Shifting Sand - 184

Harm, Mac & Webb came back from So America in time to tell Tiner goodbye to Officer's Candidate School then Naval Justice School. Coates is Chegwidden's new administrative assistant. M told H that the "earth doesn't stop spinning just because you leave the room" and B said "that's not what he tells me." M & H visited W in the hospital with nerve damage and they got "lovey dovey" so H walked out. C asked Turner to start giving him progress reports because "there have been calls" regarding his "inefficient council." Then, over Ts objections, C had to shout to take Hs office and "put up pictures." B dogged T to apologize but T told him to "leave him alone" to work it out. C welcomed M back but when H asked to come back too, C said he had forwarded his resignation immediately and H had been a civilian for 72 hours. He told H that he was "fed up with his lack of dependability; not being a team player; and being ruled by emotions." M argued but H said "he's just finally accepted that I'm unchangeable, as YOU have." T told H that C took it as a personal insult that "your respect for his authority had a ceiling." Dept CIA Director Kershaw called H and offered him a job explaining that Catherine Gale was his sponsor. He declined "because your world is too fluid" and he "needed moral consistent environment." Because the legal department was full, Kershaw asked him "what else do you do?" M overheard H telling W that he was going to be a CIA pilot from outside Ws hospital room. W welcomed H "to the brotherhood" and M left.

PO Allison La Porte, daughter of Rear Admiral Richard La Porte, fell out of a medevac helicopter in Kuwait and spent 12 years w/ the Bedouins. She was captured stealing Doxycycline, an antibiotic, from a military truck. Chegwidden sent Bud as sole investigator because there were "hardly any other senior officers." B whined and C finally had to back him down. He found that she had lain in a ditch with a broken pelvis for three days until the Al Hadi tribe found and cared for her without anyone to translate. Gradually the son of the Sheik, Jamal Ben Fahad, took a liking to her and played backgammon with her. Over the year she fell in love with him, embraced the Muslim faith, took the name "Hiba" and married. When the Sheik turned over the reigns she became the wife of the sheik. During the "black years" 10 years ago when Saddam undertook a wave of oppression against the Bedou he blocked off the rivers to prevent them from getting water. Allison treated her father rudely and he told Mac to "lock her up," it turned out so that she would be forced to stay and not go back to the dessert. He described her as trying to "save the world with love," "apolitical," and "guileless" after her mother had abandoned them. B prosecuted and Mac, back from Paraguay with Webb, defended.

W told M that Allison's tribe was spying for Saddam and that her father knew it. M confronted Adm La Porte for more evidence much to his consternation. She promised him that the info wouldn’t go beyond the room but accidentally gave B the file. He then blew up at her and C called her incompetent and purposefully blowing her case. When she said that it was an accident he said instead of having followed her convictions she was sloppy and stupid. C had to back him down in order to get him to stop ranting. The witnesses were pretty strong against her but M countered them on cross examination until B called Allison's father. He revealed that they knew the tribe had followed the troops with sophisticated listening devices. B made him realize for the first time that the troops were speaking English and Allison was the only one in the tribe who could speak English. He said that he had never even considered because of her nature. Allison said that she had brokered a deal with Saddam to open a river which he did but it had been so contaminated that it was brackish and they all got sick with Leptospirosis which is why she needed the antibiotics she was stealing. She was bound over for court-martial on both desertion and aiding the enemy charges and the admiral told her he would "find her husband and tell him that he was looking out for you."

A Tangled Webb II - (Part 4) - 183

[Season opener - DJEs contract signed - Harm's back. But, somewhere in this season "Chegwidden" decided to leave the series; and, probably "Harm" as well, but he was talked into staying for 'just one more season.' ] Harm was alone and unconscious in the crashed bi-winged airplane that he "rented" from the Mennonite farmer; but, Mac was gone. He had his pistol and found the trail of pregnancy clothing that she had left for him to follow. He was dizzy and couldn't see well so when he got to the road, and was nearly hit by a truck, he fired his gun at a pickup truck who's tire had blown. Mac called out to stop him then they both began their subtle sniping at each other that lasted through the whole episode. She had gone back to Sadik's farm and found everyone dead (except Fadik) so she took the truck. A cow stood in the middle of the road and H told M to "make her move." She delayed, so H took out his gun and said "we can always shoot her," which made M go "talk" to the cow. The cow listened then just walked away and when H asked "what did you say to it" M retorted "I just told her about you, and like every woman you've ever known she went screaming into the night." They went back to Hardy's office and found it abandoned.

