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Cresswell (Cr) announced the big news of both Harm (H) and Mac’s (M) promotions and reassignments. Everyone (nearly) vies for selection by either H or M who are supposed to choose their own staff – and Cr said that “all JAG employees are fair game!” Mac “psychically” told H that they will be 5489 miles and 10.5 hrs flying time apart. Coates (Co) wanted to “stay the same” until coaxed by Vukovick (V) to be “adventuresome.” Turner (T) congratulated H on making captain & his appointment. Surprised, H said “It sounds like you mean it”; then “you were qualified too.” Turner replied “the captains board didn’t think so. But perhaps I’ll be JAG after you.” Mac sublet her apt to Vereese, who was moving to DC in order to see how it worked out with T. Bud (B) commented that Hs new position is a “straight shot into JAG” then fumbled when Cr advised he “didn’t plan on retiring anytime soon.” Harm told Mattie he wouldn’t go anywhere without her & Tom isn’t contesting custody.

Harm asked B to go to London with him as “Assistant Force Judge Advocate!” (wow). He excitedly accepted saying Harriet (Ht) would be fine with it. Then M asked B to come with her as a “Blue Suit XO” & he replied that he had already accepted Hs offer. BUT – Ht was NOT happy at all! She jumped on B then brow-beat him until he finally backed down! Then B lied and told H that it had been HIS own decision to “stay put.” Ht had lunch with M & explained (“Bs not to know”) that he “still needs monitoring” [Manipulating behind the back just like her controlling mother does to her, which she always screams about!]   H eventually observed “once Ht makes up Bs mind for him then that’s pretty much it!”

Cresswekk asked Mikey what the “set to” was which he had with his daughter Cammie. Mike told him that: he had been in the right, but they worked out their differences & she would make a great lawyer. When pressed he said: “She has a way of interpreting the rules to her advantage, bending the facts.” Cresswell told him that when it came to his daughter he had “rules of engagement, do you get my meaning?” Mik etried to talk to B about loving Cammie but was told: “You can’t!” “Are you crazy?” – “fall OUT of love!” – then B refused to talk to him about it. Mike then asked H who said “are you crazy?” but then also followed with: “talk to Cammie, & explain your feelings openly and honestly” [interesting coming from H].

Vukovic asked M to follow her to San Diego as well but was turned down flatly. “You are not the kind of lawyer that I want on my staff – period.” He argued with her throwing up her mistake with Farrow so M threw him out of her office. Then Cr assigned V to investigate a case at the marine corps recruiting depot at Paris Island. A recruit had been twice found muddy outside the barracks, ostensibly having been in the swamp to “kill the enemy.” Vukovic questioned Cr’s orders and asked why he had to go for such a low priority case & Cr bristled “The general asked me and I agreed!” Recruit Walter Evans, 16 y/o, falsified a birth certificate, HS diploma & mothers signature to join Marines. His mother told V that “she was loosing him.” After Evan’s father had been killed in Afghanistan Walter withdrew, became obsessed & ran away. She put out an amber alert. He refused to go home with her. Vukovic called Cr for advice who said “think out of the box, that’s your specialty” & hung up on him! The Gen held an award ceremony (not Vs idea) for Walter stating he “knew his father Sgt Maj Silers Evans, how proud he was, etc.” then made Walter an “honorary marine” & ordered him to go home with his mother & “come back when ready.” Vukovic hadn’t realized that the Gen had known Siler which is why he: “didn’t want it known, that’s why I asked for JAG.” Vukovic counseled Mrs. Evans to seek “stress help” & told of his own childhood: Father died when 15 y/o. tried church, street gangs, booze, girls. It was too much for his mom so he was sent to live with his uncle. “He told me things I didn’t know about my dad – things mom didn’t want to talk about him. That got me better.”

AND M & H FINALLY, ACTUALLY TALKED! Through many ‘flashbacks’ they gave insight to their unusual emotional dilemma:

H- “I forgot how beautiful you are.”

M- “You resigned your commission, came 5,000 miles to find me and were nearly killed. Why?

H- “I think you know why… Five years from this moment, if neither are in a relationship we’ll go halves on a kid.”

Then it showed them kissing on the porch at M & Brumby’s engagement party!

M- “Eternity, is that how long we’re going to wait? You still can’t let go can you?

H- “not yet”

M- “you’re just this way with me aren’t you?”

H- “Yes, just you”

H- “If you want to have a baby in the future, the offer still holds. We could do it together like we planned.”

M- ”Cmdr Rabb is the kind of man I would want for my child… We’ve so much more to talk about than just Webb.”

H- “then when you’re ready let me know.”

FINALLY M came to Hs apartment the very night before their departure!

M- ”Lets talk about you and me, neither of us wants to be the first to say goodbye.”

H- “I don’t think that I’ll ever feel about anyone else the way I feel about you.”

M- ”That’s flattering, but don’t tell that to your future wife, whoever she may be, she won’t understand.”

H- “Do YOU understand?”

M- “No, I don’t understand why we can’t make it work, why we’ve let FATE decide our futures.”

H- “What was it about all those men that attracted you?”

M- “They wanted me & they let me know it.”

H- ”I wanted you & you knew it.”

M- ”No woman wants to be a mind reader. With you there are always complications, another woman, work, searching for your father.”

H- “That’s all past. We’ve got 12 hours.”

M- “Is it, we’ve had 9 years.”

