Dream Team - 226

PO Ferro caught PO Sanhuinius stealing candy bar from ships store then suffered continual harassment after that as Sanhuinius was twice his size. After shore leave from USS Carl Vincent in Japan Sanhuinius picked a fight; Ferro knocked him out and he later died. V told Cr he didn't need any help defending but Cr said "I think you do" and assigned H as 2nd. V played the same arrogance w/ H that he had w/ M and H set him in his place; but V "spit back." Barnes, original prosecutor, went to Iraq & B took his place. V kept showing his arrogance & inexperience; H kept bringing him back on track; B seemed annoyed about them being "buddies" - the "dream team." Cr, the boxer, advised V that there must have been some pre-existing problem; V found steroids & ETOH & visit to Medical officer w/ neurological symptoms after leave. Hs pathologist Gasden found Puffer fish toxin. H advised V to check out source (he didn't) thinking B would drop charges. M very suspicious about Vs "evidence" advises B to investigate further. B changed to murder charges after he found that Gasden convinced of the toxin but shipmates say Sanhuinius hated fish. M advised him that he had his case, he needed to find out why. B found that Ferro had charged puffer fish toxin (used for pain relief) on credit card; shop keeper photo id; Sanhuinius had power bar & toxin in stomach; power bar wrapper in pocket with Ferro's fingerprints INSIDE the wrapper & evidence of being re-glued. M told B they were 2 alpha males & deep down every dream team is a nightmare waiting to happen.

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

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

Cr announced creation of Joint Legal Service Center Southwest & M commandant of the unit. H appointed Force Judge Advocate Naval Forces Europe, headquarted in London England, a Captain Billet and immediate frocking. 2 Days travel and 4 days proceed time. H & M looked at each other stunned… !

Fit For Duty - 218

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

Maron in her own stress "felt" responsible and cried in front of cpl Dominick who then blamed Maron as well. Maron was following the "3 hot's and a cot" protocol that she was under orders to follow. Elgin described that there was an Omni-present threat, no front line, supporting roles to independent contractors, and a greater % of troops now see action than in years past. She described Marons caseload as completely unrealistic. H showed that Kilpatricks CO, Capt Damon White, had disregarded ALL of Maron's many prior suggestions for prevention. He called them "touchy feely" but he was overwrought in his condemnation of Maron. Maron was found guilty of Dereliction but judge Blakeley thanked her for her courage and delayed sentencing 60 days for stress counseling and assessment w/ "possible return to full duty." Elgin told H that Maron was in a daze & didn't even hear judges "no confinement." They make arrangements for dinner in Ms hearing & H, uncomfortable, asked M to join them although she declined.

B defended Cdr Stefanopoulis who refused to vacate his command of the USS LeGrande when relieved of command after a pilot hit a pier. He had to keep encouraging B as he wanted his "day in court" even though he "knew he was done." Lt Tali Mayfield, an arrogant new JAG prosecuting attny, was introduced and "psyched out" B. Stefanopoulis had been summarily dismissed w/o ANYONE, including his arrogant strike group commander Admiral Renfield. He had just been summarily dismissed for "lack of confidence" and had absolutely no recourse so he chose to refuse to stand down to get his "day in court." During Bs questioning Adm Renfield was cocky until B showed that in the past 3 years Renfield had only taken action on TWO (of TEN) officers who had committed infractions which rose to level of court-martial and they were the ones who were over 40 years old! Then he showed that Stefanopoulis had been ordered to turn over piloting of the ship to a private pilot who had LIED to the navy about his amount of experience because of his companies pressure. Stefanopoulis still relieved of command but was grateful to B that he had his day in court - "I'm not too old to serve my country."

The Man On The Bridge - 215

[An interesting, but complicated mystery episode with a unexpected ending, although no military action like we've come to expect.] The car belonging to Cdr. Adam Kohler, a top naval biodefense researcher, was found abandoned on a bridge without a trace of where he went. H (H) and M (M) investigated, along side Rod Benton of the FBI anti-terrorist unit, and all evidence pointed to It having been a suicide. But, there was progressive disclosure of clues such as: H finding a flashlight on the bridge with a partial print on it along with Kohler's blood; sideswipe damage to Kohler's car; files of bioweapons data found erased on his computer's hard drive; and spy-ware found on his computer along with information about his fathers death. His father, Robert Kohler, had also been a top bioweapons researcher; but, he had been accused of selling information to the Russians. Before trial, however, he committed "suicide" by jumping out a several story window. H found that Hank Olin, an ex-CIA agent turned private investigator, was the one who had sloppily investigated Robert Kohler's treason and death.

In an "NCIS-like," rapid-fire, disclosure of sophisticated forensic info, a trail of clues was revealed leading back to Dr. Morris Sperling, Kohler's boss, and Sperling's wife Marta. With Webb's help they found that Marta had been a KGB spy who had been "looking for a scientist to marry." Sperling gave her the secrets, then had "set up" Robert Kohler as the spy When Kohler discovered the truth, Sperling and his wife murdered him using the CIA "assassination manual" technique (used also by the KGB), of drugging with Nembutal, hitting on head and throwing from a great height. After H, M & Benton confronted Sperling with their findings, Sperling denied knowing anything about Adam Kohler's death. The flashlight, belonging to Sperling, had "gone missing" several days before; someone had previously "side-swiped" his car in the parking lot; Adam Kohler had "picked" a fight after a meeting in clear view of video surveillance cameras; Sperling had never seen the bottle of Nembutal, which was found in his desk, and matched the Nembutal found in Adam Kohler's coffee cup etc. Although they had him dead-to-rights, H reviewed the video tape and found that Kohler's car actually had been damaged BEFORE leaving the meeting's parking lot, as Sperling had said. They let the Sperling's go, after the FBI had bugged their car and house. Adam Kohler then called Sperling "from the grave" and arranged for a meeting back at the bridge. Adam had discovered the truth about his father's death, then faked his own death/suicide and masterfully "set up" all the clues to point back to Sperling, believing that whoever investigated his disappearance would also be smart enough to discover the Sperling's guilt. Kohler got Sperling to discuss his fathers innocence and that he and his wife had "assassinated" him. Police surveillance did get it on tape.

