I’ve been watching The Last Ship on Netflix. The series is “loosely based” on William Brinkley’s 1988 novel, which I have not read. The show ran for five seasons, from 2014-2018. Although a decade old, to me the story line seems fresh, not only because of references to the pandemic, but also because it examines contemporary issues.

I just started season three; my husband lost interest early in the first season. “Too predictable,” he said. “You’re right,” I agreed. The show lacks complexity. There’s a lot of fighting and good guy-bad guy interaction. The characters are not well developed. Yet here I am, totally committed.

Here’s a brief summary of the first two seasons. A fatal disease (the “Red Virus”) is spreading across the globe, making COVID seem like a seasonal allergy. Everyone who is infected dies. A United States Navy destroyer, the USS Nathan James, is sent to the Arctic so that Dr. Rachel Scott can work on a vaccine. This top-secret mission keeps everyone on board in isolation, thus saving their lives. Dr. Scott does eventually come up with “the cure,” and the ship travels to the east coast of the United States to secure laboratories so that Dr. Scott can reproduce the vaccine. However, after a few setbacks involving Russians (of course), they arrive to find a group of “Immunes,” people who are not infected even when exposed to the virus. The Immunes feel they are “chosen” by God to repopulate the planet. To preserve their delusion, they are spreading the virus to kill off as many non-immunes as possible.

This synopsis is sketchy; clearly I do not yet know how the series ends, as I’ve only gotten partway through. My husband became bored due to the overused plot line of good guys as strong and moral, winning every fight, and bad guys as purely selfish. Yet this is exactly why I keep watching. As I observe our country (real life) fall apart with no clear leadership or attempt to preserve our democratic system, I find that viewing a show with the good guys fighting for science and democracy and the rights of everyone – regardless of gender, race, religion, or economic status – incredibly gratifying. It’s as though in our present reality, the United States is being run by a bunch of Immunes, the “chosen,” who do not believe in traditional American values. Like democracy. So (back to show) every time one of the good guys scores a goal for the team, even when it’s clearly simplistic and unrealistic, I feel a sense of satisfaction that I’m not experiencing when reading the news.

My disappointment with humanity is captured in one line spoken by Ravit Bivas, a member of the Israeli Defense Forces who is working with the crew of the Nathan James. In an unusually emotional scene, she explains that she was stationed in Gaza, where she witnessed unspeakable conditions, so when the pandemic occurred, she was hopeful that people would unify around a shared cause. But instead, she noted, people continued to hate and oppress one another. (Clearly not a direct quotation – this is my rendering of her speech.) Sadly, this seems to be human nature. My idealistic self wants to believe otherwise, which is why my internal struggle between idealism and cynicism in some odd ways reflects the divide within our country.

Reviewers rate the first two seasons as the best in the series. Some negatives are the show’s predictability and overt patriotism, although, as I already said, I like the patriotism. The action scenes are consistently highly ranked. Once one conflict is subdued others arise, and with each the Navy brings forth cool new weapons to use against the bad guys. Again, not my usual choice of entertainment, but right now I’m enjoying watching the Navy kick butt. In one memorable scene, the crew kills a bunch of Immunes and then uses their super weapon against them. Predictable but, as previously noted, satisfying.

But the use of violence to solve problems does make me think even more deeply about our present-day situation. (Thinking is unusual as this show isn’t meant to stimulate brain cells). With our real-life technological advancements in weaponry, such as drones and AI, coupled with people’s high emotions and self-righteous certainty that they are right and the other guys are wrong, we may be heading for the cataclysmic, Dr. Strangelove-type event that haunted my childhood nightmares. We live in a scary time, even more volatile than the 1960s when political assassinations and episodes of violent uprisings appeared weekly on TV news shows.

I want the good guys to win. I don’t want Dr. Strangelove to ride his atomic bomb down onto our sadly conflicted planet. But who determines which side is good? The Immunes feel that they are good – because if they repopulate the planet the Red Virus can’t destroy the human species. Until the virus mutates or a new disease comes along. The doctors and crew of the Nathan James, the show’s good guys, are winning the fight to protect vulnerable Americans, which I feel is a noble cause because that’s where my values lie.

We humans are complex creatures, and our tendency to believe that we are “better” than others might just be our undoing. My cynical side feels that we are doomed. My idealistic side still hopes for the best, for us to recognize our common ground and practice tolerance.