Tuesday, December 15, 1998

Jaggle Bells - 72

[Chloe and Jordan Parkers introduction] Bud (B) and Harriet (Ht) were handing out mounds of Christmas gifts at children's hospital. B said he knew how lonely it could get from when he had a candy cane stuck up his nose. Harm (H) was acting department head while Chegwidden (C) went to Italy to see his daughter Francesca and let everyone secure early because of the blizzard. The airport was closed so C returned to an empty office and was upset. Chloe arrived at JAG saying she was "looking for her mother," M (M), and other lies. She proceeded to act rude, offensive and embarrass M by telling C that she "though he would have more hair and why didn't he ask M out?" She had said that her father Kyle Anderson had died on May 17th, 1987- the day she was born. Her mother had died four years ago with cancer and she told M that she had run away from her stepfather because he didn't want her and was abusive. M braced her up with "just because your life had been hard doesn't give you the right to lie or be rude." She asked, if they took her away from her stepfather, could she live with M. When M was calling child welfare to report the abuse, Chloe recanted and said that her bruise was from "his girlfriend" when "she lost it" over Chloe cutting and dying her hair when she was "passed out drunk." She ran into the elevator and hid above the trap door. B realized the date she gave as the date the USS Stark was attacked and found Chloe's father still alive on the USS Cayuga. They put through a $4,000 video call to her father to get her to come down. He hadn't known she was born and had just lost his wife and son in a car accident. Chloe went, temporarily, back to her stepfathers after a "girlfriend to marine" talk. M apologized to C for what Chloe had said and C told her that "there are two sides to duty- doing things we don't want to do- and, resisting the temptation to do things we want to do."

H couldn't find anyone to do anything with over the holidays so took the "next case up" which was Lt Cdr Jordan Parker, a psychiatrist who had skidded off the road and was arrested for DUI. She claimed she was ill with a cold and had only had one eggnog. H tried to get her to accept substance abuse counseling and she told him to analyze himself in a mirror. She deduced that he must have been named after a relative (or family pet), family history of naval service, live up to past expectations, having "baggage" from going to JAG from "gold wings," painfully "obvious" singleness, few and far between relationships from being "too busy or too picky" and that a relationship with a single mother would be "appealing to someone of your age who's afraid he's running out of time." H just left but returned, later, with Chinese food. He confessed that she had pretty much pegged him and said that he normally spends Xmas eve at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. He said that he had found his father, buried, in Russia. He now had closure, but found a void he didn't know he had. He discovered just how much of "who he was, had been formed by his search for his father." That he always before had a goal, but now "wasn't driving the bus anymore" and instead was "sitting in the back with no idea where it's going." Parker told him that "most people spend their whole life riding the bus instead of driving." H found alcohol in the cough syrup she took before the breathalyzer which would have thrown it off and got her released on her own recognizance.

B and Ht acted the doofus again dressing up in Santa costumes and having arguments over robot toys. C told B to find him a "ride to Milan tonight." C left a message on Francesca's answering machine that "this was the first time he was looking forward to Christmas in a long time." After playing with toys the whole episode, he "almost forgot" to tell C that he had found him a seat on a military transport plane."

Tuesday, November 24, 1998

The Black Jet - 71

Jack Keeter (Harm's (Hs) old roommate, rescued from Cuba) had multiple severe computer malfunctions while flying recon over Iran in a stealth F117. Under a plan of Webb's (Ws), he was looking for reported nuclear weapons using new technology which allowed the Stealth to automatically land on a carrier. He was able to land then walked out, to prevent anyone from finding the Stealth; but, was found by Iranians and taken to prison. Brumby (Brum), who had previous assignments in Iran, and Mac (M) were assigned to help defend Keeter in court. Brum magnanimously deferred to H which prompted M to tell him that she didn't "hold hard feelings" for him trying to pin a murder charge on her. Keeter gave H a coded letter to his dead father, with the coordinates of where he had landed, and told H "no martin baker" (i.e. he didn't use martin-baker ejection seat). H told M that in his third class year at the academy he had gone UA during finals before Christmas. Before anyone knew he was gone Keeter found him and brought him back. Ws plan was to give H some new circuit boards and have him fly it back to the carrier leaving M and Keeter behind for "State to do the best it can after the trial." Bud (B), on the Seahawk with W, strenuously chastised him telling him H lived by his "duty to country and loyalty to friends" and shouldn't have to choose between them. He said "there must be a better way" and W changed his plans into rescuing Keeter as well. W used Sina Kazzari, a CIA agent of Iranian extraction with US citizenship, to help them rescue Keeter and escape. However, by the time they reached the disabled Stealth, Bedouins had found it. M asked Keeter if "H had always been this cocky," and was told "only around women." She negotiated that she would stay with the Bedouins as collateral for one million in gold to be sent later. H advised her that sometimes people in her situation punished themselves by taking risks and she retorted that she would "pay her dues at her article 32 hearing."

Kazzari turned out to be a double agent, who had notified the Iranian military. The army came rumbling over the desert just after H had shot Kazzari, using an "ol' Western movie distraction trick;" and, just as Keeter was able to start the generator for take off. The SECNAV had refused to send in air extraction support so W "setup" Chegwidden into overriding the decision. B confronted him about it and was told US jets arrived and helped defend the plane against Iranians while H took off. The next thing you saw was H trying to land on a carrier with warning lights flashing and his being killed in crash; but it turned out to be only in a simulator - to teach H a lesson that he couldn't have landed anytime the warning lights were flashing. He was asked if he would have tried, and responded that yes, he probably would have! When they were worried about M and Keeter making it out, Brum said "she'll be back, I promised I'd take her skiing." She did arrive, with Keeter complaining about her ability to tell exact time by her "body clock."

Tuesday, November 17, 1998

People vs. Mac - 70

[Follow-up from previous episode] Chris Ragle (Ms ex-con husband from whom she hasn't gotten a divorce) did not leave as promised and ran to Mac's (M) apartment as sanctuary from loan shark Benny Turpin. Turpin broke down her door and beat up Ragle but not before M had broken the nose of one of his thugs. When they left with a 24-hour ultimatum for repayment of "$15 bills" Ragle said "honey" I'm home. M went to Harm's (H) apartment to talk but found Bobbi Latham (L) and left. H was back from "straightening out a congressional committee" and found new Mic Brumby (Brum) at JAG with "open ended" TAD orders from his Australian command. Brum began disagreeing with H from his first meeting in a visible and challenging way. He tried to force his "advice" on H about M; and, being annoyed, H told him that M was "just a friend." M was noticeably distracted but told H "I already tried" when he attempted to get her to talk. He said "let's talk now" but was interrupted, again, by a phone call from L. When M got home, Ragle was still there and when she threw him out he began blackmailing her about her previous tryst with her ex-CO John Farrow in Okinawa. Chegwidden (C) had defended him last month for sending troops into Haiti without orders and, although found guilty, was awarded no punishment (The good of the service). Over Ms objections, Farrow said "I'll talk to him." Ragle was shown answering his hotel door and saying "I've been expecting you," then H answering his phone to M saying "I've been arrested for murdering my husband."

C told everyone the next day that Ragle had been murdered with a 9mm Sig Sauer, having partial prints of both Farrow and M, but "inconclusive" powder residues. The police thought it was a "lovers triangle" but turned the prosecution over to JAG. Brum slammed Hs request to defend M for emotional bias; but, C assigned him anyway, and gave Brum and Bud (B) the defense of Farrow. He told them both to "play nice" or be replaced. Ted Lindsey prosecuted and told C "things have changed here since I left." C replied "you don't know the half of it." Brum exposed the affair and justified it to H that it was "to show they acted differently and not complicitly." H accepted that but then Brum tried to pin the murder on M and H asked for "severance." In front of L, Brum said that he "was convinced M killed her husband" and accused H, B & C of all being "a little in love with M" and "blinded." H said that he was an "arrogant bastard" and Brum said they would eventually "strip blouses" to which H agreed. C said he "didn't think much of" Brum's tactics but left them both in their positions. At the severance hearing, Farrow reigned in Brum who told the judge that his "client would refuse to answer questions that would incriminate M." L exclaimed "is this the 5th by proxy?" and Admiral Morris asked if this was just their "attempt at setting him up for an appeal." The severance was not allowed. Farrow said that he had gone to Ragle with $20K but Ragle pulled his gun and was killed in their struggle. Lindsey called it a lie because no money was found. M was upset that Farrow was taking the blame and wanted to testify. When H wouldn't let her she said "either you put me on the stand or Brum will." She testified that she had gone to talk to Ragle, "one last time." When she was leaving Ragle had pulled his gun out and put it to his own chest saying "then you better kill me now." He told her she "wouldn't have a life" because he "would follow her and kill her man and her kids and her." She claimed she pulled the trigger. She was shown cleaning out her desk and taking boxes to her car. (Unbelievably) Brum was shown "making time" with her saying that "I wish there were something I could do to comfort you." She had him hold her boxes then slapped him saying "there, now I'm comforted."

H found that money had been withdrawn from Farrow's account so went, with B, to shake down the hotel manager who had done time for breaking and entering. They blackmailed him into admitting he had seen Turpin leave the room after M and Farrow had left. Then they met Turpin in a library with Brum and blackmailed him into testifying claiming to have a security videotape of his break in to Ms apartment. Turpin testified that "nobody killed Ragle." Turpin went to collect but when M came hid in the closet. Ragle got the gun and gave it to M telling her to shoot him just as she had testified. She threw it away and Farrow came with the money. Ragle grabbed the gun and was going to shoot Farrow but M wrestled with him and it went off. Turpin said if M hadn't shot, "Farrow would have been dead and probably her as well." Lindsey accused Turpin of being "paid to lie" but he said "no, I'm paying them." H gave the $20K to the judge that Turpin had returned. The case was dismissed and Farrow told H to "try and keep her out of trouble." Brum tried to chat up M again (!) and she said "maybe." H found it incredible! She said it was "to give him a chance to apologize." He disillusioned' "the men you pick!"