Gunny got Webb to the hospital where they were in the same room as a pregnant woman trying to deliver her child. W offered to pay for the woman's expenses and the woman named the baby "Clayton" after him. W and Gunny went back to the hotel and found M and H. By then Hardy had heard of "the explosion" and "various middle eastern men found dead around the Chaco boreal," and came to offer "to help." He had told M and H that his secretary, Maria Elena, had been working for Raoul Garcia and that Sadik would probably contact her for help getting out of the country. M, who Maria Elena had never met, went to a bar to talk to her. She told M that she was going to Rio on forged passports with someone. Sadik, in disguise, saw M with her and killed Maria Elena. Together, at the hotel, H, M, W & G deduced that Sadik was going to leave country the next day with a shipment that Maria Elena had arranged for Hardy - on a train. They saw Sadik on the train as a conductor and chased him but he boarded another train and waved to them as it went down the tracks. They followed him to the next crossing but found that he had just disappeared from the train. H told M that they would most certainly see Sadik again because "he will try to kill us both."

The conversational sub-text of M and Hs sniping's at each other revealed that H was jealous of W. M said that, although W had admitted feelings for her for some time, she had gotten close to him only because they shared such an intense experience. She told H that it was nice to have someone state his intentions clearly and follow through. H told her of his prior "wedding" to Catherine Gayle; but admitted that it hadn't been for real. He told M that he had resigned his commission because of her. Each of them missed several opportunities to communicate and they were interrupted several times by W and others. H sniped that he hoped W fared better than her former fiancés and boyfriends; but, then apologized. M sniped that at least hers hadn't been a "sham" wedding." After Gunny and W left M said that she didn't want to go right back home because she was grateful to be alive and wanted to take it in a little bit longer. She said that "it could never work between them because they both want to be on top." [The closing was a repeat of the "waltzing Mathilda" goodbye scene of a previous episode in memoriam of Trevor Goddard (Mic Brumby) who died of suicide in June of 2003]

A Tangled Webb I - Part 3 - 182

[Follow-up to the previous 'cliff-hanger' type episode - itself a true cliff-hanger leaving H and Ms fate (and contracts) in a state of limbo - there was no 'to be continued' tag at the end of the episode!] Chegwidden notified Harm that Mac and Webb were missing in Paraguay. When C didn't approve Hs request to be sent to find M, nor his request for leave, H resigned his commission. C said "after you've given up your career and risked your life to save M what are you willing to risk to keep her?" H said he hadn't thought it through. H obtained contact with the CIA director through Catharine Gale; and although it was he who sent harm to bureau director Edward Hardy, Hardy still wouldn't help. He told H that "life is cheap, trust no one." Gunny had escaped M and Ws "rescue" battle with Sadik and eventually found H in the city. He took him to where W & M were being tortured by Sadik Fahd. W told M that he had asked specifically for her on this mission; because, he wanted her with him, and that he "wished he could die for us both." Sadik put them in the same cell with a captured missionary couple, Warren and Carla Robinson, who he was trying to use to obtain ransom money from their church. Carla then informed Sadik that M was not pregnant hoping to obtain his favor. After their church finally refused to pay ransom, Sadik shot the couple telling them: "there was Jesus and Judas" and that they had "followed the wrong example." H & Gunny arrived just in time to rescue W & M before M was tortured; but, Sadik escaped to go to the Stinger missiles in a semi-truck on a "Mennonite farm next a river." M kissed W in front of H who seemed very "taken back" by their familiarity. M continued to depict a pregnant woman and helped H rent a biplane from a Mennonite farmer under the pretext of being flown to the hospital. They found Sadik's trucks and dropped dynamite on the one with Stinger missiles which destroyed it in a fireball; but, they were shot at and damaged their plane which then crashed into jungle trees. Gunny took W back to obtain medical help.