H- “I guess maybe I’ve just needed a deadline.”

M- “Well you’ve got one now sailor boy!”

After kissing,

M- “Are you proposing?”

H- “Yes, I’m proposing. Let’s get married.”

M- “This has always been the 500# gorilla in the room. If we get married, one of us has to give up our navy career.”

H- “I love you. But, I don’t want to give up my navy career & you don’t want to give up the Marine Corps.

H- “Do you believe in fate?”

M- “Fate put us together, sort of.”

H- “Fate could keep us together forever.”

They invited Turner, Coates, Harriet, Bud, & Cresswell to McMurphy’s Tavern (where all important events have taken place) in order to announce their engagement. Coates felt she needed to lie to Cr to get him there. Harm explained about their impending marriage and their dilemma about neither wanting to give up their career. Then H said “We’ve decided to let fate decide.” Bud showed them the “JAG coin” which he claimed that Adm Chegwidden gave him when he retired. The “future bride” called – “tails” (the same as she always has in the past & lost). Bud flipped the coin into the air and it turned into slow motion. The scene froze with everyone looking up at the coin which showed “JAG – Judge Advocate General 1995 – 2005″ (on the “tails” side.)

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Petty Officer Ferro caught PO Sanhuinius stealing a candy bar from their ships store; then suffered continual harassment after that because Sanhuinius was twice his size. After shore leave from the USS Carl Vincent in Japan, Sanhuinius picked another fight. Ferro knocked him out and later Sanhuinius died. The captain requested JAG to investigate. Vukovick (V) told Cresswell (Cr) that he didn’t need any help defending; but, Cr said “I think you do” and assigned Harm (H) as the 2nd chair. Vukovic played the same arrogance with H that he had with Mac (M) and H set him in his place; but V spit back. Barnes, the original prosecutor, went to Iraq & Bud (B) was assigned to take his place. V kept showing his arrogance & inexperience, H kept bringing him back on track and B became annoyed about them being “buddies” – the “dream team.”

Cresswell, a boxer, advised V that there must have been some pre-existing problem because it was unlikely in such a mis-match that lethal force could have been produced. So V eventually found steroids and alcohol as well as a visit to the Medical officer with neurological symptoms after their leave. Hs pathologist, Gasden, found Puffer fish toxin. H advised V to check out source for the toxin but he didn’t, saying that he thought B would merely drop the charges. When she got wind of what was going on, M was very suspicious about Vs “evidence” and advised B to investigate further. B changed the charge to murder after he found that Gasden convinced of the toxin but shipmates say Sanhuinius hated fish. M advised B that he did have his case, and that he just needed to find out why. B eventually discovered that Ferro had charged puffer fish toxin (used for pain relief) on his credit card. He also found the shop keeper who identified Ferro’s photograph. Sanhuinius had the remains of a power bar and the toxin in his stomach. There was also a power bar wrapper in Sanhuinius’s pocket with Ferro’s fingerprints INSIDE the wrapper and evidence of the wrapper being re-glued. Referring to H and V, M told B that they “were 2 alpha males & deep down every dream team is a nightmare waiting to happen.”

Mac kept trying to “be there” for H while Mattie was in the hospital, but he pushed her away – she said “you tried to be there for me but I pushed you away so I guess this is only fair.” Coates (Co) came uninvited to the hospital on a Wednesday (her and Mattie’s normal night out) and relieved Hs bedside watch. Mattie opened her eyes. Later, she was removed from respirator, began speaking and remembered Hs first words to her. M said “things will never be the same;” H said “trust me, it’ll be awhile but you’ll get back!” H lied when she asked where her father was; “That’s the first time you’ve ever lied to me!” H said “he’ll get back” – referring to Tom (her father) & “I’m not leaving.”

Mac was assigned to defend Seaman Apprentice Charles Bander who was caught releasing navy’s trained dolphins. Everyone, B especially, was making fish jokes: “on porpoise,” “Squid pro Quo,” “It’s a red herring,” “for the Halibut.” Turner (T) was prosecuting under wrongful misappropriation (10yrs penalty). Bander testified under mitigation that he had been surfing and was targeted by a Great White shark moving closer in circles. Dolphins had come and circled between him and the shark for an hour then escorted him back to shore. He said that just couldn’t see them penned – he owed them. Uncharacteristically T recommended that Bander be “sentenced” to sea service with the dolphins. [Everyone's dialog in this whole episode was uncharacteristically relaxed & intimate]

Cresswell announced the creation of a JAG Joint Legal Service Center-Southwest and Ms appointment as commandant of the unit. Harm was appointed Force Judge Advocate Naval Forces Europe, headquarted in London England, a Captain’s Billet with immediate frocking. He was granted two Days travel and four days proceed time. Harm and M looked at each other stunned… !

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Cresswell’s (Cr) brother Wallace (a former Vietnam SEAL who was traumatized and disaffected from his Vietnam service) asked him to investigate the found remains of a soldier he believed to be a Marine helicopter pilot Lt. Joe Johnson. Creswell gave JAG attorney Vukovick (V) 5 days to investigate and ostensibly “see the jazz festival.” Lt. Catherine Graves (Gr) was also assigned and she had to “coerce” V into “doing his job” as he wanted to slack off all the time. They drove to Johnson’s hometown Vicksburg while V was asleep in the car. A newspaperman told them that Joe’s brother Elroy (they needed his DNA for ID of the remains) was a blues guitarist and knew Loretta McKeely in Tutwiler. Then Loretta told them that Elroy had divorced her for some “Jezebel” (actually her sister April-Dawn). Then April-Dawn said Elroy had divorced her for “Candy Graham” another singer and gave them a home made record.

