Courtesy of TNT
Warning: Spoiler Alert
In a short flashback, we discover what may have been Dr. Rachel Scott’s ‘calling’ moment. Her sick and dying mother on a cot with her Dr. father refusing to let her die. Meanwhile, back at present day, Dr. Scott seems to be harvesting organs. That would reference back to how last week’s episode ended.
Chandler returns to the Nathan James (with Ray) and is greeted with bad news from Slattery. Niels is dead. All three doctors are in agreement, the test results all point to a natural bad reaction to the blood transfusion. Chandler goes down to Dr. Scott’s lab to follow-up. His expression says he’s not buying what she’s selling, while her expression says she doesn’t even believe what she’s slinging.
Slattery ventures into what has become the Nathan James’ residential holding cell. Three unsavory men sit handcuffed to various parts of the room. Slattery wants to know about the cell phones. The phones that correspond to no working cell towers, that have no text messages, pictures or anything else that might suggest use. For the moment, neither of the three men say anything.
In the briefing room, Chandler and Michener lead the meeting. Michener outlines the specific detail about the plan for New Orleans. Tankers and barges equipped with diesel and solar power. Enough to transport 5-10 thousand. Assuming the Ramsey’s still plan to build their army, the prevailing thought is that yes, the sub is still planning on getting to New Orleans next. Michener asks if there will be enough doses to save all of those people. Chandler responds that if Dr. Scott’s aerosol is ready, they can just drop the cure from the air. The problem is, Dr. Scott has abandoned the aerosol approach, in favor of using Niels’ lung tissue in the hopes of reverse engineering the cure so that it could become ‘contagious’.
Garnett sits in a room questioning Miller. A typical formality. As Miller runs back through what he can remember, his story piques Garnett’s interest. Specifically, “Dr. Scott changed his IV then he began to bleed out. Like the ones with the virus.” Garnett delivers this room to Chandler and Slattery. Only Chandler and Slattery. Chandler orders them to gain as much evidence as possible and conduct a by the book investigation. Garnett and a few others swoop into the lab like feds to collect as much pertinent evidence as they can. Dr. Scott does not interfere.
Wolf talks about the ‘Niels’ situation, but Burk reserves judgement. Before he can get to the line sink ships in the adage “Loose lips sink ships”, Ravit walks in. She needs to take a shower but there is an issue with the women’s facility. She gets a predictable reaction from Wolf and shrugs it off, suggesting maybe he should stand watch outside. Wolf tells Burk he’s going to call for a rescue team if he’s not out in three minutes. Burk stands shirtless trying to finish shaving. On his way out, Wolf leans into Ravit and says, “be gentle”. Once Wolf has left, Ravit continues to undress Burk with her eyes.
Ravit: Guess this isn’t the place…
Burk: What place?
Ravit: Where people have sex.
Burk (slightly stunned by the conversation he finds himself in): People don’t have sex on the ship. It’s against regulations.
Ravit references Foster estimating how long she’s been pregnant. Suggesting that conception had to have occurred on the ship. She hops up on the counter positioning herself between Burk’s torso, and the sink he was using. She loosely straddles the back of his legs and continues. Burk reiterates that there is no sex on the ship. She dispenses his after shave while making suggestions to where sex could happen on the ship. He’s impressed with her suggestions but again, says there’s no sex on the ship. She then softly slaps the after shave on his face. When he opens his eyes, their faces are about an inch apart. Burk adds that they will be in New Orleans soon. And as she’s done before, she flips the light switch and returns to typical Ravit.
Ravit: Well, if there’s no sex on the ship…then get out.
Lt. Chung and Lynn accidentally stumble upon just how the Immunes are using their phones. There is a texting app disguised as a game. It utilizes Bluetooth and not a cellular signal. The catch is that they can send and relay as many messages and content as they want as long as the next phone in the chain is less than 90 yards away.
Cruz escorts the prisoner they call Fleet. He’s the Joe Dirt looking gentleman. Fleet apparently demanded to speak to someone in charge, so Chandler introduces himself as the Captain, then turns to his right and introduces the President. Fleet recognizes Michener from “the videos”. Fleet immediately regrets mentioning the videos. Chandler plans to hang the death of Ray’s friend around Fleet’s neck. Michener claims he can grant a pardon for the murder of a child, but not until he explains how the phones work.