Tuesday, November 10, 1998

Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington - 69

[An important episode to the "back story" where Mic Brumby came, Congresswoman Latham came and attached herself to Harm, and Christopher Ragal came, announcing himself as Mac's ex-con husband.] A "recon" team, at El Bakkar Kuwait before the Gulf War, was accused of using Sarin nerve gas on three American scientist traitors helping SadDAM. Sgt Clyde Morrison was currently the only survivor after PO Cary Dugan, who had videotaped the mission, committed suicide. Congresswoman Bobbi Latham (L) was holding House Committee hearings and asked Chegwidden (C) to assign Harm (H) TAD to her office to help be her "truth detector." She said "I'll owe you one," and C told her that he had "every intention of collecting." Norman Delaport, ZNN investigative reporter- a "legend", broke the story with a videotape of the mission which ended with Dugan being told to "stop videotaping." Deleport got Sgt Richard Ford, who found the dead American bodies 2 days later, to say that Morrison had been carrying Sarin canisters, which is what they had died from. Mrs. Dugan was uncooperative with H and said she had already talked with Delaport. The official copy of the videotape was missing and Delaport, who L knew, refused to answer Hs questions claiming "privileged information." Colonel Cobb testified that no nerve gas was used but congressman Martin stupidly asked "why were your men dressed in chemical suits then." L was clearly jumping to conclusions and bullying witnesses- "playing for the publicity." H prompted L to ask Ford questions that showed he could have been mistaken about seeing canisters marked with "GB" (for Sarin) and later told H that he had "made her look foolish." Cooking pasta for L in his apt, H told her that she "had been seduced by the story." Seductively L told him "you don't give an inch" and H said "I'm not good with compromises." She said "you have to meet half way," and H answered "sometimes half way isn't close enough" before he kissed her.

H asked L to delay hearings so he could find the facts then quit when she said no and wanted him to stand with her doing a Deleport interview. L came to his apartment and called him names (quitter, about "pride") trying to get him to come back. Bud (B) found Morrison in a bar. He told H that they only used teargas; but, Deleport had already made his mind up and could "get you to say anything if he talked to you long enough." B used "Millie," his old flame, to find the original Videotape of operation Sirocco, which had been misfiled. H gave it to L who asked "am I going to like it?" H said "no" and she said she had "already taken a position" so he told her to "cut her losses" she was on the wrong side of the truth. She trapped Delaport into saying the tape was only 18 minutes long and that he had not paid for it. Mrs. Dugan said it was 22 minutes long and that he had paid for it. H showed that, in the last 4 minutes of tape, the canisters were labeled "CS"- for tear gas. H accused Delaport of deliberately leaving things out- and he said no "I decided what to put in." L told Delaport that the committee was going to investigate him.

Mac (M) was assigned to defend PO Ellsworth who had bulldozed his congressman's local headquarters. She went to pick up Mic Brumby (Brum), exchange officer from Australia, at the airport and confused him with someone else because he was traveling in civilian clothes. C assigned Brum to assist M with Hs case load. He told her that his mother was American, he had dual citizenship, had graduated from Georgetown in law and had passed the DC bar ten years ago. M left Brum with Harriet (Ht) to show around and he said "I've seen all I need to" while looking at Ms departing back. Christopher Ragal came to visit M, now that he was out of prison, and asked her why she hadn't gotten a divorce from him. M told him that they were married "twelve years ago when my hair was a foot longer, skirts a foot shorter and was using Clearasil." She said that she was drunk on their wedding day and during their honeymoon. He wanted a "second chance" and she told him she had already given him that. He said that after he did "3 - 5 for armed robbery" he followed her to Okinawa but didn't have the nerve to face you with Major Farrow. M said that she had just "never gotten around to the paperwork for divorce" and didn't want him around. Ragal was shown explaining to his bookie, Benny Turpin, why he "hadn't gotten the 15 bills from M yet." Brum came to Ms apartment "bringing cases" and said he "wouldn't mind a beer" so she told him "it was late." Ragal came to JAG because M didn't answer calls. He reminded her when they "rode their Harley from Flagstaff to Gallup in the rain and she lost her shirt." He said he wanted her back and she asked for the truth. He told her about owing Turpin $15,000 but "I don't mind if I get my leg broke, I just want you back." He said he was leaving the next day. M was shown with Ragal at the airport giving him $3,000, all she had, and saying "I don't want to see you again," before she kissed him. He was shown not boarding the plane after the kiss, to the title "… to be continued."

Tuesday, November 3, 1998

Angels 30 - 68

Harriet (Ht), pregnant, burst into tears at the drop of the hat. Chegwidden (C) found her crying about Bud (B) not having called from his assignment in 29 Palms. He explained to her that it was "HORMONES" and showed her two scars on his balding head. One from 39 stitches given him by the Viet Cong and the other where his ex-wife had knocked him unconscious 6 hours with an electric can opener in her 2nd trimester. He invited Ht to dinner with him but told her not to "make him regret it." Later, she nauseated him with a sardine Dagwood sandwich then threw out his risotto lunch when she cleaned out the fridge.

Harm (H) and Mac (M)investigated the loss of a Tomcat aboard the Coral Sea. Lt Cdr Rice (Karma) and his RIO Anne "go-go" Bender ejected after "popping up" between attacking Iraqis and his wingmen, Lt "slider" Morrison and Lt Brian "bear" Hass in the "no-fly" zone. The Iraqis had drawn them in with one aircraft then came up behind with another. The Iraqi was on sliders tail with a lock. Karma got a lock on the enemy craft but didn't fire. Instead, he "charged" the craft shearing his wing and ejected before it exploded it's fuel into a fireball. PO Moses said the plane was OK when it left. Go-Go said that Karma had acted like he didn't hear her telling him to take the shot and kept saying "what?" Karma finally admitted that he had "heard a voice" ordering him NOT to fire. The doctor said Karma was in good health then the CAG climbed on H for "saying something that made Karma resign." H and M found Karma and Slider in a fight and had to break them up. H asked M which on she wanted to take and she said "I'll take the cute single one." "Just kidding," she said. H found Karma in the chapel where he claimed that it was God who had ordered him not to fire. The radio tapes revealed Karma saying "what?" but no other voices or transmissions. They even asked Webb if there was a new "radio jamming device" that they didn't know about. H told M they needed "advice from a higher source," and M asked "C?" The chaplain said that he believed Karma was honest and heard something. "Whether it was God or not was between Karma and the Man upstairs." M retorted, "unless the Man is a Woman."

H tried to talk Karma out of resigning. Karma asked him if he thought his night blindness was for a purpose so he could help people as a lawyer. When H said he didn't believe so, Karma advised that there "may be a grand scheme that we are only privy to now and then." Upset, Karma said that the "laws of physics: gravitational force, centripetal acceleration and Bernoulli's principle, "are my ten commandments." "There is not room for God, or angels, or anything like that- I didn't talk to God, why is he talking to me?" "I don’t want to stop flying," he told H, "but I don't ever want to hear that voice in my cockpit again." H asked the CAG to let them re-fly the mission and was given 1 hour in the air with Slider as his RIO. Karma told H he got his call sign by surviving a couple of close calls. H told him that flying a combat jet was the "most dangerous job on earth. Who needs a higher power more than the men who drive them." And "even if the voice was God," H said, "he told you not to fire. He didn't tell you not to fly." They went up together and M advised H to "be home before the streetlights come on." Karma asked H, "are you ready?" "Always!" H said.

At altitude, Karma and Bear began hallucinating and went unconscious, on autopilot, from bad oxygen. They were heading toward Iraqi airspace and M suggested they just "disengage the autopilot." The CAG blew up at her for her naivety and she was sent to check the source of the bad oxygen. They found a "bad O ring" which had contaminated the oxygen. Then the CAG apologized and assigned her to get a technician from Grummand on the phone. The technician said that if the planes sensors got sent out of parameters by tilting greater than 45 degrees the autopilot would automatically disengage. H was ordered to fly his wing tip under Karma's and use Bernoulli's principle to lift it over 45 degrees. "Who's brilliant idea was this?" H asked. The dubiously designed plan was to disengage the autopilot then have Karma, who had been unconscious to the point of seizures, wake up in time to pull out of the power-dive in time to not hit the ground. (?!) It did work but Karma was told that when he had "heard the voice" he was flying on "clean" oxygen. "Then why did I hear the voice?" he asked. H said "I guess it wasn't your enemies day to die, like today wasn't yours."

Tuesday, October 27, 1998

Act of Terror - 67

An Arab, Nassen, was hired, with others, to blow up the USS Wake Island. The attempt was discovered and Nassen was captured while a young Syrian was shown watching through binoculars from a car on land. Nassen was airlifted, under guard, back to Washington; and, on television a guard, Corporal Barry, shot him. Harm was assigned to defend and Mac prosecute and Admiral Morris felt obligated to remind H of when he shot a weapon in court- that wouldn't happen again! Agent Novak, FBI, was obstructive to Hs investigations telling him that "my only mistake was not sending you to prison."
On the stand H renewed his badgering of Novak by asking what Nassen had said before he died. Novak claimed, "nothing." H got the psychiatrist to admit that Barry didn't believe he committed murder because "killing a terrorist is not wrong." Barry fired H and got a civilian attorney, Juanita Ressler, who was Ms old law professor and had never lost a murder case. When H was upset about being fired, M told him to stay away, she didn't want a mistrial, and she was "taking Ressler down." For 14 weeks Ressler had humiliated M in class and told her that she should "drop out of law and take up lap dancing." M shot down her witnesses but told H, "She's good, I'll give her that." H replied, "but you're better" then rushed off to tail Ressler to the anonymous person who had hired her- Percival Bertram, a loud-mouthed, "super-patriot", tycoon at Vectrocomp. Bertram asked if he could call H "Harm" my friends call me "Bert." H replied "really, not Percy" and Ressler left to let them see "who's was bigger." A discussion ensued that Ressler, as a civilian, would do anything for an acquittal including blame the military, a "line that you won't cross." "We're the most powerful nation on earth, and by G we're going hunting," he said. H told him "it's because were the most powerful, that we can't. We are a nation of laws, which is what makes us great. Vigilantes like yourself are as dangerous to this country as the terrorists!"

