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2 TV ENCORE By Cassie Dresch TV Media A bout this time last year, I wondered if it was possible to survive a devastating pan- demic that decimates the world's population if you were isolated from it. Today, we have our answer: definitely! But not without some major fallout. "The Last Ship" bat- tens down the hatches and charges full steam ahead when a new episode airs Sunday, Aug. 9, on TNT. With only a few episodes left in season 2, it's safe to say that much has transpired since "The Last Ship" set sail on its first season last year. From a global pandemic to cures to armed mercenaries to a group of immunes, the USS Nathan James's crew has faced its fair share of challenges. The immunes have been a big plot point this season, pro- viding most of the opposition for the commanding officer, Cmdr. Tom Chandler (Eric Dane, "Grey's Anatomy"), Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra, "Boston Legal"), XO Mike Slattery (Adam Baldwin, "Chuck") and the rest of the crew. The immunes, who aren't affected by the virus that wiped out 80 per cent of the world's population, believe they are a chosen few meant to inherit the Earth due to their natural immunity and don't want the vaccine shared. It definitely sounds like some crazy sci-fi conspiracy theory when it's laid out in Graybeals Carpet 2 x 3" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" Harrison- Metzger 2 x 2" On the Cover front of you. What's actually crazy to think about, though, is that this kind of situation could very well happen today, something that's not lost on Dane, who cites a recent viral outbreak as a prime example. "I think 30 years ago, this would have been science fic- tion, and now it's somewhat probable," Dane said in an interview with "Today." "The Ebola outbreak was pretty iso- lated, but had that happened in a densely populated area with people flying in and out, we [humanity] would have been a wrap." Thankfully, that's not the case and we can still look at "The Last Ship" as another piece of fiction — well, sort of. One aspect of the drama that really stands out is how faith- ful the show is to the actual U.S. Navy, so much so that the Navy is heavily involved in the series in more ways than one. "The Navy has been incredi- bly supportive and excited," executive producer Hank Steinberg said in an interview with FOX411 at San Diego Comic-Con 2015. "We had a big premiere in Washington, D.C., where thousands of mili- tary people showed up. The secretary of the Navy [Ray Mabus] himself has been to our set and actually recorded a cameo. It's the episode where they find the message that was buried in the files of the White House. The guy who's playing the secretary of the Navy is the real secretary of the Navy." Aside from cameos, "The Last Ship" also does a lot of its filming on actual ships, includ- ing a hospital ship that was featured in an episode last month. This kind of support has been crucial to the success of the show, according to Dane in the "Today" interview. "We get a lot of support from the Navy," he said. "We are forever indebted to them; they have been absolute sports about this. Shooting on a naval destroyer is interesting because you're on a $3 billion ship — you better take care of it — and once you put on the uniform and sit in the captain's chair, it really helps [give you a feel for things]." It's not only on screen that the Navy features prominently, either. The cast undergoes a lot of intensive physical training to give them an idea of what it's like in the Navy and how the personnel behave, and that was something Travis Van Winkle ("Transformers," 2007), who stars as Lt. Danny Green, told a panel at SDCC 2015 he couldn't wait to get started on. "I threw myself in," he said. "I was just so excited to have a gun in my hand and 'The Last Ship' steams through its second season then someone helping me out with all of the different moves and the strategies and all the different formations. It was a lot of fun, and it's still fun because we're learning every day that we're on set. I refine a lot of my skill sets every day." Van Winkle adds that while it's a fun time all around doing this sort of gig, he's trying to pay homage to the men and women who dutifully serve their country in real life. "I just hope that I can emu- late them in a way where they would go, 'Oh yeah, he could be in the Navy,'" he said. "There's no way I could ever do what they really do, and we have to tip our hats to them for being in service the way that they are. But to be able to play them on TV, I want to rep- resent them in a positive light. I usually listen to everything the Navy SEALS on set say and I usually have them repeat themselves because I really want to get it right." Batten down the hatches and charge full steam ahead as a new episode of "The Last Ship" airs Sunday, Aug. 9, on TNT. Rhona Mitra as seen in "The Last Ship" D&J Liquors 3 x 2" Animal Shop 2 x 2" MAROCCO-RANS FUNERAL CHAPEL 119 E. Market St. | Logansport, IN • 574.753.6282 www.ransfuneralhomes.com Offering compassionate services during your most diffi cult time of need. • Funeral & Cremation Services • • Preplanning Options • Monument Sales • Carpet Remnants Room Size Starting At 5th & BROADWAY • DOWNTOWN LOGANSPORT • (574)722-2215 Large Selection of Color, Texture and Sizes $ 59 Great for Dorm Rooms! Full Service Grooming & Boarding Kennel ll ll Visit Our Pooch ParlOr Only Boarding Kennel Around Op Open Sunday Af Afternoon Full Shampoo Full Brush out Ear Cleaning Nails The Animal Shop 574-753-8556 5940 N. St. Rd 25, Logansport

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