Jocko Sims apparently wasn’t pleased with the characters who died in the series finale of “The Last Ship.”
For those of you who might not know, the show followed the USS Nathan James in a post-apocalyptic world. Sims played one of the main characters, Burk, on the ship, and died in the second to last episode after being shot by a kid with a spear. He had a bit of problem with his character’s death, but his real issue is with the racial breakdown of dead characters in the finale. Five major characters, none of whom were white, all died before the credits rolled for the final time.
He told SpoilerTV the following about five minority characters being killed:
At the beginning of the season, we were told that 5 major characters will be killed off. That was exciting, and seeing as this was likely going to be our final season, we were generally open minded about it. It felt like “Game of Thrones” and that made it fun every week. So I wasn’t shocked to see three series regulars get killed off. However, I was shocked to see that all three regulars were going to be black. Not sure that was thought through well.
…
It’s a strange move for the network to approve the scripts with those character deaths. Makes you wonder what the message is they are trying to send in a time where the industry is taking strides towards diversity. Or what message they want to send when kids are watching, and no matter the color of their own skin, they learn from this series that only white men can save them, evidently. And all of these decisions are made on a series that is ending. We will never see any of these characters continue their stories. So why make these choices?
However, he wanted to also let everyone know it wasn’t racism. He also added, “I don’t think anyone in the writers’ room is racist, I just felt there was a lack of imagination when it came to the character deaths.”
So, his default point is the writers just default to killing minorities when they “lack imagination” about killing people? Seems like a rational stance to take.
View this post on Instagram
I almost didn’t want to write this story because a large part of me didn’t even want to give these comments attention. The show was far too good to be dragged through the mud. However, after a bit of thinking, I decided this had to be shredded. (RELATED: The Greatest Military Show Ever Made Goes Out With A Bang In Series Finale)
Listen, the show is about a virus that wiped out the world. We’re now going to draw the line of seriousness when we break down the races of killed characters. You must be kidding me!
View this post on Instagram
First off, if you’re going to make comments like these, don’t then try to qualify them by saying you don’t think the writers are racist. Own up to what you’re insinuating and just roll with it. At least have the courage to go the distance.
Secondly, two of the main characters killed off in the show were both white and killed off. Dr. Rachel Scott and Tex both ate it and died on the show. They might not have died in the finale, but they were both stars that got axed.
Hell, there’s a strong argument to be made Tex was the biggest badass on the show. Again, he was white and died at the end of season three. I guess killing off Tex is chill, but not minorities. Am I understanding this correctly?
I’m really confused here. Is he pissed Slattery and Chandler didn’t die? Dude, plenty of people died in the show of all races.
I don’t think the writers lack imagination because they didn’t want to off the two leaders of the ship. Call me crazy, but I don’t think that’s an issue to drag through the mud.
The legacy of “The Last Ship” is one of great entertainment and amazing respect paid to the military. As for why Sims feels the need to make up an issue where there isn’t one is beyond me.