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.