| 9/21/1999 | King of the Greenie Board
by John Schulian
86 | [DJEs contract renewed and he is now on a carrier flying F14s as "Pappy"] Harm (H) is on the carrier Patrick Henry flying F14s with Skates as his RIO. He suffered a bird strike and was streaming fuel so needed an emergency refueling. Lt. Andrew Buxton, (known as X-man) although almost empty himself, broke off from the tanker so H could refuel and said he "had plenty" despite suggestion that they both wait for the next tanker. H did a single engine, hard, landing on the 3 wire and Buxton hooked the 1 wire after an engine flame out. H had 6 straight "green" landings and was catching Buxton on the "greenie board" a running summary of their landings. Buxton reveled that he was the "king" of the "greenie board" and referred to himself in the 3rd person as "the X-man." Captain Pike, the CAG, chewed Buxton out for not waiting for more fuel. A real fleet JAG "weenie," Lt. Aldridge, briefed the pilots on the rules of engagement in real "gobbledegook" language such that Buxton asked "and if we have to scratch our 6 do we have to phone the president?" After Aldridge left, the CAG said that if a MIG is on your 6 and locks you WILL see a missile come off its rails. CAG tried to bring H in the middle of it but he kept a true lawyers skillful, non-committal answer. Buxton challenged Hs allegiance and H said "were the good guys Buxton, we didn't get that way by firing first." CAG had H take over as division leader from Buxton. Buxton brought up charges on his plane captain (Griggs) when a new Infrared Pod came off on take off. H asked to investigate by CAG. Griggs said that the new device was "a Murphy" and would go on either frontward or backwards. Several people, including Buxton himself, hadn't done a thorough pre-flight check so H recommended that Griggs not be charged. Buxton flew off the handle and said he wouldn’t have him back so H said he'd take him and advised "he's too good to be yours." Before their next mission they watched as Admiral Takushkin came aboard as a Russian observer. They were also told that there was a "spy plane" with a radio-controlled, gyro-stabilized telescope in a Lear jet watching them. Buxton went after a "lone" MIG despite being told he was beyond bounds and to disengage and H warning that they always flew in pairs. When the second MIG got a lock on Buxton from behind H had to engage a lock on it. Despite Buxton's urgings for H to fire he waited and the MIG disengaged. Again, the CAG chewed Buxton saying "you can't be all plumbing and no forehead." H, perfunctorily took blame, and CAG told him to "teach Buxton something." H told the arrogant Buxton that he "confused reality with his score on the greenie board." Pissed off Buxton he maligned H to his RIO as jealous and said he'd prove he was better "the next time I'm up." They were assigned to photo recon of mass grave sites and H went to take care of the spy plane while Buxton went to get photos. Hs warnings went unheeded so he flew in front of the Lear and did a fuel dump on it. Buxton saw a vehicle heading down the road toward some civilians and, despite warnings, strafed it. When they arrived back on board CAG charged him with killing Russian peacekeepers.
Mac (M)was promoted to Lt Col and had a "private" wetting down. Harriet (Ht) brought little AJ into JAG in his sailor suit. Tiner was driving Chegwidden (C) crazy with his ineptitude in office procedures. M was prosecuting Corporal Winrow, against Brumby, (Brum) for misfiring a "Brimstone 2000" anti-tank weapon and starting a fire. He had gone out and gotten drunk the night before. Brum was still, relentlessly, pursuing M socially and bet her dinner on the outcome of the case. Brum was loosing until M called her own witness, Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez (G), who was accepting a job with the guns manufacturer. On the stand, and to her surprise, he disclosed that the weapon had a faulty guidance system when it got over 90 degrees. He had gotten into the companies files at night to research the problem. Winrow was acquitted and M had a talk with the G, being impressed by his pursuit of truth despite personal convenience. She talked him into applying with C to run the JAG office. When C commented on Gs prior boxing during his interview, he commented that he held h is own- especially against SEALS! C told him that he knew one SEAL he'd have trouble with and stared at him down his nose in a stand off. He told G that there were navy people in the office he'd have to deal with and G replied "if I'm the gunny they will have to deal with me." He was hired. |
| 9/28/1999 | Rules of Engagement
by Ed Zuckerman
87 | [Continued from previous episode]The SECNAV (yet again) slammed on Chegwidden (C)demanding rushed prosecution of Lt Andy Buxton to appease the Russian sensibility over death of their peacekeepers. He was even more incensed to learn that Harm (H) was on the ship. Mac (M) and Bud (B) were assigned to investigate and, after their welcoming hug, H was surprised to see that M had been promoted. He snapped to attention and became very military. He said he was not JAG anymore so wouldn't help her investigation. Buxton complained to H that it "just felt right" to attack the vehicles driving down the road toward some civilians. He said they were just in the wrong place when I was in the right place. The SECNAV forced a manslaughter charge and Buxton claimed he had spoken with H as a lawyer so he couldn't be a witness. C also sent Brumby (Brum) to "second" Hs defense. B continually reveried a shipboard pilots wonderful life and miserated over being a "legal weenie." The JAG, Aldridge, testified that Buxton had disregarded the rules of engagement and had ridiculed them when they were explained by asking if he needed to "ask the president when he had to scratch his six." Brum argued with H about everything the whole case. Then during the cross examination of the CAG, Capt Pike, Brum took over and tried to blame the CAG for not recognizing incompetence, but Buxton stopped him. The Russian admiral, "liaison" was angry and demanding throughout the trial. H finally took the offensive and explained that: Russian and hostiles flags were almost identical ; the vehicle shot at was the same as used by hostiles to kill civilians; and standing orders were to protect civilians. M pointed to the ROE authorizing "fire only after fired upon" and get "permission" before engaging. H got him acquitted but then recommended reassignment. The CAG sent Buxton TAD to Capodichino as corrosion control officer pending a FNAEB to yank his flight status. H said he would testify against Buxton telling him "you're a menace to yourself and us."
B revealed to M that he and Harriet hadn't been amorous since AJ was born. M called Ht and "fixed it." Harriet called B and "talked dirty," to make him feel better; and B was annoyed when H tried to distract him with offers to fly in an F14 and "even shoot the guns" and told him to "go away." |
| 10/5/1999 | True Callings
by Ed Zuckerman & John Schulian
88 | [Episode based on the Mar 10th, 1967 incident where USAF Capt Robert Pardo used his F4 Phantom to push a fellow aviator from North Vietnam into friendly territory.] Gunny Victor Galindez (G) arrived at JAG with everyone but Tiner and Bud's (B) blessings. Chegwidden (C) said he was having trouble obtaining two Limp Bizket tickets for a charity auction and G said he might be able to obtain them. Both B and Tiner decided to "one-up" G and get the tickets themselves. C enjoyed the competition. Tiner and B bid against each other on EBay until B won at $200. B kept telling G he couldn't sit at different desks until G said he'd sit on the floor thereby shaming him into letting him sit at Harriet's desk. Mac (M) told B that "Tiner was a child but you're not." G obtained the tickets "comp" from a roady friend- B got a donation receipt. M seemed very subdued; especially when C didn't acknowledge her efforts getting G to come to JAG.
Harm was flying missions aboard the Patrick Henry with Skates as his RIO. PO Sean Curran smuggled an endangered pregnant woman, Zepa Berisha, aboard his COD flight and onto the ship. She was pregnant through Serbian rape and in danger of death by her enraged fiancé. Lt Aldridge, the JAG, had never tried a criminal case but decided to start on this one. He adamantly refused Hs offers of help and botched badly until the last minute when he was loosing to the equally inept Lt Yuen. After the closing statements H came back from flying and showed that Yuen had charged Curran with non-applicable statutes. H was assigned to recon missions behind enemy lines. Skates developed panic attacks over the danger. H had a talk with her and revealed a week of feelings of impending death- "back in the days when I still thought that they would name an airfield after me." He said that he only knew "if you keep flying it does go away." Hs wingman was hit by flack which destroyed one engine and they were going down. H wouldn't let him eject in enemy territory when "feet wet" was so close. Tuna told him to "leave and let them eject in peace" but H had them lower their landing hook then pushed them with their hook on his canopy. He told Skates to keep them above 500 feet going over a ridge but gave her the call. She overcame her fear and let them get to 350 feet but they succeeded until they were "clear for nylon descent." Skates said if she "could get through flying with H she could get through anything." The pilots told H he was too young to be called "pappy" and gave him the new call sign of "Hammer" like his dad. Capt Pike had several "fatherly" talks with H and advised him that he had "nothing further to prove" and that he'd "miss him." H "had no career" flying because he'd "missed a couple of wars" and "those numbnuts will get a command before you do." |
| 10/12/1999 | The Return
by Larry Muskowitz
89 | [Harm is back at JAG, but has lost the "fight for his client with the same tenacity he had as a naval aviator" as promised in the intro. The episode is about an emotionally abused child coping with continued abuse as an adult officer. And how easily, and insidiously, military justice can be perverted] Harm (H) returned to JAG he said it felt like he "had left yesterday and been gone 100 years." People didn't know him and he missed most of the office "inside" joking around. Chegwidden (C)feigned being offended when H expected to do "scut work" like Mac (M) was forced to do after she left then returned. "Do you think I would be so petty?" he asked as he assigned him a "good case" with a smirk- the SECNAVs son. Brumby (Brum) was in Hs old office and began baiting and pressing fights with H from the beginning. Lt. Brian Nelson was being court martialed for standing up to his arrogant vindictive CO Cdr Wallace Burke who was treating him like his father had done all his life. After a mistake at the helm, quickly corrected by Nelson, Seaman Rivera was unjustly and summarily sentenced to bread and water on the bridge. When Nelson pointed out lack of due process and refused to escort Rivera to the brig Burke relieved him of duties for court-martial. The SECNAV spoke with H and said "for the good of the Navy' it couldn't go to trial. He said he and Brian were alienated, having expected perfection from him during childhood to the point of taking him off his baseball team for not getting straight As. H got Burke to agree to drop charges if Nelson would "publicly admit he was wrong and apologize." Nelson said he had been subjected to verbal abuse, constant fault finding, rebukes in front of the crew and wouldn't accept the plea bargain. Brum maligned H in front of C for not making Nelson apologize to which H responded "as usual Cdr Brum has hit the nail squarely on his thumb." When Bud (B) asked why, Nelson said "why does any tyrant abuse his power- because he can!" B observed that his own father had also made him "feel like a looser." Gunny (G) found no official complaints about Burke but plenty of people who said he was "a hard ass" choosing one Jr. officer each cruise and "makes their life a living hell" until they break. When B began his standard defense to show that the order wasn't lawful Judge Sebring protected Burke with his rulings to the point of being similarly tyrannical to H. H told B to "back off" on their defense prompting M to ask him what was going on and say that she could advise C to have him removed from the case. The SECNAV came to Hs apartment and said that he had met Burke and told him to "see what his son had in him" and offered to testify. H didn't take that either and instead recalled Burke. H finally recalled Burke and while listing the points that showed lack of due process and judge Sebring stopped him. H was able to trip Burke into admitting he "intentionally provoked Nelson into disobeying your order for the sole purpose of punishing him later- making the order unlawful"; but, members found him guilty anyway. In the hallway Burke wanted an apology to reverse the charges but Nelson said "I would have made a good officer." Nelson told H "so he wins," and H responded "No, you loose."
