The Last Ship didn’t air on TNT with all new back to back episodes Sunday, June 12, season 3 episode 1 & 2 called “The Scott Effect; Rising Sun,” as scheduled due to the Orlando terror attack tragedy but we’ve got your recap down below! On The Last Ship season 3 premier episode, Chandler is sent to Asia to probe a possible mutation of the Red Flu in the Season 3 opener.
On the last episode of The Last Ship Season 2, the crew sent out a call to civilians to receive the cure at pre-selected ports, yet Immune factions actively fought the spread of the cure, in the Season 2 finale. Did you watch the last episode? We recapped it all right here for you.
On The Last Ship season 3 premiere episodes per the TNT synopsis, “Chandler is sent to Asia to probe a possible mutation of the Red Flu in the Season 3 opener. Also, Capt. Slattery and his crew deliver a cure to Southeast Asia, but they might be heading toward an unforeseen threat. Also, Chandler tries to return to his old crew while sharpening attention on a menacing new enemy.”
Tonight’s episodes of The Last Ship are going to be great. You’re not going to want to miss a minute of the action and we’ll be recapping it live for you as well. While you’re waiting for the episodes to begin hit up the comments and tell us your thoughts about this new season.
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#TheLastShip starts with a message from President Michener from his office in St Louis. It’s been 154 days since he was sworn in as President. He says America is rebuilding. Radio and TV are coming back online as is power in the Southwest.
We see Tom driving down a street and families in their homes. Michener says many of them will get ration cards and he says they are trying to get money and property back to US citizens. Michener asks for patience as the system rebuilds.
Michener says Rachel Scott’s death came as shock to all. He says they won’t forget her sacrifice. Michener says local stations will come online and he’ll make an update tomorrow. Tom sees a wall mural in his honor on a building.
In Southern Japan, we see a child in a camp dead of the virus and his father nearby. Dogs sniff around. A woman tends to her other ailing child who is in bad shape. She says she’ll give him more and prepares a syringe of medication. The child dies.
She cries and says they promised it would work. Looks like the “cure” she was given did not work. Danny tries to talk to Kara over video chat – she’s given birth to their son Frankie. Danny is on a tablet talking to her from the Nathan James.
He says tell Frankie that daddy loves him and can’t wait to meet him. Kara croons to her son. Danny is frustrated. He goes back inside as the crew is packing cases of cure kits. Miller tells Diaz since he got his promotion he just points at things.
They are loading up to deliver cure cases to Vietnam. Jeter welcomes Mike, now Captain, to the bridge and Alisha and others are there too. Mike says he wants to watch the sunset as they cruise the Pacific Ocean.
Tom is greeted by Kara at work and she hands him a ration book. They see that Rachel is featured as an image on the stamps. Tom says they did a good job and Kara says it’s not enough to honor her memory. Tom agrees it’s not.
Michener is told by Alex that President Peng of China kept the cure and now it’s mutating in Japan. Tom says Rachel told them the virus can’t mutate. They tell Michener they sent more cure but it was too late when they got there.
Alex thinks Peng is a thug and is trying to use the virus to take over all of Asia. Allison says Peng is their best hope to stabilize the region. They bicker. Tom tells Michener that the Nathan James is almost at Vietnam with the cure.
Michener says they need Peng so he set up a summit in Hong Kong and Tom says good idea. Tom wonders if he’s sending Alex but Michener pulls him outside to talk. Michener tells Tom that he wants him to go, not Alex.
He says as head of defense, Tom knows firsthand about the cure and illness. Michener says they have an asset in country to help him. Michener says if the virus mutated it could be another pandemic and they don’t have Rachel Scott.
Michener says let Peng know to get on board or they will find someone else to run China. Nathan James is 45 miles out of Vietnam when Tom calls Mike. They chat and Tom says he hasn’t stopped looking for his family. Mike thanks him.
Mike asks where he is and Tom says he’s headed to his neck of the woods and may drop by. He tells Mike to be careful and watch your six. Valerie is with Tom and she advises him the Chinese can eavesdrop from now on.
Mike and the team talk about ships on radar. Burk talks about COBRA team defending them and his brother teases him. The Nathan James steams ahead. Mike is told by a local navigator that pirates steal the cure.
