Survivors - 18

Col Matt Anderson's son Trevor was being moved away from his father by his divorced mother. The boy began calling his father by a nickname known only to him and his childhood/marine buddy, "digger." The Col wasn't able to keep a promise that he had made to "digger" and bring him back from Vietnam. The mothers attorney, on his own, got an arrest warrant for the Col who was trying to take Trevor back to their boyhood cabin in order to somehow fulfill his promise. Deputy Terrance Hodge (a bitter ex-marine) manhandled Trevor while he was arresting the Col and was "decked" by the Col. Then Hodge lied about it, forming a manhunt. Harm helped the Col escape in a helicopter twice, frustrating Hodge who then got a warrant for Hs arrest as well.

Hodge's partner had to restrain Hodge from shooting H when H threw himself between Hodge and the Col who was carrying Trevor up to the cabin. H and Meg bluff Hodge about actually having a videotape of his manhandling the col and backhanding Trevor, so he let H go and the Col surrender to H without Trevor being there and witnessing his fathers arrest. The Col and Mrs. Anderson were getting divorced only because of the Col's career - (which he doesn't have any more.) H and Mg don't believe in the psychic link between Trevor and "digger" until Trevor, in sort of a trance, turned and gave them a "diggers" thumbs up.

Black Ops - 17

[A truly masterful episode. Compare with the season 10 episode "San Diego", filmed to please CBS minions wanting the "younger demographic," and it's: intrusive space-ship music; vertiginous, aimlessly wandering photography; disgustingly confusing character morality; and superficial entertainment despite a moderately interesting core plot. This was a well written and delivered episode. Music was grand, photography larger than life, character development captivating and script (as C said) "heroic."] Harm & Meg investigated the death of USN Pilot, Lt Douglas Marion, the son of unforgiving Senator Grace Marion, during a SEAL "black op" mission; but, they were "stonewalled" until finally they charged the entire team with obstruction. Marion's autopsy showed massive injury from his fall after his parachute didn't open but also hypoxic coma which proved some of their lies. The group leader, Lt Alexander Kellogue, thought Gen Behnke would get him out of trouble; but, the general just let them all hang. Chegwidden came personally to San Diego and brought the Senator. Kellogue still lied but C's threats got the men to tell the story. The General and changed the Op at the last minute from a 30 knotts/30 feet helicopter insertion into a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump, 2 hrs before the mission. He hoped the SEALs would decline so "his own men" could do it. Marion was to have flown back a drug lord plane; but his parachute didn't open and he hit the water. H found that he had suffocated on the way down due to a sabotaged o-ring on his oxygen. The General probably did it.

Kellogue gave C the pre-mission letter Marion had written to his mother - (a SEAL tradition started many years earlier by "Ensign Chegwidden".) H found that the General was repeating the mission with his own men, so C ordered him to HALO with the SEALS and recover the plane. The team quizzed each other on famous quotes as was their tradition in order to keep their minds off anxiety. The general had a "spy" watching the SEALs so was told of Cs plan. In the race to the site the SEALs win and beat general there, finding an old R4D prop plane; but, also that it had been outfitted with AWACs type black ops gear from McDill - apparently sold to them by Gen Behnke! That was why the general had to be first to the site, to prevent being found out. Worried that they couldn't get the old plane to fly, Kellogue asked "who said: I will fight no more, forever"? When others couldn't answer he continued, "I don't know either, but he wasn't a marine"! C and the senator flew in the aircraft with the seals insertion. She was impressed with the jump and the men, and and was visibly softened; so, C gave her son's letter to her, saying: "you're ready to read it." After he saw H take off with the plane he realized the trouble he was in and the General committed suicide by jumping out of his helicopter over the ocean. No Krennick in this episode (thankfully).

High Ground - 16

An arrogant marine Col Gordon transferred Gunnery Sgt Ray Crockett back to the front and wouldn’t even listen to him trying to protest that he had an arrangement with two previous commanders for the rest of his three years of service. So, to get his attention he borrowed a rifle from one of his men and shot at Gordon's rear view mirror some 1000 meters away. Gordon put him in the brig for court-martial of attempted murder. Chegwidden assigned Harm to investigate and try and save him if he could. C said that Crockett had been a sniper in Vietnam when C was pinned down in an ambush at night. He heard 18 shots and the next day found 18 dead NVA from Crockets rifle and that he was the best sniper the military ever had. Crockett had refused to let C buy him a drink. Krennick suggested that she accompany H and C told her "he's capable of doing it on his own." In the brig Crockett said that he didn't remember Chegwidden and assured H that he wouldn't be going to court-martial-- he just wanted his deal that he had been promised, he had done enough killing. He caught a fly in his hand which impressed H. Crockett's entire file was redacted so he called K for help. She made a big deal out of helping him and flew to Quantico with Crockett's "real" file including his kill book. H read and learned it all so he could talk to him about his defense. Gordon tried to stack the investigation against Crockett and refused to even listen to H either.

K told H that he had to finish the case by the weekend because he was expected at an "officer's retreat" at Cs beach house on Hilton Head-- and it would be just the two of them! Crockett escaped from the brig, got equipment and took to the hills. Gordon refused to let H go with the helicopter until H backed him down with treats of impeding an investigation. They traced what they thought was Crockett on infrared and found that it was only a staked out wild pig. Crockett got the drop on then and sent them back without their clothes. H was still out there and traced Crockett to his hideout but set off a booby trap flare. He just waited for Crockett to show up and tried to reason with him. Gordon brought another contingent to capture Crockett and the gunny got the drop on them too but just shot a beehive over their heads. H said he'd had enough and tricked Crockett to get the drop on him. Crockett escaped from H and they had to fight until H bested him with a knife. Crockett told H that he should "never let him see him in his scope" and then refused to even let H or Mg see him in the brig. Gordon still wouldn't listen to any reason and took every opportunity to malign JAG, the navy and H. K made a deal on her own with Gordon for: a sanity hearing, loss of benefits, resignation with bad conduct discharge. H gave them the affidavits of the deal that Crockett's former commanders made with him and when Gordon got puffed up again told him that "if Crockett had wanted to kill you, you would be dead!" H had to hold a shooting exhibition or Gordon wouldn’t believe it. K called C to try and help, and he came but only greeted Crockett and said "a fine day for a shooting exhibition." H retraced Gordon's path in the jeep and gunny again shot out the rear-view mirror. Gordon finally gave Crockett back his rank, fined him and honored "the deal." C told Crockett he was going to buy him that drink now and H whispered to Crockett that he still didn't remember C did he? Crockett said that a gunny didn't tell a two star that he didn't remember him. K dismissed Mg until Monday, thinking that she could follow through with her sexual harassment of H but C invited H to have the drink with them.