V forced himself on Gr when they had to stay in the same motel room; sleeping in same bed even though Gr told him that it was against regs. She guessed that he had been “left at alter by only woman he had ever loved” which upset V. While she was listening to the record that they had been given, Gr recognized “Candy’s” Voice as Indira Diamond so they drove back to Natchez where Diamond was appearing. Indira told them that Elroy had left; but she had gotten a wedding invite from a PO box in Memphis; so they might find him there on Beal St. Graves and V tried all the clubs on Beal Street and did find Etta (Gladys Knight) and a guitarist who told them that “Elroy had died.” After leaving, V realized that the guitarist they had seen with Etta had the same guitar as in photo of Elroy. So, they went back and lo-and-behold the guitarist was in fact really Elroy. They told him the details of what Wallace had disclosed. He had served with Joe on a black-ops mission to rescue some POWs. Their helicopter chased some Viet-Cong away from interferring with the mission but it was shot down. The co-pilot and gunner were thrown clear but Joe was left trapped inside the burning craft. Wallace couldn’t budge aircraft no matter how hard he tried. Joe kept begging Wallace to “not let him burn,” He badgered Wallace to shoot him and eventually he did right before the flames got him. Elroy did give a DNA sample and Wallace got peace with the results and the discovery of his friend; however, Elroy had said that he didn’t want to know results so that he could “keep thinking that he might run into him some day.”

Mattie was still in a coma. Harm (H) was assigned to prosecute a reservist doctor Lt Chang for using “Vecuronium,” a muscle paralytic, in order to intubate a severely burned Iraqi girl against orders from Capt Smith who wanted to save the drug for US soldiers only. When H was speaking disparagingly about Chang, Coates (Co) told him that she was an excellent doctor who didn’t give up, “the kind that you want for Mattie.” H seemed distant toward Mac (M) who told Co that H wasn’t talking to her so perhaps she could try. Smith said that they had “ran out of the drug” and a helicopter had to risk enemy fire in order to bring more. Chang described that she “couldn’t NOT use the drug” because she was “a doctor first” and that she had known it would work. She did get the child intubated; but had left to take some blood to the lab and 10 min later the girl was dead. H was very distressed during Chang’s description of valiant attempts to save girl but in cross exam played attorney very well and pointed that she “had never considered herself in the military despite having joined in order to have her medical school paid for.” Bud (B) discovered that it was Smith who had made the mistake of only ordering 1/10th of the needed amount of the drug than he should have, which was what made them in short supply and had required military shuttle replenishment. H was convinced into agreeing for an administrative separation with prorated payback; but, Chang turned it down. She said that she had been successful at everything she did because she had worked hard at what she was doing, but now realized that she had never really applied herself to being a military officer. She said that “the military needs doctors more than ever now” and wanted to accept the consequences of her actions and remain in the service to finish her commitment.

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[This episode was skillfully written to compare incidents in two towns: Kresge OK and Talasura Iraq; along with two people undergoing trials. It is actually the same plot in two different settings with differently named characters; and, is quite good considering Harm (H) and Mac (M) are in "parallel play," again.]

Lance Cpl. Scott Van Arsdale and two of his buddies saw Ma’Mun Al-Reza hurry distractedly out of their platoon mess tent just before a bomb had exploded. Scott had stopped to tie his shoe so was the only one of 17 reservists from Kresge not killed. JAG officers Harm and Bud (B) were sent to Kresge to help process survivor benefits, so happened to be in the story line to investigate the fire bombing of the Reserve Center which happened while they were there. The whole town turned out to see Scott’s homecoming. Mayor Hazlet, an attorney turned real estate agent, said that all of the boys had worked on their parents farms and had joined the reserves together in support of their country and families. They were combat engineers and none complained when they were called up. Within minutes of the center burning, the sheriff caught Scott nearby, smelling like gas, and guiltily, preemptively saying “you’ve got the wrong man.” Harm heard that Scott had a “strong moral center” but had refused to talk to his pastor. Cliff Pardee, the military rejected brother of Scott’s dead friend said that Scott was a “goody, goody” who “even picked up litter on the way to school.” However, they heard nothing which would exonerate Scott so they recommended article 32. The town, however, blockaded his removal to Washington saying “we’ve given up enough of our boys, you’re going to have to fight for this one.”

They decided to hold the hearing in Kresge with H and B prosecuting. Hazlet decided to defend for free over Hs advice. Hazlet threw suspicion on Cliff who had an anger issue, punched a wall, siphoned gas from his sisters car, had no witness for where he was during fire and had lied to H about why he was rejected from the service. After being rebuffed by Cliff, H befriended his son, Donovan, who was carrying a cat which had lived in the recruiting station as a mascot. Donovan said that he had been given the cat for safe keeping by Scott just before the fire had been set. With the new evidence, Scott confessed, waived his article 32 rights and accepted punishment. He told the town that he was just so angry he didn’t know what else he could do; but, that he was sorry he had deceived them. One by one, all of the town stood in his support.

