. Don't let any bugs get off that plane! They all must burn!

[With Vulture team still exfiltrating from Malta, Captain Slattery proposes a rapid boarding of HS Triton to cover Captain Chandler and Sasha Cooper as they try to find the seeds]

CAPT Mike Slattery: Master Chief, no way Vulture team gets back in time. And they're beat to hell. I need a boarding party.

CMC Russ Jeter: [over ship PA] Attention, all hands. This is your Master Chief. At this very moment, our ship's most capable operators are making their way back from one hell of a fight. But we're not done here. Our Captain needs volunteers to join him in boarding the enemy ship and bringing Cooper, Captain Chandler, and those seeds back in one piece. Anyone willing to lay their lives on the line, muster in the helo bay in five minutes. That is all.

[Paul Vellek is finally cornered at the stern of HS Triton]

CAPT Tom Chandler: Step away from the edge, Vellek.

Dr Paul Vellek: I offered a cure, man. A real and final cure for the sickness in us all. You of all people should know about that... what you've seen, what you've done. You need what I'm offering more than anybody.

Chandler: You're right, Doctor. I have seen the worst in people, the worst in myself. But I've also seen strength in others that you wouldn't believe, and kindness that would bring you to tears.

Vellek: That was beautiful, man. I can clearly see why people follow you. But you are the one-eyed king. I offer you peace, you choose war.

Chandler: Peace at the cost of free will? I'll take war anytime. "We the people"... Addicted to your darkness. Being human isn't about cutting out the darkness. It's about fighting, every day, to find the light!

Vellek: No, Captain.

Chandler: You don't have to fight to find the light. Give the world another chance. See the good for yourself. The people still need you. We have the seeds, but we need your science.

Vellek:I appreciate the invite, man. But there's Heaven. And I gotta go. [jumps off]

Season 5

Casus Belli [5.1]

[Admiral Chandler lectures in the US Naval Academy about the Peloponnesian War]

ADM Thomas Chandler: This is how war begins. Athens and Sparta fought during a plague which wiped out much of the population. - Sound familiar? But the war brought only more death and destruction because people let their fear, their honor, their interest cloud their judgment. The Peloponnesian War may be ancient history, but its lessons are not. You here will be the first graduating class of midshipmen to enter the Navy since our own troubles ended just three years ago. We're in a time of peace, but peace doesn't keep itself. Ours is a small navy, which means... your importance to the mission is even larger. And you will take the lessons from history, both ancient and very recent, with you as you enter service. When you put on the uniform, you can't let your fear or your pride or your selfish interest lead you astray, or people die. We have to think differently because we are different. We are warriors.

[Tavo Barros makes a speech in the wake of the Fleet Week sneak attack]

President Gustavo "Tavo" Barros: I will now speak directly to our enemies in a language they can understand. Americans, you are on notice. The people of Central and South America are united! We will no longer cower in fear of your big stick. For you do not offer us protection, but enslavement. Today marks the beginning of a new equilibrium. Gran Colombia will no longer sit at the children's table of international politics. It is our turn! Be warned. If the United States wants a fight, you will lose. For in the words of Simón Bolívar, a people who love their freedom will, in the end, be free. And we are united... as a continent... to fight for that freedom. We are one nation under God! La Gran Colombia! Al Norte!

Fog of War [5.2]

[Commander Green address the Nathan James crew]

CDR Kara Foster-Green: Many of you here are new to the Navy... new to this ship. Some of you, we've been here before. Either way, what happened in Mayport is not something you ever get used to. It hurts. And it was meant to hurt. That's what our enemy wanted to do. And today, he succeeded. It caught us off guard, sent a powerful message, trying to shake our resolve. But a war isn't lost because we're hurt. For over three years, the United States Navy has built, sustained, and protected its war-fighting culture. This attack doesn't change that. In fact, it will once again bring out the best in us. Our enemies have underestimated us. And if you doubt that, look back at the past few years. Look at the people who've been on this ship. When trouble arises, we have proven time and time again, no matter the enemy, no matter the odds, one ship can do it. This ship can do it.

[Admiral Chandler summons to US SOUTHCOM a USNA midshipman who submitted a term paper to him about a future cyberattack]

Midshipman Clayton Swain: Admiral Chandler?

ADM Thomas Chandler: Mr. Swain, before the planes came, the US was the victim of a cyberattack. It killed our satellites, shut down our anti-access and area denial systems, and destroyed weapons control on all our networked assets... ships, tanks, planes, helos, Aegis, and missile silos.

Swain: Whoa.

Chandler: Your theory was correct. Grab your things and come with me. You're gonna be here awhile. Do you need to call anyone?