Meanwhile the same Syrian was shown watching through binoculars as a hotel blew up under his command into his phone. Ressler began blaming the "brainwashing" of the military for Barry not knowing "right from wrong." M shot her arguments down again. Ressler told M that she had become a good lawyer and M commented that the world "had lost a lap dancer." Ressler said that she had "only said that to provoke you into staying in." H continued to distrust Novak and reviewed video tapes. Contrary to the autopsy revealing hemorrhage, there was no blood or wounds on the tape. He demanded that Novak produce the body and threatened to tell the SECNAV and Attorney General. Novak showed him Nassen who they were keeping hidden so that the "real" Syrian didn't go underground. He had already led them to money that was paid them and wanted H to keep quiet until they could trace serial numbers and capture the middleman. M, of course was incensed, C had H set up a meeting with Barry and Ressler. Ressler blew up and quit, Barry decided to "play it through" so they could capture the guy. He told them that "he had done wrong to shoot Nassan, that's what they do, and I don't want to be like them." The money was sent from a Washington bank to Amsterdam where it was sent to Riyadh then to Syria. H and Novak confronted Bertram and showed him some of the money they had retrieved from a Syrian apartment. Bertram said he had met with Fazal Kasi about an agreement to finance factories Another transfer was due and he was told to go through with it. Novak watched as Kasi left the bank with the money and was gunned down by a drive-by shooter. Bertram was shown exiting his building with a smug look on his face!

Tuesday, October 20, 1998

The Martin-Baker Fan Club - 66

A mental patient in the war stress recovery unit, Dick LaCroix, began not taking his medications due to provocation by another patient. He stood by a window, that he had pried free, reliving his "ejection" from a burning plane and "ejected" from the window before an attendant could notice. Harm was asked to defend, again, the "provocateur" now being charged with murder, Roscoe Martin, the "accordion playing, paraplegic, former POW who skewered his Vietcong captor on a Georgetown street." Chegwidden wouldn't, at first, allow H the time off until he observed that "he represents the 1/2 million who were defined by that war." C recalled the Commander of his old SEAL platoon who was hospitalized after starting to talk to himself. C took him some board games but found him drowsy from drugs. Two months later he had completely stopped communicating, was bedridden and in diapers, and the board games had never been touched. Mac agitatedly advised H that he was "trading one obsession (finding father) for another." The prosecution said that LaCroix had psychosis and needed meds and that Martin had paranoid personality disorder and was the most disruptive patient. H pointed out that LaCroix had begun speaking ONLY to Martin- who was trying to badger him into "taking back his life." He pointed out that the hospital had undergone a 20% budget cut: decreased staff and programs, and increase in use of meds. The psychiatrist offered that the meds were only resulting from patient behavior. H retorted "Oh, they weren't responding to reduced treatment?" The attendant, Mr. Oakley, said that he saw Martin watching LaCroix jump from the back of the room. Martin became angry claiming it wasn't true then was awakened in the night thinking Oakley was in his room trying to intimidate him.

Martin introduced H to "his gang," Chodocowsky, Mike Brookhurst- both from Vietnam; and Dastuge, a Cajun from the Gulf. Martin, played his accordion for background music, while he asked H to put him on the stand to carry the voices of these men into the courtroom, sharing his dream… to be free to choose… Hallelujah. H seized an opportunity to badger his own client into making an emotional representation of his beliefs in freedom of choice. "The tragedy of LaCroix," he said, "wasn't his death. It was the price he paid for serving his country." H talked with Oakley at the hospital as he was putting away some restraints used on a patient. Oakley said "he had his disagreements with management." The when H pushed him retaliated with "you don't think someone with my skin color (black) understands what it means to have too much power over others?!" Martin "lost it" in court, so that H had to take him out, then said "I wasn't paranoid until I went to this hospital. The patients are the victims!" H told him that the only way out was to pursue the insanity defense. Martin dismayed that it would "make his issues meaningless," and that "they'll drug me!" That night, Oakley resigned and told Martin that he probably was mistaken about who was watching that night. He opened the locked door and said "now that we are both leaving, perhaps we can see more clearly." M came to Hs apartment with some defense strategies. She gave a mineral water toast with a Russian blessing taught to her by Rusza (Hs stepmother): "may angels appear at your door step." At that time, Martin appeared with two of his Gang and asked to have his car to get to a relative in Canada. While trying to talk them into going back a cop came to the door looking for them. The two went down the back stairs but Martin, in a wheelchair, stayed. Brookhurst appeared with a pizza and a gun. He fired it to scare the cop away which merely brought more SWAT types. Mike fired his weapon again and the SWAT stormed in with H standing right in the middle. H talked Brookhurst into putting down the gun. Martin put down his accordion as well and a trigger happy SWAT shot him, unarmed, twice. H talked to him in the hospital where, now, he was on a respirator and without use of any limbs. Martin gave H his accordion. H said "you're a man with something to say. I keep going wrong with you assuming you need my advice when all you ever wanted was my ear." H said that Martin's issues were on the table and promised "never to refuse to defend any person who had been denied the freedom of his own mind." The other two "gang" visited and Martin told them to go to Canada. They put Martins flag in his mouth and watched as he used it to flick off the respirator switch, "ejecting."

Throughout the episode Bud was obnoxiously concerned over Harriet not exerting herself because she was pregnant. Sliding a coffee table she "felt a pop" but wouldn't accept Hs offer of help. Later B found her doubled over weeping in abdominal pain and took her to the hospital. The doctor said that the pain was due to low hormone levels and gave her a shot and meds. They saw the baby's heartbeat on a monitor.


Orderly Oakley lied about seeing Martin in the room; then resigned leaving door unlocked so Martin left w/ 3 other patients he was taking to Canada - stopping off at Hs. One grabbed gun and when SWAT came H had to step in the middle. SWAT shot Martin and totally paralyzed him. Not able to move arms he gave his accordion to H; then took his flag between his teeth and turned off his own respirator to "eject" from quadriplegia (Martin Baker was inventor of the ejection seat). Ht in hospital ER w/ "hormonal imbalance" thinking she had strained moving coffee machine and was loosing her baby.

Tuesday, October 13, 1998

Going After Francesca - 65

[A major episode where Chegwidden's ex-wife is introduced] Chegwidden was in Italy on an "inspection tour" and to visit his daughter, Francesca. Harm and Mac are there for the court-martial of WO Ray Dillard for stealing five stinger missiles to sell to Afghanistan. C stopped to dress down two unruly sailors accosting a woman and was injured while Francesca was kidnapped. Italian Sgt Cade thought it had to do with "ransom" her wealthy stepfather Vittorio Paretti but C "knew" it was related to Dillard or the Afgani's. C interrogated Dillard and, as defense attorney, H advised him not to wave his rights. C offered him immunity on any new information if he helped retrieve Francesca. Dillard said he didn't know about the kidnapping but wouldn't answer who his contact was. C told H & B to personally escort him to the courtroom and M to "nail his ass to the wall"- to add pressure to cooperate. C visited Marcella Paretti, his ex-wife. Her husband, Vittorio, hadn't told her of the kidnapping and she flew into C about "keeping her safe for 26 years and in one day with you she's gone." She hated the "trail of blood" behind C, and only knew he looked good in dress whites and had a good heart when she married him. Vittorio said that he would give all his money for her return and asked what C would give up. Marcella called C back to apologize and said "allow me my guilt, AJ. An occasional confession is good for the soul- it cleanses." She took him to Francesca's apartment where C went straight to her desk and found a photo taped to the bottom of a drawer. "looks like she's got your temper," he told Marcella, showing her a photograph of a man that had been taped back together. The man was a lover, Luschiano Antinori, who had broken her heart a year ago but had kept away from her parents. H told Dillard that they had him "dead to rights" and advised cooperation for a reduced sentence. He said "lets see what they have," so M nailed him. On the way out of the courtroom he told H that he had stolen them for "love." A woman, Leila was Afghani. A motorcyclist came down the street and shot Dillard. With his last gasp he said the middleman was Luschiano Antinori.

Lusciano was shown coming to the house where Francesca was being held. He told her that he was trading her for "a truckload of Algerian oranges." They made love and she took his gun the next morning. He faced her down and she couldn’t soot him so he took the gun and hit her. Marcella overheard Vittorio on the phone and when questioned was told that it was just a problem with a truckload of "Algerian oranges." H talked to Cade who had a lot of information. Lusciano and the shooter were both "Cammora," organized crime. Lusciano had disappeared when Francesca was kidnapped. One year previous Francesca's uncle Franco killed Lusciano's father. In revenge Luschiano Killed Franco (hence their breakup). Three weeks previous Vittorio hijacked one of Lusciano's trucks, "Algerian oranges," probably the Stingers. C talked to Marcella again who told of the phone call and gave C a tiny gun for protection saying "you'll need this." He told her "this is why you left me!" She said "it had now come full circle." She didn't know why C didn't come after her when she left. Stunned, C asked, "did you want that?"

C got Admiral Evans, Cdr of 6th fleet, to authorize an EP3 over flight of the address he saw on the back of the torn photograph and to get the Italians to authorize GIS special forces action. Cade came to help them with location and said that the Cosa Nostra had "been there for 500 years and would be for 500 more." C replied "not all of them." He and H checked out armament claiming it was for "requals." Two 9mm Beretta's with extra magazines of hollow point shells. H asked for two M590 A-1 shotguns with speed-feed stocks- "for skeet" he claimed. When C asked for high power shells he said "humor me, sometimes I just like to blow the hell out of something." The chief said he "knew the feeling" but that was a "lot of firepower for a lawyer." C offered, "obviously you've never seen him in the courtroom." (see it) C & H went to stake out the house, while waiting for the GIS, and saw Vittorio come with the truck and be killed by Lusciano. C decided to "go in" and H could wait for the GIS- (yea, right!) He said "were about to break seven separate statues of Armed forces law, so you better call me AJ." They were noticed and a gun battle ensued. Lusciano used Francesca as a shield forcing C & H to put down their guns. Cade came up without weapon and was killed by Lusciano. When C went for weapon, Lusciano shot him in the leg. Francesca broke free and H had a stand off with Lusciano. He tried to do a face down, like he did before with Francesca, and Francesca shot him with the small pistol.

Tuesday, October 6, 1998

Innocence - 62

The JAG vs. Chaplain Corps baseball game was interrupted by the SECNAVs phone call sending Harm, Mac and Bud to Japan for an investigation. A Japanese citizen, Ichiro Higashimori, charged a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the Reprisal with raping his daughter Jun. The commander of Naval Forces Japan, Admiral Arthur Fissenden (Fis), was immediately in Hs face and H responded by "suggesting" political pressure "may not help." Fis said H had been selected to lead this investigation because of how he juggled politics of the "Siggonella helicopter tragedy" so "quit whining and start juggling." B pointed out that Fis had been "shunted sideways" from staff at CINCPAC for "loose lips" and H judged "one more misstep and his career would suffer." Prosecuting attorney Takahashi (Tak), out of courtesy, described the evidence against Ensign Terry Guitry (Gtry)- which was a hat. H said they wouldn't turn him over unless convicted- Tak agreed then complained to prime minister that H was blocking access. Fis then "reamed" H that the ambassador had turned Gtry over to the Japanese. Gtry was assigned Hiro Kitamura (Kit) as defense attorney. He had graduated from Yale but was a personal injury lawyer that H found unacceptable until he was convinced by his knowledge of the case, his "fire in the belly" and that he was the only one who would take a "loosing" case.