Binh, the navigator, tells them about an event to greet the Nathan James’ heroes. Ai is the translator with Binh and younger Burk flirts with her. Tom touches down in Hong Kong and he and Valerie disembark. Wolf is there to greet them.
Wolf drives them out of the airfield and warns them they will be watched everywhere they go. A sinister looking guy makes a call after they leave. A woman approaches and translates. Tom calls her a heartbreaker – he obviously knows her.
Her name is Sasha and they seem to have a past. Valerie checks out their interaction with interest. Sasha tells them President Peng is waiting. Sasha and Tom walk and talk and he asks if she’s married. She says she found love after Tom but it took a while.
Sasha says she was sent to Southeast Asia right after her honeymoon and says she lost him. She says she’s sorry to hear about his wife too. Sasha introduces President Peng to him and translates. She calls the country New China.
Tom thanks him for hosting the event. Sasha translates. They sit down to eat. The Nathan James drops anchor and Mike says the cure was delivered and job well done. He says they are making a goodwill visit and Andrea reminds them to behave themselves.
Mike leaves marching orders and tells them to stay observant. He takes off leaving the senior Burk in charge. Wolf talks to Valerie and she pulls him in close then hands him security codes. She’s been hacking and says there’s a noisy channel bothering her.
Wolf flirts and she smiles. Valerie goes back to work. At the dinner, Sasha tells Tom that all the Asian countries are represented and says even Vietnam showed. She says they came to kiss the ring and bring home the cure.
Tom says Peng has clearly moved up in the world. She says the rumor is Peng killed other top people and then waited for the bodies to rot out. Lau Hu is his top guy and the guy is dangerous. Tom wonders why Japan is a no-show at the summit.
Sasha asks if the mutation rumors are true but he was hoping she’d know. She says Peng won’t talk about it and info can be hard to come by. Tom says let’s poke things and offers a toast to Peng.
Peng toasts back and says Tom is the man who brought he cure to the world. Tom says he came with more but wonders if he hasn’t done enough. Peng plays dumb. Tom asks about the Scott Effect then explains.
He tells the people that the number of people needed to get the cure to safeguard and spread the cure is critical. Tom says he heard that the Scott Effect may be happening in Asia so the cure hasn’t gotten to people who need it.
Peng switches to English and asks if he’s saying he didn’t do enough. Peng says it’s a large area to distribute and Tom says he’s not trying hard enough. Tom says the cure is stuck in Chinese warehouse while other Asian countries go begging.
Tom says he’s not scared of Peng and says if he won’t spread the cure, Michener wants him to know they will. He asks if China wants to be on the wrong side of history. Peng says he has to leave because he has pressing business.
Peng abruptly leaves the table. Sasha tells Tom he poked the elephant in the room. In Vietnam, they are celebrating Cure Delivery Day. The streets are loud and nightclubs are hopping. At one club, the Navy guys dance with locals.
Mike says he was expecting a garden party and says this is more like a liberty call. He says they’re leaving in 30 minutes. A woman kisses Mike and says he’s cured. Binh is excited about the pretty girls. Andrea wipes lipstick off an annoyed Mike.
Ai talks to younger Burk and tries teaching him the language. Ai says before the virus it was the best club in town. The power abruptly cuts out and the guy outside cranks up the generator again and the lights come back on.
Miller snaps a selfie while dancing. Senior Burk is told there is suspicious activity. There are three boats heading right for them – a tanker, a fishing boat and another ship. Mike sees a happy Danny who says he’s just drinking water.
Mike tells Danny they’re heading to Okinawa tomorrow and Danny can catch a plane home to see his kid. He says the orders came from Tom to go home and meet his boy. Danny is overjoyed and whoops. Andrea checks her watch and says 10 minutes.
Burk asks the radar guy to check the boat. Alisha says she thinks the ships are hiding. She wants to radio Mike but Burk says they can’t do it on an open line. Alisha says they need to warn Mike but Burk says 10 minutes.
Tom talks to Peng later and says he and Michener hopes they would partner in this endeavor. Peng says they are under constant attack by warlords, pirates and other countries. He says Tom is delivering cure to his enemies.
Tom says the Nathan James is on a humanitarian mission. Peng says the cure is on a missile ship and pokes back at him. Tom glares. The helo touches down and Lincoln heads to the club to alert Mike to the threat.