The investigation is beginning to point even more suspicion Dr. Scott’s way. It may not have been obvious to those involved, but we the viewer know better. Especially if you caught this week’s promo. Dr. Scott barges in on Milowsky to discover that he’s looking through her computer that she seems to have lost. What he was able to find suggests that Dr. Scott introduced a “DNA Scissors” ripping the antibodies from his DNA. Thus, forcing the virus to kill him from within. Milowsky asks her to leave as he’s under strict orders not to talk to her. Before she does, he offers up something intriguing at the very least.
Milowsky: Even without this evidence, all fingers point to you. So, if you’re planning on doing what I think you are, I suggest you do it soon. Before they lock you out of the lab.
After an awkward locking of eyes with Chandler, Dr. Scott does exactly that. She heads down to the lab quickly. Even quicker starts injecting various liquids into other liquids. Then she fills a syringe and injects herself. Then seconds, later blows on an infected rat, as if it would really work that fast.
Another flashback to young Rachel. The nurse tells her to use her anger to do something good. Tex interrupts her flashback as the only person on the ship who just wants to chat. No agenda. Despite what this dark cloud hanging over Dr. Scott, Tex takes a moment to remind her that without her, no one on this ship would still be alive.
In the mess, Miller and O’Connor sit while sailor after sailor come by dropping off candy bars and coins. Both men are confused as neither one believes they said anything they shouldn’t have. Elsewhere, Jeter informs Chandler that a growing number of the crew believe that not only was Niels murdered, but that senior leadership knew about it and potentially signed off on it.
Chandler summons Dr. Scott. He’s hoping to get an update on the aerosol method. Dr. Scott explains that she’s trying something else. Adapting the vaccine the way the virus adopted in Niels. Then like an illegal u-turn, Chandler flat-out asks Dr. Scott if she did it. She says a bit about the deaths he’s responsible for but brings it right back around. “Yes, I did it and I’d do it again.” Moments later, Chandler briefs the President on the latest turn of events without a final decision on Dr. Scott’s fate in place.
Cobra team heads out into the water with “Fleet” to send or receive a message from the game app. The New Orleans civilian fleet is within view. The message comes in, “They’re here”. Lt. Green radios the Nathan James all but ordering them to stand down. Just then one at a time, the civilian fleet begins to explode. Chandler orders the bridge to pull back. POTUS even seems sincere is his dismay.
In all the chaos, Lt. Foster identifies and an inbound torpedo. The sub is hiding under the fleet debris. A second torpedo is inbound. Chandler and Foster collaborate on a countermeasure to evade the torpedoes. The trick works beautifully…until the second fish reacquired the Nathan James amidst the countermeasures. The second torpedo makes impact with the Nathan James.
There is no significant damage to the hull. Cobra team is given permission to search for survivors. While the crew assesses damage control, the bridge is being hailed. Naturally, the voice on the other line is none other than Sean Ramsey. Using what little technology they have, they took video of the Nathan James, then edited the video to make it seem like the Nathan James fired on the civilian fleet. Crafty. I would like to mention that whether or not it is skilled acting or convenient coincidence, President Michener’s body language in the second half of this episode is not doing a lot to instill confidence that he’s 100% in the game or even playing for the right team. I’m not suggesting a conspiracy theory, just that he makes me uneasy.
Dr. Scott meets in Chandler’s quarters to deliver the news that it appears her little experiment worked. The vaccine has attached to her lungs as the virus did to Niels. Chandler is not enthused as it appears Dr. Scott was kind of expecting. Even if she says the opposite. The civilian fleet and the impending ‘propaganda war’ as Sean just made it look like the Nathan James is the enemy may be weighing more heavily on his mind that the notion of breathing the cure on people.
Chandler has reached a decision on Dr. Scott’s punishment. She will continue to do her work (in the lab) as circumstances dictate moving forward. After her work is done each day, she will return to her quarters. She has no more access to communal rooms, and absolutely no access into rooms that otherwise would require clearance (i.e. the bridge, CIC, etc). And finally, if they ever make a safe port, Chandler himself will turn her over to the local authorities so she can pay for her crimes.