Meanwhile Ma’Mun was being held under duress in interrogation by Colonel Mazzone, who was trying to extract a confession. Cresswell (Cr) sent Mac (M) to the area because Mazzone wanted someone “who could relate” with the mother of Ma’Mun who was making a huge fuss. Ma’Mun had actually been working as spy FOR the US, against the village Sheikh who was a town tyrant, a known terrorist and who had been killed resisting apprehension. Ma’Mun’s backpack was the explosive device but he claimed he had nothing in it except a few personal items including a Koran. He had left the tent realizing that he had left his pass in the bathroom and was going back to get it. You could tell M was not happy with Ma’Mun being tied to a chair for hours but did participate in Mazzone’s “plan.” She visited his mother and advised that her son was a prisoner of war and “would continue to be regardless of her attempts to shout down elected officials, enlist al Jazeera or write threatening letters to US congressmen.” “It must be working, you’re here,” she said. M replied that she had no authorization to change Ma’Mun’status but that if the woman would lower her tone “we could have a reasonable discussion.” She then told M a very convincing story about being trained as an interpreter in Baghdad but fleeing with her son after the Shiite rebellion where all males between 18 and 60 were killed by SadDAM. Ma’Mun had convinced her to return last month, as it was now a bit safer and was an opportunity to free the community. Ma’Mun had a vision where “boys like these could be educated.”

Mac told her that she couldn’t see her son but asked for a letter she could take to him. Then she told Ma’Mun she had seen his mother- but refused to say anything further; except that she had a letter from her – which he couldn’t see. Finally he signed a confession. M had to demand to tell the mother herself over Mazzone’s objections. When she was told, Mrs. Al Reza asked “under what conditions,” to which M didn’t answer. She showed Mac an orphaned, delinquent boy, Nabil, who she had chastised for throwing rocks. Nabil had accused her of just being mad “because the Sheik killed your son.” He revealed to M that he had been on a balcony and overheard the sheik talking to another man about putting a bomb in Ma’Mun’s backpack. Mac did some investigating and found wire, semtex and defaced Koran pages in a boarded up shop. Mazzone bad-mouthed Ms evidence and her request for a stake out. However she finally convinced him with simple investigative logic: he had obtained a confession extracted under duress, and “why did you ask for someone who could relate unless you wanted me to ‘relate.’” They eventually did catch Mohammed Sadar, on the “hot list,” coming back for his stuff, and got a confession from him.

The people in Kresge voted to donate 25% of their son’s life insurance policies for a war memorial to their them. Ma’Mun was released and M had Mazzone go to a town meeting where a school was announced with Ma’Mun as the teacher. Mazzone would answer questions “about the occupation and how it will affect our lives.” When everyone clamored to ask a question he murmured to M “What is this?”   She told him, “Democracy, sir.”

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[Except for Vukovic's arrogant, know-it-all character, this was an episode reminiscent of the "real" JAG that we all used to know and love.]

Coates (Co) spruced up Vukovic (V) before he went in to see Cresswell (Cr), and was told to “call me ‘Vic.’” Co later told Mac (M) that V “was kinda cute” to which M responded: “He clearly shares your opinion of himself.” Cresswell sent V, alone, to defend PFC Hoke Smith, who had been charged by General Hugh Cardworthy with the un-premeditated murder of a civilian – an incident which just happened to be caught on ZNN videotape. Col Bootney presided [he was judge last week in San Diego] and Marine Maj Atkins prosecuted. Atkins had been a tank commander in Desert Storm and went into JAG after “he lost some body parts.” Cardworthy told V that he would need to “‘be there’ in order to understand, even a little, what a marine is and does and why.” Smith said that their six men went through a raging gun battle to neutralize the sniper in the minaret of the mosque. They shot some terrorists on the ground floor, then Brad Holliman’s cameraman wanted to get a shot from the tower so ran on ahead. He was blown back, dead. Smith and PFC Quick went up the stairs, threw a grenade, then shot a terrorist who they saw raising his gun. Holliman then brought the camera up just as another man was raising his arm and was shot by Smith. Later he wasn’t found to be armed or booby trapped. Holliman threw the video all over the airwaves, “just doing his job.”

Capt Ellis said that he considered any building with snipers and weapons a target and that Smith was justified in the shooting. V was loosing in court and began bargaining for confinement and dishonorable discharge, but Atkins told him that “in the blink of an eye” they had to make a decision and those decisions were frequently correct. V finally decided to actually put forth some effort in his job and go back to take a look at the mosque. Only then did he find a loose floorboard with explosives along with a hidden suicide vest and a detonator chord. The following day he got Ellis to testify that the man Smith killed could have been a commonly used “spotter” and then played the videotape of the weapons storage. Smith was found not guilty.

Cardworthy handed V his new TAD orders, compliments of Cr, to accompany the 1st Marine division back to Karbala as “JAG on the spot.” Holliman was in Vs face and Ellis ordered him to cooperate. V told him “I’m not in your Chain of Command,” to which he was told that his TAD, in fact, made him Ellis’s soldier. V replied that he was no soldier, I’m in the navy! They encountered another fire fight and had to blow entry. Smith saved V from another booby trapped terrorist but was injured in the doing. As V was helping Smith out, Holliman blinded them with his camera light. V had to kill a terrorist, who had only seen them because of the light, then shot Holliman’s light and camera. Ellis then expelled Holliman from combat areas for endangering his men.