Bud (B) was assigned to review a female marine's, Cpl Maria Hoyos, request to box in the men's league which had been turned down by her CO. Cresswell played his tiresome "lets see if you're smart enough to guess what I'm thinking" game warning B that: "I have definite feelings on the matter," but not telling him what they were. Hoyos told B that she didn't want to be just "an exception," and that she wanted any female to be able to box like the men. B "shamed" Cr into using his influence at the pentagon for equality reasons; but was told that "I want to have a little give and take with her in the ring 1st, to test her mettle." Cr told Hoyos "you want to fight with men you might as well start with me" - to try and back her down? Then he continued the charade, ordering her not "to hold back" etc; but then only sparred with her claiming "you didn't think I was going to throw leather did you?" She lied and said "of course not." Cr told B that that he thought she was capable and that he would suggest to her general that he let her compete with the men. When B looked surprised, Cr threatened him with "you thought that I didn't think women should compete with men!?" As Cr took a step toward him, into his face, B stood up to him and said: "yes." Cr backed down and said "you were right" and walked away.

Corporate Raiders - 208

[Mac's major, worrisome, "illness" (of last season's finale) seems to have been largely ignored so far, except to reveal that it is endometriosis.] Acting JAG, Turner (T), showed concern about how he had alienated his old friends. He clearly doesn't have the same agenda as did Chegwidden, which is frustrating to Mac (M) and Harm(H). T asked Bud (B) if he had any "problem with my style of management." Diplomatically, B said he didn't; then, when pressed, said "there's not a lot of room at the top for friendship."

Mattie (Mt) returned from an extended stay with her dad, Tom. They announced that they were going to start up Grace Aviation again, and Tom asked H for a letter of reference. H was concerned about her burgeoning relationship with Kevin Reilly, a local boy, and had his version of a facts-of-life talk with her, saying she should "talk to her father." Mt eventually said she needed H, and his "annoying personal questions," then asked him to "reduce altitude" and kissed him on the cheek.

M and H investigated a "friendly fire" incident, where a marine unit was acting as "shadow advisors" to the bodyguards of a Kurdish leader, Mohammed Aziz. Retired Sgt. Maj. Thomas Elgart, of Battlefield Solutions (BS), was a consultant advisor to an Iraqi Civil Defense unit who were tracking a terrorist, and ("mistakenly") engaged in a gunfight with the bodyguards (and their shadow advisors), killing a marine. T was all too happy to call it a "friendly-fire" incident; but, Ann, the widow of Marine Cpl. Paul Sheehy, brought Emails her husband had sent before his death, implicating Battlefield Solutions as "trigger-happy mercenaries." M and H continued their investigation and found that retired Commander John Merrick (previously court-martialed for collision of a destroyer) was now the CEO of BS, so they complained to him. He promised that he "would take care of it," then called a general and asked for a court-martial of his own employee! Elgart was brought back to active duty, by order of the SECNAV, and court martialed. Merrick then told Elgart that he didn't think he was getting good defense (from H), and offered him $2 million to plead guilty to the court-martial that he had asked for! H coerced Elgart into not to taking it, saying: "2 million is a hell of a severance package." H found that BS had recently merged with Henson-LeRoux, a company who had oil interests in the Kurdish area; and, that Merrick had received 200,000 shares of it's stock. If the Kurdish area became independent, Aziz would become oil minister; and, because he had been openly antagonistic to the company, BS would suffer financial loss. Additionally, H discovered that Aziz had been previously "targeted" to be: "taken out by mistake," on five separate occasions! Unbelievably, the five failed attempts were based upon false information from a confidential "informant." Then, the informant also turned out to be under contract to BS, making H wonder if the information "wasn't coming directly from BS's board room" for their own corporate agenda. Elgart was found not-guilty, and Sheehy's widow filed civil suit for, as H told Merrick, a lot "more than your $2 million."

What If - 200

[The writers/producers were getting a bit nostalgic with this, the 200th, episode. Through Harm's 'daydreams', they conjectured about what the series might have been like if they had directed the characters differently at various 'choice points.' It is another 'role playing' episode; but, where the major cast play themselves in an alternate universe. Still, however, it's pretty much another 'soapbox opera' and NOT the typical JAG we are looking for.] On the occasion of PO Coates' (Co) promotion to first class, the 'regulars' were at a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Chegwidden (C) overruled the argument about who should open their fortune cookie first by saying "we'll go by height, you first Rabb." Harm's (H) was: "Your unspoken desire is the road not taken, take it"; but, he avoided the obligatory "reading aloud." Instead he lapsed into a reverie in which he was at JAG receiving his wife, Mac (M), who was dressed in silk "civvies," acting childishly flippant, and wanting their divorce papers signed. They had decided to marry, after the night in Sydney harbor, but now she said she was tired of him not paying attention to her and announced she was quitting the service and marrying John Farrow, a river guide in Colorado. M had come to get admiral Krennick (K) to sign her terminal leave papers; but, instead H talked her into assigning M "her last case," as defense for Marine Col. Sutter charged with harming a prisoner. K told H that she did it so "you can get it out of your system and move on to someone tough, ambitious and able to give you the ride of your life." He told her to remember that he had "pulled 9 1/2 G's in a tomcat" and she responded "then maybe you're ready for me." Sutter had taken the recalcitrant detainee outside and fired his gun next to the man's head, in order to get him to reveal secret plans which eventually saved the lives of many men. Sutter told M that a female JAG had tried, unsuccessfully, to get information for 10 hours and then had "tattled" on him when he did what she couldn't. He said "phoney marines… women who have never seen combat can't possibly understand what is at stake." H insisted he take M and Farrow to lunch; then, traded zingers with Farrow, took the seat between them, and offered M a plea bargain, which Sutter had already turned down. When M found what H had done, she got right into his face and said "I'm going to kick your butt!"