H was told that Admiral Nash had nominated him for a second distinguished flying cross for pushing the F14 by its tail hook. M tried to begin socializing with H but he had other things to do. He called Jordan but she didn't return his calls until she came over and revealed she had orders for Spain. She said "maybe when I get back from Spain." C told him to change his uniform from that "line officer star" into the JAG Mill Rinde. |
| 10/19/1999 | Front and Center
by Dana Coen
90 | Harm (H) received his second distinguished flying cross in a conference room ceremony and Chegwidden (C) had Mac (M) do the "honors" and kiss him to Brumby's (Brum) annoyance. H and Bud (B) were assigned to prosecute Marine private William Clawson who attempted to rape a city councilman's daughter at knife point until Cpl Keely Woods prevented it. Woods was stabbed in the fight. Colonel Hegsterrer advised that Woods was "uncomfortable with the limelight" and even refused to attend ceremonies to receive the Navy Marine Corps medal. After H and B talked to him, Woods went UA then they had to track him down. They found that the information given on enlistment papers were false. When Mattoni, defense, found out they had no witness he offered to "settle for 6 months confinement." Clawson flippantly said "I was just messing with her," H told him he was the "luckiest sailor in the navy" and to not be the "stupidest." B showed photos around the DC playgrounds and a boy named "Toops" ID'd him as Lamar Dunwoody who had killed his brother. H found Dunwoody's mother who said she hadn't seen him. Toop's gang started harassing his mother so Woods/Dunwoody came to find H. H backed him down saying that he really wanted to do what was right and took him to a basketball court where they played trying to "think it over." Woods admitted he was in the witness protection program for turning in a gang member who had killed a man at an ATM for $40. H bet his testifying against leaving him alone on a final shot. H fouled him and when Woods came at him in anger, H backed him down again about not acting like a gang member. He was shown missing his shot then testifying. Later he said goodbye to his mother still in his uniform.
Brum was still blatantly "on the make" for M. She bristled and denied it when H told her that Brum was "on her scent" telling him that he'd been gone 6 months and he was not on a "need to know basis" for her relationships. Brum came again to her apartment unannounced with food. She accepted but when he tried to kiss her she said "she wasn't ready yet." Later H apologized to her saying he should have believed her because "there was not chemistry between them." Brum volunteered to prosecute PO Richard Brendisi when M was assigned to defend him on possession of marijuana charges. M motioned for dismissal of charges because no field test had been done by the agent and all lab specimen's were mysteriously lost. The arrogant and capricious judge Sebring told M he "wasn't letting her out the back door." The agent testified he "knew it was marijuana" by the look and feel- "real good stuff" he said. His dog, Jingo, was old with cataracts and M wanted to "examine the witness." Brendisi said that the packet was Tropical Oregano that he was bringing back for his mothers restaurant. Jingo picked an oregano bag in court so Brendisi was acquitted. Later M found that Jingo had been decommissioned and she felt guilty so she "adopted" him. |
| 11/2/1999 | Psychic Warrior
by Paul Levine
91 | Lieutenant McGrane, the subject of a "remote viewing" experiment had "flashbacks" and killed himself by escaping the room and jumping off a balcony. Admiral Harrison Spencer, the director of the "Star Gazer" research program for the navy was then blamed for the death by Admiral Linsenmeyer, director of naval intelligence, who was trying to make his embarrassing program go-away. McGrane had lied in order to join the experiment and Spencer had initiated his "viewing" experience before the drug screen had returned. McGrane was using psychotropic drugs "Sertraline and Fluoxetrine" for "manic-depression and anxiety." Arrogant Linsenmeyer commanded Harm (H) and Mac (M) to "work it out with the minimum embarrassment to the navy," and H had to put him in his place saying his sole allegiance was to exonerate Spencer. M badgered H about paranormal belief and predicting the super bowl. Spencer wanted to take the stand and use the trial to publicize his research despite Hs disagreement. M badgered him into claiming he could bend spoons and trying on the stand. He failed and blamed it on the "environment" of the courtroom. Bud (B) was helping M with prosecution but began badgering professor Pilkinton, his own know-it-all skeptic witness who was maligning anyone who believed in paranormal activities in general. M had to tell him to "sit down and be quiet." On cross examination, H showed him up for the arrogant bigot he was.
Chloe called M from her grandparents house and asked if she was dating H yet. She said she had a dream where they married and she was the flower girl. Later she fell off her horse during a ride and went missing. M was worried and Spencer offered to "remote view" in order to find her. M told him unequivocally no but then while M was cross examining him went into a trance and said he saw Chloe under a covered bridge, over a dry stream, by some white rocks. Spencer was found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter but guilty of disobeying an order (using McGrane before tox screen back). M flew back to Chloe's grandparents house and, while on the plane, had a "vision" of lightening striking a tree in the forest and Chloe appearing from behind it. When riding in the truck with her grandmother they were stopped by a tree across the road. M recognized it from her vision and began searching the area. Chloe was found wet and whining. When M came back to JAG she said that she was recommending the court accept "mitigating" evidence and retirement with no loss of rank or benefits. Spencer looked at her surprised by her turn-around and declared that she had seen a vision. When M admitted she had to H, he asked her who was going to win the super bowl. |
| 11/9/1999 | Rogue
by Larry Moskowitz
92 | Bud (B) was assigned as the JAG liaison to ex-SEAL Jack Raglan who conducts "mock" terrorist activities on naval facilities in order to test security. General Otis Flannick arrogantly ignored Raglan's breaking into and blowing up his base until Raglan added "believability" by adding public humiliation and "capturing" his wife from her shower. B hoped that would end his assignment but Chegwidden (C) told him that he was the most junior so he had to do it. B told Harm (H) that he didn't think the sentries, with live ammunition, knew it was a game so H went to talk with Raglan. During a manly hug Raglan stole Hs wallet- to teach him a lesson about security but H had already taken out his ID cards and lifted Raglan's walled as well. He said "fake left, go right" and reminded him of their football days together. Admiral Tom Kly told Raglan that his program was ended but gave him one last mission: "to sink a submarine." Instead, Raglan stole the San Pedro which was loaded with 60-mile range missiles. C took H with him to investigate and left Mac (M) in charge and to tell Harriet (Ht) at her own discretion. H told Kly that Raglan had done it "to prove you made a mistake in pulling the plug" and it would be in a "big and out-in-the-open way." Raglan had B, who injured his knee during the take over, read a prepared statement asking for $100 million or they would blow up a civilian target. The frigate USS Ellyson went to intercept the San Pedro so H joined it because he knew Raglan best. The skipper Cdr Wallace Burke [Malicious, know-it-all, who court-martialed the SECNAVs son in a previous episode] started with bullying and abusing H. Raglan hid below a thermocline then fired a water slug to confuse Burke and get away. B tried to signal but was tied up until he promised to behave.
H told Burke that Raglan would go west down the coast and Burke said East. A sensor was tripped east so Burke chased and ordered "sub bombs'' dropped over Hs vehement objections [baiting him as he had done the SECNAVs son]. They turned out to be low energy charges to Hs relief and said it was "payback" for Hs cross-examination which had embarrassed him. Raglan radioed "you blew up a decoy, you return to base." Kly and C discussed philosophical issues about evacuating New York and that it had become personal. Finally Kly offered to consider it a "misinterpretation of orders" if Raglan would give up. Raglan gave the order to blow up the Statue of Liberty then let B think that he had swayed one of the crew by letting him use the radio to "tattle" to H about the target. This gave Raglan time enough to leave the ship. Burke was enthused about "killing" the sub and had ordered to "fire" just as it surfaced and gave up. H figured out that Raglan wasn't on board and surmised that he was going after Kly's wife just as he had done with gen Flannick. H was ready to intercept him. Kly was going to court-martial Raglan but H intervened saying it was a legal minefield having been deceived and defeated by a security exercise he had authorized himself. C asked him if he really wanted the public to know he had been ready to blow up a $600 million sub. Kly relented.
Ht, who had gone home to be with little AJ upset that B was in danger, came back and hugged him. H said "don't I get a hug, I helped" and B replied "just as soon as I'm done with my wife." |
| 11/16/1999 | The Colonel's Wife
by John Schulian
93 | A drug bust found a package with the return address on it of Olivia Banning, the wife of the Colonel in charge of drug interdiction in Panama. Harm (H) and Mac (M) were sent undercover to investigate Colonel Bradley Dunston and his wife, the former Olivia Banning, for sending drugs in a diplomatic pouch as cigars. The NCIS agent Grondyke condescendingly assisted them posing as civilian "inspectors." H got photo's of Banning meeting a known drug dealer, Carlos Rojas who was working for the Sauteras "family." Grondyke had a wiretap recording of an affectionate call between Rojas and Banning and them arranging a meeting at night. H had the idea to have Bernado, an informant, tell Dunston of a drug "meeting" at the same time as his wife's "affair" meeting with Rojas to see if he "took bait" and was "dirty" too. Dunston did come alone with either his wife or his marine unit, but was seen arguing and threatening Rojas. Grondyke was ready to arrest them both but M and H pointed out that they hadn't seen anything illegal. They both interviewed Col and Mrs. Dunston at the same time but their stories fit; namely, that he didn't know about his wife's affair or drug dealings and Banning had "unknowingly" mailed cigars for a "favor." Grondyke came with evidence of Banning's secret off-shore bank account containing four payments and $80,000. Then she claimed she had unwittingly opened it as "a favor for Carlos." When even M didn't believe her, she said that she had figured out the mailing and wanted to quit but was blackmailed in order to "protect her husband's work." M didn't believe in Dunston's culpability and pulled rank deciding to use Bernardo to plant the story that Rojas was planning to run off with Banning and the Sauteras' money. Rojas would be too busy running to be able to discredit Dunston or the program. But when Grondyke took Banning to the airport to buy tickets she escaped and went to Rojas' house. M and H arrived to hear gunshots and Banning mortally wounded. They killed Rojas in a gunfight and M saved H from being shot. They told Dunston that Banning had been there "to call off their affair and that she had said she loved him."