Back at JAG, Coats was decompensating over worry. Harriet went around giving advice to everyone and even inflicted herself on Chegwidden by offering for her and Bud to be a "listening ear" (and, basically, a shoulder for him to cry on.) Then when C asked her if she'd "spoken about this to Bud" she said that she had not, and he said "well don't" then dismissed her. She exited telling Tiner that "things are just ducky… good if you're a duck" and went around the corner crying with her feelings hurt.

Pas de Deux - Part 2 - 181

When Garcia got the drop on them both and asked why he shouldn't shoot him W said that he could "make him rich" explaining that he had a "line" on Predator B missiles, van and 4 hellfire war heads. Garcia gave him back his gun and said that he and Mac, his wife, had "earned his trust." Garcia sent Gunny with Sadik's men to test the circuit boards then to bring back the drugs. He asked who would be backup and was told there would be none. Sadik's men kept using vague references to him like "he would be dealt with." W stopped the car to let M "relieve herself" and shot Alvaro Camacho, his driver, who he realized was a "mole" when there passed a look of recognition with Sadik's men. Edward Hardy, the CIA section chief in Paraguay, told W that he was no longer the youngest under secretary or rising star. He would give W help only if he could take credit for it- "your ticket out of her is going to have my name on it too." He was then shown going to a night meeting with some "drug lord looking" Spanish men. When it same time to take out Garcia's hacienda Hardy whined and waffled until M backed him down with full blame for letting a known enemy of the US escape. G was still waiting at Sadik's and saw them start to move the missiles so he used his cell phone to call W. Search lights came on and Sadik came on the line to tell W that "what he was looking for wasn't there." He told G that it would be a "long night for him" then took him to the veranda and had drinks with him. Finally he took him to the torture room where they were getting ready to use shocks when H & W showed up. Hardy had refused to help because "he didn't have intel." During the gunfight many of Sadik's men were killed and gunny escaped from the room but was shot as they were getting into the car. A grenade was thrown under the car and it exploded tipping the vehicle on its side.

Harm was inordinately worried about M and called Catherine Gale, CIA attorney, for some info or help finding W. She slammed him for "thinking the CIA is your own personal information kiosk." He wanted her to make a call and get him "into the loop." "There's no way in, that's why it's called the loop," she told him. She was notified of her mothers imminent demise so H drove her to the hospital. He was sucked into a role play as Gales fiancé by her lies to her mother and her brother's "arm twisting." From her death bead her mother manipulated and pressured H into getting married in her room before she died. H had B perform the ceremony who used a same sex ceremony from Denmark that he got off the internet and pronounced them "partners for life" using Harriet's ring. Then Gale's mother rallied and her condition was upgraded. She finally did put a call in to director Harrison Kershaw who said that even he couldn't get a hold of Webb because he was "on his own on this one." He told H that he'd looked at his service record and "if he ever found himself out of uniform to call him for a job."

Bud called H and said he was at home with Harriet and thanks for his criticism. Chegwidden and Meredith went around the office confirming their engagement.

Lawyers Guns and Money - Part 1 - 180

Webb returned from his 8 mo exile in Tierra De Fuego with a request of Chegwidden for use of Mac. His cover has been that he's a diamond dealer with a absent wife due to her pregnancy. Now he is supposed to make a diamond deal and must produce his "wife." M received training in recognizing diamonds and a "pregnancy suit." An al Qaeda terrorist named Sadik Fahd purchased 100 stinger missiles from a drug lord, Raul Garcia, for a large amount of coke. The stinger missiles were without circuit boards that made them fly straight which W was supplying for diamonds. W was out of his CIA territory and the area station chief told him that the operation was going to belong to both of them so he could get out of Paraguay too. W told M that he wanted her along specifically because there was a mole in the agency and he needed someone he could trust who could speak Farsi. He confessed to her that he "didn't trust himself anymore because he was taking too many chances." Garcia led them into the country and double-crossed them by bringing his and Sadik's henchmen. He tried to cheat on the deal but M discovered the cheap diamonds. Alvaro, their bodyguard, turned out to be acquainted with Sadik's men and dropped his gun; but, W noticed his actions. They also saw Gunny who was undercover inside Garcia's operation. After Garcia had the circuit boards he asked W to give him reasons "not to kill them."