The father hated Americans due to his Nagasaki, radiation induced, birth defect that had prevented him working all his life. Fis had M & H attend a formal political gathering, reluctantly, where they found Fis running off at the mouth to a reporter with a tape recorder. He said the military got daily allegations of rape from hookers. H opinioned that Fis "could make the constitution sound offensive." Kit said that the defense wouldn't be allowed to question the girl- to prevent more trauma and that Gtry had been forced to sit in chair without moving for 36 hours. Kit didn't ask about the hat in court so H blurted out that it could have belonged to dozens of "sailors.". After being shut up, Kit said "you haven't figured it out that it isn't Gtry on trial but the US government and you've just gave them a gift." H whispered to M that he "figured it was worth the break in protocol," what did she think? She just kicked him. Tak had an unexpected restaurant videotape showing Gtry and Jun together before the "rape" which angered Kit for being lied to. Kit said the case now was unwinnable and quit having lost face and credibility. They found him in a garden and M apologized in fluent Japanese. H sweet-talked him back on the case by offering to work for him and track down the real rapist. Kit told them that Tak had offered to reduce the sentence for confession, repentance, and public apology. H was against it but M for it. Gtry held to his innocence.

They went to Fis for advice. He told them of meeting Marion Truesdale, 1st marine JAG, and asking him "when's the best time to give it up?" He had said: "You'll know, or They'll know." Then, in a completely resigned manner, he said that he'd been asked to retire. "I've been crossing lines in my career but have always know where they were, he said. This time I tripped over the damned thing." He said that his late wife had whispered to him: "don't drink, don't swear, and try to keep your mouth shut." Without her, he said, he'd lost his will to control it and was going to "move on." He said as his last official act he would advise them to "protect that boy's innocence, because once that it taken from him he's just one more sorry SOB." After they left he put on his hat and we saw his purple heart commendation, wife's photo and heard a gunshot. C came to Japan because Washington was "nervous" over the suicide which was being blamed on the case. C opined he was an "officer, dishonored, stripped of purpose" and M that it was a very Japanese "act of seppuku- a warrior, in uniform, with his own weapon."

H asked C if he was there to "supervise" and was told that "Washington just wanted assurances" and suggested they start working to discredit the fathers "eye witness." H, who disagreed and wanted to "find the real perp," challenged back about "you don't trust us." C said it "wasn't about trust, about responsibility, and I'm taking it!" H demanded "why," and C retorted in his face "because I can!" He then paused and told them to do what they wanted. He called H back and said that "I've always allowed responsible disagreement. But you ever badger me like that again and I'll supervise your ass right out of Washington." They reexamined the video tape and found a Seaman Lafferty in the restaurant with the same cap. He told them that he had gone to the "hostess house" next door. The "Madame" remembered Lafferty as a good customer who had yelled at her because he had requested Jun but she had gone to another man- Gtry. Gtry still held to his story of mistaken identity and refused to talk further. H found Jun, told her that he saw turmoil in her eyes and convinced her to testify. She said that she was actually a "hostess" for the "Madame" in order to help support the family but had fallen in love with her former "client," Gtry. She didn't tell her father because he hated Americans so much, but it wasn't rape. Gtry then said that he knew he would loose Jun because of this but thought that he would be exonerated because evidence was all circumstantial and wanted to prevent her shame. C landed on him for having "the entire Navy spinning on your lies" and asked "now that you have trashed your future, what have you got to show for it?" Kit quoted an obscure Haiku poem that H translated: "love is Eternal."

Tuesday, September 29, 1998

Embassy - 63

On his way to visit with the US president, professor Dubotu- peoples poet beloved by Sudanese, was mugged. A car pulled up and chased the mugger away at gunpoint then slugged Dubotu and kidnapped him. Harm and Mac have returned from Russia and H packed up his fathers memorabilia that he kept in his office. He removed his fathers MIA bracelet that he had always worn. Webb and Chegwidden brief them on a "mission" that the SECNAV had authorized. Since the Sudanese president had been assassinated two factions were fighting for power. In the north was Ambassador Ki Moshak, new school, politically savvy and says he'll let there be US presence; in the south was, hard-liner, old school, US hating general Hyad Zulake. Dubotu hadn't taken sides but whoever he endorses would win. H had given a "joyride" to Moshak in a tomcat previously and so was invited to a ball at the embassy. W wanted he and M to tap into Moshak's computer during a 6 second power loss planned for that night. Both C and H "smelled a rat" and questioned W about what he wasn't telling them. They both got into the stairwell during the blackout. M feigned passing out drunk and being sick to draw the two guards from the security room while H entered the ambassadors office and de-focused the camera. M was going to be forcibly removed but she barged back into the embassy room forcing a more rapid initiation of "act one" the take over of the embassy where Moshak was shot in the shoulder. H still up in the office called C and told him of the take over. Then when the camera problem was discovered and repaired he disabled the guard and went to find M. H overheard Moshak talk to the leader of the "rebels," Col Shahala, and tell him not to loose nerve and be ready for "act two." H and M watched as a message from Shahala was broadcast to an external uplink and claimed that they were Gen Zulake's forces, offered to release Moshak for medical attention to which he magnanimously refused.

W who was in Cs office watching the network channels was summoned to the DOD meeting but C refused to let him leave as long as his people were messed up in Ws problem. The SECNAV came ranting with rhetoric until C stood up to him with it was he who had authorized it! Shahala and Moshak went on the air again with "act 2" where Shahala pulled his gun to shoot Moshak but they fought and was shot instead- actually killed with a look of surprise. M went to the roof and H the basement. M was captured and taken to Moshak. H found Dubotu being held in the basement and rescued him only to be lectured about shooting the guard! "Violence begets violence", he said, and "in your country you GO to war, in mine war comes to us." He refused to take a gun from H. Moshak radioed to his guard to "find Rabb" and H flippantly used the radio to say "I'll be right there." Moshak then used M as a hostage to draw H. Dubotu still refused to help. H routed the security camera of the ambassadors office into the external up-link just as the power went off in police "standard procedure." H was captured and taken to Moshak. He declined a drink but asked for a cigar. He stood by the window and flicked his lighter in Morse code "P W R." B, watching the television, recognized Hs shoulder boards and knew the code. He deduced that H was saying "turn back on the power." After obstructing for a minute C pressured him into ordering the power back on. They then saw the video from the office and W recognized a container of Ebola Virus on the desk. C then recognized that W had used his people- again. W said that Moshak had rumoredly expressed interest in chemical weapons shortly before some were stolen from a US lab. C got in his face about "better get them out of there" and W asked "or what, you'll break my nose, again?" He eventually gave the order for his people to "get in there." M told H that she was ok because Moshak "hits like a girl." When Moshak realized what H had done they hurriedly convinced him that his only recourse was to "run quickly to the Iranian embassy for refuge." He did, but took M and the Ebola with him. Dubotu convinced the guards to put their weapons down non-violently and H ran after M. Moshak laid a vial on a cart and rolled it toward H. M called "incoming" and H was able to shoot Moshak in time to catch the vial before it hit the ground. M took Moshak down and told him to "never hit a lady."

they convinced Dubotu to broadcast to his people from the podium. B absentmindedly took a pregnancy test from Harriet then realized while he was talking to C that Ht was pregnant. W told M that she had ruined the government's dress and she said "so bill me." H and M left the embassy arm in arm with H saying "We should go out together more often." M said "yea, I had a wonderful time."

Tuesday, September 22, 1998

Gypsy Eyes - 64

[The long awaited follow-up from last season's cliffhanger which left Harm and Mac in Russia flying their stolen MIG into a cloud and followed immediately by a missile which exploded. Probably the most pivotal episode in the entire series and includes many of the Russian characters we have met over the past years, unknowingly a prelude to this episode. It has a somewhat complicated plot with difficulties in understanding all the motives; but, provides "closure" to at least one of the sub-plots - or does it?] Before the missiles hit Harm and Mac in their stolen MIG, they went into a cloud and punched out! Gypsy brother and sister, Vasya and Ruszka, found H hanging, conconscious without his helmit, in a tree and tried to steal his silk parachute. H was rescued from a knife fight by M who hadn't gotten hung up in a tree, had a gun and money for a bribe. Major Mark Sokol (aka Falcon, KGB) was actively trying to find them. He was connected to Parlovski (also KGB and who had sent H the photo of his father in Russia); but, both were trying to keep their affiliations a secret from H and M. The SECNAV was more than willing to accept that H and M were both dead (from hitting a flock of migrating geese during a 'demonstration ride') as the Russians were claiming. Chegwidden, however, wasn't and had to tell the SECNAV "you don't want to try and stop me" from going to Russia to investigate.

Alexei, the cab driver who took H and M around and arranged their MIG ride, picked Chegwidden up at the airport. Chuck DePalma, ZNN reporter, told C that: "it's September and geese don't migrate in Russia until November"; the Russian pilot had been taken to prison by the KGB; and, Alexi was really working for Sokol. Actually, through the show, Alexi was shown working for: Sokol, Parlovski, the Russian Mafia AND Webb. Webb appeared in Russia and disclosed that ONE of the KGB agents (either Sokol or Parlovski) was procuring six nuclear tipped missiles for the Mafia, which they intended to sell to the highest bidder. Alexei was tracking them all and couldn't blow his cover. Webb said that he didn't know which agent was rogue so C realized that H was being used as the bait. So "whoever kills H and M is your man," he mocked at W!

Meanwhile H and M were traveling with the gypsies who, partly due to the money they were given, befriended the two. Ruszka had a dream where she was bathing in a small pool when four Russian soldiers began attacking her. H came to her rescue but had to fight off her brother who was trying to stop him. H then shot and killed three of the soldiers but was killed by the fourth. The gypsy, who claimed to have been having these type of predictive dreams since she was 12, thought that it meant H would be killed in Russia. H convinced Vasya to take them to the train station. Sokol was there waiting for them. He called out for H and M to show themselves and promised that he was trying to protect them and that he would take H to Beloyka to find his father. M convinced H to follow her intuition and believe her that Sokol was NOT the one trying to kill them..