Next, C deferred to Bud (B) and Harriett (Ht), who simultaneously read H's same fortune out loud. That sent H back into another reverie where Ht's parents had died and left her "all the money in the world." She came to B's "spa king" store to ask for an install before her housewarming party, for her new mansion. B told her he left the navy "when you lost interest in me" and Mikey (Mk) intimated that he had been pining for her. Ht said she had left him at the altar, because she didn't think he was mature enough, but now realized that it had been her own problem. M and H had their usual "veiled" bickering in the courtroom, where their statements had double meaning to their own lives. She told H that "loving you was like stepping on a rusty nail." H offered to give her their photo album, containing all their memories. She refused, but then took it when he wasn't looking. H told her "what if fate meant us to be together… but we both just got in our own way?" M countered with "what if, just doesn't get it done." Verese was practicing at Ht's house with "mister" Turner (T) watching and having some sort of "agreement terms," for Ht, in his briefcase. Ht showed B and Mk her million dollar paintings. In court, Sutter said, "you can't play by the rules when your enemy doesn't." M said: "I'll say," and H objected. M told judge Seibring "that was under my breath… and besides, I object. The counselor is badgering ME." Seibring said "you're flirting with contempt," and she retorted: "I am NOT flirting!" H's double meaning statement: "we can blame others for our predicament's, but the truth is we make our own bed" (looking directly at M) brought her retort "your honor, he didn't make the bed in two years!"

Next, C tried to defer again, but Co shamed him into opening a cookie with her. They got the same fortune, sending H back into the reverie. C and Meredith (Md) were married and he was a retired attorney who was defending Co, who had just skipped bail. Co had gone AWOL at Christmas and was now part of an art theft ring and known as the "cat woman." C told Md that Co was after a rare Shakespeare folio, then had to summarily turn down MD's offer to "help." Co was shown telling "Stan," her contact (from Magnum PI), that she had already "cased" Ht's new house, posing as a caterer. Md went to Ht's to see the folio, which she said she had bought on her accountant's advice, and had under security devices. B told Ht he would do the bathroom at no charge, but she said that with all her money she "still felt something was missing," then invited him to her party. H caught M looking at their photo album and she retorted "you're not the WORST thing that ever happened to me." In court, H continued his obtuse double meaning questioning, about "not being too proud to admit when they're wrong," to the point that Seibring threw up his hands in submission. He called them to the bench during an argument and told them to resolve their differences. They said that their "marriage counselor had quit."

Next, T refused to take a cookie saying he could only eat soy because of allergies. M took her cookie (the same fortune), but claimed that it said: "wherever you go, there you are." Back in the reverie, Seibring told Sutter that he had heard many things which troubled him, but "none had anything to do with this case" so adjudged for administrative action only. He told M and H that he wasn't going to discipline them because he found their squabbling entertaining. M and Farrow were leaving on a train; but, H shamed them into going to Ht's party, so as "not to leave any unfinished business." Verese was the entertainment, and T was engaged to her. H asked K for "more indulgence…" and promised her "rebound potential." Mk chatted up Co, a server. Md spotted Co, but C didn't believe her. C told Md that he "believed in fate" and they were meant to be together. B told Ht that he had "more money than she did" with his 17 outlets in 5 states, Spa King, and patent on the "miracle tickler." H gave M her signed divorce papers to "file with your terminal leave papers, retirement orders and every other burned bridge from your past unhappy life." She said that he "never committed until she had one foot out the door" and stormed out. T told H that if he let M go he "would wonder 'what if' the rest of your life." H said "destiny has spoken," and T replied that his dad always said that "destiny speaks through the choices we make." H found that M had left her coat with her train ticket in the pocket. Co and "Stan" broke into Ht's Shakespeare folio; but, were foiled by Md's bluffing with a fake dart gun. Co revealed that she wasn't a thief, but was really doing a "sting" just to catch Stan. Md advised C not to discount her imagination and he replied that he "lived in fear of her imagination." At the train station, Farrow announced that it was sold out and they couldn't buy a replacement for M. Just then, H showed up with the coat and ticket and announced that he had "stopped trying to stop you." As M was boarding, the ticket flew out of her hand in the wind, and Farrow left alone on the train. M turned to H and said: "I'm ready, are you?"

Back from the reverie, everyone had left already and C was asking H if he was going to follow them. H told M that he had "just been pondering the road not taken… yet!"

Meltdown - Part 2 - 179

[Complicated sequel, with NCIS cast, written by Bellisario. It is a fast paced, complex, detailed, convoluted dual plot with segways and lots of electronics. It didn't use JAG background music and was difficult to synthesize into summary.] The obsessive compulsive, no people skilled, Lt Cdr. Faith Coleman was assigned as Harm's defense counsel. She tried to steam roll over H until he backed her up. She resented his "job interview" questions and claimed that she had nine homicide defenses, all wins. He essentially told her to "sit down, I hope your legal arguments are as squared away as your briefcase." Gibb met Maj McBurney, the prosecuting attorney, who called it a "slam dunk"; and when Gibb told him that "I only got him because he was protecting his brother," McBurney said not to show "that kind of doubt" on the stand. Gibb said he was in a hurry to get the case over with. McBurney was doing his pistol quals and placed all shots in the head, because "it cuts down on appeals." McBurney was assigned Hs office by Chegwidden, and Coleman, Manetti's office. H told Coleman that he had met with Singer and argued, she left, he followed, argued some more in her car, phoned his brother Sergei using his cell phone so he could see her eyes when she told him it wasn't his baby, because he rarely believed anything S said. By the time the time of death was established, he already looked guilty, so decided to trust navy justice instead of navy cops and didn't cooperate with them. McBurney had the foul-mouthed, hippy, head-banger, forensic technician, Abby Scioto, wear a "professor" costume when testifying in court instead of her usual punk dress. There was a metal sliver in S's head, ferrous metal matching the railing at the overlook; blood of S on the concrete; a plane ticket for 6am Jan 6th in her pocket; also a Benzinger's napkin with Sergei's cell phone number in H's handwriting. Stomach contents was a bar mix within 2 hours of eating. During cross, Scioto had to remove her fake glasses to read and seemed to be discredited. Dr. Mallard (Duckey) said that the body, found Apr 22, had been in winter ice - "say about 3 1/2 months," 20 wks pregnant, severe blunt force injury to posterior skull, numerous fractures from going over the falls, and a tattoo of a "stalking leopard" was tattooed on her left buttock. She had died from drowning not the trauma.