Ron Katz, a very wealthy former roommate of Bud's (B) came to visit and started B obsessing over "missed opportunities." They had apparently been co-nerds and had races dis- and re- mantling PS2. Katz, founder of Wahwahpedal.com an online searchable database for music, had asked B to be his partner. B, too fearful, declined. Tiner said he had bought 100 shares the day the stock opened and it had recently had gone up $18 a share. B found that Brumby had been a professional boxer at age 17. He had seen stars during a fight and joined the Navy instead of going to a major fight he was booked in. He said he wondered "what might have been" every day. Gunny told B of a girl who had asked him to the Jr. Prom in high school. He didn't take her because he didn't have transportation or clothes etc. She married a dentist and had children but whispered to him recently at a reunion, "you should have called." Chegwidden (C) told B that Tiner had been asked by his brother, owner of a topless bar, to be his day manager. And, C said, he had worked during high school summers on a ranch in Wyoming, so he "could'a been a cowboy, yee haw." Katz and his snotty, prissy wife finally had lunch together and his wife sowed disgust at a child who would "cry." B realized that he wouldn't have traded his family for success with Katz. |
| 11/23/1999 | Contemptuous Words
by Ed Zuckerman
94 | [A weakly written episode with blatant computer/internet related errors] A letter was printed in the newspaper critical of President Clinton and claiming to be from a Naval Officer. It said Clinton had "imposed his own bravery-deprived character on the Air Force" citing the air war over Kosovo. It called him "sleazily disgraceful. While getting a golf lesson from Congresswoman Leatham, Harm (H) was told that he had been selected for promotion to commander. Chegwidden (C) then added him to the "posse" trying to catch the officer who was contemptuous of the president.
The talked to the sleazy reporter who needed a civics lesson from Mac (M) that the reason military weren't allowed to speak against the president was to keep the military out of politics- i.e. preventing coups. She let slip that she had only communicated with her "source" through Email! H had Bud (B) trace Emails which tracked back to Hs computer. The Office of Inspector General sent John Nichols, an (all to frequently used) bumbling, arrogant, blindered, investigator with an axe to grind, who spent the whole episode antagonizing, belittling and otherwise railroading H. Leatham introduced H to Daniel Citron of the Roanoke Liberty Foundation (an anti-Clinton organization) who offered legal help. His assistant Suzanne Moore showed H her newsletter which read, partially, "the whackily trendy guidelines" of the educational system. H refused saying he wasn't "ready to BE one of their causes." M asked him "you didn't do it, did you?" then afterwards told him she was a prosecution witness for his joke at Mattoni's party about Clinton's "Whitehouse intern," and "close but no cigar." Because of Brumby's (Brum) smug looks, H suggested that he might have cracked Hs old computer. Brum just smiled, saying if he "didn't find it amusing he might take a poke at him."
While they were watching someone hacked into Bs computer with "Give your friend H my condolences, tough break. Did I put my foot in his mouth?" The OIG wouldn't investigate. H finally took Citron up on offer to help demanding no press releases or public announcements. Moore found message came from Leavenworth and H went to see Palmer, finding him sitting smugly at a computer. He admitted he wrote to "Cheer H up" while the warden insisted his computer had "no link to outside terminals"?!! H found a copy of the article but it had a hidden "digital watermark" from the newspaper showing it had been downloaded- not uploaded. Case went to court-martial and finally H accepted Citron's attorney- Mr. Pappas. Moore tried to convince H that even if he was convicted it "wouldn't be completely terrible." (H acted excruciatingly passive and unanimated through the whole episode). Gunny (G) told H that he supported him "if he did it, but you didn't." Moore sent letter of apology for "sensitivity-deprived" attempts to cheer him up and arranged a meeting with reporters. Before the press conference H confronted Moore with her use of adverbs to modify adjectives in word construction and she admitted she used her laptop to send them. He had to teach her that she used "telecommunication fraud, impersonating a military officer, and conspiring to interfere with administration of justice." He told her "it doesn't matter if I don't like him, he's my Commander in Chief." H was then shown being "sworn in" as commander.
M was pulled into the issue of Laurie Weston, fiancé of marine sergeant Kent Davey, who wanted to harvest his sperm posthumously in order to fulfill his dreams of fathering a child he espoused in letters. After harvesting, Davey's few-days-short-of-divorce wife showed up angry demanding they be destroyed. While M was "hiding" the sperm container in the JAG fridge, Brum quipped "some sort of do-it-yourself kit, right?" M stared him down with H rapidly exiting stating "they want to be alone." Davey's wife got more angry after reading the letters and filed suit. M put the sperm in Harriet's freezer then where "taken into custody" awaiting trial. Weston found she was pregnant so might not need the sperm after all. |
| 11/30/1999 | Mishap
by Larry Moskowitz
95 | Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes was acting as LSO ("Paddles") when Lt Dalton Jonas crashed into the fantail of the USS Patrick Henry. In investigation Mac (M) thought she was "culpable" and Brumby (Brum)said she was "not". M & Brum prosecute, Capt Ingles decided to hold court-martial and H (H) was assigned to defend her. She told him that Jonas was a "deck spotter" and didn't fly the ball. "He eased the gun on final and made a play for deck - he panicked." She didn’t want to send him around because "he probably couldn't keep it together." However she kept second guessing and blaming herself. H reminded her of when he grabbed her chute and kept her from going into the ocean and told her "I didn't drop you then and I won't drop you now." Jonas said Skates should have given him wave off sooner. Cdr Bates said he ordered her to "send him around again" while he was coming back to the deck. H asked B for his help overheard by Singer (S) who then came into his office and volunteered saying she wanted a chance to impress him. He declined and told her to "next time leave the door open." Hs friend "tuna" came to talk to talk and said that Skates was being "railroaded." He pointed out many accidents due to ship not being combat ready but H would "have to find the evidence on his own." H asked Ingles for ships records and Ingles threw him off the ship after he arrogantly maligned H. Then he preemptively sent a complaint to Chegwidden (C)that H had blackmailed him to drop the case. C told H that he would put the complaint "with all the others."
The XO, Cameron, tried to face down H saying he'd "badly misjudged the caliber of officers on the ship." H replied back "if you think you can intimidate me you've badly misjudged, period… sir." M accused H of turning it into a personal battle with Ingles. He showed they repaired radios by cannibalizing parts, had lost catapult pressure from gun-decking readiness checks, and Leatham testified of misallocation of funds and short staff. M reminded H of when, as acting JAG, he told her not to shift blame or wrestle with two stars. On the stand M tried to get Skates to admit she was thinking about being a RIO and not thinking about landing and the ship. She told the jury that no matter what their verdict she was resigning not wanting "to be a part of an organization who punishes me for carrying out my duties." H gave an eloquent closing saying he was going to blame others but they were just honest, hardworking people doing their jobs the best they could; and said "please don't accept her resignation." Verdict was not guilty and Ingles asked H if he meant what he said in his closing or if it was just a lawyers trick. H said he "always means what he says" then told him that he would be honored to serve under him. Ingles said "I'd like to have you under my command!" |
| 12/14/1999 | Ghosts of Christmas Past
by Ed Zuckerman & John Schulian
96 | [A role playing episode] Harm went in his annual pilgrimage to the Vietnam Memorial wall for his father and met Jenny Lake, a former USO singer, (played by Mac, with her voice altered). Lake told of her experience with Hs father aboard the Ticonderoga back when he was shot down. Mikey played ensign Kyle Everett, PR officer; Rick (from Magnum PI) played Harvey Bambini, their road manager; Big Bud was Jerry Colonna; Teddy was Les brown; Harriet was Phyllis Diller; congresswoman Latham - Dianna Ross; H - Rabb Senior; B - "hoot" Rabb's RIO; SECNAV - Mort Reese, reporter; Brum - CAG (voice dubbed); Gunny - Joe Garcia, intruder pilot; Palmer - "Tong", Badman 2 in Rabb's squad; C - a "slow" southern sailor who gave directions to Jenny Lake; Osborn - an old grateful sailor who said thanks to Lake at the wall; Singer - "JoJo" who put down Tong while he was chatting her up; and, Tiner - Archie, a sailor who chatted up other troop members by lying to them.
Rabb returned from a mission with his plane damaged and had to eject near the ship. The USO troop with Jenny Lake, who recently lost her fiancé to the war, watched as Rabb was rescued. Jenny was despondent, and initially had tension with Rabb; but, he could clearly see that she was hurting so tried to befriend her. He told Lake that being a POW was worse than dying because the family needed closure. And he spoke of "little Harm" back home and his wife. She told him that she really "wanted to have babies with David (her fiance)." Les chastized Lake for "not cheering up the troops" and Tong took a run at Rabb for "taking a run at the singer." They needed reconnaissance in order to fly a later mission so Rabb went as second seat to Garcia to show him where the enemy missile site was located. Returning Garcia was blinded by Reese's flashbulb during the landing and got a wave off. Both "Mikey" and "Harriet" sang at a talent show in the evening.