Mattie was still in a coma but there was some small improvement. Cr told H to “take all the time he needs.” H found Tom outside a bar, drunk but was told that “I’ve made this choice. Leave me alone.” M went, uninvited, to the hospital to ask why her calls hadn’t been returned. “Cause you would ask questions I couldn’t answer and say things I didn’t want to hear.” When she tried to touch his shoulder, he told her “No,” so she said “let me know” and left. Cr asked M to talk to Cammie, his daughter, who (this week) claimed issues of “gender holding her back” in the military. Mac did, and Cammie told her that her mom met Cr at age 18 and knew in 3 seconds they would marry. She asked if M had ever loved like that and was told “no.” After the talk, Cammie apologized to her mother, saying: “I love having you as my mother” and that she would “try the Navy” but hot to tell her dad.

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[Apparently this was supposed to be an important JAG episode on several levels]

Cresswell (Cr) held his annual JAG conference in San Diego instead of Washington and relied on Cathy Graves (Gr) as his “advance person” and Lt. Tali Mayfield (Mf) as a keynote speaker on “the JAG involvement in combat operations.” Turner (T) and Bud (B) were left behind “for trials” but then not seen again. Harm (H) was made “acting” JAG and stayed behind. He was shown exhibiting much more trust for Ts opinion than T ever showed for his. Mac (M) prosecuted Corporal Caden Duran who was accused of manslaughter when a civilian in a mob he was trying to control died. Vukovic (V) defended and Mf was assigned as 2nd chair. Cr told them “you have a history” but “consider this a test that neither of you wants to fail.”Vukovic was his usual arrogant, smug and pontifical self throughout, demanding his client not to accept a settlement which M had offered. Mf had to back V down just to be able to even hear the client get a chance to talk! Disagreements and condescending attitudes got to point where Mf told V “I don’t’ know which drives you more your ego or libido,” “It’s one thing to be cocky with your own life but quite another to showboat with someone else’s,” and “You don’t just use people, you use people UP.”

Vukovic couldn’t even see that M was “wiping” him in court. V, in his arrogant way, even tried to seduce M into accepting a plea bargain! Gr, smitten with V, had to point out that M was beating him and then spoon fed him forensic clues. It was actually Gr who defended Duran, not V or Mf who acted like she was just along for the ride. The victim was hit on crown of head (marines use gun butts on the side) and no one had even checked the blood type to match the victim and gun butt! V flew off to Nicaragua grandstanding instead of testing the blood. He brought back Fonseca Godoy who had seen the man, Carlos Trjerino, killed when he had slipped and a crate fell on top of his head. Everyone, he said, knew that he had a “soft head.” Godoy said that Duran couldn’t have hit Trjerino because he was the man who Duran hit. Ashamedly, he said that he had stepped on a child trying to get the food being distributed. M believed that V was using another actor like he had done before and asked for time to check credibility. Mf said “I know better than anyone the deception V is capable of” but she vouched for the truth of the witness. M got the blood analysis that V should have gotten at the beginning of the episode, and then cut off the trial recommending to the convening authority that charges be dropped because of lack of evidence. Mf screwed up her face and told V, “now, that’s integrity.”

When V condescendingly complimented M, she began to believe that he had set her up, knowing she would do the blood test and drop charges; and then wondered if V had tampered with the blood samples too. She told him, “hope I never find out there was tampering” and he replied, “you won’t” (however, he never denied it).

Meanwhile Mattie was on a respirator in intensive care after she hit a taxiing plane during a flight lesson which killed her instructor. The specialist doctor was portrayed as uncaring and delayed coming to the hospital. Tom began drinking again and when H tried to rally him, he completely broke down – “she’s all I have, the only reason I stopped drinking.” Dr Michael Rosenbaum said Mattie had a SUSPICIOUS, “a white spot,” AROUND C4 – a POSSIBLE spinal cord transection – and COULD be paralyzed from neck down – and that they MAY need to think of discontinuing life support – IF she doesn’t wake up. Hs emotional involvement was surprising to the doctor [and frankly hadn't been developed in previous episodes to that extent either.] H was uncharacteristically upset and projected Mattie’s future to her even though she was in a coma: “We’re going to fly Mt. McKinley, sail the Mediterranean, ski Aspen. You’ve got college, love and babies.”

Cresswell seemingly has had a personality transplant, reversing what the writers have inflicted on us to date. He was acting grateful, and amiable – even complimented Gr stating he “would like her to join JAG.” Gr wouldn’t listen to M & Mf’s warning her about becoming involved with V. [Additionally, the "tone" of this episode was glaringly different. There was nauseatingly, vertiginous camera movement even on an increased number of tight shots, barely understandable rapid fire dialog, and more intrusive (over balanced), boinky, space-ship type background music. The scene of the L-CAC flying up on the beach was impressive however.]

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[Another one of this seasons JAG episodes with poorly defined new characters made worse by writers untrue to existing characters, and insulting to viewers, by merely telling us we should overlook what they've done so far instead of giving us a storyline which would develop our change of mind.]

A ship, the Palau, became disabled and asked for the assistance of Captain Manning Donovan of the USS Condon. When they arrived, assistance was refused making Donovan suspect pirates. The JAG, Cresswell (Cr), sent Mac (M) to negotiate the release of the crew and capture Akay Anwar who had a reputation of killing the entire crew of a ship if any person resisted. Cr made her take Vukovic (V) with her, explaining: 1- he is a surface officer, and 2- to “make a man out of him. He just needs direction and discipline.” She said he was “too much a man and not enough lawyer.” Cr said that V and Harm were “too much alike” [Huh?] to be assigned together. Cr told M to “consider it a vote of confidence.” She said it was “more like a plaque of locusts.”

