The Last Ship “It’s Not a Rumor” 

Tom Chandler really is the perfect hero.

On The Last Ship “It’s Not a Rumor,” members of the crew finally have the chance to start looking for their families, and Chandler gets to take his children back to their home.

The whole episode is a rollercoaster of emotions, with a mother and daughter reunited, and another mother realizing her entire family is gone. Meanwhile, Alisha recovers from her gunshot wound while struggling with the reality of what her mother did – and how it’s affected her crew. And Tex?

It turns out he’s hoping to find his daughter.

Chandler has his family back, all except for his wife. He takes his children back to their home, and we see the details of his former life. There are photos on the wall, a decorated bedroom, and his wife’s perfume. In a quiet moment, he smells her perfume and cries – something he hasn’t exactly had the chance to do until now.

It’s no surprise that there are crew members who want to stay in Norfolk to be with their families or to keep looking for them, and Chandler is no exception. Of course now that Chandler has taken his family back home, he wants to trade his uniform for a t-shirt and household chores. He’s been separated from his family for too long, and he doesn’t want to leave his children again – especially since their mother is gone.

We wouldn’t buy it if he didn’t want to stick around and be there to protect his children directly. After everything they’ve been through, it would feel cold if he didn’t. So it’s kind of perfect storytelling that he tells his family he’s resigning to stay home with them, and they convince him not to.

Jed: “Whether you like it or not, you’re Noah. And that ship is your Ark.”

So, he puts his uniform back on and goes back to his ship, now with the mission of spreading and reproducing the cure all over the world. And because he was willing to leave it all behind to stay with his family, we’re happy to see him make the choice to continue the mission.

And his crew needs him. He’s a shoulder to cry on for Garnett, whose entire family is gone. He’s both concerned and respectful of Foster’s pregnancy and her desire to keep working, so much so, that he doesn’t deny a promotion that she deserves. Then, he offers a promotion to Alisha, along with a sentimental token. She deserves the promotion because she’s good at her job, but it also helps to restore her confidence.

Chandler also has a few small moments with Dr. Tophet’s wife, Kelly, who is now a single mother. Near the beginning of the episode, they watch as their children make friends with each other.

Kelly: “They’ve already bonded.”
Chandler: “Everything moves a bit faster in the apocalypse.”

After getting his family settled in, he arranges for Kelly and Ava to move in next door to his father and children. Ava, of course, says she’ll look in on them, and we can imagine how she’ll become a mother figure – for better or worse – while Chandler goes and saves the world.

Other Thoughts:

• I don’t know if there’s anything more eerie than The White House being empty when the men arrive. Okay, maybe the burning bodies from the season premiere. But still.
• A bowling alley as a safe house? I love it. It’s a little slice of normalcy and a good way to lighten things up a bit, at least for a brief moment.
• Kara’s mother can tell she’s pregnant even though Kara doesn’t say a word. A mother just knows these things. Pass the tissues, please!
• It looks like Slattery just barely missed finding his family, and now there’s no telling if they’re okay or not. He wants to stay behind and look for them, but also makes that hard choice to continue the mission.

What did you think of this episode of The Last Ship? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Last Ship airs Sundays at 9/8c on TNT.