Lake went to the fantail, despondent over all the things on the ship which reminded her of her dead fiancé. She was just climbing over the rail when Rabb found her and prevented her from jumping. He comforted her and became close rapidly. Rabb was assigned to an "Iron Hand" mission during the USO show the next day. Iron Hand meant to let the enemy SAMs lock onto you so your missles can follow the radar beams back to them- of course trying to avoid being hit by their missles while you're doing it. Lake had given him a scarf in gratitude and "for luck." He, in turn, gave her his wings. Real footage of Bob Hopes Christmas show on the Ticonderoga was interspersed with cut outs of current actors. There was a long closing segment of Lake singing "I'll be home for Christmas" while Rabb flew his mission, was hit and punched out in slow motion. At the wall Lake gave H the wings his father had given her. He took the gift but left them at the wall for his dad. |
| 1/11/2000 | Into the Breech
by Paul Levine
97 | [Renee Peterson was introduced to produce a recruiting commercial] Renee Peterson was hired to produce a recruiting commercial and was frustrated by being stuck with the "legal" aspect instead of something interesting. She ran around arrogantly abusing everyone at JAG, even Singer (S). Chegwidden (C) tried to give Harm (H) acting advice from his experience on the film "field of gold." He assigned H and Mac (M) to assist in a mock trial by cadets at Iron Force Naval academy where his friend Cmd Haglan worked. They were trying gunners mate Gregory Riordan, posthumously, for 29 counts of 1st degree murder when he blew up a gun turret to get even with his shipmates for hazing him. Original investigation believed he had filled his boda bag with accelerant and placed it in the turret. Billy played the part of Riordan and Luisa (and M) his defense council. Steve (and H) were prosecution. They found a real witness that would testify so Haglan said "lets have the trial that the Navy never had." Terence Connor testified that he had filled Riordan's boda bag with grease and saw him throw it overboard. H and M asked C to re-open the case. C said no and to just finish the case and get back to work. The kids said no, however, cause they didn't work for C. Steve, who was trying to hit on Louisa, chastised her for hanging out with "losers" like Billy. While chatting, H told M that he "missed out on being a kid, trying to be the man of the house, shoulda gone to a disco." M said "I know what you mean, I've seen you dance." M counseled Louisa to be "better than the men but don’t rub their noses in it. Think like a woman but act like a man."
Shepard Carmine testified that he saw a man come out of the turret with a bloody nose 15 minutes before the explosion. He sort of turned out to be a nut but Bud (B) checked sick bay records and found PO Michael Saunders had lied about how he got his bloody nose. Gunny (G) helped B find Saunders through his ex-wife, Kathy. H went to the tavern Saunders worked at and got him to admit he had thrown Riordan a blanket party and held him upside down by the ankles over the rail above the screw until he cried. Happy about the findings, Louisa hugged Billy and Steve beat up Billy in the restroom. Louisa advised Billy to report it and he declined saying he'd beat him in court. Billy remembered a letter written to Riordan by Kathy "with love," so M and H went to talk to Saunders "ex" again. This time she admitted that the two had been fighting over her and she had chosen Riordan. When he had died she was four months pregnant with her son, now named Greg Riordan after his father. H went back to Saunders and shamed him into testifying to prevent Greg from being embarrassed when he found out. C attended the final day of trial to correct any possible miscarriages. Saunders said he had gone into Riordan's turret and picket a fight over Kathy. While Riordan's back was turned he saw someone load an extra bag of propellant but didn't say anything about it. Riordan was acquitted in the mock trial and C said he would take care of the real case.
C had tried to help Renee with her commercial and, when she maligned most of the navy who were "were not exciting," gave a masterfully powerful speech about being "trained in the art of war, but the profession of peace." Paused and told him that he had "great presence, but it was too hokey and would never sell." She called B the Pillsbury Dough Boy then said that H almost works "if only he'd done something beside being a lawyer." When the case was over, C told H to report to the Washington Monument during "magic hour" to help Renee. |
| 1/18/2000 | Life or Death
by Catherine Stribling
98 | [A somewhat dark episode. The actor playing Caleb Farmer will, in later episodes, play Tom, Mattie's father] Corporal Caleb Farmer received the death sentence for pre-meditatedly shooting a marine squad doing calisthenics, killing 3 and wounding three. Mac (M) voiced personal agreement with capital punishment and Chegwidden (C) assigned her the defense. Brumby (Brum) got the prosecution and was still "on the make" for M. H was trying to avoid Renee Peterson who was trying to snare him into "doing looping" for her recruiting commercial. Gunny (G) was a friend of Sgt Kryler, now a quadriplegic, and told M he hoped she lost her appeal. Farmer told M he had no excuses but said the squad had made his life hell, he'd asked for help but was turned down, was driven to drink and lost his mind. M told Bud (B) farmer was like a broken down one eyed cat, a bird killer- you loathed him but felt sorry for him at the same time. She found that Farmers previous attorney, then commander AJ Chegwidden, had not given adequate defense. Discouraged, M asked H to dinner but he told her he couldn't; so, Brum asked her. They saw Renee come in and M called her "Cecilia B DeMille" the "bitch director from hell." She cattily denigrated anyone who would date with her as a "whipped momma's boy who loves being dominated." Brum let her continue as he saw that it was H who walked in. She continued, "or a pot bellied sugar daddy financing her movie." When she said "or a mindless toy boy," Brum said "you're getting close." M looked then seemed a bit pissed at Brum. Renee had H overdub saying "pleasure" over the "privilege to serve" that he had originally said.
Farmer was given a new sentencing trial. Brum was recalled back to Australia, to help with peacekeeping in East Timor, and H was given the prosecution job. M tried to get him to agree to life in prison but he said they should let the jury decide. She asked to be taken off the case but C faced her down saying that she "wasn't at JAG to protect his (Cs) reputation." M showed that Farmer had 0.14% blood ETOH, that his platoon wanted him out of the service and harassed him, that he had sought help but the sociologist who saw him told him to "pretend he was a duck and let it roll off him," refusing to refer to a psychiatrist. Later, after arrest, a psychiatrist diagnosed a "marked personality disorder with paranoid tendencies." Farmer attempted suicide during the trial and M tried to get him to keep fighting. He couldn't give M even one witness for his defense. He asked M to be there for his execution and she agreed. Farmer asked to speak to the jury and promised that he would spend rest of life seeking redemption and hoping that "a man is more than just the worst thing he's ever done." C gave advice for closing arguments: to M- don't look at the widow, and to H- don't look at the defendant. Brum kept fishing for M to tell him she wanted him to come back to her, then kissed her. He told her that he kept after her because she didn't tell him to stop. The jury upheld the death sentence and Farmer called out for M to "remember her promise to him."
At Brums farewell party in McMurray's bar, Brum told H that he thought "he'd see him again." Singer offered H a drink and H told her to call him Harm, out of uniform. M kissed Brum goodbye and as he walked out B started the group singing "waltzing mathilda." [The closing scene was later used again as a memorial tribute to Trevor Goddard after his death.] |
| 2/1/2000 | Cabin Pressure
by Dana Coen
99 | Chegwidden (C) assigned Harm (H) and Mac (M) to investigate the murder of PO Chinick aboard the USS Suribache while he flew to the USS Manassas for a retirement party of, Vice Admiral Richard Kern, the last other member of his SEAL team on active duty. PO De Mara (DM)was seen leaving the machinery room, where Chinick was found with a rope around his neck; and, was put in the brig where H was interrogating him with Chief Master at Arms Sturdevant. The ship hit an uncharted reef and grounded blocking the brig hatch and trapping them all below. DM freaked out and became very angry and loud. Above, M called to the brig and told H that Chinick was a "one man black market for booze, drugs, and porn" but the captain had become suspicious and NCIS was going to bust him when they docked. Bud (B), who was dog-sitting Jingo, found that DM had a captains mast on his last ship for having a "habit of falling asleep on watch." H told M that "to call DM unstable would be an insult to unstable people." The brig began leaking and DM attacked Sturdevant when he tripped while trying to remove him from the cell in handcuffs. DM had the gun and forced H to continue to talk about the murder. H deduced that DM was having withdrawals from drugs. He admitted Chinick was his supplier of seed, so he could stay awake; but continued to raise prices, claiming that he had "increased overhead." They argued then, later, he got a note from Chinick to meet him in the mechanical room. The note was still in the sweatband of his cap in his locker and H said that he could lift some fingerprints from it because someone may be trying to frame him.
C was worried about "slowing down" in his abilities and Kern reminisced that they had always said "if they couldn't be out front they'd rather be out of sight." The Manassas (with C) was sent to assist and during the tow the ship shifted trapping DM under a heavy steel cage. Water rose & boat shifted trapping DM under metal cage. The phone went dead and chlorine gas began leaking. C told M that "H is too pig headed to leave this world, he'll find a way out." M asked "even if they offer him wings, sir?" Lt Jenarette finally opened the hatch and Sturtevant came out but told everyone that H and DM were dead. They resealed the hatch and left them there. The Capt. wouldn't let Jenarette go back with breathing equipment. C and M argued with him but he didn't give in. C didn't believe Sturtevant's story so, outranking the captain, C went to rescue H himself with Jenarette. Just as the water was passing DMs mouth, the ship shifted and released him. He asked H "how did you do that?" and H answered "faith." When they got to the locked hatch H asked, rhetorically, "how are we going to get out?" DM answered, "faith, sir?" just as C opened it and brilliant light streamed down on them.
H appeared in Sturtevant's quarters dripping wet and asked him if he had a towel. H and C told the captain that Sturdevant was "on the take" with Chinick and, when he found Chinick was going to be arrested, killed him so he wouldn't talk. He framed DM and when DM said he had a note in his locker that proved his innocence Sturtevant decided to kill them too. The captain asked "how did you know they were alive." C responded "we didn't" and M said they just had "experience with H." The captain asked H if he was "tenacious" and C broke in "have you ever tried to get gum off your shoe?" |
| 2/8/2000 | Boomerang - Part 1
by Donald Bellisario
100 | [A confusing but somewhat key episode] During the Vietnam war PO Kevin Lee of the USS Chicago and Ian Dunsmore of the Australian Navy had a fight over Dunsmore's old girlfriend, Jenny Brooker, when the Chicago docked in Sydney Australia. Jealous, Dunsmore, with his buddies, started a fight then continued it alone on an amusement park dock. He pulled a switchblade then was killed in the tussle when they fell on his knife. Lee, having been forced to marry a girl who was pregnant in Tennessee decided to switch identities with Dunsmore and married Jenny under the name Tom Kingsley. After living in Woolgoolga, in the bush, they eventually moved to Sydney and opened the Uluru restaurant. When their home was burgled a policeman recognized Jenny then eventually arrested "Dunsmore" aka Lee aka Kingsley. He wouldn't talk until JAG was called and Brumby (Brum) called Chegwidden (C) to request Harm (H) and Bud (B) come down to handle the case. Mac (M) was upset that Brum would "sink so low" because he had been trying to get her to Australia ever since he left. He offered plane tickets and sent her water temperature Emails daily. Then, knowing she wasn't requested, she was really upset- Harm said: "he's one smart dingo." When they arrived Brum talked to Bud but ignored H then offered to let H drive thinking he would make a fool of himself driving on the left side. H played into it and gave them a harrowing ride; but, then parallel parked the SUV with ease before announcing he had learned to drive in the Bahamas (on the left side) as a kid. H and Brum stare, smirk, snipe, snarl and malign each other the whole episode. After Brum had snarled accusations at Lee, hell-bent to convict him for murder, and H had calmly tried to find the truth, B told them there were "real good at playing good-cop/bad-cop." In unison they responded "who's playing!"