C, W, Alexi and the Russian CIA office agent were in Alexi's taxi at the airport, watching what would happen. They had intercepted a call to Parlovski that Sokol had found H and M and was bringing them in. W revealed that whoever was the rogue agent was the same KGB agent who had arranged for Harm's father's train transfer to Russia. Angry, C took Ws gun and said that if W had gotten H and M killed he would "put him in the ground" as well. Sokol landed with H and M alive, so they realized that the rogue agent had to be Parlovski. W continued to want to wait and see who Parlovski led them to, even when Parlovski's driver was going for his gun! C slammed his foot on the gas and commandeered the cab through the fence and came out shooting. He killed Parlovski's driver. Parlovski shot Sokol and H shot Parlovski several times; but, then before Parlovski died, H begged him to tell where they had taken his father. He whispered... Suischevo. H was surprised to see C and Webb there. He asked W what he "was doing here" and C replied "getting decked" before he slugged W on the chin, knocking him to the ground.

H & M found a woman in Suischevo, Pitchta, who, many years previously, had found Rabb Sr. in her barn after he had escaped from the work gulag train. R had then worked with her family for two years, never told them who he was or where he came from; but, she said, always looked toward the horizon. She showed H where she, her Brother and Tete (the name she called R) had gone to picnic one day. Then, she described the details of the same incident that had been in the gypsy's "vision." It had been Pitchta who the soldiers were attacking and her brother who had tried to stop "Tete" from intervening. Then she added that her brother, seeing Tete's bravery, had killed the fourth soldier with his bare hands. He had buried all their bodies in the Taiga forest near their home, never revealing the location to anyone lest they were seen visiting the graves. But, he had also died fifteen years previously. The woman became upset reminiscing over her "Tete" and H let her hold him. H turned to the forest and said "goodbye dad, I love you."

Tuesday, May 19, 1998

To Russia With Love - 61

[The season finale and 'cliff-hanger - A very key episode especially considering that creator Donald Bellisario appeared in a cameo (but pivotal) role, 'Hugh Blackadder,' Harm's stepfather's Russian friend] Harm's Russian nemesis, Parlovski, sent H a photo of his father in Russia with a note that said "this one's for real." Webb told H the names of the person's in the photo and revealed that Viktor Lushov, standing next to Rabb sr., was a Russian pilot who interrogated downed pilots in Vietnam, and was now working in San Diego. H flew there to inform his mother, Trish, and stepfather Frank Burnett about everything. Trish gave H an "if I don't come back" tape of his father's, that he'd never heard; and, Frank told him that "although you never thought of me as a father, you are the only son I've ever had" and offered help through Hugh Blackadder in Russia. Lushov then told H everything, including his dad's KGB number (S-394-652). He said that Rabb had given him misinformation under his interrogation "which was worse than telling me nothing." Both being pilots, Lushov and Rabb became unlikely friend's and Lushov got Rabb medical treatment, then told the KGB that he had been helpful and would probably continue to be in the future, so they took him to Russia instead of killing him. R was sent to the Gulag mines; then, after he injured his leg in an accident, was sent north to Siberia - a photo being taken at the train station.

Although C was initially upset that H had lied to him in order to get leave to take the flight to San Diageo, he let H take leave and go to Russia; but, sent M along with him to "watch his six - in Russian." They had to share a hotel room because there were no other vacancies. They met Alexi, a taxi driver, spy who worked for the highest bidder. They were picked up by Mark (Falcon) Sokol who told them that photos were really phony and that someone was trying to destabilize US Russian relations. Then Parlovski told them that it was Sokol who was trying to destabilize US Russian relations, and neither claimed to be KGB. Webb told H and M that they were really being "set up" because both were, in fact, KGB and may be working separately or together. Sokol revealed that he had grown up in Houston Texas with spy parents and tried to "spark" Mac. He said he wanted her to trust him so M said "then help H find his father." He agreed to help, IF H would give him the name of the informant and agree to never reveal the results to anyone. Sokol then brought the KGB file which M read finding that R had been taken "to Beloyka where he escaped from the train." Sokol was shown telling Parlovski that "they believe it and were going to Beloyka in the morning." Alexi found that all Beloyka flights were cancelled; so, H got money from Hugh Blackadder and bought a "ride" in a MIG. He and M stole the jet, however. Alexi, having second thoughts, tried to get them not to fly and had to finally reveal that "they are waiting for you, it's a trap so they can shoot you down as spies"; but, he wouldn't tell them who it was. Mac was getting sick and hated flying with H. They flew undetected until H got the radar working so he could climb. The "to be continued" showed Harm calling "incoming" as two missiles were heading toward them into the clouds.

Tuesday, May 12, 1998

Wedding Bell Blues - 60

A male stripper got Harm's dress white uniform from an incompetent East Indian cleaner and used it in his act gaining front page publicity of his backside, Lt Cdr stripes, aviators wings and JAG millryan- who else could it be? H was having it cleaned for participation in Bud and Harriet's wedding so needed to retrieve it. He needed to date the owners single daughter in order to get the apartment address of the Joe Garvey, who had received it, which was now occupied by a woman who tried to seduce him before revealing Joe worked at "rocket men" strip club. H finally retrieved it as it was removed one item at a time during the act. He was surprised to see Ht and her mother there putting money in men's pants for the bachelorette party. Ht eventually decided that she "needed to see Bud" and had M take her mother home.

B prosecuted his first case against seaman Robert Cruthers who was found to be 10-years UA when arrested on another charge. B selected "desertion" over his mentor Mac's objection, then turned it into a "you don't think I can do it" issue. He called many witnesses and asked only one or two questions which upset them. He eventually won the case and his brother "Mikey" said "mom would be proud." His dad "Big Bud" said "what for? Ruining some guys life who wasn't hurting anyone?" The next day in sentencing phase B realized what M had tried to tell him and asked for a "dishonorable discharge" but not other penalty. BB was loud, inappropriate, rude, controlling and abusive. B confided to H of BBs abuse when he saw Mk had a black eye. He said "I spent a lifetime trying to get away from all that - I'm worried about Mikey." H recommended he get it out in the open. BB threw a "crossing the line" bachelor party at a strip club but his credit card wasn't honored so Chegwidden had to talk to the owner, putting up collateral. B helped an ill woman law student to the restroom- she thought she might be pregnant. When H returned from retrieving his uniform, BB insulted a woman who missed a swing at him, hitting B instead. B flew into another man creating a domino effect and a bar fight. While H, B & C were getting jumped on, BB took Mk and ran. Ht arrived in time to see the police arrest everyone including B with the pregnant law student. The officer asked C if he remembered prosecuting "USN vs. Seaman Moska" then "are the handcuff's too tight… SIR?" M came to bail them all out.

Pouting, and without asking any explanations, Ht said she was "calling off" the wedding. Her mother was still raggin' on her until leaving M, the maid of honor, to "talk her down." Ht finally told her mother that "this is MY day," and she could "either enjoy it or sashay your southern belle butt back home!"

M used cosmetics to cover Mk's black eye. Then BB showed up and began provoking a fight with B. When BB threw a punch, B caught it in his fist then told him to "never hit Mk or me again." Against Bs pleas Mikey followed BB out of the apartment. B warned that he never wanted to see BB again. Mikey did come back for the ceremony, which was full military. H, as best man, led the honor guard with a saber arch to present Lt & Mrs. Bud J Roberts Jr. As Ht went by him, H swatted her bottom with the flat of his sword proclaiming "Go Navy!" M made a bee-line to H to find out who his Indian guest was, and H told her "don't ask!"

Tuesday, May 5, 1998

Clipped Wings - 59

Lt Mark Gordon, an F14D pilot from the Coral Sea, struck a civilian helicopter in Milan Italy undergoing NATO radar evasion exercises through mountainous valley. Six were killed and Gallo, an opposition political leader, demanded the US turn over the "cowboy" pilot for prosecution. Chegwidden sent Harm and Mac to defend & prosecute respectively. Warned that Capt Jack Murphy would protect his people and was "one tough nut." C nonchalantly mentioned that his daughter Francesca was in Milan and weaseled a promise to look in on her. Congresswoman Bobbi Latham gave H a ride to the airport and said she was representing the president who was considering "letting the Italians have him." Gordon was cleared for flight plan then to stay above 2,000 ft AGL. Italians claimed they posted a NOTAM about helicopter activity in area. Gordon struck the helicopter at 300 ft claiming that as he climbed to 2,000 he nearly hit a light aircraft, flipped into a dive then rose again just as the helicopter came above the trees. He couldn't recognize the aircraft except that it was green or yellow. His jet was outside of transponder range and H found damage to the jet and some green paint. The RIO "didn't see any aircraft or radar blips." The arrogant Italian Col Achilla Marcella tried to "set his ground rules" with H and had to be told what a defense attorney was for. Marcella confiscated all the tapes from the Italian air controllers and wouldn’t let H talk to them- that's my idea of cooperation he told them.

When H went to visit Francesca he was confused for an "older model." They had dinner and Francesca picked a fight with them and was rude. B found that the paint didn't match any known civilian aircraft paint and had been hand painted. Gordon gave Latham a letter to read to the families of the victims. A farmer named Antinori testified that the American jet had come up the valley at "two barns height." He thought he was smart when he deflected Hs attempt to trick him that he saw the jet then heard the sound. But H had him ID some silhouette drawings and he ID an Italian jet. Italians were claiming that Gordon was lying to get out of trouble so Latham suggested to H that they go "try it." She demanded to go with H on the flight, despite Ms discouragement. They replicated the flight and found that they ended up at 300 ft just where Gordon said he did. Latham, thoroughly thrilled asked "where she could sign up." H caught Capt Balducci in his lie about posting the NOTAMs on time by showing credit card receipts for a several hour lunch during the time. The data recorder of Hs flight gave info enough for B to locate a dirt landing strip. Francesca came to apologize to H, after telling C what she had done and getting reprimanded. H asked her to go help interpret for him when talking to the owner of the strip. They found Arianna Restivo, a young girl who took her fathers plane for a joy ride without permission. Francesca persuaded her to tell truth and testify. M said she would drop charges and Arianna hugged Gordon on the court steps to Latham's satisfaction for her PR. Francesca told H that it was "too bad they were parting as friends." H said he was just glad they were still talking and she said that she "had hoped for something more" and kissed him.