Gibb interviewed H again without counsel. He just talked about finding no phone call to Sergei after being told of S's death. H said "that's what phone booth's are for." He told H that he seemed to have made a lot of effort to eliminate Sergei as a suspect. H retorted "that's how you got your man," Gibb replied "I know." On the stand, Gibb said the body was found 1.3 miles below the falls, car was found in a parking lot next to the falls, 2 sets of prints: S's and H's, H knew S was pregnant, unsure who the father was, denied the request for DNA sample, and was generally uncooperative. On cross, Gibb admitted he'd sent a request for H's DNA profile (illegal) which didn't go through. Asked why, he said "I thought at the time he was the killer." H wrote a note to Coleman to ask Gibb if he still thought so. Gibb answered: that his gut told him "no, he wasn't the killer." McBurney tried to chastise him at the elevator saying that he could handle circumstantial evidence but "screw-up's and flip flops on the stand, I cannot." Gibb's assured demeanor just left anything McBurney said fall flat. Abby called McBurney and had them all come to discover that a cover (military hat) found near the falls was actually H's. Gibb told Abbey that she better never call the attorney's again, to call him.

Gibb and his "director" were shown watching the interrogation of Amad bin Atwa on their "big screen television." bin Atwa had passed money to Hassan Mohammed some time during the past 10 days when they had lost track of him. Gibb was told to "wrap this JAG case up fast" so he could go interrogate bin Atwa personally. Gibb seemed to show Blackadder, who's brother had been killed by terrorists and wanted to be involved in their capture, a bit of antagonism. He had told her to mind her own business or she was fired, then told her she had two days to gather all the information possible on bin Atwa. She came back in a day with a CD of info, but it didn't have anything personal about him so he sent her back to do it right. She finally got the requested information on Atwa so Gibb left for his interrogation. Agent Tony DiNozzo told Blackadder that the case against H just seemed too easy, "it doesn't sit right" that the body floated for so far but the hat was found near the falls. Blackadder said "it seems alright to me."

Bud testified that he saw H grab singer by the elevator to get a dinner appointment with her, after she had originally said no. Coates said she overheard H and S arguing at Benzinger's. S was pregnant, H thought Sergei was the father, S denied it and said she was giving the baby up for adoption. Coates said that she saw the same anger in in H that she had seen in her father when he hit her mother. S left and H followed her. Abbey found quartz, feldspar, and kolimite in Hs hat - river silt, from the spring thaw, but nothing like that on S body. She said that the cover was a "spring thing" and couldn't have been in the river for 4 months, so it must have been a plant. They called Gibb, who was on a ship, and told him that he was right about H. Sergei had same blood type as H, and wasn't the father of the baby. Every Wednesday, beginning in May, S had paid for dinner for two with her credit card, at a different restaurant but at the same time. A canvass with S's photo brought up a "Tiramisu incident" and a waiter who gave a description of a sandy haired man. Also the plane ticket wasn't to San Diego (SAN) as they had thought but to Shannon Ireland (SNN)! Gibb told them to cross reference the description with the JAG security log for the past 4 wks to find someone with a grudge who had access to H. They told H that he was off the hook and H recognized the name of their suspect. He told them to "tell Gibb, I owe him." DiNozzo interrogated Cdr Lindsey about the $5,000.00 check he cashed the day of S's death, and its re-deposit the day after. Also hinted at "latent prints" on the hat. Lindsey claimed that S was blackmailing him about the baby and threatening his family. They had argued and he grabbed her when she fell over the railing. He didn't call for help because the river had already taken her and he was afraid. DiNozzo caught him in the lie because S's blood was on the concrete and she had to be picked up and thrown over the railing. He also told Lindsey that, with his blood type, the baby couldn't have been his either.

Gibb had a gourmet dinner with Atwa and impressed the man with his knowledge of cuisine. "Marines travel," he told Atwa, and asked if the food was what brought him to Nice. No, it was the women, Atwa said, and offered that the best food he'd ever eaten was in Toulon. Gibb argued that he'd eaten there last summer and the "kibbeh was bland, gouzi mushy and gmameh inedible." Atwa countered that the "gmameh he'd had there last week was incredible" so it must be a different cook. So they traced that 10 days ago the Hawala money brokers in Toulon transferred money to the Hawala in Tunis. Gibb's group had no "assets" in Tunis so the "people up the river" would want all the credit. Gibb called Blackadder and DiNozzo to the gulf. They found that 5 million in cash had been signed for, four days ago, by Khalil Sahari, the director of the Institute of oceanography in Tunis. Aboard the ship, also having large screen TV's and lots of computers, they "called up" that the institute had purchased an unmanned submersible for 5 million in Sorrento, that all the attacks had been within 4 days of picking up the money, all the ports with naval facilities within 58 hours sail of Sorrento - both Naples and Cannes were too secure. Gibb wanted a list of all the research vessels leased in the last year over 90 tons (needed to carry the submersible) and the name of the Deep Blue Explorer magically popped up on the screen, leased by Sahari's institute. He wanted the "coastal cops'" records of any "nav plans" filed to the area and found that the "Explorer" it was sailing for "Cadiz," which, when cross referenced in their computers, was found to be close to Rota Spain where a carrier had just pulled in after being in the Gulf. From a van on the dock they did face matching until they found that the captain of the vessel was really Mohammed. Blackadder was staring at the captain and Gibb had to tell her to stop, but it was too late they were spotted. The ensuing gun battle left a bunch dead and Gibb facing off Mohammed who was holding a live hand grenade. Mohammed dropped it and Gibb shot him then was blasted backward down the stairs. He lived and when Blackadder apologized with "I almost blew it," Gibb told her "what do you mean, almost?" Lindsey was said to have "copped a plea" to involuntary manslaughter for eight years in Leavenworth.