Washington DC was buried in a blizzard and M caught cold. H called to convince C to extradite Lee for trial but was turned down. Brum smugly sniped that only H had ever been uncertain who had jurisdiction and H told him that "one day they would strip blouses." Brum retorted "the question has only been when!" H believed that civilian courts would handle it but then found that Brum had gotten appointed prosecutor and was upset. C apparently left it up to Brum's Australian CO to inform him that H had been appointed defense counsel(?!) M volunteered and finagled a trip to Australia to accompany the "real" Dunsmore's body back. C quipped to Gunny that he wished he could be there to see the story (H, M and Brum) unfold. Immediately upon Ms arrival Brum became "on-the-make" and convinced her to go to the beach with him. He whined at her about wearing an "Australian bikini" (hat and bottoms) over her objections just to tie her straps behind her. [it wasn't shown if he complied or not] B and H saw them sitting together believing she was topless. B thought he was talking to gunny about the topless beaches but Harriet was on the phone and spent the rest of the episode in a snit. Brum took H and B to lunch unknowingly at the Uluru restaurant where Jenny overheard them talking and ran away. Talking with Lee, B said that desertion charges were usually dropped and the Irony was that his wife Jenny's testimony would probably be believed if it was against him but wouldn't be now that he was married to her. H voiced his disrespect of Lee saying that "my father died doing his duty and you lived running from yours." Lee asked "how can I trust that you won't let them hang me?" and H responded "because, like my father, I do my duty." When H finally got to talk to Jenny she "parroted" her description of events and told them "you don't want to know what I really remember, because it would hang him." (Continued to next episode) |
| 2/15/2000 | Boomerang - Part 2
by Donald Bellisario
101 | [Continuation of a confusing- on many levels- but somewhat key episode] Brumby (Brum) continued to bait Harm (H) with his insipid smirk, especially regarding Mac (M) and rubbing oil on her etc. H had to dress in a wig for court then right out of the box embarrassed Brum for his lack of providing even proof of death. The judge chastised him and gave custody of Lee to the defense on the desertion charge. Outside the court, Lee was attacked by, Barry Toohey, the friend of Dunsmore's who was keeping watch when Dunsmore went to attack Lee. H pulled Toohey off Lee then Lee hit Toohey. Brum pulled Toohey off then stared at H. They both said "let go" and did, then reared back to take a swing at each other. Seeing it, B jumped in the middle and was slugged from both directions breaking his jaw in two places. C flew to Australia in a rage to "keelhaul" H; but, B (going through M as interpreter for his wired-jaw mumble) let them both off the hook. M was the only one who understood him saying she had "learned the language" when her father's jaw was wired for 3 months. C didn't believe B, so made H and Brum go into a warehouse and duke it out until reaching "as much pain as they inflicted on B!" M invited H to dinner and tried to have a romantic conversation with him. H was very uneasy and she opinioned that "you're just this way with me, aren't you?" He said "yes, only with you." She responded "I suppose I should be flattered" and he said "you should be, Sarah." At Luna park they discovered that there couldn't have been a cleat to trip over so Lee and Jenny had lied. Back at court, both all beat up, H and Brum began again. C and M set together comparing their ratings over the speeches. Toohey continued to lie on the stand claiming that Lee "never owned a knife and was killed by that sepo bastard." H calmly proved that he was deliberately lying. Brum smugly presented documents of Lee's previous marriage and called Jenny to testify against Lee. H countered with documents of his own that Lee had married Jenny after being declared dead in Tennessee which should have prevented her testifying but the judge said "this wasn't Tennessee" and allowed it.
H had to have the judge keep Brum "a respectable distance" from the witness; but Brum was able to manipulate her reenactment of the stabbing to his advantage. She, however, surprised everyone by saying she "couldn't lie anymore and Lee had stabbed Dunsmore." Lee told H that he had put everything they owned into Jenny's name when he was arrested so H began tailing Jenny. They got video tape of her leaving her 2 times per week "art class" amorously with "Harold" which they presented in court. She finally recanted and said she lied because she wanted Harold and Harold wanted money. Lee was found not guilty then talked H into letting him have the night to go try to "save his marriage." That night M finally went to dinner with Brum who completely threw himself at her saying he would "make ANY sacrifice." He proposed while she was looking up at the Southern Cross; but, when she hesitated he insisted on her "wearing the ring on the other hand so when she decides she can change it." They both then saw the boat Uluru sailing by with Lee, Jenny and Harold all celebrating their deception. The next day they were all at the airport awaiting Lee's return, expecting just to return for his perfunctory separation. They arrested him for desertion and H said he wanted to go for the death penalty for doing it in a time of war. C mused that the death penalty might not happen but "life in prison is a slam dunk." They met Clayton Webb at the airport who thanked them for not blowing his cover. They had seen him several times, unacknowledged, while they had been there. Each time with a different girl and speaking a different language. Boarding the plane M embraced and kissed Brum. C advised H "you win some, you loose some." Then "don't look back." He did anyway. |
| 2/22/2000 | People vs. Gunny
by Larry Moskowitz
102 | Gunny (G) and his friend Manny were dropped off by a cab in front of a gay bar. A gay, Ed proxy bumped into Manny who ridiculed gays. Proxy insulted right back and Manny pressed him against the wall. Gunny broke it up and held Manny's arms so Proxy slugged into Manny and kicked him in the groin. Gunny was defending Manny slugging Proxy when Tiner (T) came out of the bar and took a swing at G who turned and decked him before recognizing him. Mac (M) was all excited about her new ring and tried it on her left hand where it got stuck. She hid her hand from Harm (H) who came in asking her to take some cases while he was in Iceland. When she kept the ring hidden he advised her to put "shampoo on her finger" and the ring would come off. Renee called from Valencia California where she was directing a Demented Dead Souls video. She pushed him into saying he missed her, then made a date saying he had stood her up twice and only got one more chance. Lt Aldridge was at JAG while his ship was in port. He commented on Tiner's black eye, Harm's bruised face and Bud's wired jaw. Detective Wanda Shilling, Baltimore PD, came after F for gay-bashing outside the pony express lounge. He told her what had happened and she seemed to believe him until he refused to give her Manny's identity. Proxy had a broken nose and cracked rib and had lied that G just beat him up "for no reason at all." G asked T to get Proxy to drop charges. He said "he's your boyfriend." T denied that he was so G asked if he "wanted to be outed" to which T flew off the handle. He said "you're the one who misunderstood." G talked to Manny who offered to talk with the cops but G refused because with only nine months to go it might effect his retirement benefits. Shilling came back with warrant for Gs arrest because T went to them and offered to be a witness against G. C intervened and took jurisdiction of the investigation. H and M investigated and G said while Manny was doubled over from the kick to his privates he tried to stop the attack on him. T said Ed was Gay and they were in the gay bar. M told H that going to gay bar doesn't mean your gay and H responded "like wearing an engagement ring on your right hand doesn't mean your engaged." They agreed it should go to a hearing and recommended Mattoni for defense and Aldridge for prosecution.
Baxter Stark, from the attorney generals office, came to Chegwidden (C) and in front of Owen Sebring claimed that the Navy was incapable of prosecuting hate crimes. Sebring noted that Stark was running for states attorney and before more was said, C dismissed Stark who retorted "we'll be watching you." Proxy blatantly lied on the stand and Aldridge bumbled around trying to bring in other issues. After H cross examined him, T realized that Proxy may be wrong and tried to get him to drop charges. Proxy refused and asked for his support holding him by the back of the neck. H asked M what she had against Renee and she responded "I'm just surprised you like that type. Then when M accused H of having problems with Brumby (Brum) he parroted back "I'm just surprised you like that type." M called it a "friendship ring" to Harriet (Ht). In Gs testimony he called proxy's attack on the fettered Manny "an act of a coward." G refused to give Sebring Manny's name so was charged with disobeying a lawful order. Sebring decided that the only evidence against G was the un-cooborated complaint by Proxy so it was dismissed. However, in the hallway, Stark had G re-arrested again for civil trial. Stark told Sebring and C that the trial was biased. How else could you explain it with such pitiful defense (Mattoni) and inept prosecution (Aldridge). Accused the entire military of bias. C, very restrained, told him that "we all know your only intent is to bolster your campaign. You're nothing but a hypocrite and opportunist and I'll be damned if I’m going to let a bottom feeder like you further your personal ambition trampling the integrity of this office."
Stark acted as the prosecuting attorney and C defended G himself. Despite Gs magnanimous act, Manny, a true bigot, G played his little games as well refusing to reveal the identification of Manny (a true bigot) called JAG at night and left a message designed to get rid of T. He claimed to M, who answered the phone, that he was Josh, Ts lover and wanted him to come home because he loved him. C gave T the benefit of the doubt and told M to advise him to keep his domestic life under control. Then, at long last, Tiner gave up his act and admitted to M that Proxy was his gay half-brother. M told C, so he called Tiner back on stand and asked him directly if he was gay. Tiner said "no, no one asked me (?!)" he just "wanted to see how it felt." He claimed that suddenly "everything took on a double meaning, some people bent over backward not to be offensive, others pulled away like I was contagious." C won Gs acquittal but Stark gloated "what defeat, they (the gays) see me as their protector. I just picked up a few thousand votes!" C gave G a letter of admonishment and forfeiture of half months pay for disobedience.