Anwar realized that he couldn’t get away with anything with M, so he turned the rhetoric into one of being an issue with a “woman.” Vukovic just took the microphone, countermanded M, and said “just send the hostages and you can go.” They set up a trap to capture Anwar when the pirates feigned being hostages and tried to take over the Condon. Anwar had already killed the Palau’s whole crew, except four which had escaped in a lifeboat.

Then, Commander Sandakan, of the Indonesian KRI Mataram, shot across the bow of the Condon and demanded custody of Anwar. Donovan was ordered to “cease resisting” while an un-named white house lackey [instead of the SECNAV] told Cr “my boss can beat up your boss.” Then Indonesian Admiral Lutarno boarded the Condon to hold a so-called “custody hearing.” Vukovic arrogantly tried to force M into “clearing the air,” saying he didn’t feel comfortable in proceeding until they had done so. M said she wasn’t concerned with his “comfort level” and he said he wanted to be “on the same page.” She said we’re not in the same book or even library!” She told him to just “listen” but instead he insulted Lutarno, then refusing to inform M (or anyone), walked out of the hearing, commandeered a boat and boarded the Pulau (without a sidearm). Then, completely from out of nowhere, Donovan did a “heart-to-heart” about V being a “train wreck” and M should “cut him some slack.” [probably directed to the viewers]. Mac and V had deduced that the Pulau had made explosives from their fertilizer cargo and ships fuel. Capt Donovan, still suspecting treachery, found the Pulau had been repaired and was now heading for Singapore – and of course now V was on it! Indonesia finally wised up and accepted U.S. help, so M was “inserted” along with some with SEALs, onto the Pulau. She found and saved V who then, with 15 min left, defied logic and grandstanded disarming a small cell phone detonator risking early explosion, [instead of simply moving it away from the room with the explosives.] M told him, “it’s a good thing you were as good as you think you are.”

Bud (B) and Harriett (Ht) held an open house so that people could meet their new twins (only the girl’s name was revealed – Nicky). Harm (H) appeared at the party, “passing through” on his way to Florida, ostensibly to help with hurricane aftermath assessment. Mattie, he said, is taking flying lessons, coming to visit over spring break and is going to the prom with Kevin. Cr’s wife Dora was introduced as a real “people person,” counterbalance to Cr. Their daughter Cammie (18) is in her first year at Annapolis and flirted with Mikey until Cr introduced her as his daughter and told them to “chaperone yourselves appropriately.” Cammie told Mk, “don’t even think about asking me out” as she was a plebe; and, he said he was third year so “don’t think about it either.” She dropped her books on the sidewalk at school and he, not at first knowing it was her, braced her up. As others were looking, she told him that he was supposed to be asking her questions so he asked her “what color underwear are you wearing(?!!)” She said “what part of sexual harassment DO you understand?” Uncharacteristically, Cr talked to Bud about having a daughter, raising her midst boys, and teaching them to “hold their own.” Unbelievably, he told B that he thought he had “taught Cammie not to back down from anything and had probably gone too far.” Dora appeared and told B that “only good parents have doubts. It’s the one’s who think they know it all that never learn a thing.” Cammie was “killed” in paintball at the academy by Mk. She cheated by taking off her spattered shirt then, when Mk called her on it, she bargained for each of them to give fair passage and stay in the game. When he agreed, she shot him anyway and said “sometimes you’ve got to play dirty to win.” Then, out of the blue, Cammie took a “day off” from the academy and told Cr she “was pretty much a social washout because you’ve raised me to see everyone as a rival.” She didn’t make friends “because I’m too busy trying to win all the time.” She wants out of Annapolis because “you don’t know how hard it is being a woman there!” She hadn’t thought it through to make other plans. Dora told Cr “blaming yourself for the way our kids (also Cade-15) turned out won’t change anything.”

[The most incredible part of the script] Mac asked V if he was “always going to be this insubordinate?” He responded: “When I give MY respect it’s because they’ve earned it … like you did.” [oh, what an arrogant wad of phlegm!]

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[Yet another episode with barely believable dialog and contrived conflict. New cast member touted as "the new Harm" (DJE leaving the show after this season) shown to be unethical, inconsiderate, full of himself -  the complete antithesis of Harm; neither he or Cresswell are believable characters]

Lt. Vukovick (V) arrived at JAG, knocked into Mac (M) flinging her papers, ogled her while he helped pick them up and announced that “I’m the new guy.” Cresswell (Cr) assigned him to second M in the case of Gunnery Sergeant Genuzzi who was charged with illegally commandeering a civilian vehicle in Iraq. Vukovic came in late, brusquely acknowledged Tali Mayfield (Mf), prosecutor, then led and directed Genuzzi in telling his story. Genuzzi said that his (Lt. Revere’s) vehicle had broken down and they had time sensitive intel; so, when a local, Azzam, came down the road after curfew in a SUV they commandeered it. Azzam became belligerent and drew a crowd so they drew weapons. Revere was killed in the vehicle by a land mine. V tried to push him to say that Lt. Revere had ordered him to take the vehicle, but Genuzzi refused. Mac asked Cr if V had “any experience with litigation at all” [he certainly was unbelievable to the audience) and, unbelievably, Cr said: "he's got something better, he's got fire in the belly, and we need that around here." Then Cr played his tiresome manipulation game of "can't you handle it M."