The sailors are told it’s time to leave. Miller and Diaz are MIA and must be found. Miller is still talking to a girl and they ask him where Diaz is. Miller is told to get to the van. He’s bummed and tells the girl he’ll come back for her and not to forget him.
Alisha says the ships are trying to hide. Andrea watches the time impatiently as the lights go out again. Alisha tells Burk she can’t reach Mike. Gunmen come into the club and start shooting it up. (This is the event that caused the premiere to be postponed).
The Navy men fight off the armed attackers. Mike knocks one down and takes a gun. Rather than shooting the Navy men, they taser them to knock them out. Andrea can’t contact the ship. Binh the Vietnamese navigator is shot.
Mike is knocked out and so is Andrea. The ship hears that Lincoln is out of contact – turns out he’s dead. Danny and Burk are almost at the helo when a truck pulls up with an RPG and destroys it. Danny and Burk take out the shooters.
They decide to run for the pier. Lt Burk is given binoculars and he sees Ai on the dock – she rode a motorcycle to get there and is all bloody. In Hong Kong, a woman runs up to Tom and says Vietnam is not responsible.
Wolf comes up and says there was an attack. Wolf says Michener wants him back home. Peng says now Tom can see who is the true enemy of peace. The attackers look at Lincoln who is dead. They note that two more got away.
The leader tells his men to find them. Lt Burk reports to Michener who is missing and may be dead. Kara is stunned to hear Danny’s name. Kara says they need to get back into international waters and get out of the harbor.
Lt Burk doesn’t want to go. Kara says those are standing orders. She’s in tears as she gives the orders. She says consider it a direct order from Michener. Burk says he copies. Michener is upset and so is Lt Burk as he gives the orders to move the ship away from the pier.
They pull up the anchor and prepare to move. Tom and Valerie head back to their plane. Sasha escorts him. Wolf says he’ll meet them in the US soon. Sasha tells Tom she’s sorry about his ship and says they’ll figure it out.
Tom walks away wordlessly. They take their places and the plane takes off. Tom flips through a dossier on Peng and looks at his ration book. He picks it up and looks at the stamps with Rachel’s picture on them.
He shuts the book then says they didn’t say there were dead. He says the standing orders will have the James pull back. Tom says they can’t let them go unsupported. He says he’s going to Vietnam. He tells Valerie to get the message to POTUS after she’s in secure air space.
Tom hops off the plane and Wolf and Sasha are stunned to see Tom on the airstrip. Tom tells Sasha he needs her to get him to Vietnam. Valerie monitors the signal and figures something out. Tom tells Sasha he knows she can get him there on the sly.
Valerie goes to the cockpit and says turn the plane around. She says don’t call anyone – please go back. She says it’s a matter of national security and says she’ll take the heat. Wolf sees the plane coming back and wonders why.
Tom says they turned around. The plane goes up in flames and crash lands. Wolf is horrified. Cars pulls up to the airstrip at top speed. Tom says get into the jeep. Shots are fired at them and they speed away. Wolf tells Tom where to find a rifle.
He and Sasha shoot at the Chinese while Wolf drives them. Tom slaps in a new magazine. Three jeeps follow. Wolf fires at men at the gate and swerves among barricades. One pursuer crashes and burns. They get away.
Kara gets a report and relays it. Alex tells Allison about the attack in Vietnam. Allison says in four hours they will get a message from Tom’s plane. Kara reports the Nathan James is safely away. Michener asks for an update on the missing sailors.
There is no word. The sailors are on one of the ships the James was watching. They’ve been stripped out of their uniforms and are put in a cage. Mason has been shot and they try to help him but they have no first aid supplies.
They ask their captors to give them equipment to save him. They are ignored. In Hong Kong, Tom tries to contact Alpha Team. Wolf says Peng must have taken out the team. He’s out of his mind and says let’s just get out of this hellhole.
In Vietnam, Danny and Burk worry that they’ll be spotted and know they need to get out of their uniforms. Lt Burk and Alisha worry about why they’ve heard from no one. Burk says let’s find the boats that showed just before the attack.
He says they can obey orders from St Louis while giving chase. Rios demands equipment from their captors. Mike talks to Mason who says they used EMPs to knock out the comms. Gunmen come into the cage and take Mason away.