H was sent to Keflavik Iceland to a NATO conference and told Renee that he would be gone. Without confirming the date she just showed up at JAG then disbelieved M that H was snowed in in Iceland. She took Tiner to dinner instead. Ht was back to replace G during the trial and flounced around making Bs life miserable cause "it's so much fun making them pay." |
| 2/29/2000 | Bridge at Kang So Ri
by Ed Zuckerman
103 | [An episode with more than usual amounts of plot "holes"] A US military unit in the Korean war had orders not to let anyone cross the bridge at Kang So Ri. When a whole bunch of what looked like civilians tried crossing and kept coming after warning shots were fired they were fired upon when one of them put his hand inside his jacket. Apparently no investigation was done to definitively ascertain whether the killed "civilians" were carrying weapons. Twenty three years later some of the soldiers gave press interviews claiming they had shot civilians. A general Wolfe headed the former investigation which exonerated the men and was believed by the South Koreans. The North Koreans, however, didn't believe it. Wolfe, arrogant and insulting, was accompanying Harm (H) and Mac (M) on there new investigation. They were surprised to find Renee Peterson on the 747 to Korea with them. She said she was doing a ZNN interview with Charley Hoskins (one of the informers). She went flying all over, alienating people, insulting M and said she had already talked to the N Koreans. She played the "hurt lady" when H told her about confidentiality and that she "was not working WITH them." Wolfe told Renee that two days before the bridge incident soldiers let civilians pass with pregnant women who were actually soldiers with grenades in belly packs and killed 11. Terrorists took over the plane with a gun made from smuggled in parts and some placed in the Vegetarian meal cartons. Solla Jong, a woman, claimed that Hoskins had killed her grandparents. She, with her two male companions, shot the co-pilot and ordered the plane to N Korea. She said she was going to have a trial of Wolfe and Hoskins for murder. M masqueraded as a flight attendant and hid a fire extinguisher under her seat.
When he found out about it, C sent Bud (B) to find Webb (W) and get information. B stuffed the Burpee Bear -containing a small recorder- that he had gotten for AJs present, into his briefcase. Renee was the one who had given their flight information to the N Koreans and Solla threatened to shoot her if H didn't tell the location of M. H didn't tell but M stood up. C and the SECNAV monitored the flight and communications from the conference room. The SECNAV refused to scramble fighters saying that the N Koreans would help because they wanted the US aid dollars. N Korea said the terrorists were counter revolutionary anarchists adventurers and would deny them entrance into air space. Solla wanted Renee to film their mock trial with H and M as attorneys and her as judge. The N Koreans launched mig's but the SECNAV still refused to put up fighters but finally admitted that Wolfe was in intelligence and knew all the N Koreans who had turned spy. Just as Solla was going to shoot Wolfe and Hoskins she found out Wolfe's intelligence connection. The SECNAV claimed that he had info from the CIA that the N Koreans wouldn't fire so C called W himself. W confidentially communicated that the CIA knew they would be shot down but didn't want to compromise their agents. C called the president himself. The mig's were coming at the plane so the pilot refused Solla and turned back. She shot him and the plan dove toward the ocean. H scrambled forward and pulled the plane out of the dive. M sprayed one man with the fire extinguisher and Wolfe knocked him out. H grabbed Solla's gun while M decked her. The third man shot Hoskins and Wolfe shot him down. H played "chicken" with two migs flying directly toward him. Clinton shown finally scrambling fighters and H evaded migs again as they were locking on with missiles. H told the fighters "Navy at controls" and when a mig locked and fired missiles the fighters warned to break left then dropped chaff. Hs engine flamed and had to be extinguished. The migs turned tail and ran when it was a fair fight. H landed the 747 with reminders from the tower. Renee got her film. M, in the co-pilots chair, said that the "next time she would take a boat." |
| 3/28/2000 | Promises
by John Schulian
104 | [A weakly written, mostly unbelievable episode; but which "set up" the base for future "back-story" episodes.] Renee's recruitment video was unveiled- (not containing any shot of the Washington monument at "magic hour", and mostly voice over shots of sub's, jets, and "exciting stuff.") Chegwidden (C) noticed for Harm (H) that Renee, Leatham (L) and Mac (M) were talking in a group and the only thing they had in common was HIM. Seaman Andrea Granato walked off the USS Hartung after continually being given grunt work by an apparently sexist chief. Then her equally sexist female CO charged her with desertion for missing ships deployment. H was assigned defense and M prosecution. Singer (S) volunteered to help H but C denied and instead gave her the prosecution of a "joyriding" PO. Cdr Woodling told M that Granato was a "whiner." M asked directly if "it was personal" and she launched into rhetoric about how hard females were discriminated against in the military and said M "had better understand that if you were going to prosecute the case." H spoke with Granato who said that her recruiter had lied to her about air traffic controller positions being available. She told H that if he couldn't get his head around that, then he shouldn't be her lawyer. She had seen his recruiting commercial and called him "just a recruiter." Recruiter Roger Pearson denied he had promised her anything but let slip that his quota of 1.5/month was doable where the former requirement of 4/month was not. H asked S to do some checking and see if there were others that Pearson had lied to. She turned around and dumped the job on Gunny (G) and when he found someone, she then ran and gave it to H taking all the credit in full sight of G. L came to M to interject herself into the women's issue wanting Granato to testify to her "retention subcommittee." Granato's mother told H that the recruiter "filled her head with exciting stuff" and didn't know she was unhappy until she got home. M found that Granato had gone directly to boyfriend Peter Skowron's house and on the stand Skowron claimed Granato wanted to get back together with him. H shot down his ego trip to that he only had a casual relationship with her.
The chief Rowe complained how angry he was that Granato quit cause everyone else were working like plow horses. H had him admit that he was singling her out for drudge work. Woodling claimed that Granato's absence made life harder for everyone else. H showed that her absence hadn't hurt the ships readiness and that Woodling had basically "let off" 3 men for U/A under her command but charged the one female with desertion; basically to prove that she was a tough commander. When H told M that Woodling was doing exactly what I said she did "and you know it," M called Renee as a witness (????) M claimed she was a "recruiting expert" and Renee said she was chosen for "my edge, my honesty, my independence. The Navy wanted to present a fair picture of itself." It was easy for H to box her into admitting the picture she portrayed wasn't anywhere near the image that she, herself, had of the Navy." She went from the courtroom in tears portraying the martyr. Pearson was shown to have had another male recruit who was given an honorable discharge eight months after signing when the navy failed to honor a contract that Pearson had made. He admitted he didn't lie but didn't point out any of the "bad things that could happen." H told the jury that the charges "far outweigh" the transgression and they found her not guilty on everything except being UA. H told Granato that she would probably get a dishonorable discharge.
C was asked by his friend, Peter Tulley, to help him with his FNAEB for taxiing his jet off the end of the ramp having taken Viagra 21 hours prior. It supposedly hinders ability to distinguish green and blue (taxiway lights) but civilian requirements are only 6 hours. C went to see urologist Sydney Walden "about his friend" and she assumed he was lying. He told her "I am the JAG for the US NAVY and as such I think I possess enough respect for the truth to be forthcoming if I had a problem, which I don't." He commented on noticing the photo of her son Danny, who played lacrosse for Maryland. She wanted to test Tulley to see if the drug really effects him; but, he refused because the alternative meant that he was a bad pilot. C just stood up for him at the hearing and said that Tulley's career didn't deserve to end on such a note. Tully was returned to duty and suggested C come to dinner and "bring a date." Harriet flit through the episode angry and annoying everyone until she admitted that she was again pregnant. C was shown calling Walden for a date. |
| 4/4/2000 | Drop Zone
by Larry Moskowitz
105 | Five brand new jumpers exited the plane 800 meters short of the drop zone with 75# of gear and 65# of parachute landing unexpectedly in the water. Senior Chief PO Braken was jumpmaster and court-martialed for culpable negligence. He claimed that the "jump light" was green when he sent the men out but the pilot had realized they were short and not flipped it to green. Bud (B) and Singer (S) were defending against Mac's (M) prosecution. She had taken a long time drafting the charges and when PO Comstock died she amended the charges to involuntary manslaughter. Harm (H) explained that was what attorneys did when the outcome of a victim was in question. They can delay up to the statute of limitations but couldn't change it once they had tried a person for a lesser charge. PO Scaline said he jettisoned his gear before hitting the water but Comstock had not. He was blue when retrieved from the water. Braken, feeling shaken, admitted to B and S that he had not been on the schedule and was out drinking the night before the mishap when he was called as a last minute replacement. He said only Capt Miller (of the mishap board) knew of this and S advised him not to say anything more to anyone. B took issue with that but S said she "intended to win" until Chegwidden (C), who had overheard their argument, asked them if they understood the first chair was in charge. M talked to Dr Eric Miller but he refused to reveal anything to her. Instead, he just said "do what you always do." That prompted her to have Gunny (G) check records and found a 12-year prior DUI. She told G to take his photo to all the bars in Norfolk. M called Miller on the stand and asked him only if the drug tests he did "would have" shown ETOH use and S shot up with her objection. B had to sit her back down, later telling her that she had just telegraphed to M that there was a problem in that area. S said "I underestimated her," B responded "or overestimated yourself." She said "it won't happen again" and that night M found Part B of the mishap board report on the seat of her car open to the page and circled in red. She took it to H (instead of reporting it) and burned it in his stove.
G had only finished half the search and asked M if she wanted him to continue. She responded "if those were your orders." He then found Krista Berren who saw Braken drinking and M called her to testify. When she did S was ready with her objections and B asked for exclusion of the testimony because it was obtained inappropriately from Part B. He said he would trust Ms word and she admitted she had seen it. Judge DeLario struck that testimony and filed charges against M. C removed M from the case and assigned H. Over lunch B said that it was S who had pointed out Ms transgression to him. PO Scaline testified that he had seen the green jump light then after Hs cross examination told Braken he had only gone off what he had said. Bracken said "it had to be." H came back with an plea bargain offer of negligent homicide with failure to use due care, dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and 3 years confinement. B disagreed then Braken began arguing. H gave him his full barrel closing argument that it was his job to not trust a .90 cent light and stick his head out the door to check for danger- which he would have done if he hadn't been hung over. Braken finally agreed to the settlement. H called S into his office and said he didn't know who put the report in Ms car but if he ever found out he'd "personally ruin that persons career." Smugly she asked "are you accusing me?" He said "no, warning you not to let your personal ambitions overtake your abilities." She retorted that she "wasn't a thief or liar but she'd use any means necessary to achieve her goal of being the first female JAG."
