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A Submariner's Critique of ABC's "Last Resort"

Renegade One

Well-Known Member
None
Interesting read from the latest USNI on-line product:

The new ABC drama Last Resort puts the crew of the USS Colorado, a fictional Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, at odds with a secret conspiracy inside the U.S. government with aims of sparking a global conflict. News.usni.org asked Naval Institute Editorial Board member and U.S. Navy submariner Lt. Jack Walsh to assess the reality of what was on screen to how things really work on board a boomer.
Spoiler Alert: There are many.


http://news.usni.org/news-analysis/...ium=email&mc_cid=a77967d726&mc_eid=971bf99efd
 

BackOrdered

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Having watch this and Battleship, I just think we all should be flattered Hollywood is giving us the PR time of day again. The days of free super positive PR from Top Gun and an Officer and a Gentlemen are long passed.
 

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
Fun show. I actually enjoyed it, despite the shortcomings. The capability to abort a missile in flight was the biggest error, IMO, and to my knowledge, which is totally UNCLASS, btw (gee, wouldn't it suck if the enemy got THOSE codes). At least it was essential to the plot, though. The other errors are just laziness.

I often wonder who the consultants are on these things. I mean, they spend millions producing them, but they either don't hire, or don't listen to, consultants who know how things actually run. Hell, I'd do it for a, um, "nominal" fee.
 

PropStop

Kool-Aid free since 2001.
pilot
Contributor
... At least it was essential to the plot, though. The other errors are just laziness.

I often wonder who the consultants are on these things. I mean, they spend millions producing them, but they either don't hire, or don't listen to, consultants who know how things actually run. Hell, I'd do it for a, um, "nominal" fee.

I never liked it when a plot device required something so totally unrealistic to take place in order to move the story along - to me that's just bad writing. I'll let sci-fi slide, as sometimes violating the laws of physics or whatever help tell the story, but for contemporary stories, such as this show, I think it's lazy writing.

Just my .02 though.
 

Aquonox

Just rolling along
None
I've never quite understood why there are errors concerning the Tomahawk cruise missile. I remember Transformers 3 turning Tomahawks into anti-air missiles. Then Last Resort has them acting as an anti-ship/sub missile.

Seriously, a 2 minute Google search could tell you what the cruise missile does, what variants there are, and which are still in service.

I suppose this is not a big deal to many viewers though.
 

Reconjoe

Active Member
Well just like Top Gun, these movies/show's aren't being made for the 1% of us that understand how it really works. It's for Mom and Pop Oklahoma.
 

xj220

Will fly for food.
pilot
Contributor
Agreed, and at that point it's more just the entertainment value. Our background knowledge kind of spoils the fun and mystique for us, but sometimes it's nice to shutoff and watch without thinking too much. Like tiz said, it's free PR.

I haven't seen the show yet and am not sure that I will, but I'm still holding out for that P-3 movie/tv series to pick up yet...
 

CAMike

Well-Known Member
None
Contributor
Next you'll be telling me "JAG" wasn't realistic, either.

They appear realistic to me.

cb2h.jpg
 

BackOrdered

Well-Known Member
Contributor
As a Supply guy, I have to point out the complete lack of the SUPPO's mental breakdown over this unplanned extended underway period and port visit without any hits from the sub tender, an LSR or husbanding agent. That alone could be its own horror mini series for chops. I can imagine the chop in the CO's state room as the CO explains the synopsis for this series and tells him to "make it happen."
 

Spekkio

He bowls overhand.
The plot doesn't have to be realistic, it just has to be plausible in the fictional world it creates. When people criticize a show or movie for being unrealistic, they usually mean that the plot violates the premise of the setting.

For example, The Green Mile is a critically acclaimed movie that features a man who can suck disease out of people. That's not very realistic, but it makes sense in the movie's fictional universe.

On the other hand, the premises of Last Resort are not just unrealistic, they are absurd. The show chose a US strategic asset for its setting and submariners as its cast, both of which are associated with certain traits to John Q Public. The show then expects the viewers to discard all of those preconceptions in order to believe the plot devices, which is what makes it absurd. The artistic license taken over some technical details could be overlooked if the story were believable. Instead they are amplified because the show is not remotely plausible, even in its fictional setting.
 
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