Ice Queen - Part 1 - 178

[Complicated conjoint show w/ NCIS. Lots of electronics and fast paced legal posturing.] Tommy, A boy scout, missed his target and shot his arrow into the woods, hitting a decomposed body. Agent Gibbs & Blackadder of NCIS investigated. Gibbs told Tommy he could "shut out" any bad dreams, claiming that he had seen something terrible when he was young and done it. He gave Tommy his card and hat and promised a tour of the department. They found a decomposed body with it's face eaten away by crows; but, not its hands or feet. Blackadder, bantering with agent Dinozzo, revealed that her brother had died in the attack on the USS Cole. The Medical Examiner, called Ducky, estimated the death to be about 3 weeks previous. The body was a blond, pregnant, JAG officer. The first of many odd "flashback" type episodes (shown in posturization effect and apparently representing the view of the corpse) seemed to prompt Gibbs that the body hadn't been dropped there but had floated into the trees. They were all shown letting themselves through security into MTAC, where they watched as Amad Ben Atwa was captured. He was the terrorist who had given explosives and money to Hasan Mohammed who had then executed the attack on the Cole. Blackadder demanded that she be allowed "in on the kill" and Gibbs faced her down that the agency wasn't for her personal revenge and she better "get it" or pack up and leave. They had a discussion about obtaining the baby's DNA to "finger" a suspect at JAG - and Blackadder was the only one who worried that it was illegal to use military DNA for anything but ID'ing military personnel. Gibb's intended to use it, if he could. Found a metallic sliver embedded in corpse's skull.

Gibb and Harm bristled at each other from their first meeting. Chegwidden turned down H's request to conduct a concurrent JAGman investigation. C intervened in the argument and took H to calm down. H wouldn't say anything about relation with Singer - who they deduced was missing. Then C realized that Gibb's was "setting them up" allowing them to talk because hearsay wouldn't apply when Gibb's questioned C he would have to tell everything that H had said. H said "he wouldn't be that devious"; C replied that "he reminds me a lot of you." C then called Gibb's on his plan and said that "the only thing H told me was that he didn't kill Singer or know who did." They found blood on a bridge that matched Singers. Manetti revealed that the bartender had told her Singer was seeing a civilian - thereby revealing H's unofficial investigation - which then Mac showed that she didn't know about. Blackadder wanted to go for H's jugular but Gibbs said that H was so good that if they didn't tie up the pieces H "would do an OJ, even without a defense attorney." H called Sergei from a pay phone. He was preparing for his wedding to Galina, had been in country 3 weeks earlier, hadn't seen Singer since H had made her call him, and believed Singer when she said that the baby wasn't his. Abby, a weird nurd-like, path tech said that Singer had died within 2 hours of a snack at a bar, and found Sergei's Moscow cell phone number on a Benzinger's napkin. Ducky surprised them all with findings that Singer had been frozen and therefore killed between the 4th and 6th of Jan. The fetus' blood type showed that H couldn't have been the father.

Gibbs was shown in private conversation with "Director" (Morrow) who asked about their "prime suspect." Gibbs told him it was H. "Director" told him that, as their top interrogator, he needed to wind up his murder investigation quickly because he was needed to extract info from Atwa who intel said was planning another "grey hull attack." Coats told Gibbs of hearing H's heated discussion with Singer at Benzinger's. Marines found a Navy hat near the murder site and H's fingerprints were found in Singer's impounded car. Gibbs interrogated H at his headquarters. He hadn't read him his rights so H postured that he could leave. Gibbs threatened to tattle to C, so H stayed. Gibb's played mind games with H, trying to entrap him. Blackadder emailed Gibbs to "read him his rights" but Gibb's didn't. Dinozzo told her that Gibb's was "setting him up." H banged his hand on their two-way glass, causing feedback in their microphones. Gibb's got harm defending Sergei and bullied him into saying that he had written Sergei's phone number on a napkin from Benzinger's for Singer. While H was making excuses for Sergei, Gibb's began telling him his rights. H said he waved them and forcefully asked Gibb's if, with his experience, he could tell if someone had murdered someone. Gibbs claimed that he could so harm demanded him to look into his eyes and "ask me." While Dinozzo was cuffing H, Gibbs continued his attempts at entrapment by deceitfully asking "would you kill for your brother?" [Continued in next episode]

Second Acts - 177

[The "conclusion" of one part of the "back story," and setup to another part, which will "cleanse" the show of some worn out bad guys] Petty Officer 3rd class Steven Wilson single handedly stopped a suicide attack on Marine Corps camp Stronghold Freedom saving his platoon, and Stewart Dunston of ZNN, on national television. He refused to talk to Dunston but Jennifer Bruder saw him on television and recognized him as her husbands partner, thought to be killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center. When she confronted him he also refused to talk to her so she reported him as the imposter, Matthew Divine. Harm represented the wife of dead Tom Bruder, identifying with her "need for closure." Turner defended Divine in his hearing before the board. H couldn't compel Divine to talk to Bruder, even though she wanted it, so he called her to testify at the hearing in front of Divine. Her teary-eyed story prompted Divine to finally reveal that he and Tom were basically shyster investment bankers conning "new money" to cover old losses, and were penniless and considering bankruptcy when the planes hit the building. The ceiling collapsed on Tom and with his dying breath requested a "promise never to let his wife find out." Divine wanted to start a new life so joined the MC becoming an exemplary soldier. The board found him guilty of fraudulent enlistment but retained him on active duty.