Jeremy Duncan's conviction for stealing navy technology for videogames was being appealed by his civilian attorney, Harlan Bradford, claiming deficient defensy by Turner. B was speaking for the government and, again, was portrayed as bumbling and inadequate. Turner had asked H to "oversee" B so he held a "moot court" to help B prepare. Tiner acted as Bradford and came up with some obscure reasoning that H told B to expect. During the hearing B was flummoxed and basically said that he "acknowledged Ts lack of aggressive defense but that the law only entitled the defendant to 'adequate' defense." T stormed out of the room angry at B and then at H for listening to the "brain farts" of a law student. He told H that no matter what happened the panel would think he was "lazy and incompetent."

H got out of jail and was back in his office torn apart by NCIS. He tried to get close to M but she was already going w/ W. He asked her not to go and she asked him why "he only got like this when she had one foot out the door and couldn't respond?" H had bad dreams about M & W getting betrayed and killed and called Ws mother who said "Clayton is very protective of those he loves." Harriet was having pregnancy related discomforts and ended up talking to H because B wasn't listening. When B gave H excuses for botching Ts appeal, claiming to have "lost confidence," harm blew up at him and told him to "stop making excuses and start paying attention."

C tried several times to give an engagement ring to Meredith but first Tiner screwed up his arrangements causing embarrassment, then Meredith did her scatterbrained routine allowing "damit" to eat the cake the diamond was in. She finally caught on and asked him if he was trying to propose so C just gave her the ring.

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.

Fortunate Son - 176

[Part 1 of a pivotal episode in the "back story" plot of JAG] A Marine Corps aviator, Lt Bao Hien, was caught in an INS raid at a warehouse where a sweatshop found and told the police that he was "looking for something to steal." Completely out of character for a "hero" Harm didn't believe the story but he was not forthcoming w/ Harm, Turner & Coates either. After H confronted him with people smuggling he said that he had been rescued from Vietnam by soldiers when Saigon fell and he was merely trying to rescue those inside. His Vietnamese wife of one year also denied people smuggling but didn't know why he would steal. She had met him through Sunshine Brides a company who arranged mail order brides. Two of the sweatshop girls, Suong Khui, 15 years old, and Ly Truong, 14, refused to speak unless they were granted asylum. INS told T that Hien's credit card had been used to pay for 4 ship containers they believed had been used to smuggle people. T found that Mrs. Hien had worked in the sweatshop. Coates obtained a computer list from the secretary at "sunshine brides." When H talked to the sweatshop girls he had flashbacks of the 14 year-old Vietnamese girl, Gym, who he met when he ran away to Vietnam to look for his father with a man named Stryker when he was 16. She had been killed by Laotian border guards. T advised Chegwidden that they should proceed with a court martial against Hien but H said he wanted to continue the investigation... which C allowed. Then H followed up and obtained a ledger of "blackmailed" aliens by the owner, Danh Tu ("mother"), which he gave to INS for their "assistance." Mrs. Hien then said that when she had been married to Hien "mother" arranged to get her sister, Nam Ha, out in a container but had been holding her for ransom as they gradually worked off her purchase price by paying for containers. H obtained INS papers for the sweatshop girls so they would testify, then arranged: the arrest of "mother"; the citizenship of Mrs. Hien's sister and Hien's non-judicial punishment.