Swain: I forgot to ask.

Chandler: Are you married? Do you live with your folks?

Swain: No, sir. I'm not married, and, uh, my parents died in the plague.

Chandler: Right. You wrote that U.S. military installations were extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Swain: That was my conclusion, sir. It had to do with the number of nodes and the redundancies...

Chandler: I need you to find the virus, where it came from, and how to get rid of it. You'll be working with Commander Granderson. Good luck, Mr. Swain. Oh. Raise your right hand. POTUS usually does this, but he's not here, so... Do you solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Swain: I do.

Chandler: Congratulations, Ensign Swain. You are now a member of the United States Navy. Get to work.

[US SOUTHCOM and Admiral Chandler is informed of a call from the Nathan James broadcast in the clear]

ADM Thomas Chandler: This isn't a secure channel, Mike.

ADM Mike Slattery: Yeah, I know. I finally got around to reading your favorite book. You got your copy handy?

Chandler: Hold on. Ensign Swain, do you have your copy of "Moby-Dick"?

ENS Clayton Swain: Yes, sir.

Chandler: We've got it.

Slattery: Turn to page 366, nine paragraphs down. Last words.

Chandler: Working on it.

Slattery: This is how we're gonna have to communicate for the time being.

Chandler: Understood. Smart play, Mike. Well? What's the message?

Swain: "Fit for a fight."

Chandler: We've got it.

Slattery: Tom, is the message clear?

Chandler: Yes, it is. We read you loud and clear.

Slattery: We'll be in touch.

El Puente [5.3]

[A spitball incident in the Nathan James mess hall between the Cuban and Mexican envoys gets too personal and the crew tries hard to separate them]

ADM Mike Slattery: Now, you listen to me. You and your men are gonna cut this shit out, you're gonna bury the hatchet. you're gonna make a deal, or I promise you, you will be swimming home. Escort them to the wardroom. Move!

[The Nathan James successfully fights off a Gran Colombian airstrike]

ADM Thomas Chandler: This is Nathan James, calling Gustavo Barros. We just took out your airwing, and you didn't lay a glove on us. And you can mark that up along with your Corvette. Payback for Mayport. You may have hit us hard, but you didn't finish us. You know why? Because you can't. And now Mexico and Cuba have joined the fight. So this message goes out to all of Central and South America. There is a choice now. Join us. Send Gustavo back into the dirt hole he crawled out of. We fight for peace. But make no mistake... we will fight. And this ship and this crew? They're damn good at it. So, Gustavo... come at us again. I dare you. This is Nathan James. Out. [to bridge crew] Now, they know who we are, where we are. Let's be ready for what they throw at us.

Bridge crew: Aye, sir.

Chandler: Nobody's talking about going home now. It's a good day.

Tropic of Cancer [5.4]

[Alisha Granderson has figured out that the Fleet Week cyberattack was attributed to Kelsi visiting her in the office two days before - and confronts her at home]

CDR Alisha Granderson: I didn't want to believe it. All those questions. "Is Nathan James okay?" "Is Tom Chandler alive?" "Tell me, tell, me, tell me." You used me as a weapon. How long?

Kelsi Baker: Since before we met.

Granderson: Why? How?!

Baker: It was my duty. Surely, you can understand that.

Granderson: You're insane.

Baker: I'm insane? No. Insane is believing in lies and closing your eyes to the truth. Insane is having blind faith in a corrupt power structure. No, we need... What the people yearn for is an awakening. Have you heard Tavo speak? Have you heard his message? "The first step towards tyranny" "is to believe" "the government will take care of everything."

Granderson: Kelsi, did I mean nothing to you?

Baker: Oh, I did care about you, Alisha. You should know that. And for awhile there, I thought I loved you, but... you and me, what we are... That doesn't even matter. Not now.

Warriors [5.5]

[As Vulture team tries to hide in a Jamaican rum cellar from Gran Colombia invasion forces, Chandler talks to war strategist Dr Manuel Montano]

ADM Thomas Chandler: I was gonna wait till we were on the flight home, but it looks like we got a couple minutes, so let's take some time. You're the architect of Gustavo's war machine. What's the sequel to Plan Azul? Haiti, Puerto Rico, Bahamas?

Dr Manuel Montano: I fight for the Latin American people. So that we will no longer be dependent on the whims of the north.

Chandler: Now you sound like your boss.

Montano: You're a man of war, Admiral. And a professor, as I understand. You tell me... how many invasions, bombs, coups, CIA black ops, and other interventions does it take before people push back?

Chandler: America's not your enemy.

Montano: America is a continent, not a country, Admiral. Learn that... maybe you'll understand La Revolución. Gustavo's not a revolutionary. He's not fighting to right old wrongs.