Tuesday, April 28, 1998

The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse - 58

[A good episode featuring Teresa Yarwood (as Coulter) who also provided the background vocals] The sexual tension between Chegwidden and Mac was obvious when they bumped into each other in the coffee room. H entered and said he'd quit smoking cigars last night. In the silence he asked, "any words?" and C replied, "don't get fat." Bud and Harriet broke in and asked C to settle two arguments about their full military wedding: "yes- let Ht wear a wedding gown" and "no- the bunny hop is out." The skeleton of a Navaho code talker Marine PFC Jimmy Blackhorse was found in a ravine in New Zealand and was returned to his tribe for proper burial; but, it was not accepted by Margaret Blackhorse, the medicine woman, who claimed its "aura" wasn't Jimmy's. Blackhorse had disappeared while on R&R in New Zealand one wk before he was to receive the Navy Cross for Valor. A congressman ramrodded a bill to name a ship after him now that his remains were found. Teresa Coulter, a reservist forensic pathologist, was called in to assist in identification and was upset over missing her godson's school play. She was apparently smitten with H but he was oblivious. She smoked cigars and told him that her father was in the "8th year of a life sentence for killing her mother" and that she "had already judged herself" and "wished she wasn't so attracted to H."

Jimmy's twin brother Johnny, ill with Tuberculosis since childhood, was married to the medicine woman. H and Coulter talked to Johnny about giving a DNA sample. The skeleton had a watch, which was given to him by Johnny. H suggested using Johnny's TB sputum for the test but he finally relented, despite Margaret saying "no" and her giving Coulter a "bad luck Owl" to keep her away. Paul Begay, a Navajo silicon valley software attorney, saw publicity out of the story and "grandstanded" claiming to be of "The People" (Navajo name for themselves, the Dine.) A scorpion crawled on Coulter's shoe and she screamed making a baby laugh. Under Navaho tradition the first one to make a baby laugh had to throw a party for it- and "today's cool." At the party Begay wanted to dance with M. B & Ht wanted the day off. Coulter was shown performing the test, and the electrophoresis was shown completed in time lapse photography, but she then dropped and broke the blood vials (lying to H) saying they were contaminated and no good. When they returned for more blood they found that Johnny had died. Margaret gave them some old letters from Jimmy, that she had found in Johnny's "medicine box," which led to a girlfriend, Frances Roland, in New Zealand. H & M found her mute and unresponsive from encephalitis (but could hear) and being cared for by her son, named Jimmy Blackhorse after his father. The son told them that his mother had seen a "happy spirit" in Jimmy despite his stress, near deafness, insomnia and weariness. She wouldn't have relations with Jimmy until they were married but Jimmy didn't feel "worthy." He got drunk and raped her one night then disappeared. She named her baby Jimmy Blackhorse as a way of saying she forgave him. DNA was conclusive that he was Jimmy's son so they took it to tribal court. The medicine woman said she didn't sense the "good" Jimmy's aura because the skeleton was bad (H said Jimmy was lost in crisis). She waved her hand over the son and said she sensed Jimmy; so, he was welcomed into the tribe who took the skeleton to bury. H said they could name the ship after Arsenio Price, Jimmy's code talking partner, who got a bronze star. Coulter gave H a chocolate cigar. B & Ht, fussing about their wedding plans, eloped to Vegas. The eternal flame at the Blue Hawaii wedding chapel exploded requiring bandages all over their faces, and prevented their "elopement." M revealed that she was part Cherokee.

Tuesday, April 21, 1998

The Imposter - 58

Four US soldiers were killed in Algeria by Soman nerve gas, that was produced and delivered with equipment sold to them by the US through the Defense Security Division, authorized by Col Ronald Vickers, now in article 32 hearing. Clark Palmer, disguised as a deliveryman, tranquilized Harm who, along with Mac, was prosecuting Vickers. Palmer, DSD-Bradenhurst, drugged and bound H to make a disguise mask of Hs face so he could take Hs place in the hearing. M told Chegwidden that Vickers wasn't working alone and, "because he was basically an honest marine," was having a conscience and might be the "weak link" into names of the DSD involvement. Palmer called himself a "forensic artiste" and claimed H had "18 confirmed kills." He began listing them when H stopped him with "you better add your name to the list." B had a ring in a red box but bumbled and dropped it then argued with Harriet over wedding plans. C advised Ht that she should attack it like the "battle plan" of an ensign not a bride. When she asked about what would happen after the wedding, C said that she would have to transfer back to the Inspector Generals staff but that he would request she be permanently assigned to JAG- "admiral's privilege." No one could get hold of H so when a continuance of the hearing was not granted M told B to "go find H."

Palmer made a mask, loaded his fountain pen with another nerve gas, took some antidote pills then stuffed a syringe of "protection" into his sock. He rigged a bomb under Hs seat that would blow up at 8pm, or when a motion detector was triggered, so that he would be found burned to death- "despondent after interrogating Vickers so hard that he had died on the stand of 'a heart attack.'" B nearly set off the bomb banging on Hs door after not being able to find the hidden key behind a loose brick. Despite the storm, he climbed down a drainage pipe and burst in through the window JUST AS POWER WENT OFF, so bomb didn't explode. He ungagged H to find out about the bomb just as the power came back on. Palmer feigned having a reaction to antibiotics and hoarseness then took over from M at the hearing. The power fortuitously went off again so H and B were able to escape, travel to JAG and pull the fire alarm to get past a guard who wouldn't let them in. C saw Palmer spray nerve gas at Vickers so carried him to his office while H went after Palmer. After H knocked out Palmer he found C M & B resuscitating Vickers so retrieved the "antidote" from Palmer's sock. M pinched Hs face to test if he was real. "One Rabb in my life is enough," she said. C said "more than enough!" agreed.

Tuesday, March 31, 1998

Death Watch - 57

[An important episode which explains Harms back-story on Diane Shonke as well as flushing out Krennick's story using flashbacks. It also gave producers the ability to use much of the footage shot in the final episode of year one and never shown due to cancellation] Harm looked at his letters, cards and memorabilia of Diane Shonke his former girlfriend who was murdered and who was the "spitting image" of Mac. As he was loading his weapon M came to his apartment for a planned working dinner. He tried to put her off but she saw the weapon, the pictures of Diane and demanded an explanation. H told her with the story with flashbacks. He met Diane at the academy. He went for his wings and she to "crypto" school. They "missed more than they connected" but were going to spend the week at her parents cabin to "discuss their future together." Diane stood midwatch on the bridge of the Seahawk with Cdr Holbarth their first night back in port, then left the ship followed by an anxious Lt Lamb. Ensign Bud Roberts was watch officer as well. The next morning, coming back from breakfast at a diner, B found Diane dead in her car. H and Meg investigated with NCIS agent Brian Turque (tur - kay) who continually tried to protect his turf from the "hot shot." When he realized H and Diane knew each other he demanded he be released from case. Chegwidden said "only God and I can release one of my investigators- and he hasn't asked." Krennick suggested that she go take lead and H take orders from her. C told her she "was devious," but said ok. When M ragged H about K being enticing H said that it wasn't about sex. "I was a rival, the hotshot. It was about power and she wanted to control me with sex." She wanted the "admirals chair." M said that B told her "H threw her more red lights than on the beltway at rush hour." H said "I wouldn't get involved with a superior officer any more than you would."

K excluded H from interviewing Lt Lamb, a key witness who had lied and said he was chasing her because he had a date with her that weekend. Lt Sarah Williams said Shonke felt she was being stalked. K confronted Holbarth about not reporting Shonke's harassment complaint and H ran after Lamb who had left the ship. He confronted Lamb in the diner and accused him. When he denied it H slugged him and told a chief to report his indiscretion to the XO. Lamb declined to press charges. M took Hs weapon from him and said "it was lucky that you didn't have a weapon or you might have shot an innocent man." H told her that Krennick was going to send him to a captains mast to "distance myself from you." When he said it could ruin his career, she said "better yours than mine." But K started being stalked! She thought it was Lt Lamb doing it but they found him dead with a suicide note on the computer. M said "but you didn't believe it was suicide did you?" H said the computer keys had been wiped, the gun was different, and the gunshot was on the right side but Lamb was left handed!. H left into the rain and into his car but M followed, still demanding that he "prove his case" to her. She said that she already was an accessory- especially if he pulled the trigger tonight. H said he had just found out two weeks earlier by checking Lambs service record. M exclaimed "why would all THREE of you miss that?!" H said because "we were too busy dealing with each other." Turque had returned Shonke's letters to him, after he had read them, in an effort to "part like men." H led M into the conclusion that Turque was on the Seahawk during the trip and his change of attitude was because the case was closed. She surmised that Turque was the killer and H said he had a letter in the apartment that showed it. When M got out of the car, H drove off.

Dripping wet, M had B come into JAG. He had passwords and codes to use government databases. He admitted that he had been on the Seahawk and knew about the case and that Turque wasn't on board! In fact he wasn't in town at all. M asked B "what was she like?" He said looked identical but "talked different and was a lot more fun." [i.e. you're more squared away.] B discussed the two other suspects were Lt. Williams (for being suspected of being gay) and Holbarth (because when K talked about his not reporting Shonke's harassment charge- he was really sweating). They found that Holbarth was onboard the destroyer Sheppard which docked tonight at Norfolk. H waited for Holbarth to come off the ship and confronted him. He showed him a letter that he had finally read from Shonke's lock box. It was unsigned, inadmissible in court, but was a draft of the original which was sent to Holbarth. It said that "your failure to address my complaint leaves me no recourse but to seek redress through channels. Will file complaint when we dock." He had tried to talk her out of it while standing watch with her, then, failing that, sent Lamb after her to talk her out of it thus setting him up as the fall guy. Then he killed Lamb as a suicide. Holbarth said this assumption would be thrown out of court and H said "I'm not going to court" as he pulled out his weapon. Just then M called "don't do it harm" through the mist dressed in Harriet's dry uniform that she had changed into. Holbarth, thinking she was an apparition, panicked saying "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…" and backed up off the dock. He was crushed between the pier and the hull. As they stood on the dock H kissed M. She said, "I know you were kissing her." He didn't disagree.

