SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for The Last Frontier Season 1, Episode 3.

Give The Last Frontier credit—the Apple TV show isn’t dragging out its reveals. Episode 3 has plenty of valuable information about the series’ ongoing mystery. But that’s because the script is also finding other plot threads to pull that maybe it doesn’t need to.

The series could have easily milked the events of the two-episode series premiere across the entire season, filled with plenty more shots of people shining flashlights into dark corners and moments of character angst. But “Country as F**k” steps up to the plate by actually telling the viewer enough about the big picture to give them some clarity, as well as a reason to continue watching. The abduction of Frank Remnick’s wife Sarah is resolved by mid-episode, while both Frank and Sidney Scofield open up—to each other—about their respective tragic pasts (because every thriller hero has a tragic past).

Sidney’s is particularly relevant, as she explains how her father created the program behind Havlock. The end-of-episode bombshell really isn’t one: she declares to Frank that she’s Havlock’s wife, but anyone who’s seen enough thrillers has likely guessed that well before the flashback of the duo kissing. It’s just too much of a genre trope to not see coming, and that plot point is the biggest weakness in the episode. The Last Frontier may prove skeptics wrong if the relationship between the two characters is developed convincingly enough across the rest of the season. But for now, the whole “mixing business with pleasure” bit has been done too many times, and it’s usually not done well.

What does work is convincing the audience that Frank and Sidney are on the same side. The Last Frontier has to do that, and fast, because it only has ten episodes to tell a full story. Wasting more than two with them arguing would be taking up valuable screen time. It’s refreshing that they don’t just trauma bond over their losses; that would be the easy way out. That is a common ground, but they develop the beginnings of respect that is more believable.

The most effective element of The Last Frontier, though, is still the back and forth between Frank and Havlock, because Jason Clarke and Dominic Cooper know exactly how to play it. With Havlock’s identity revealed, Cooper can fully lean into the smarmy villain side of the character, but he also knows exactly how much of that is palatable. He exudes confidence yet never comes across like he’s playing a mustache-twirling supervillain. If anyone needs proof of that, it’s in comparing his performance to that of guest star Johnny Knoxville, who portrays another of the escaped fugitives. Knoxville’s character is supposed to be cartoonish, and nobody really cares when he falls out the back of an airborne buggy. In contrast, Cooper has the audience on the hook.

Director Sam Hargrave delivers some excellent shots during the action sequences, particularly within the buggy when it’s being dragged along by Frank’s helicopter. This is fertile ground for “shakycam” shots, but The Last Frontier keeps its camera relatively steady, and there are some fantastic angles of Cooper and Clarke as they come to blows. Cooper fans may have flashbacks to his action work in Stratton while watching this episode, in the best way. The show wants to include major action setpieces, and the ones so far have been fantastic, but the real gold in the series is within the tense character dynamics.

The Last Frontier‘s third episode builds well on the premiere by providing enough information for the viewer to understand what’s happening and why they should care. With the CIA and FBI involved, things are still fairly muddled in jargon, but at least the audience has a clear picture of stakes and motivations. The actors are the ones pushing the show forward and giving all those concepts meaning. But for each answer it gives, this thriller nust be careful not to get too cute—things like the romantic subplot and Frank’s son Levi still being a hostage could easily backfire. The Last Frontier started with a ton of promise and so far it’s paying that off.

The Last Frontier streams Fridays on Apple TV. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.