The SECNAV told Chegwidden he "had to" proceed with action on Lindsey's report. C said that Sheffield had "lost confidence in his ability to lead" and the SECNAV told him to refute the charges. Back at the JAG office, without invitation everyone gravitated into Cs office where he said he was considering resigning & that L had "dredged up every irrelevant smear he could put his hands on." His office was causing too much "bad press" and problems for the poor Chief of Information. To soften people's dismay he slipped that he and Meredith were planning on getting married. Ls report called Mac a "security risk" and H a "loose cannon showing a consistent and reckless disregard for responsibility." They all were puzzled on how L could obtain all these details in just a week without having legal access to confidential personnel files. L was shown deleting all the files on his laptop computer. M presented the dossier of rebuttal they had prepared and challenged Cs offer to resign because he was thinking that L was being personally vindictive and that his staff was just getting caught in the fallout. She told him of Ls threat to H to "split up the group and scatter them to the four winds." So Cs offer to "fall on his sword was no accepted." He dismissed her but, pausing, said "thanks." The SECNAV acknowledged that he probably "picked the wrong person for the investigation because L had a 'history' with C." Then he was shown verbally reaming out L in front of C, telling him his report was highly biased and that now L would be investigated. The SECNAV said "get out of the building ASAP" and "goodbye." He apologized to C, said his "confidence was restored," and that he would be getting an official letter of apology. Sheffield finally admitted that he had forced Traci Manetti, who had just returned from TAD in Pearl Harbor, into JAG as his "eyes and ears." He said that when she read the report she was incensed and "scathingly" called it "a hatchet job." She will only be with JAG for a couple more weeks then he had "another assignment" for her.

Expectedly, it was Harriet who meddled and not only slipped to Meredith Cs engagement intention; but, kept digging in deeper until M was upset that C hadn't "officially" discussed it with her. Meredith's demeanor showed surprise and hesitancy but she basically talked about how it was C who hadn't done things the "right" way. She stormed out, standing him up for dinner, exclaiming "we'll get back to this when you're more prepared and I know more about what's going on."

Sergei had flown in for a visit and introduced H to Galina Boricova, his stewardess fiancé. When H said that they hadn't parted very well, Sergei said that "he had gotten over it. He was lonely then but not any more." He said that he had not heard from Singer and H told him that he had forced her to make her last call to him. He told Sergei that he thought Singer was "lying" to him about who the father was for her baby. Sergei didn't believe H and said that her pregnancy was just a "coincidence" with their "one night stand." Singer, he said, was "a woman who had no trouble with more than one man at a time." H apparently believed Sergei and agreed to go to Russia and be his best man.

Ready or Not - 166

H defended Marine Maj Gen Lucas West (red team) charged with disobeying orders of Army Lt Genl Anthony Manzarek (joint ops leader) when he won a war game that he claimed was "rigged." West used small zodiac boats, troops had shoulder fired missiles and corporate jets were loaded with fuel and TNT and they ran directly at the battle group and disabled it. Manzarek wanted to put a punitive letter in West's record but he refused wanting his day in court. Blue team admiral Tucci whined that he was "killed" unfairly so he had to be "reconstituted" to finish the game. "West," he said, "had targeted their communications which is what the games had been scripted to test." Manzarek claimed he had disobeyed orders to stand down, but West said they had no communications as they were being jammed. Col Haller, West's chief of staff, told harm that they did have an emergency channel to communicate only "real world" emergencies. Turner brought up a previous incident of West's 10 years earlier when his battalion killed a column of Republican Guard who were "retreating" after having fired on West's men, after the cease fire had been called but before he had received the message. Harm found that Manzarek had testified against him back then as well and was angry when West had been cleared. West sent an Email to Oliver North who ranted about it on his radio talk show.

Mac was the judge for this trial and she dogged Hs standard courtroom procedures to the point that he said "I know, sustained" before she had the chance to do it. She let Turner get away with things that she wouldn't allow H. H tried to deal with Turner but he wouldn't. Haller then brought H a copy of West's complete battle plan that he had surreptitiously given to Manzarek 5 months before the game- a spy. He said he had originally been told West was a loose cannon but had now changed his mind. H reamed Manzarek on the stand and made him look like a fool . It was obvious that he had rigged the game to get rid of "an officer which he had branded as corrosive and disruptive." West was found not guilty on all counts. T said he was glad this one was over and H said "you and me both and appeal before this judge would be murder."

Meredith nearly killed C in her car saying she had been to "rally school." During a dinner she admitted to wounding her male high school home economics partner with a knife requiring stitches & loosing his tennis scholarship. He had a great dinner with her and said "I can't believe it." She admitted to having purchased their dinner at a restaurant." C tried, but failed, to confront her about her penchant for danger.

B & Ht had an open-house where C told him that his coming back was up to the doctors. M said the crab cakes looked "dangerous" and H asked her if that was a "ruling or an opinion." B found Manetti in his old office and she called him a "legend around the office" and a "true northern gentleman." He was approved to return to limited duty. Full duty would be determined by the Physical Review Board (85% fail).

In Thin Air - 163

H investigated the death of Cdr Phil Zuzello by asphyxiation due to LOX (liquid oxygen) system failure. He was the RIO and long time friend of Lt Sam Albrecht. When H said that "things didn't add up" Albrecht said that Zuzello had "barely passed his O2 demonstration" and it was his last mission. Then a Sr Chief told H to "look at" PO Moritz, the plane captain, who had been fouling up a lot recently. Moritz admitted that he had used graphite to get the LOX bottle to attach to the plane because it always stuck but didn't get any in the fitting. Apparently H didn't believe him because he recommended charging Moritz when tests revealed graphite in the LOX system.

M was sent for a JAG consult to the widow who eventually had to decide to "pull the plug" which raised the charge to negligent homicide. Then C assigned H to defend Moritz over Hs vehement objections- but was told that Moritz had specifically requested him on the recommendation of one of Hs previous clients. But H didn't do a very thorough job of defense and Moritz finally requested that C appoint someone else. C "severed" H and gave the case to Turner. When H pointed out that he had been forced into the assignment in the first place C informed H that the assignment had been "a test" to see if he could be impartial and trusted for judgeship. T took over and recalled witnesses and did the thorough job that H should have done. He saw M & H talk about the case despite being severed & when M used "aviator talk" in court he claimed misconduct. T & H traded sarcasms when C talked to them about it. H said that he believed that Moritz should have to take the whole blame and would like to prove it. C asked if "this involves a trip to a carrier" then told H "not to press his luck" while he waits for the judges ruling on Ts charge. H convinced Albrecht to replicate the flight looking for a roll-sas failure and "wing rock" but uncovered that Albrecht had vertigo which nearly killed them both. Zuzello had told his wife that he had had "a close call" before he died.

