Badassery on Board (and Off) the Nathan James
Badassery on Board (and Off) the Nathan James
When it comes to female badassery on television, a few women automatically come to mind: Melinda May (Ming Na Wen kicking butt as Coulson’s trusted confidant in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Kono Kalakaua (hard-hitting Grace Park on “Hawaii 5-0”), Michonne (Danai Gurira expertly wielding her katana in “The Walking Dead”), and Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga playfully lethal in “Preacher”). But as I was watching reruns of “The Last Ship”, I realized that sometimes badassery comes in quieter, but no less impressive, forms.
She started off as Commander Kara Foster, a tactical action officer (TAO) on naval destroyer USS Nathan James, and at first, I’ll admit that I was so occupied with other characters and that whole deadly virus thing that I barely noticed her. She did her job well and had a little illicit romance with Lt. Danny Green (which, well, yeah. He’s hot and kicks his own share of ass regularly and with panache.).
Of course, that whole thing blew up in their faces, and I became a little worried. I totally get why romances on board a military ship are forbidden, but it does make storytelling a little less romantic and spicy. How does one stay away from a tasty mealcake like Danny Green when he’s being all manly? Plus, we learned that she was pregnant with his baby! There’s no nursery on board ship! I figured she’d be written off or maybe be seen every so often calling him on board ship or whatever they do to keep in touch with loved ones, and I’ll admit that I wasn’t really thinking that much about her then either.
But then season three upped its game, and Lt. (Mrs.) Green was working in the White House, radiating confidence and competence with her mom to help her with the baby, and suddenly she had bumped herself up in my radar. She was the badass Nathan James representative on land, a one-woman force without the backup of a ship, a Wolf (who’s hot too - where is this ship, and when does it dock? I definitely need to visit), and an arsenal of guns. She finds an old friend (another hottie who’d pitched a ride on the ship in the first two seasons - hello, Tex!) and ends up in charge of one of those rag-tag groups of fighters I love on shows, a member of which, as it happens, is the President.
That’s right; she was protecting the President of the United States.
She showed off her marksmanship with various guns and had no fear in doing what she needed to do, but what impressed me more than the physical show of force was her intelligence. She figured out that something hinky was going on and used her cunning to learn who was responsible while at the same time saving the President. And then, after she got the President to safety, helped break into the White House and take out the
I give TPTB, the writers, and actress Marissa Neitling props for taking a character who could’ve easily been written off after providing a little office romance and giving her her own relevant storyline without sacrificing her love for her daughter, her husband, and her teammates still on board the Nathan James.
And then there’s red headed Lieutenant Commander Andrea Garnett, Chief Engineer on board the Nathan James. She suffered more tragedy and setbacks than anyone else on the show to date: she received a shrapnel wound in the first episode, was exposed to the Red Flu during the human trials of the vaccine, and learned that both her husband and daughter died from the virus while she was on board ship. Along with many other members of the crew, she was kidnapped and held hostage in season 3, helping in their own rescue. But she remained tough, helping to regain control of the ship in season 2 and was promoted to Commander to become the Executive Officer of the Nathan James. She might not have her own storyline, but she remains vital in the success of every operation, each maneuver. Strong, steadfast, and reliable, she is one of the backbones on the show.
What badasses.
When it comes to female badassery on television, a few women automatically come to mind: Melinda May (Ming Na Wen kicking butt as Coulson’s trusted confidant in “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Kono Kalakaua (hard-hitting Grace Park on “Hawaii 5-0”), Michonne (Danai Gurira expertly wielding her katana in “The Walking Dead”), and Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga playfully lethal in “Preacher”). But as I was watching reruns of “The Last Ship”, I realized that sometimes badassery comes in quieter, but no less impressive, forms.
She started off as Commander Kara Foster, a tactical action officer (TAO) on naval destroyer USS Nathan James, and at first, I’ll admit that I was so occupied with other characters and that whole deadly virus thing that I barely noticed her. She did her job well and had a little illicit romance with Lt. Danny Green (which, well, yeah. He’s hot and kicks his own share of ass regularly and with panache.).
Of course, that whole thing blew up in their faces, and I became a little worried. I totally get why romances on board a military ship are forbidden, but it does make storytelling a little less romantic and spicy. How does one stay away from a tasty mealcake like Danny Green when he’s being all manly? Plus, we learned that she was pregnant with his baby! There’s no nursery on board ship! I figured she’d be written off or maybe be seen every so often calling him on board ship or whatever they do to keep in touch with loved ones, and I’ll admit that I wasn’t really thinking that much about her then either.
But then season three upped its game, and Lt. (Mrs.) Green was working in the White House, radiating confidence and competence with her mom to help her with the baby, and suddenly she had bumped herself up in my radar. She was the badass Nathan James representative on land, a one-woman force without the backup of a ship, a Wolf (who’s hot too - where is this ship, and when does it dock? I definitely need to visit), and an arsenal of guns. She finds an old friend (another hottie who’d pitched a ride on the ship in the first two seasons - hello, Tex!) and ends up in charge of one of those rag-tag groups of fighters I love on shows, a member of which, as it happens, is the President.
That’s right; she was protecting the President of the United States.
She showed off her marksmanship with various guns and had no fear in doing what she needed to do, but what impressed me more than the physical show of force was her intelligence. She figured out that something hinky was going on and used her cunning to learn who was responsible while at the same time saving the President. And then, after she got the President to safety, helped break into the White House and take out the
I give TPTB, the writers, and actress Marissa Neitling props for taking a character who could’ve easily been written off after providing a little office romance and giving her her own relevant storyline without sacrificing her love for her daughter, her husband, and her teammates still on board the Nathan James.
And then there’s red headed Lieutenant Commander Andrea Garnett, Chief Engineer on board the Nathan James. She suffered more tragedy and setbacks than anyone else on the show to date: she received a shrapnel wound in the first episode, was exposed to the Red Flu during the human trials of the vaccine, and learned that both her husband and daughter died from the virus while she was on board ship. Along with many other members of the crew, she was kidnapped and held hostage in season 3, helping in their own rescue. But she remained tough, helping to regain control of the ship in season 2 and was promoted to Commander to become the Executive Officer of the Nathan James. She might not have her own storyline, but she remains vital in the success of every operation, each maneuver. Strong, steadfast, and reliable, she is one of the backbones on the show.
What badasses.