Chandler: He's a strong man and an opportunist, and he's killing more of your people than ours.

Montano: I did not say I support Gustavo.

Chandler: You're not in Jamaica guarding Gustavo's secrets. You're running away.

Montano: Yes, Admiral.

Chandler: In another of the great post-plague ironies, one of the great strategists of war has become a pacifist.

Montano: The first time I heard him speak was in his home town. A little place called Rubi. He was a man of humble beginnings, speaking of hope, belonging... Listening to Tavo was a revelation. He put words to the pain and the shame of the South American experience... all we'd been feeling for so long. The plans we made together were going to do great good.

Chandler: So what changed?

Montano: Tavo changed.

Chandler: Or he stopped hiding his true intentions.

Montano: And it wasn't just rebels being killed, it was whole villages... anyone who fed into Tavo's paranoia. You can only see a child be burned alive so many times before you question your part in it all.

Chandler: You know his next moves. Help me stop him, help me end this.

Montano: If I help you, will that save my nation?

Chandler: If you don't, will your nation still be worth saving?

Montano: If I join you... I'm still an instrument of death. The only difference is the person delivering it.

[Flashback to a scene at the Chandler home. Admiral Chandler is in a heated argument with daughter Ashley]

ADM Thomas Chandler: I just don't know what it is you're telling me. What are you telling me? [Ashley walks off] Get back here, I'm talking to you! Come back here, I'm talking to you.

Ashley Chandler: Mom knew it, too! She knew you hated being home. You were never happy unless you were on your damn ship!

Tom: I'm sorry I'm the one you got stuck with. I'm sorry your mom died!

Ashley: And you weren't here.

Tom: Ashley. Ashley....

Ashley: You don't belong here. You belong out there.

Air Drop [5.6]

[Gustavo Barros is interviewed]

Reporter: I'm curious if your thinking has changed or if you regret starting a war with the United States.

President Gustavo "Tavo" Barros: We didn't start this war.

Reporter: You sank a US fleet in Mayport on the very day that your loyalists murder the duly-elected leader of Panama. That sounds textbook.

Barros: Mayport wasn't an attack, nor was it the beginning. You're young, but smart enough to know the US's history of murder and political insurrection in Latin America. Guatemala '54, Cuba '61, D.R. '65, Chile '73, Nicaragua '82, Grenada '83. This war is a battle for the survival of the people of Gran Colombia.

Reporter: So, is this your justification for the forced conscription, the purges, the death squads?

Barros: Where do you get this information from?

Reporter: Several accounts from defectors...

Barros: Defectors from what? Our borders are not closed. People are free to come and go as they wish.

Reporter: Their accounts are remarkably consistent.

Barros: This isn't a war of public opinion. This is about taking a fresh look at the world... Post-virus, post-famine. It's about adjusting the balance. United States have been bullies for too long. This movement is a rebirth. Take your camera and your notepad and go to the countryside. Go to the cities of Central and South America and see the pride in people's faces. Freedom from tyranny is what they demanded. And it's what I'm giving them. And I'm inviting the people of all of the Americas to join.

Somos la Sangre [5.7]

[The Nathan James' ground team have successfully broken into Camp X but notices something very odd]

ADM Tom Chandler: They built our Command Center. This is what Camp-X is for! They're training to take SOUTHCOM.

Honor [5.8]

[Gran Colombian agents have successfully embarrassed US President Reiss before the world]

General Hector Martinez: Tavo, you did it. You beat the president. You have his high command. Push now for surrender.

President Gustavo "Tavo" Barros: Not yet, brother.

Martinez: Forget Chandler. He is not worth it. Get out now, and you win.

Barros: You know, that's your problem, Hector. You don't know what it means to win! I win when Tom Chandler is on his knees, bowing to me, chanting my name.

Martinez: Viva Tavo.

Courage [5.9]

[General Hector Martinez is summoned along with the entire Gran Colombia high command to dinner with President Barros, but when he notices that the other generals are absent...]

President Gustavo "Tavo" Barros: Bad news, Hector. The generals? They were plotting against me.

General Hector Martinez: Who, Tavo?

Barros: Eat, Hector. Gazpacho shouldn't be allowed to warm to room temperature. It's good.

Martinez: There must be a mistake. You're telling me there was a coup amongst my generals?

Barros: Your generals? I hope they aren't your generals, Hector. No. They're cowards. And I warned you against them.

Martinez: [Spanish] Are you sure? I've known these men a very long time. I would have heard something.

Barros: There is no mistake, Hector.

Martinez: So you have proof?

Barros: Conchita saw it. In the cards.