M, seeking the truth, helped T discover that Albrecht had been using his backup O2 for 4 minutes before he reported the oxygen failure and began a slow descent and had also been a LOX tech before becoming a pilot. He had killed Zuzello to prevent him from reporting Albrecht's problem. Moritz apologized and thanked H for what he had done. T heard it and asked if H would be "as easy on him." H said he would if T bought him a drink.

Ht manipulated & interfered w/ B behind his back. She said she would take him to rehab and he said he had a week off. Then she called the doctor behind his back to find that he had "overworked" his good leg and then indignantly accused B of lying to her. She told Tiner to stop sending a list of cases to B then to lie and say that it had been Cs new policy and C was out of the office. B found out & finally blew up at her over-protection. She claimed that all her manipulation was done "for him" prompting B to finally tell her "well it's MY life, so leave the DOING to me." B & Ht visited JAG bringing pizza.

Port Chicago - 154

Turner defended retired Chief Aubrey McBride who was charged, along with 49 others, with mutiny when they refused to go back to loading ammunition during WWII after 320 men were killed in an explosion at Port Chicago. The chief, a black man pensioned after 30 yrs of service, said he "owed his buddy Randall Winston" who had just died; so, he demanded "his day in court." He said that it had been a racial issue. C assigned Singer to prosecute; but, when she became hatefully vindictive he assigned Mac to 2nd chair in order to "tone her down." M said that she'd "rather have the electric chair." When the SECNAV was convinced that it would look bad on him he offered the chief a deal. The chief turned down the offer of: an apology to all the men, that racial prejudice had influenced assignments, conditions had been hazardous and discriminatory, a presidential pardon for 50, and congressional exoneration. So, S widened the charges. H advised T, who was defending Aubrey, to make S deal with the racial conditions. He got his father, Chaplain Turner, to testify. The "secret meeting" that was observed being held by the black men in the brig, was to get the men to OBEY their orders. The men had asked for safety changes but they only recieved GLOVES! The Chief was found not guilty on all counts.

H tried to fix Harriet's refrigerator, then she begged him to help her buy a house. He agreed on the condition that she told B that she was accepting her fathers money for the house. She lied to H and didn't tell B. B was also not telling Ht about Co being his legal man.

Hero Worship - 152

[a well crafted episode] The SECNAV ordered Chegwidden to send Harm and Mac to investigate the captain of the old destroyer, USS John Cooper, for a "lack of leadership" under the guise of investigating a galley fire. Seaman Tim Holley of sick bay, a 4th generation "squid," was trying to live up to his fathers accomplishments and saved seaman Todd Raff's life from a fire. Raff admitted to smoking in the galley. M reccommended an article 32 but the captain wanted to handle it merely with a captain's mast. Adm Albrecht, of SURFLANT, wanted "to send message to the captain" so took authority himself and ordered the article 32 hearing. H eventually showed that a sparking electrical short could have caused the fire. M, the prosecutor, said that "Albrecht wanted Raff out to teach the captain a lesson." H then found an Oxygen tank leak from sickbay had acted as an accelerant causing flash over. Raff wouldn't let H use it however, out of loyalty to Holley's career. So he was sent to court-martial. H told M that it was out of the "price of Loyalty."

C consulted with Carl Messing, a White House aide, in producing a white house dinner honoring all the surviving medal of honor recipients. One hero, Cpl. Henry Guernsey was excluded by the white house Chief of Staff because he had a pending court date for shoplifting. C went to meet Guernsey and found that he was over 80, confused and barely coping since his wife had died. Guernsey had held off 400 Japanese with 2 boxes of hand grenades, saving his platoon. Meredith forced C into a picnic on a lawn and made terrible tasting food, but gave C insight into helping Guernsey himself. C connected Guernsey with an organization to obtain a roommate, got him a uniform and arranged an alternative party specifically for him with his old 2nd platoon. C told Messing that "undervaluing their contribution because he's imperfect makes us look petty and thoughtless." The only persons so described were the president's COS and Adm Albrecht who both "got their own ways" but never found out just how petty they were. B was exonerated from his dereliction charges but C told him it was "not your finest hour." B & Harriet were trying to decide upon a next duty station to use his "second chance" to further his career.

Head to Toe - 149

H & M in Saudi Arabia defending a "Condor" pilot, Lt Stephanie Donato, for disobeying DOD & her base commander's orders; namely: not wearing an abeya with a veil and driving herself (i.e. in front seat) in an automobile with a male escort. She was told that the Abeya and veil rule "would be reconsidered" when she was assigned to fly food drops. It wasn't, so she complained to her CO and eventually wrote 8 letters and openly petitioned the Secretary of Defense. A security guard caught her in the restaurant and ordered her into an abeya and into the back seat of his vehicle. She disobeyed hence the court-martial. Throughout the episode H & M several times worked out compromises with prosecutor Lt Col Sara Coffey; however, her temper & tongue dug her in deeper. She apologized to a Muslim cleric who was "offended" by seeing her in the restaurant. When he started to pontificate about American women "not thinking" she told him that "a man who doesn't treat females any better than camels in his garage doesn't deserve to be in their company."

Really trying to avoid publicity Coffey kept offering to "deal." She asked H & M to meet her in town where she was participating in a meeting. M had to wear an abeya and veil and was shown being knocked into by Saudi men who treated her as if she wasn't there. She finally tore it off and said that they "wouldn't deal." Harm finally got her to explain that "it diminishes a woman's ability to be taken seriously." Additionally Donato was determined to publicize the issue but they were loosing. While flying a mission Donato had to emergency land in the desert due to engine failure. When, instead of trying to help, a local policeman tried to embarrass her and force an abeya on her she elbowed him in the gut. Then the men in her unit joined her crusade stating that "The Saudi's instead of offering help tried to humiliate her" and that the regs were "inconsistent w/ rules of good order & discipline & erode unit cohesion." No one needs to salute a female officer in an abeya if they don't know what rank she was. The final finding was that she did disobey orders but with extenuating circumstances so no court-martial. Gen Sawyer said unless she disbanded crusade he would ground her. Coffey answered the press for Donato: "DOD must realize that short term solutions cause long term problems"; and that we "look forward to the day when not one member of armed forces will be forced to suffer disrespect as a price for victory."