SECNAV Sheffeld visited JAG and commended H for "friendly fire" case and T for "empty quiver" case. Then told C that the Washington Post had been demanding an explanation of why 2-star admiral attorney is joyriding in a jet and ejects. He said that he had confidence that JAG would stand up to the investigation and sent Ted Lindsey to perform it. Lindsey began by assuring C that he held no grudges for when Cs promotion board passed him over for captain. Then proceeded to "dig up" dirt and do a "hatchet job" with the facts. He told C that he was investigating: "misallocation of personnel, lawyers traveling as tour groups when one would do, slight of hand with TAD requests, misappropriation of government property (i.e. H commandeering a Humvee in George Washington Nat'l Forrest. Interviewing Bud he maligned Cs "permanent, temporary assignment of Harriet to his office, stretching the definition of TAD. When Lindsey talked with Mac (who was acting as a judge) he commented on her career which had flourished despite "scandals of a dead husband and an affair with your CO." He said she must have a "special friend" who is an admiral." As she tried to walk out, he grabbed her elbow and got stared down until he apologized and threatened never to do it again. Interviewing Coates he commented on her "nasty near-court-martial for UA." Coates told him of Singers 5 mo maternity leave which he seemed not to be aware of. He maligned that both M & H had stayed to replace B after his injury as inappropriately excessive. T began his interview with Lindsey saying he "couldn't believe what he saw when he got there: the Cdr dumping aircraft, the Col re-routing an entire sea rescue on a hunch, H & B flying to Australia at the drop of the hat." Lindsey wanted to record it so he repeated that "they have the most unorthodox interpersonal dynamics of any group I've worked in which can be the only explanation for their exemplary track record… and that he liked working there." Finally he walked in to Hs office and H commented that he was "saving the best for last." Lindsey whined that H had "shot a gun in the courtroom, and personally burned through $1/4 billion of equipment in his career, 9/10 of it after he left flight status and became a lawyer." Also that "you've got more than enough to recommend a court-martial but you keep squandering navy time." "And the board though you were better than me," he said. H confronted him with having the "good child syndrome" where "I'm the bad son but get all the breaks." Lindsey advised that their days of getting the breaks were over because he was recommending that his friends at JAG all be reassigned. "Interpersonal incest around here makes it impossible for chain of command to function." He then left taking the wrong hat.

Empty Quiver - 175

Chegwidden appointed Mac as interim JAG while he recovered at home with an injured back, hand and foot and his new dog that helped save his life in the mountains. Meredith tried to help name the dog using Shakespeare names but nothing worked until it got into Cs chair and he said "get out dammit." The dog responded to his "name": dammit.

H defended Lt O'Dell the disbursing officer aboard a carrier who was being "framed" for fraud. (Unrealistically) Judge Helfman was progressing with the hearing without adequate investigation being done. H wanted to go aboard his ship but was told no by M. She didn't order him not to go so he went anyway. When he got there he found Turner just leaving to go to the USS Crawford on an investigation and the base going to lockdown. He was stuck on base and couldn't get back by Helfman's time of 1500. He told O'Dell to go ahead with the hearing and if he found anything on board his ship he would talk to the convening authority. H printed out all fax's and copies from the machine's memory and found several conflicting memo's and letters for armored cars sent after O'Dell was arrested but over his signature. The Master Chief helped H discover that PO Marin was the likely suspect. Marin disappeared from the ship and intercepted an armored car which was delivering $10 million for use during deployment that he had re-routed for 1 hour earlier than expected. He tried to escape in a boat because of the lockdown and was arrested before he got away.

Turner investigated a missing nuclear torpedo warhead from the submarine Crawford. He meticulously re-traced the entire 19 hr loading process. First four torpedoes were temporarily stored in tubes while the rest were loaded. When the ship went off shore power the ship went dark for a moment. When the lights came on a PO noticed the "loaded" tag on one tube had fallen to the floor. He put it back on without looking and hung the "empty" side. When they finished loading they moved three of the torpedoes from the tubes back to the racks- leaving the one with the mislabeled tag in the tube. Water slugs were fired believing the tags without checking so the torpedo dropped out onto ocean bottom below pier.