The James’ prisoners curse as they drag the dying man away. Miller says maybe they have a doctor for him – but it doesn’t look good. Danny and younger Burk creep up to the docks and look around. Armed men, eight of them, are looking for them.
Danny says they need to take a couple of them alive to tell them where their people are. Kara reports to Michener about the two ships coming to refuel in Japan. Allison doesn’t want more ships in the region until they know more.
Alex says 13 of their people were taken and the Nathan James needs backup. Kara talks to the communications guy and says Valerie was trying to figure out the scrambled signal. Allison worries Peng wants all three of their destroyers in one place to take them out.
Tom, Sasha and Wolf go see a pilot friend of hers. She says Jessie helped her smuggle food and provisions during the Peng take-over. She says Jessie is paranoid and asks them to hang back. Sasha knocks on her apartment door.
They hear music playing and nothing else. Wolf kicks the door in and they go inside. The place is trashed and Jessie is on her bed asleep. Jessie comes to and punches Sasha in the face. Jessie asks if she came to finish the job for Peng.
Jessie says Peng moved his missiles and she walked into a trap. Jessie says Lau Hu was there waiting and her brother and all her friends were mowed down. Sasha denies any knowledge of it. Jessie is furious and Tom cuts her off.
He says Peng just tried to kill all of them and says the MSS are 10 minutes away. He says he’s lost friends too and they need to go because her cover is blown. Sasha says they need her help and Jessie curses then says let’s go.
Lt Burk runs sonar and they pick up what seems to be a fishing vessel but it’s not one of the three they were watching. Lt Burk picks up headphones to listen and says there’s engine noise and it was the same ship and it just changed its call sign.
He says the engine rattle is the same. They pursue it. On the ship, guards lurk outside the cage. Miller says they’re not Vietnamese and they wonder who has them. Diaz vomits since the boat is rockier than the James.
Jeter thinks they’re taking them away from Vietnam and China based on the ship movement. Danny creates a distraction to lure the soldiers who chase him. He tells Burk to leave two alive. They hide on either side of a kill zone.
Danny knocks out one. Another creeps close to Burk who knocks him down. He yells to Danny that one is dead. Now they both have automatic weapons they took from the enemy. They swap fire and Danny yells out two. They count as they kill.
Burk fights one hand to hand. Danny fights another. Danny bashes another and kills him. Burk is thrown through a window and shoots one. A man runs up on him with a weapon but Danny kills that one. They have just one alive. Burk is hurt.
The James is close to the boat they’re chasing. Lt Burk says they’re going to board it. He radios the boat and hails it. No answer. Lt Burk is told the shipping boat is picking up speed. They accelerate to catch up. Jessie drives and smokes and Wolf complains.
She says lung cancer is not the issue. Wolf says the MSS thing was a bluff. Sasha asks what Tom is thinking and he says he’s processing. She says he’s brooding. Michener is on a video call with two state leaders who complain about ration cards.
Alex tells Allison the honeymoon is over with Michener. He says Tom and Rachel are the ones the crowds like. Alex says these local leaders think they could be in Michener’s spot just as easily. Alex says Michener is an unelected immune.
Michener tells the men on the call it’s hoarding versus sharing. They tell him that rationing is not in the American DNA. Kara tells Alex and Allison that they can’t reach the plane or the James. She says the ships are refueling in Japan now.
Allison tells Kara to keep trying to reach the plane. Michener tells the two men to be patient and ends the call. Lt Burk and the crew give chase and they realize they are heading for a pass where the James can’t fit.
Alisha points out a spot where they can cut the ship off. Wolf, Tom, Jessie and Sasha make it to a ship. She hands a cure case over to a local. Tom asks why Sasha wanted him in the hall and says she was trying to keep him in the dark
He’s furious about her dirty secrets. Sasha says no one knows what she was up to. Tom is not happy and says she thinks she knows best. She says Michener needed deniability. Tom thinks that his people may have gotten hit because of her actions.
Tom says Peng was going to kill Sasha after he left anyway. Sasha says there is something bigger going on than her and Jessie smuggling the cure across borders. Danny and Burk interrogate their one survivor. Burk dresses his leg wound.
Danny uses a phrase book to interrogate their prisoner. The guy spits at them. Burk says the guy may not be Vietnames based on his knife. Alisha has the other ship on a bearing. The boat is trying to make some narrows where the Nathan James can’t fit.