Tuesday, March 24, 1998

Tiger Tiger - 55

Bud and Harm were on a Tiger Cruise aboard the USS Stockdale with Josh. B said he was 11 when his father, a cook, took him aboard the Arleigh Burke and he was seasick the whole cruise. Annie won't let Josh have anything to do with the navy so they tell her that the "sailing" they were going on for the weekend was aboard a naval vessel. Josh spotted a life boat flashing SOS and the castaways were brought on board. One was "pregnant" and in labor. While H was notifying JAG B was to watch Josh, who didn't always do as he was told, and he slipped away from the group to another hanger to see a Sea Hawk helicopter. The pregnant Rosalita was really a terrorist carrying explosives strapped to her and weapons. Along with Miguel Cortez and others they took over the ship and killed several guards. The XOs daughter, Erin Terry, noticed one terrorist (Cuban "liberators") out of uniform but not in time to prevent their capture. Erin was used by Miguel as leverage to obtain the firing key to missiles from her mother. They planned on blowing up Castro while he was speaking at a stadium full of people. H had gone to retrieve Josh so they were alone in a hanger when the ship was taken over. They worked to set up a remote antenna for the Seahawks radio so they could get help. H climbed along the ledge, outside the ship to retrieve his cell phone from his locker. Josh disobeyed and climbed the pipes to set up the antenna alone and had to be rescued by H. Rosalita had all the rest of the children, B and some others in a hold with Semtex strapped to her armed by a remote detonator. She sang "lullaby's" to them ready to "go to sleep."

Miguel shot the captain and the XO gave him an old key. Miguel old her "that's why females don't belong on combat ships." Chegwidden received Hs message and called both Mac and Annie into his office. Annie was appalled to find out about Hs lie. The SECNAV, C and M watched the ship on television from long range surveillance by a P3 aircraft. The SECNAV said that a SEAL team would do a HALO insertion and under a full moon at 20 knots C called it a suicide mission. There were also Tomcat's ready for interception of any missile fired so C told him that he "was signing those children's death warrants." Annie asked M if H had ever lied to her. She said that he had "misled" her but that "H was the one who she would want with her son in this situation." Annie said, "if it wasn't for him, Josh wouldn't be in this situation" and asked her if it was her son, how would she handle it. M said "I would hold it in, but that's probably why I'm an alcoholic."

H told Miguel that his cell phone didn't work out at sea just as it rang on a "patch" from the P3 to C. C picked up on the situation quickly and had M pretend that it was a wrong number while he had the P3 cut their relay. Talking with H, Miguel said that his father was the former presidents banker and when Castro took power he was made to choose between his son and his hands. "He didn't count on the son's hands," he said. So this wasn't just liberation but revenge and he was going to take out thousands just to get one man. They found that it was the wrong key and the XO gave them the right key saying "not for Castro." H realized that Miguel had no control over Rosalita and radioed to Josh to do something then get out of the hanger because that was how the men were going to escape. When the missiles were fired then destroyed by the Tomcats, H negotiated the release of the children, with his word that the terrorists helicopter wouldn't be shot down. Rosalita refused to leave the children saying this was to be her last mission. Before she could flip the switch H shot her between the eyes. The escaping Helicopter went down at sea because of the water that H had told Josh to put in the fuel tank. Annie was inordinately angry with H and told him that she could forgive him lying to her "but not teaching my son to do it too." "You turned Josh against me," she said, "which is unacceptable. My challenge will be to deal with never seeing you again… don't call me." While she was storming away, B flew in bubbling about having proposed to Harriett and her saying yes." He asked H to be his best man just as Josh & Annie were walking out of his life.

Tuesday, March 17, 1998

The Stalker - 54

Being dumped by M for dishonesty Dalton Lowne began calling and following Mac to "get her back" not realizing he (and she) were being stalked themselves. At JAG Harm backed him down and told him to "let her go, walk away." H & M were defending CPO Anthony Sevalis, an electronics expert, for assaulting a prostitute. M though he was guilty and showed it with disgust. The Victim, Alicia Mars, picked Sevalis out of a lineup but Sevalis denied hitting her. Bud aced his law finals, and was given greater duties. He was to give Harriet some of his old duties. Chegwidden invited everyone to his house on Thursday, informal attire. He intended to introduce his daughter Francesca Pareti but didn't tell anyone. Dalton persistently called M and said "even God forgives more than that." She finally answered and agreed to meet at McMurphy's for "one last talk." He was met by a "mugger" outside the bar, mugged and fatally shot. M came out and he died in her arms forcing her to say she loved him. Detective Coster, who investigated told M that whoever it was may have done her a favor.

Francesca visited at JAG and backed into Hs car then refused to give him her name claiming it was his fault. He apparently was smitten with her as he foolishly let her just leave the scene. Ms apartment was found ransacked and with a graffiti message of "even God forgives," Dalton's last words. Coster advised that a man was stalking her and though he loved her so others might be in danger. She wouldn't tell him anyone else that she even "fantasized about." H found a bug in Ms phone which she stepped on and demolished. He thought Sevalis had set the bug so threatened him. M began getting stalker phone calls and H suggested that they flush him out using M as bait offering to "cover her six." She had Coster pull off surveillance. Francesca called to date H but he said that he had to go to his bosses dinner party and said that he was "sort of involved with someone who was in Orlando." M was alone, went to a bar and drank them came to JAG where she insulted H. He told her that she "wasn't just a drunk, she was a mean drunk."

B showed up at the party without a tie and Ht had to tell him that "informal isn't the same as casual." Of course he obsessed through the night that he didn't have a tie and Mattoni told him that he thought the Admiral was really upset. M didn't show up so H went to her apartment and found her alone and in the dark. He talked her into going to the party and said he would "watch her six." Francesca was introduced and H called her "diabolical" for not telling him who she was. C & M met in the bedroom going for aspirin and nearly kissed but C said "this is a mistake," and M agreed. Coster called M to say he had found the stalkers location. She left to meet him, H following. Coster took her to a warehouse basement and disabled her with a tazer, tied her up and forced alcohol into her mouth. H came, having followed with tracking equipment, and was tazed as well. He fought, dazed, and was able to disable Coster who eventually confessed and was sent to prison. H talked to the prostitutes pimp who said he had beaten the hooker. He returned the tracking device Sevalas had loaned him and apologized.

Tuesday, March 3, 1998

Chains of Command - 53

Master Chief Sullivan (MC), of the Seahawk, was again charged with sexual harassment, similar to the "crossing the line" incident (season two). This time by an air controller, PO Douglas, who was in trouble for letting an F14 run out of fuel, then was promised intervention in exchange for sex. Mac (M) and Harm (H) were sent to investigate by Chegwidden (C), and Bud (B) was forced to go along, despite his studying for a law class exam. B was preoccupied and ignored Harriet's (Ht) attempts at "lovey dovey" in the office, to her annoyance and name calling. B related that former captain Ross had resigned unexpectedly 1 year short of 30 and just as he had been tapped for Rear-Admiral. The current captain said the MCs record was spotless and the Air Boss was indignant at the charges saying "no one saw this coming." Douglas said that she was adjusting to and enjoyed carrier life, admitted her "screw up" then that the MC had offered to "make the problem go away" in exchange for sex. She took him up on his offer but, talking to a friend the next day, decided to "come clean." H said that it was her word against the MC and she said "there are probably other" giving him a list of names. The MC denied all allegations but became very defensive telling M that "'you people' have an axe to grind." He said that "in the old days they considered it unlucky to have a women on a ship," and "if you ask me it still is." M told him that "in the old days it was considered appropriate to castrate the village pervert," and "if you ask me it still is."

Making their report to C they were surprised that Dalton Lowne had been hired as MCs attorney. Lowne refused to tell M who had hired him and she told him to "stay at arms length." Ross said he had been asked by MC to be a character witness. He said that he was no longer in the navy so he could say what he thought, surprising H due to his record of promoting women to good positions. Ross' wife told H that she knew his father. Latham came to Hs apartment and told him that it was the founder of National Patriot's Foundation, Lane Black, who had hired Lowne in order to discredit women in the military. B accused Ht (who was assigned to help Lowne) of "peeking" at his case papers. She called him a "jerk" and he told her that "not everybody can be born with a silver spoon in their mouths." Despite what M told him, Lowne showed up at her apartment, ostensibly to "plead his case with her." While she was out of the room he rummaged on her desk and stole case information. B closed blinds and doors "so others wouldn't hear" when he told H that of the 67 women he checked he only found one, Jane Klee, who "wouldn't come forward voluntarily." She had filed charges against MC but later withdrew them and Capt Ross found her a "plum assignment at the pentagon." Latham returned with word that Black had hired investigators who intended to "tear Douglas to pieces." Lowne called a press conference and threatened to "reveal all the other officers he had found that weren't charged" if the "MC were found guilty." M blew up at his attempt to justify his action and told him "it was over." He retorted that he "wouldn't let her go." B wouldn't believe that Ht didn't have anything to do with the leak and their argument again turned into name calling, him finally telling her that he "didn't like the dresses she wore which made her look like his grandmother."

Lowne revealed that Douglas had two previous "screw-ups," including being drunk, and was disciplined by the MC; and, that she had previously filed sexual abuse charges against her step-father which were dropped. H was upset that she had allowed him to be blindsided but she said that her step-father had been guilty. When her own mother covered for him the cops let it dropped. B found a "pattern" of promotions in the list Douglas had given them. When H cross examined Ross, he had given special consideration in transfers and promotions to 17 women. When Lowne objected and H couldn't get the information in, he saw Mrs. Ross leave the courtroom. He followed her and learned that she was an alcoholic, her husband had retired to see that she got help, that MC has snuck her alcohol from the commissary and had "destroyed my husband." H appealed to her integrity and she agreed to testify. Instead, however, Ross came back up and finally admitted that he had covered for the MC because Sullivan was blackmailing him about sleeping with a woman while he was underway. The MC was found guilty.

M, H and B ended the episode by all fortuitously coming together in the same bar, after they had all chosen the same juke box song (What becomes of the brokenhearted). B said that Ht was mad at him and M was subdued about the issues with Lowne. B groused at H because he still had Annie, but H told them "it didn't look good now" and "the only ones that I have are you two." They retorted together: "imagine how that makes us feel." H advised B that "nothing with a woman is great ALL the time. Hell you're lucky with 5 good days a month." Then M chimed in trying to restrain herself. H quickly backtracked about men and women "You know with the opposing sex" being different. The conversation grew quiet just at the point in the song where they all knew the words; and, one by one, they started singing, lowly, along with the music. [The final scene is truly a JAG classic with them all singing in refreshing, intimate conversation.]