Mayfield whined to Bud (B) about being on the "wrong side" of yet another case because she believed Genuzzi wasn't being honest. B advised her to proceed with "zeal," which she did. V tried to elicit a bargain with Mf without even discussing it with M and was found out. She read him the riot act, commenting that he'd graduated "6th in class at Dickenson and still didn't learn anything about the chain of command." He patronizingly started to apologize but M called him on how "practiced" his apologies were. She made him repeat that he would "do nothing without Ms complete consent."

Cresswell was shown "thinking" in empty court room when a "friend(?)"/acquaintance, sheik Suhaib al-Hassan came to demand that he "punish the man who took my son's car." Cr asked him if that was a threat and was told that if he wasn't punished "there would be consequences." M spoke to the Sheik in his language and asked him to request clemency. He argued so she said "forgiveness is the noblest revenge." He said "that's a woman's argument," and she replied "yet simple enough that even a man can understand." On the stand Azzam acted the expected spoiled-brat son of a Sheik. His father admitted that the son was not harmed, and was compensated financially but "how can you compensate for loss of dignity." M said in court the real reason this was being pressed was to appease his politically powerful father. Cr got on her case about that. Even Genuzzi was admitting to M and V that he was ordered to take the vehicle – but still wouldn't "bad mouth" Revere – when in came a man announcing that he was "Paul Revere" the lieutenant's father. He read a letter stating that Revere had ordered Genuzzi to take the car and threatened "either you tell the truth or I will." Mayfield reduced the charge to wrongful appropriation and Cr asked the Sheik if he was satisfied. The sheik said yes and asked to have the sentence commuted. Cresswell went out of his way to commend V – and M happened to be there as well. When M got V alone she confronted him with using an actor – "do I look that stupid to you, that I wouldn't check?" Completely oblivious to his dishonesty he flippantly told her "whatever works." She landed on him for "fraud, unethical and despicable" and said "do it again and I'll have you before the rules council! I might anyway." He arrogantly said "you won't do it because you like what I did," and she told him "don't bet your career on it."

Harm (H) completed his field quals in the F-18 and told Cr he only needed 16 carrier traps until he was F-18 qualified. Cr offered an investigation on the carrier JFK to Turner (T) who deferred to H. A Huey pilot Lt. Gutierrez shot the stern of the fishing boat belonging to Jalal Sharif who was heading for an oil platform and refusing to stop when orders were broadcast in his language. The CAG authorized him to shoot warning shots across the bow which caused him to run although still not stop. The government was complaining. Iraqi commando battalion leader Colonel Fadil Najijar, Masters of engineering from MIT, was Hs counterpart. The CAG clearly held "seeing it my way" over Hs head to get on the schedule for his quals. Harm found that Gutierrez had acted within the ROE because Sharif could speak English and didn't stop. The CAG gave him the flights – with bullets but no missiles; except, that during the flight he was diverted to intercept a small aircraft which was heading directly at the oil platform. The two occupants appeared unconscious and Hs getting in front of them then lifting their wing with air pressure from his own craft was still ineffective. At 5 seconds before impact H saw the pilot's lips moving before deciding to shoot. The small craft's occupant was reportedly Hakim Ma'mun, an Iraqi minister, on a fact finding tour.

Turner was sent to investigate and after perfunctory greetings H said "I guess were exchanging lies" and T agreed. T railroaded through a perfunctory "investigation" and charged H with negligent homicide because he hadn't asked for permission to fire – despite there having been only 5 seconds to impact. Harm and T had it out. Turner accused H of jealousy and undermining his authority during his temporary JAG appointment. Harm said he was a "tight ass, pompous, sanctimonious prig or he would have had everyone's support." Najjar overhead them arguing and told H "best friends make the worst of enemies." H asked, "from the Koran?" He said, "no, John Wayne." Najijar eventually discovered that two men, speaking Arabic with Jordanian accents, had been seen talking to Sharif on his boat then afterward Sharif had thrown up over the side. Sharif finally admitted that he had been forced by "Zarqawi's men" to head to the oil platform in order to test security. They convinced him to wear a wire into the terrorists. Troops then entered the house killing all but one – including Sharif. The troops also found the bodies of the real minister and his pilot who had been killed before their scheduled flight. Harm was therefore exonerated. Turner flew back with the real Sharif, who's death had been staged in order to avoid retaliation, and said to Harm: "It turned out well. I'm glad." Harm said "yea, I believe you." Turner said, "we're still swapping lies."

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PFC Jeff Kilpatrick was killed when his unit was ambushed and taking fire from all sides. He had stood up in a daze and walked directly toward insurgents firing on them. His COC blamed navy psychiatrist Cdr Lucy Maron for “incompetence.” Mac (M) was antagonistic from the beginning, even Cresswell (Cr) told her that she looked like she was “on a mission” against psychiatrists. Harm (H) got Dr Elgin (Jordan’s friend) to review the case. However, when H asked her to be a witness she told him that M had already asked her to be a witness for her side. Then, on cross-examination H had to discredit her. Then, Maron’s private diary was found on a navy computer, she used and forgot to erase, which revealed SHE was under “secondary stress” as well. Kilpatrick had “combat addiction” with adrenalin rush and wanted to go back to the fighting and “it was so easy to let him” Maron told H.