Leatham told H that she wanted to be kept "in loop" on the women's issue. C counseled T to "have some fun." So T took Leatham on a date to an Afghan restaurant where she didn't like either the food or sitting on the floor. She then suggested that they go to a Salsa club which he didn't like. B & Ht arrived late at the restaurant w/o reservations due to babysitter problems & joined their "not talking to each other" first date. T apologized to B & Ht for putting them in the middle and Ht counseled him to "try again." He did, and convinced Leatham to meet him at a "neutral place" to try again and took her to baby-sit little AJ to give B & Ht another chance at a date.

Capital Crimes - 146

M thought she had dream of her own death until she had flashbacks. She drug a frustrated Turner around, and eventually found the body of Cdr Laura Aikin who was working on nuclear disarmament pact with them. M pointed to a map and police found Yuri Lentov, an itinerant Russian cab driver, who had Aikins pack, wallet and credit cards. T asked why M just didn't "get over" H and "move on." M blurted out "it wouldn't work cause I'm in love w/ him" - then swore T to secrecy.

After several misleads, increasingly frustrating to T, M said they made a good team because he was cerebral and compulsive and she "not." They found that Aikin was pregnant w/ the child of director Morgan Deitz of a disarmament company who had lied to her about leaving his wife. Also that she had been harassed by Deitz's wife after being discovered by her. They also found that she had uncovered some weapons grade uranium missing from her inspections of Nerpa shipyard in Russia. Later they discovered that Lentov had: called a security officer at Nerpa shipyard several times; smuggled arms to Chechen Islamic fundamentalist rebels; and converted to Islam while in the Russian army. When threatened with deportation Lentov eventually gave the whereabouts of his accomplices & a seal team captured the ship.

H went to the USS Patrick Henry alone to investigate an incident during a "vertical replenishment" in which the JAG Lt Yuen had recommended charging the captain and half the crew. As standard procedure when JAG is in the chain of command, H "started over" which aggravated Yuen. Capt Ingles had ordered replenishment into the dark in 18 foot seas. PO Horton, a signalman, was directing the helicopter in his 3rd consecutive shift. A blue shirt, Gladstone, may have not adequately discharged the static electricity before the load set down thereby sparking and setting off the magnesium flares which ignited the ammunition injuring rookie airman J Lurie. Finally, to shut off further involvement of crew, the Capt accepted blame; but, H decided the mishap didn't require further charges, which further angered Yuen. H thanked Ingles for rescuing him from his mishap and said that he wished he was back on the carrier.
S barged into Hs apartment when he was gone, went through mail, snooping, met Sergei - who thought she was "pretty lady" even with her hair in a "fist." M reminded T if he let slip their "secret - you won't have a six." He retored, "is this what it's like being friends w/ you?" She said, "It's just the beginning."

Ambush - 140

Because of Harm's (H) "run of bad luck" in the courtroom Chegwidden (C) assigned him the Capt "FRUTT" case in Quantico. Mac (M) was assigned the investigation of Capt William Shepard who had led his men into an ambush in Sierra Leone, which killed six. H became very anxious about the assignments and said that he "wasn't without influence on the hill" which was needed in the Shepard case. C reluctantly agreed and swapped their assignments. To help with Hs run of bad luck Tiner (Ti)gave H a velcro'd statue of Saint Ivo of Kermartin, the patron saint of lawyers, to put on his cars dashboard. Harriet (Ht)gave H a copy of "7 Secrets of Highly Successful Lawyers" by Don McGill (the writer of this episode) and Bud (B)let slip that she had also given a copy to him after he had lost his first case.

B assisted H investigate the incident and found that Shepard had "exceeded the rules of engagement" by splitting off from a convoy he was escorting to go in pursuit of War-Lord Col Mohammed Makani, leader of a faction in the civil war who had been targeting US peace keeping forces. The convening authority didn't follow Hs recommendations and ordered a public court-martial due to public and political pressure. Shepard said that he had been given verbal orders to take out Makani by Col Klesco who then denied giving them. Turner (T), the prosecutor, showed that Shepard had posted a wanted poster and reward of up to $90 for Makani and had twice before broken away from an escort mission in pursuit of Makani. Congresswoman Leatham (L)invited H to a party where a new missile was going to be unveiled. T was also there and was introduced to L. At the party H met ex-Maj Frank Seawell who said that he had been given verbal orders by Klesco to take out a Taliban leader after the Bekea Valley army barracks bombing. He did so with faulty Intel and ended up killing the whole family. Klesco "left him hanging" back then too. H also found that Klesco had been subpoenaed before the "National Security Sub-Committee" chaired by Bobbi Leatham and Leatham had sent several SPECAT messages asking Klesco to capture Makani. Klesco had armed and fueled all his men for "aggression" not just escort. Because Seawell didn't want to testify H tricked Klesco into admitting giving verbal orders in Bekea Valley and also to Shepard. Shepard was found not-guilty. T said he "didn't mind loosing this time," Leatham, very angry, told T to "talk some sense into" H. She told H that "Shepard wasn't the only one to receive 'unofficial' orders" but wouldn't say who had given them to her. Klesco told H he had no hard feelings and "may need a good attorney." H agreed to help if necessary.

M's "FRUTT" case was a "peeping tom" incident which used the "Forward Remote Unmanned Tracking & Transmission" hovercraft being developed in Maj Millan's unit. The mother of a 17 year-old girl caught the unit hovering outside her daughters bedroom window and went mental hitting it with a broom. She demanded M to "throw the book at him" to "protect her daughters virtue." M eventually found that Maj Millan had "borrowed" the unit in order to catch his own daughter who had been sneaking out of the house. Before he could do it though, the unit was stolen out of his locked car. M found that it was Millan's 13 year old teckky son who had thought the girl was pretty and just wanted to "hang out." He was upset when M wouldn't just let him apologize by Email. He was grounded to "Low tech" by his father and M told C that the boy would get "much worse" from the angry mother. Maj Millan would receive a letter of reprimand.