B had his "wires" removed last week and can eat and speak again. C was on a high, complimenting everyone to the point H asked Tiner, "is he being jolly." H had a dream of M and Renee kickboxing in a ring and when he tried to stop them M told him "YOU go to YOUR corner Hormone!" She then switched to Brumby, in boxing gloves and shorts, and when he turned away he saw his father in the crowd motioning for him to take Brumby on, just as he was punched in the face and awoke in a sweat. He called Renee and made a date for a walk in the park. She came still playing the martyr about him embarrassing her on the stand. C asked H where to take a woman for a romantic weekend. He suggested the Virgin Islands. C played telephone tag with Dr Walden the asked if she'd like to go to Aruba. She said no but suggested the VI. M made reservations for a flight to Australia. H asked her if it was to "go to Brumby or get away from here." She said "both." She unknowingly met Walden at the airport who told her that she though navy men were "so vigorous." When she saw C, she called him "admiral vigorous" to his confusion.
Sr Chief Walter Bracken caused trainees to jump short into water; one died. He was hung-over; as placed in "part B" of mishap report. Capt. Eric Miller of mishap board told prosecutor M to "do what she normally does" regarding Bracken." S advised Bracken not to talk to mishap board & argued w/ B (jaw unwired), C overheard & backed S down. An opened and circled "part B" left in Ms car; she talked w/ H, burned it & told no one. M eventually admitted she'd seen it, but Judge Delario wouldn't accept her assurances, quashed the witness G found & filed ethics charges. H gave Bracken a sample of his closing argument about "hould have stuck your head out the door to see" & got him to accept 3 yrs confinement. H realized S left report & reamed her but she didn't admit it & said she would "do anything it takes" to be "the first female JAG." H had dream of Renee & M boxing over him, changing to Brum & him. Renee finally returned & tried to seduce H. C took Dr Sydney Waldon to St Johns; M ran to Australia & met Waldon at airport where they talked about "vigorous" navy men. |
| 4/25/2000 | The Witches of Gulfport
by Dana Coen
106 | [For some reason this episode has been shown many times. To me, it was less interesting than most other episodes having a weak and often silly plot line and acting.] Mac went undercover as CPO Bonnie Johnson in a Mississippi Wicken coven to investigate by PO Plunket's claim of rape after being bewitched by chief Lane Merker the "high priest." Harm and Bud also investigated without being able to obtain much imformation decided to "go public" in order to see if M could pick up more inside "talk." A slick southern attorney countered Plunkets testimony of not being able to move or talk. Another wicken, Seaman Stortz, was upset at the turn of events and, failing to get compliance, M introduced her to H. H called M to the stand. The Judge wouldn't let her give "hearsay"; so H called Stortz and she refused to talk even with threats of contempt. H quoted the hearsay exemption rule, so M could testify, and Stortz finally testified that Merker had forcibly raped her also, but without spells. Merker was found guilty. Tiner received an "all seeing eye" pyramid that B had ordered for research. Tiner believed that Chegwidden had accidentally used the tower to "curse" both congressman Steelsmith the ACLU rep, Wilfred Waller. When C had enough of Tiner's speculation he transferred his "power" to Tiner who then began using it on people's problems at JAG. Seeing that, C destroyed the pyramid. M called Brumby several times. He was also undercover and making out with a lady arms smuggler. The episode closed with Brum and M "talking dirty" to each other over the phone. |
| 5/2/2000 | Overdue & Presumed Lost
by John Schulian & Paul J Levine
108 | [A barely believable episode with inconsistencies but was dedicated to all USN submariners on the event of the 100th anniversary of the first USN sub] On 5 Dec 1941 the USS Dolphin, a submarine on patrol, spotted the "entire Jap fleet," 45 miles NW of Hawaii. They stayed on the surface, despite being found and shelled, until their radio message to pearl was received. Fifty-nine years later the sound of a sunken ships hull was picked up on sonar listening devices and triangulated to the last known location of the Dolphin. Self claimed archeologist/treasure hunter, Jack Riggins, ran to the site and "dropped his flag" claiming in court, "finders keepers." Riggin's attorney, Stewart Grossman, told Chegwidden (C) that "the judges down here are different" than what he was used to. Admiral Matthew Stanton, an old friend of Cs represented the SECNAV and interests of the submarine community. C told Harm (H) that a privilege of rank is the opportunity to squash parasites like Riggin's myself." He assigned H to fill in for him at his budget hearings saying "last time you got the funds to repair your holes in the courtroom ceiling." Judge green was flippant and full of herself making snide comments. C pointed to specific laws making US vessels property of the government in perpetuity, that it wasn't abandoned, and that it was a gravesite for 60 sailors. Green asked Riggins if a restraining order would cause him hardship and he replied it would and accused the navy of covering up the fact that the government had ignored radio messages in order to get the US into war in order to solidify public opinion with outrage. The accusation was so completely idiotic it flummoxed C. Green refused the restraining order but said C could be on the vessel as an observer.
Using a remote sub they brought up the ships lock box and found the ships log intact. It showed that a warning message had, in fact, been sent and acknowledged by Cardinal Point listening station. C, with H and Gunny (G) had to overcome the ineptitude of the records storage facility personnel and found the message log book but the applicable page had been razored out! Riggins came to Cs office and told him that he would help solve the puzzle because "you're hooked- the ghosts are speaking to you." He asked G to find personnel of Cardinal Point and Admiral Stanton was revealed. Stanton told C that he had definitely received it and sent it on to Washington, per protocol. They were supposed to decide which messages to send back and when he saw the zero's three miles out he was surprised that the fleet was still at anchor because he had forwarded the message hours before. He told C that the message was received by undersecretary of war Malloy (or something that started with an M). G personally twisted the records clerk into searching boxes for the undersecretary's material and found the actual message misfiled in a folder on the Panama Canal. Judge Green pontificated that "I am the law" and the laws cited by C didn't pertain to "historical truth." She allowed the salvage claim of Riggins. Upset C told Riggins to "listen to see what the ghosts were telling HIM now." Later C and Stanton were show in a memorial service at Pearl. Riggins told C that he had withdrawn his claim citing that he had "listened to the ghosts, and to you (C)."
Renee told H that the JAG budget was just like a movies and shamed him into saying he preferred doing budget with her than onboard the vessel with C. He told C that he didn't get the 4.3% increase that C had told him to get; rather, he got 8.1% by adding funds for inflation factor, contingency fund, and travel allowance. Bud (B) was assigned to defend PO 2nd class Potts in his court-martial for ditching his mandatory physical training and taking diet pills to loose weight. He said he wanted to stay in but Mac (M) told him that his love of the Navy was outweighed by his utter lack of military discipline. B identified with him and said that the navy was using his as a scapegoat to send a message. He told him that he had "lost 20 pounds when he had his jaw wired." He showed that Potts' job required him to sit and run a 50million dollar missile system and that his CO said he didn't care how much he weighed unless he broke the chair. A BMI greater than 25 was considered unfit for the navy ( weight (in pounds) X 705 / square root of height (in inches)) and Potts could do it in his head. There were two recruiters watching the trial and started a bidding war in the hallway over Potts, including $120K, stock option, condo's etc. M was astounded when he said he "just wanted to stay in the navy." She counter-offered with "$20k, forfeit 30 days pay, 2 week confinement to quarters, drug testing, mandated PT and regulated diet, and may end up in combat." He took it! |
| 5/9/2000 | Real Deal Seal
by Paul Levine
107 | [This episode had such a ridiculously implausible plot line so as to be insulting to regular viewers and damaging to DJ Elliot's character (Harm) who was shown to lie to Mac, unrealistically put his life in danger, and be derelict in his legal skills.] Lt Curtis Rivers, using his medal of honor, crashed an election rally for "Wild Bill" Layton running for the senate, and called him an imposter. Layton, who was wearing his navy pin on his lapel, told everyone that he was a "Navy SEAL" and running on the platform of "integrity in government and family values." Rivers removed the pin and Layton took a swing at him. Rivers held his hands up and stepped back until Layton came at him again so he decked him. Chegwidden (C) told Harm (H) that Layton wasn't a SEAL but had received a Navy Cross. Also that Rivers was in a group of retired SEALS who exposed imposters. B said there were "more fraudulent SEALS than real ones." C assigned H to try and obtain an apology from Rivers so any charges would "go away." Senator Henry Barrington asked C for permission to submit his name for a federal judgeship then segwayed, without gratification, into Layton's case. Rivers refused H the apology and instead told him of another imposter who was a gun for hire. The FBI knew about him but were stymied. C asked Bud (B) to help with the application and B told he would be good for the job but would the job be good for him. Mac (M) was assigned to prosecute but wanted 24 hours to reason with Layton. Instead she found a campaign manager who quoted a focus group that said to "convict Rivers" and that "compassion was in this year." When M pointed out that the spotlight would be turned on him, Layton said he "had nothing to hide." H offered to defend Rivers but he declined saying he'd "do it himself" and that H could be 2nd chair. Instead he told H of the imposter-assassin, Earl Ticktin, who washed out of Navy after basic and had three confirmed kills. Rivers smugly told H that he'd hired Ticktin to kill H as bait(?!!). Then convinced him to go along with it by basically calling him "chicken" (?!!) He introduced H to Pops Munchak and Vic Velasco who were arguing with each other. Rivers said "relax, I'd trust them with my life," and H retorted "I'd trust them with YOUR life too." They then offered to "call off the hit" if H said so and he didn't (?!!) Rivers made his own opening statement and began eloquently using rhetoric about SEALS. M objected, and the judge asked him if H could perform the duties of a SEAL. He responded "no," so she asked him "what makes you think you do the job of a trial lawyer." He responded "because he knew the truth" and she quipped "obviously you've never been to law school."
H went jogging with Rivers who was explaining his defense strategy to claim that he was making a citizens arrest. H pointed that he hadn't arrested only forcibly removed the pin and punched him. Rivers claimed "in self-defense" but then macho-ly claimed that he had not felt the least bit threatened by Layton. Munchak took a shot at a sniper targeting H but missed and lost him on a motorcycle. Rivers said "we'll get him next time" and H merely shook his head (?!!) The sniper loaded his own shells, 7.62 mm with soft rim primers and hollow point. Rivers remembered a previous FBI case sighting of a motorcycle so they went to talk to police chief Carson. There was a report of someone shooting transformers and setting off explosives in the Vallecito Mtn's. The FBI had investigated after someone had confessed hiring a contract killer and made a pay drop in the location but couldn't find anything. H told M that he didn't know why anyone would try and kill him. M said she "hoped he wasn't involved in one of Rivers crazy scheme's and H said "you know me better than that!" (?!!) M made the motion to prevent H from bringing up Layton's military record and the Judge Granted the motion. Layton lied that Rivers assaulted him. H did convince Rivers to let him cross-examine Layton. Rivers told the judge "there are different kinds of beaches to storm, this one is Cdr Rabb's." H let Layton pontificate and his playing to the crowd brought up his military service so, with the door open, H was able to impeach his military record. Layton claimed that he "didn't go around touting his own horn about his decorations." He said he "earned his trident in the field (?!!) when he rescued 3 POWs." H showed only one American had ever been rescued from captivity during the entire Vietnam war. Layton claimed that it was a black op, and no-one would admit it. The rest of his platoon disappeared in Cambodia- he was on solo recon and never made the mission.