Tuesday, February 24, 1998

Yesterday's Heroes - 52

Artemus Sullivan's grandson killed by drug running speedboat of Bronco Mendoza, son of S American politico with diplomatic immunity, so he became vigilante with two friends targeting Mendoza. H M & B investigate sinking of Mendoza's boat during drug interception by USS Bancroft when boat coincidentally exploded from old limpet mine during warning shots. Mine traced back to Jungle Larry's surplus store then to Artemus & gang who had also stolen drug money to buy a boat. Bronco kidnapped Sullivan during H & Ms interception but then rescued in a "sting." Webb belligerent refusing at 1st to have Bronco's immunity revoked. Ht flails into B over not going w/ her on the weekend then brought her parents to meet B while working. They are wealthy. Father Roland had a shotgun talk w/ B then loaned him his Jag. Mother Lydia rude & snotty & pushed Ht to H instead of B. M, in bikini, and H trade stolen money for Sullivan and capture Mendoza who's deported having lost his immunity. "Old heroes never die commander," said Sullivan, "they just become the stuff of legends."

Tuesday, February 3, 1998

Father's Day - 51

Chegwidden, upset with his staff over their extravagant use of the budget, told Harm to bring "one case in budget" pointing out: a fire damaged carrier, an unauthorized Haiti trip, bullet riddled freighter and a lawsuit from the Bradenhurst corporation all on his watch. He assigned all three, H, Mac and Bud, to defend corporal Daryl Wetzl, a marine tank driver who "got lost" and ran over his COs tent during a maneuver. Wetzl claimed he was distracted buy worry over a custody hearing over his infant son, with his drug addicted wife. M got Dalton to help with the civil custody part pro bono. General Albanese, unyielding, said he "wouldn't reward a man for having a messed up life." H eventually got Albanese to agree to a change of venue to Paris Island which, under Cs new austerity program, would mean they had to travel many hours by car. Because of a "Quantum Leap" convention in town (requiring a cameo appearance of Donald Bellisario) H had to share the same room, actually the same bed, with B. Wetzl was being slammed in the press by lies and trumped up complaints from his, hooker-looking, wife Marie and Mark Toby, her advertising, Colombo-like, has-been lawyer. They claimed Wetzl was dangerous to her and the baby, was making up the charges of drug use to gain custody, and got a restraining order against Wetzl seeing the baby. Jill Wattington, an ethically deprived, journalist ambushed Wetzl outside of the court room with a flagrantly abusive interview about his wife-abuse. At dinner H admitted his "competitiveness" with Dalton and when M complimented him he said: "I've been working on myself, but don't tell anybody." M accused H of "avoiding" his client and H accused her of being to "motherly." The conversation was overheard by Wetzl who was eating with his MP escort nearby. Wetzl was raised by "grandma B" after the death of his parents and was almost excruciatingly polite.

At the breaking point, Wetzl drugged the MP and escaped. A reporter and photographer was waiting for an interview with Mrs. Wetzl when she and her baby drove up with a "low-life" in a convertible. She took the baby and left him in her apartment doorway then went around the corner for the interview. In the mean-time Wetzl was able to sneak in and carry his son Sean away but was recorded on the videotape. He escaped in a tank "to let the world know" and H had to "stand it down" by getting in front of it. H suggested flying in "grandma B," Beatrice Green, to defuse the situation (despite the cost). Awaiting arrival of Mrs. Green, and being pressed, Wetzl shot and exploded the TV van to Bs comment "this must be expensive." They were able to retrieve the baby and arrest Wetzl. H decided to help Dalton and find evidence. He reviewed the videotape and found that the man bringing Mrs. Wetzl home was a known drug dealer who signed a statement that he had been Mrs. Wetzl's supplier for 3 years. So grandma "B" got custody of Shaun while Wetzl bargained for 5 years confinement. She commented to H that with his tenacious support of Daryl, "you must know what it means to be a parent." H replied that "he knew what it means to be a son."

Tuesday, January 13, 1998

With Intent to Die - 50

Vice Admiral Bill Clancy, a post Vietnam mentor of Chegwidden's from the USS Farragut, was shot while hunting and it was ruled a suicide. C didn't believe it for a minute and had Harm and Mac investigate despite their obvious prejudice toward the suicide evidence. They talked to the hunting guide, Craig Allenby, and hunting partners Admiral Paul Whelan and Deputy Secretary of Defense Mitchell Schoenfield. Allenby said that Clancy had gone behind a tree to relieve himself when he heard a shot. The others said that Clancy was depressed and despondent over loosing funding for a pet project. Whelan was arrogant and rude about Clancy's weakness and being "in over his head" and told C that he though C was "made from the same mold." When H and M reported back that they thought it was suicide C still didn't believe them and took over the investigation himself. H seemed distracted with Annie so she used an analogy and asked what if someone told you that C had committed suicide. H couldn't even comprehend the concept so he realized what C was going through. Clancy's wife, Evelyn, told C that her husband didn't have much "joy to share" and she believed that it was suicide and she felt responsible.

The SECNAV enticed C with Clancy's DCNO job and told him to "give up the investigation." H offered to continue to help C and told him of Annie's analogy. C asked if he would investigate even at cost of his career and H said he would. Bud found that Clancy had been on Carbamazepam (anti-depressant) so Evelyn admitted to C that Clancy had been injured in the head on a ship several years previous and had begun having temporal lobe seizures- Carbamazepam is also an anti-convulsant. Then Whelan was also found stabbed to death. C kept having dreams of Clancy that made little sense. The dead Clancy awakened and told C that "there are bees on the bridge" and then "move on, he was innocent, it's too late, take your staff, run." When they were leaving Evelyn's house they saw Schoenfield drive up so they staked out the house through the night and talked. C admitted to H that after Vietnam, aboard ship, he had been one "fractious SOB" and Clancy had taken him to the fantail to "straighten me out." C won but realized if Clancy had been willing to get his nose broken he deserved listening to. H called Annie who had apparently been waiting anxiously for H to return. When he came out, Schoenfield admitted having an affair w/ Clancy's wife but called C and H "poor detectives."

H, M & B found that Allenby was father to Allen Broat a seaman on Clancy's ship, the USS Jim Bridger, with Whelan as the XO & C as JAG. Broat had been wrongfully imprisoned for setting a fire aboard ship then died in prison before he was exonerated by a subsequent similar fire aboard another ship caused by design flaws. Allenby was in prison at the time and became obsessed with "getting even" with his boys "killers." C went to Allenbys cabin and surprised him. He said he had been watching them all for years and had talked Clancy into letting him guide for him; but was cagy enough not to admit directly killing them both. They fought and Allenby pulled a gun. C had remembered to "bring his staff" so was rescued by M & H but was shot in the arm. NCIS told C that Allenby had claimed C started the fight and would be out in a year because there was "no forensic evidence."

Dalton was still pursuing M and challenged her for not answering his calls. He said he didn't want to loose her and asked if he should stop calling. M said NO (believe it or not!). C called his daughter Francesca but said there was nothing wrong. Annie was "blitzed" comparing Hs missed supper with her waiting for her husband to come home from a mission. H told her, "I'm a lawyer, what can happen, a paper cut?"

Tuesday, January 6, 1998

Someone to Watch Over Annie - 49

Mac was made acting head of section by Chegwidden which would change her career path to administration instead of legal investigation. She tried to refuse but C wouldn't accept any of her excuses and assigned her first project to be upgrading all the office's computers. Harm could tell she wasn't happy and felt C was "paying her back" for her resignation.

Annie Pendry, widow of Harm's best friend Jack Pendry, asked for help after her son Josh witnessed a murder while sneaking aboard an F14 during a school trip. She was now working in a bank in Maryland and Josh had been caught coming out of the hanger. When he said that he had seen some sailors fighting, probably killing another and loading him into a van, no one would believe him. When H was trying to downplay Josh's inquisitiveness - Annie shot back, "I don't need you to defend Josh against me!" H requested leave to investigate and was initially refused. But when he explained about Annie C granted the time off. Feeling that he was on a roll with C, H asked if he could speak to him about what's going on between him and M. C hollered, "are you out of your mind?" H interviewed the maintenance chief at the airbase, Harley Marks, and told him of what Josh had seen. The chief asked why Josh had gotten into the Tomcat and H responded, "for the same reason I would have… to get inside the dream." While talking on the porch of Annie's house, Josh spotted the same van coming down the street and barely escaped the gunfire from the drive-by shooting. Of course, now, everyone believed Josh and H took them to his apartment overnight and became amorous with Annie.

H found that Webb was involved investigating an arms theft ring with an inside contact, PO2 Elvgrin, who had gone missing. They had Josh identify the people he saw and Elvgrin was recognized along with Marks and a man named Gunter Harvak, an arms buyer for SadDAM. They found Elvgrin's car with his body in the trunk. H granted them all the investigation and reluctantly said that Annie and Josh could stay at JAG during the day. C was found wrestling with Josh in his office by Annie who bristled when Josh said that C knew 3 ways to kill someone with his bare hands. She said she hoped his offer to write a letter of recommendation to Annapolis for Josh would never happen. M, Harriet, Bud, and Annie had planned a party at Hs apartment to which C came. When Annie said she had honeymooned in Naples Italy, C let slip that he had also- to the daughter of the Mayor who went back to her mother because "she was lonely.".

Josh "escaped" from Ws distracted watch to go the restroom and was kidnapped by Harvak who took him aboard the ship Tanager which was bound for France. W refused to tell them any more information which would compromise his sting that had taken many months to set up. C "aggressively" reasoned with W who told him that he wasn't in his chain of command. C retorted, nose-to-nose, "No, but you ARE in my line of fire." W told them the ship information but refused to have anything more to do with it. C bullied his way into obtaining ships blueprints and boarding the ship. He and M stood back to back and fought off several bad guys together. H killed Harvak, who was about to stab Josh; then, W unexpectedly appeared and saved H from being bushwhacked. C was impressed with Ms skills and said they were too good to waste. He apologized and said "let's start over." M said there had been something she had always wanted to do and kissed him on cheek. H played his guitar & sang in the episode and Annie told him: "I'm not loosing my son to Navy too."