Jessie drives down a street and they see a checkpoint that’s not been there before. Tom says they’re looking for them. The James’ crew in captivity is given food. Andrea says they are being fed steak while the locals are eating beans.
She saw it when they took her to the bathroom. Are they feeding them good for a nefarious reason? Mike asks for water for Diaz. The guards come in to drag Diaz away. One speaks English and says they’ll take him to get fresh air.
He tells the others to eat. Jessie pulls up to the checkpoint. They look inside the car. No one else is there. They show her a photo of Tom and she answers that she hasn’t seen him. She’s got a gun at her side but keeps it out of the way.
The soldiers open the back and thump the cargo area. They pull up a back area and Sasha shoots one. Tom is under the jeep and shoots. They take out all the men at the checkpoint quickly and efficiently.
They drive away. Danny searches the bodies of the men they took out. He says he can’t figure out where they’re from. Burk is bleeding but says he’s worried about their prisoner and says get medieval on him.
Danny sees the guy is going into shock and tries to revive him. The guy speaks English and says he’s losing blood then says – he won’t like that. Danny asks who? The guy is out. Danny curses. Mike says it feels like the ship is going in circles.
Rios wonders if they’re taking them nowhere. Jessie keeps her helo in a radiated zone. They have nine minutes to get it in the air before the radiation kills them. Peng calls Michener and says Tom’s plane had engine trouble at take-off and went down.
Michener is stunned. He asks about survivors. Peng says they’re searching the water but it doesn’t look good. Alex is upset. Peng says this is suspicious and says there are many rogue elements in the area.
Peng says they wills send the recording so they can hear the pilot calling in the engine trouble. Michener tells Alex they can’t jump to conclusions. Peng chews out Hu and says if Chandler is alive, they’ll be at war with the US.
He tells Hu to find him and curses the man. The four unload and race to the helo – it’s a stolen Chinese Army helo. They load up and buckle in. Jessie cranks but it isn’t working. They try a hot start.
They all get out to make this happen fast before the radiation becomes an issue. Wolf sees vehicles coming – it’s MSS. Wolf goes to buy time. He fires a launcher at them. Jessie tries to crank. Wolf says he can’t hold them off much longer.
He fires another round and it explodes. Jessie tries again and gets a crank. She says get your asses in here. The helo is cranked. They load up and see Hu is there. The helo takes off and the men fire. Wolf fires from the door and the men in black take cover.
They get away. Sasha looks bad. Michener talks to Kara about standing under the arch and spreading the cure. She says Peng could be lying. Michener says the voices were confirmed and it doesn’t look good.
He thinks Peng told the truth. The Nathan James can’t find the ship and know they need to turn back. Mike curses for them going to the party. Jeter says Lt Burk is capable. He’s confident. Danny and younger Burk are in a boat and shoot off a flare.
The James spots the flares. They are 10 miles out. Lt Burk says sweep and they turn back for them. Jessie tells Tom that they’re low on fuel. They are heading for the James too but the James is not where they should be.
Danny wonders where the James is and Burk passes out for a moment. The team finds the hostile ship. They have to choose between the flare boat and the chase ship. The ship they were chasing are also heading for the flares.
Sasha tells Tom that the James might think they’re Chinese. Tom has an idea. Lt Burk is told there’s a Chinese helo coming in. Alisha hears the radio change noise. Tom sends his birthday as the squawk. Alisha recognizes it.
Burk wakes and he and Danny see a red flare. Tom sees it too. He spots the boat below and tells them they need to help. Danny sees the Chinese ship. It opens fire on them. Burk fires back while Danny drives.
Wolf stands in the help window and gets his rifle out. Tom fires too and they blow up the ship. Danny is thrilled. The bird has to set down. Kara gets a call and smiles. It’s from Danny back on the James safely.
The med team runs for Burke and Alisha salutes Tom as he boards. The team also runs to help Sasha. A Burk readies COBRA team to go try and help out the captive sailors. Danny helps carry younger Burk onto the ship.
Lt Burk watches them carry his brother to medical. Danny and Tom swap a look as they pass each other. Tom is back on his ship but looks very worried. On the other Chinese vessel, Mason is dying as they drain all his blood, bag it and store it in a cooler.
THE END!