Martinez: Tavo. We cannot play with men's lives. These cards cannot always be trusted.

Barros: They confessed. Chacon, Bianchi, Rodriguez, Munos, Moreno. Every single one of them.

Martinez: Oh, my God.

Barros: But it doesn't matter, not really. All I wanted to know... the only thing I asked them before I removed their intestines was, did Hector know? Of course, none of them gave you up. But they gave each other up real quick. But you? Not you. Then I started feeling bad. For doubting you. [sees Maza distraught] It's... it's okay.

Martinez: No, no, no, no. With all the pressure from the war, I've...

Barros: I know I've gone a little crazy. And I'm sorry about that.

Martinez: You don't have to apologize, Tavo. I support you. Always.

Barros: Of course you do. Of course, I know. That is why I want you to lead the investigation to see just how far down this conspiracy goes. I want it torn out by the roots!

Martinez: Sí, Tavo. I will handle it personally. Like always.

Barros: Like always. Conchita. [Conchita leaves] Hector, my friend. My brother. [Barros' bodyguard suddenly stabs Martinez] If you're gonna stab a man in the back, the least that you can do is look him in the eye!

[Nina talks to Admiral Chandler about the war film showing for the sailors and Marines on the eve of the Gran Colombia invasion]

Nina Garside: Guess Gator's got the right idea. Try and keep their minds off things, even just for a few hours. So, tell me, Admiral. What's going through your head on the night before D-Day?

Admiral Chandler: Nathan James.

Garside: The ship?

Chandler: The sailor. Ship's namesake. Captain Nathan James skippered a PT boat during the war in the Pacific. His fleet was decimated. His boat was all that was left standing against nine Japanese destroyers. The boat sank beneath him. Not before he stopped the enemy's advance. He single-handedly saved a fleet of newly-repaired American destroyers coming out of Pearl Harbor carrying thousands of sailors into the fight. Captain James said, "war is a beast." It appears in many forms. Sometimes it's the beast you face head on, out on the field of battle. As equals. Sometimes the beast hides out. Lurking somewhere in the deep, biding its time "until, when your guard is dropped, it comes for you." "Bloodthirsty and merciless." "And it drags you under. On any given day, you never know which beast you're gonna face."

Garside: Which beast is it for you, Admiral?

Commitment [5.10]

[Sasha Cooper and Danny Green have cornered Gustavo Barros]

Gustavo "Tavo" Barros: Where is he... Tom Chandler? Where is he?

Danny Green: He couldn't be bothered.

Sasha Cooper: The war's over. Your army surrendered. Your turn.

Tavo: I will only surrender to Tom Chandler, soldier to soldier.

Green: We'll send your regards. Get on the floor. Now. [shoots Tavo when he tries to reach for a pistol; as he dies] Viva Tavo.

[After the Nathan James is destroyed, Admiral Chandler is in a near-death dream sequence where he witnesses footage of himself being relieved of command in front of the crew]

President Jeffrey Michener: I'm proud to honor you today for your service to the U.S. Navy, our great nation, and the world. Captain Chandler, are you ready to be relieved of command?

Admiral Chandler: Who am I passing off command to?

Commander Alicia Granderson: We have the watch, sir.

[band plays Adagio for Strings as certain people stand up]

Captain Andrea Garnett: We have the watch.

LTJG Will Mason: We have the watch.

Petty Officer Cosetti: We have the watch.

Lieutenant Commander Barker: We have the watch.

Chief Hospital Corpsman Doc Rios: We have the watch.

Commander Carlton Burk: We have the watch, sir.

Admiral Joseph Meylan: Bosun, stand by to pipe the side. Shipmates going ashore. [everybody stands up]

President Michener: It's time, pal. God bless you and God bless America.

Cast

Eric Dane - CDR/CAPT/ADM Thomas Chandler, USN
Rhona Mitra - Dr Rachel Scott
Adam Baldwin - CDR/CAPT/ADM Mike Slattery, USN
Bridget Regan - Naval Intelligence Officer Sasha Cooper
Charles Parnell - CMC/MCPON Russell "Russ" Jeter
Travis Van Winkle - LT Danny Green
Marissa Neitling - LT/CDR/CDR Kara Foster-Green
Jocko Sims as LT/CDR Carlton Burk, USN
Kevin Michael Martin - Chief Gunner's Mate Eric Miller
Bren Foster - SCPO Wolf Taylor, RAN
Emerson Brooks - CAPT/ADM Joseph Meylan, USN
Jodie Turner-Smith - SGT Azima Kandie, Kenyan Navy

External links

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has an article about:

The Last Ship (TV series)

The Last Ship TV series quotes at the Internet Movie Database
Official website