Maron, in her own stress, “felt” responsible and cried in front of Cpl Dominick who then had blamed Maron as well. Maron was following the “3 hot’s and a cot” protocol which she was under orders to follow. Elgin described that there was: an omnipresent threat, no obvious front line, supporting roles being given to independent contractors, and a greater percentage of troops now see action than in years past. She described Maron’s caseload as completely unrealistic. Harm showed that Kilpatricks CO, Capt Damon White, had disregarded ALL of Maron’s many prior suggestions for prevention. He called them “touchy feely” but he was overwrought in his condemnation of Maron. Maron was found guilty of Dereliction but Judge Blakeley thanked her for her courage and delayed sentencing 60 days for stress counseling and assessment with “possible return to full duty.” Elgin told H that Maron was in a daze and didn’t even hear the judges “no confinement.” They made arrangements for dinner within M’s hearing so H, feeling uncomfortable, asked M to join them – although she declined.

Bud (B) defended Cdr. Stefanopoulis who refused to vacate his command of the USS LeGrande when relieved of command after a pilot hit a pier. Stefanopoulis had to keep encouraging B because he wanted his “day in court” even though he “knew he was done.” Lt. Tali Mayfield, an arrogant new JAG prosecuting attny, was introduced and “psyched out” B. Stefanopoulis had been summarily dismissed without explanation from ANYONE, including his arrogant strike group commander Admiral Renfield. He had just been summarily dismissed for “lack of confidence” and had absolutely no recourse; so, he chose to refuse to stand down to get his “day in court.” During Bs questioning Adm Renfield was cocky until B showed that in the past 3 years Renfield had only taken action on TWO (of TEN) officers who had committed infractions which rose to level of court-martial and they were the ones who were over 40 years old! Then he showed that Stefanopoulis had been ordered to turn over piloting of the ship to a private pilot who had LIED to the navy about his amount of experience because of his companies pressure. Stefanopoulis was still relieved of command but was grateful to B that he had his day in court – “I’m not too old to serve my country.”

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Capt Jack Ramsey who went UA (after the battle of Tora Bora & bin Laden was “allowed” to escape) was leading a mujahadeem and trying capture bin Laden. Ramsey was charged with killing 5 Zaran village men after they lied to him about the whereabouts of Fahim Khalili a pharmacist in Moquot who Ramsey believed was tied to bin Laden. After the incident the Afghan people turned against Ramsey so his sources dried up. He offered to clear his name of deaths if he could speak with US legal personnel at JAG first and avoid Afghan trial.

Cresswell (Cr) sent Mac (M) and Harm (H) who obtained an agreement with Zabi, the Afghan prosecutor general, to allow a US military trial; but, then Zabi double crossed them and captured Ramsey himself. Wahid (who’s mother & father were killed by Taliban) was sent to “fetch” H and M. On the way they stopped to see Mazin (who was blinded by the Taliban after helping Ramsey). Mazin said that he had seen Ramsey at the same time the villagers were killed, so he couldn’t have been in Zaran during the killings. The Judge, without any sense of fairness, didn’t allow H or M to see any witnesses or evidence (but, was shown as an honorable person at the end.) The only evidence was that: Ramsey had been in the village earlier, been lied to about where Kalili was, the men were killed at night by masked persons, and that a US flag patch was dropped at scene – all circumstantial! Wahid brought Khalili’s wife to the trial “so Ramsey could be tried on one that he did, not on the 5 that he didn’t do.”

Ramsey finally admitted that they had found the pharmacist, Khalili, carrying kidney failure medicines (bin Laden has renal failure) and wanted him to lead them to bin Laden. Before they could make him, Khalili had killed himself by running off a cliff. Zabi had to choose which crime to try for, he warned that slaying unjustly (?suicide defense not even addressed?) got retaliation at the hands of the family – loss of Right hand & Left leg. Ramsey admitted Khalili’s ”accidental” death. Mac talked to Mrs. Khalili who, the next day, was shown ready to cut off Ramsey’s hand but then changed her mind accepting “blood money” instead: a pickup truck, a well for the town and 100 goats. Zibi was extremely upset. Ramsey was given 60 days brig time and discharge from service.

Big Bud (BB) now owns a bikini-wrestling bar but was called back to active duty as one of a few “old timers” who actually knew the old paper and pencil system – which is now needed in Iraq. He got Bud (B) to try and help him escape from the recall. His girlfriend Doris got OTC ephedrine and blood pressure pills but they didn’t have any effect on preventing his acceptance. He claimed he was gay to the corps wave but she talked dirty in his ear and he had “a hard day.” Bud helped him plead before Capt Curry at NAVSUP who didn’t buy all his excuses but told BB that he found 12 other retirees, some older with families, who were willing to go; so, “we don’t need you or want you and won’t call you again.” The rejection upset BB. Bud later chided him for malingering over a “broken ankle” he received from being thrown out of the ring by his two female wrestlers but not caught as it was scripted. BB advised that his recall had been rescinded but that he had “volunteered” and was going to Athens Georgia to teach at the naval supply school.

The Final shot was of Ramsay offering to give H and M a “home” in his unit and M asking H “you’d like to be joining him wouldn’t you?” to which H replied “wouldn’t you?” [This was a refreshingly good episode which was well written and where no "short man" crud came from Cresswell; but, the "elephant is still in the room," although H and M are dealing with it in their usual way - by ignoring it. Even with that, however, it was good to be "back on track," for a bit, with the series!]

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