It would be easy for someone who had never seen "Last Resort" to label it as just another military drama - an intense show featuring stern-faced actors rambling off soldier jargon as part of some overly complex plot that only a war buff would enjoy. But that person would be dead wrong, because "Last Resort" is a compelling new series with an original premise, a talented cast and a bright future.
The series revolves around the crew of the USS Colorado, an American nuclear submarine led by Capt. Marcus Chaplin and XO Lt. Cmdr. Sam Kendal. When the Colorado receives suspicious orders to launch missiles at Pakistan, Chaplin and Kendal object, refusing to seemingly start a war.
In return, the Colorado is attacked by a fellow Navy vessel and declared an enemy of the United States. Now reluctant renegades, the crew regroups to a French island where they must fight to clear their names and figure out why their own country betrayed them.
In addition to unraveling the mystery of whom in the government turned on them, the crew of the Colorado also has to deal with fighting and the local crime boss who resents the Americans taking over his island.
While the large cast can be overwhelming, each character was intriguing. Andre Braugher's performance as the tough-yet-sympathetic Chaplin is wonderful and Robert Patrick is also enigmatic. Yet the breakthrough star is Scott Speedman who captures, in Kendal, the struggle between loving his wife and desiring to serve his nation.
In a television season again cluttered with legal and medical shows, it is refreshing to see a unique series like "Last Resort." It will not be the first time an ABC drama set on island becomes a success.
The Setonian gave this show 4 out of 5 stars.
Sean Quinn can be reached at sean.quinn@student.shu.edu.