Barrington began trying to pull strings with C for his friend "Bill Layton." Carson called H to come up to a cabin he found in the mountains before the FBI got there and H went without telling anyone (?!!) Rivers had his buddies check if Layton's Navy Cross was really classified. (?!!) Claiming that Ticktin had been sighted, he got H to go with him to the cabin. H called M to ask her to request a continuance but didn't reveal anything (?!!). When M was receiving the continuance Rivers objected claiming that he was ready (?!!) then, only after Layton was on the stand, Munchak rushed in with evidence he'd just obtained. Rivers asked how he obtained his Cross and Layton described a "riverine OP on the Mekong Delta where he captured a North VN Major on an ambush and abduction mission under fire then interrogated him to reveal a weapons stockpile. Rivers pointed out that Layton had been in a public affairs office writing press releases and Layton gloated "before he was transferred to combat unit." Rivers had Layton read one of his press releases which turned out to be of PO Mora with the exact same details Layton had just claimed for himself! Rivers asked him to describe any of the men in his unit that disappeared or give names and his couldn't. Rivers called him a coward, liar and imposter and Layton just sat there. Carson sent H around to the back of the cabin and claimed that he was an excellent shot and could cover him. He said he loaded his own ammo and described the same ammo that H knew of the sniper. Suspicious, H found a booby trap and set it off drawing Carson in for the kill. H took pot shots at him until, as he tried to escape, H got the drop on him. Instead of dropping his gun, he turned to shoot H but was shot himself. H returned to stand by Rivers as the verdict was read. Found "not guilty" of conduct unbecoming but "guilty" of assault and battery (?!!), with forfeiture of one day pay. Barrington told C that "in time he would learn to be a team player." When he became a judge he would "remember who got you that appointment." When C advised of constitutional separation of powers, Barrington spoke of "the difference between the platitudes of civic lessons and cold hard realities; and that it would be a mistake to disagree." C advised "no, the mistake was yours." H told C that he would "miss him" and C retorted "why? Are you leaving us again?" |
| 5/16/2000 | Body Talk
by Dana Coen
109 | Lt Commander Teresa Coulter came to her parents house and found her mother dead in bed. She turned down the thermostat, opened the window, stopped the record player stuck on a depressing song and noticed the dead goldfish. Ten years later she stormed into Harm's (H) office having found out that he had obtained a new trial from an appellate court for her father who was doing time in Leavenworth for murder. H told her that the defense attorney was only 26 years old, first murder trial, conducted ineffective cross examination, and failed to interview key witnesses. Captain Chaddock, her father, said that he'd written to Teresa many times without response. He was self incriminating regarding being abusive to his wife and forcing Teresa to hate him. He wasn't worried about Hs conflict of interest knowing his daughter because "H was a principled man." Mac (M) was assigned to prosecute and Bud (B) as Hs second chair. Capt French, Chaddock's next door neighbor, said he'd heard many arguments from the Captain but only twice from the wife: once, the day of the death when Captain left; and, second, the day before with Rory Coulter, her son-in-law. He told NCIS about it but they weren't interested. French said that a furnace repairman had been there and heard the argument as well. Teresa informed that Rory had a job offer in California and they were going to move which upset her mother greatly. She said that Rory was a weak man who ran from problems and had left her after her mother died rather than face Teresa's grief. She told H if he valued their friendship he'd drop Rory as a suspect. He went to talk to Rory and found that he had stolen a car when he was 18, hadn't put it on his job application, and his mother-in-law had told him that she had "ways to stop me" from taking Teresa to California. The job otter was withdrawn shortly afterward so she must have called the company and told them. Rory got upset with H and B and stormed out, leaving his jacket. H was showing plainly that all the prosecution evidence was circumstantial. Teresa wouldn't speak to her father in court. She testified that he had berated her mother on a daily basis and had threatened to kill her if she ever told him to shut up again. A week before her death, her mother had called Teresa and said she had thrown the Capt out because he had assaulted her. B got her to admit that her mother and husband had been angry with each other. There was a single un-identified hair found on her mothers body which B matched to a hair on Rory's coat left in the office. M refused to bargain. Gunny (G) found that the repairman Ramón Arguento had run out of material, left repair of the propane furnace undone and advised against using it.
Rory refused to talk to M, on his attorney's advice, so she brought Teresa. Teresa asked him why he was acting so guilty. Later he skipped town which hurt Ms case so Teresa offered to help "find more evidence against him" and asked for the autopsy. Instead, she found that the autopsy showed "minimal brain swelling" not matching the supposed cause of death by trauma. She refused Hs request for exhumation. Her father testified that he had threatened his wife many times but the first time he ever hurt her was a week before her death when he pushed her and she hit her head on a bed post. She never left him because she was afraid to be left all alone but she called him every day at the motel. He had argued with her but she refused to take him back. Based on that Teresa allowed the exhumation which showed that there had been some bone healing of the fracture before death. H and B stayed into the night going over seemingly unrelated clues then, the next day, were shown examining Teresa on the stand and revealing that her mother had committed suicide by turning on the defective furnace expelling carbon monoxide into the room and also killing the fish. He was acquitted. H and M push Teresa into finally talking with her father. She just said "Hi."
Lt Irene Charter, daughter of deceased Admiral Leslie Charter and close friend of Chegwidden's (C)
came to ask C a favor. She said she was "terminal" in 3 months with pancreatic cancer and wanted to be buried next to her parents in Arlington but was getting run-around from the cemetery supervisor. C told her that he would try and help then went to speak with the supervisor. The supervisor told C that reservations were not allowed then lied that the plot in question was already filled. C confronted him with his lie and said "tell me the truth or I'll walk out there with a spade and check for myself." The supervisor said that he "wasn't in a position to reveal who had 'reserved' it," and C threatened "exactly what position would make you change your mind?" Not able to find his phone, C went to General Pipin's address and found that he was having a retirement party. Pipin was being shagged by a widow, Marjorie, and told C he would relinquish the plot if he would do him a favor. C had to dance with Marjorie. Dr Walden came to visit Cs office and was told "she looked luminous." She told him "you look vigorous." H accidentally walked in on them and Walden suggested that they "double socially" to Cs stares. Then Irene came back and, before C could tell her that he had gotten the plot, said that she didn't want the plot anymore because she had sought a second opinion and had been misdiagnosed so she wasn't dying. |
| 5/23/2000 | Surface Warfare
by Ed Zuckerman
110 | Mikey (Mk) was charged with mis-setting a CIWS gun (6,000 rounds/minute) and nearly hitting a boat of disembarking marines during a politically charged training exercise in Florida- all in the setting of two arrogant and abusive leaders. As fire control man aboard the USS Wake Island he took over control of shooting down a drone after the prime control center had a malfunction. The drone should have gone around again but Capt Lyle ordered Mk to go ahead when Marine Colonel Pergament said he didn't have time. Mk told the XO he "didn't do it," a "little too loud" so Lyle threw him in the brig on bread and water for 3 days; which is where Bud (B)found him. B begged Chegwidden (C) to let him go "assist" Mk (and C didn't send anyone else?) then began asking questions of the crew. Mk's apprentice, Harold Schofield, said he checked the "no-fire" settings and they were correct. The landing boatman said the marines had been off course and had corrected. Pergament took issue of B questions and sent him "unofficially" to the brig for 24-hours to question his own brother. C sent Mac (M) to straighten it out. B told her that she was a "marine and could break through their wall of silence." Pergament told her that she "was a marine and could break through the navy crap." The infighting continued between marines (who used all the water and took two pieces of pie each) and sailors and their leaders. When Mk got out his buddies told him he should have aimed higher to actually hit the "jarheads." Local environmentalists were trying to obstruct the navy's use of Florida land after a mishap in Puerto Rico had killed a civilian and the governor had kicked the navy off their routine practice site. When M asked Lyle why he didn't have the drone go around again he got angry with her. So C sent H down to settle things down. H saw the series of mishaps as a pattern. A protest rubber raft steered directly at the ship "looking for an incident which would make headlines." The protesters all jumped in the water then sent their boat into the ships hull. H spoke with a female protestor and found that she knew of the gun incident and Mk by name. Seeing their hurried, poor planning of the incident he realized it had been last minute because they thought the exercise would have already been canceled. She confessed that the group had "hacked into the navy computer and caused the gun accident." H recommended the exercise be cancelled which ticked off both Lyle and Pergament.
So C, the SECNAV and Webb (W), all came to make people play nice! (W ostensibly thought it might be a Cuban plot to get the navy back to Puerto Rico.) H conjectured that the protestors might not have hacked into the computer but had a spy instead. He suggested that Mk "walk them through it." Mk left the console for a 5 min head break and again afterwards to see what had happened. Both times he locked it but Schofield had access. H "chatted" Schofield into admitting that his girlfriend Jennifer had talked him into sabotaging the gun to fire close to the marines- but they really
C was receiving an award at a Surface Warfare Ball and B was assigned to write his speech. C panicked through episode as the speech wasn't written. Singer (S) was to have gone with a Lt Cdr assigned to the joint chiefs. H with Renee, C with Walden and M stag. S offered to get M a date which she declined. Walden wanted to meet all Cs friends. He asked H if they were friends if they called each other "sir." Harriet (Ht) worried she didn't fit in any dress and Renee offered to get a dress worn by Madonna when she was pregnant. When she told B he replied that she couldn't wear a dress stolen from Madonna. Gunny (G) found Tiner (Ti) with his feet up behind Cs desk and reprimanded him. Ss date was a no-show so she hooked up with doofus JAG lawyer "Alfred." Renee brought Madonna's dress for Ht but she refused until they got a "ruling" from S who said "it's Kosher." B "wow'd" at Ht in the dress. M was alone until Brumby magically appeared having, without telling M, "reserved" his commission and moved to DC to "be near the one he loved." H and M "looked" at each other as they went into the ball - (hence the season cliff hanger.) |
