Whole New Ballgame - 209

[Introduction of Chegwidden's replacement. Unfortunately, the "writer's" made a big mistake in what character types the viewers would tolerate.] Marine Col. Gordon Creswell (Cr) saved Gen Bixby from a helicopter crash in Iraq and was then made counsel to the joint chiefs of staff. He became the president's candidate for JAG, now that Chegwidden had gone. The SECNAV claimed that "no one wants to saddle our good JAG lawyers with someone so bereft of people skills that they alienate all of them." [Too bad he didn't tell that to the writers] He then appointed his long time friend, Admiral Tom Kly, as president of the selection board, consisting of 2 marine and 2 navy admirals - despite Kly's warnings of its appearance of impropriety. Bud (B) was appointed clerk of the board by Turner (T) , and was asked stupid questions during the very heated debates. Creswell was finally selected.

Harm (H) was still upset by the appointment of T as interim JAG. T sent H and Mac (M) to investigate the shooting incident, of a Canadian Indians' son, by an ensign, from the US vessel called in to settle a fishing dispute between Wolf Tillicum and long time nemesis George Young. The Ensign claimed that Tillicum's son had threatened their inflatable with a rifle. The son initially denied it, claiming that it had only been a gaffing hook, but then changed his story under Hs questioning. M was very upset at Cr's nomination because he was the Okinawa JAG who had reprimanded John Farrell when she had her affair with him. She felt that Cr will hold it against her and harass her over it. The SECNAV was uneasy over Cr's lack of people skills and emotion. When told of his selection, Cr said "I'll wait until it's in writing," then told the SECNAV "the part of me that you find unsettling (the marine part) won't go away."

Because of the SECNAVs use of Kly as chairman, the SECDEF decided to hold formal senate armed services committee confirmation hearings. Cr was asked about his feelings on homosexuality by Joyce Brothers; the legality of the Iraq war; holding detainees; and then, stupidly, about a specific rape case by a sniveling, snotty southern senator with an apparent axe to grind. All four on the panel seemed to act vigorously against incumbent policies and be very political. When a panelist told Cr that the Iraq war was not legal, Cr responded "tell that to the men being shot at." When pressured, Cr told the sniveling senator not to retrospectively sensationalize the rape case for purposes of the hearing. Additionally, he voiced that both sides of isle had played on the natural fear of people over the security of their homeland for political purposes, and that the "law is blind and doesn't care if you get re-elected next year." Coates & M had "heart to heart's" about boyfriends and fathers. M was not unhappy being told that "Cr imploded before the committee," and the episode ended showing Cr back in his old office after the hearing, believing that he would not be confirmed.

Retrial - 210

[Turner is still acting JAG, Mac is still crusty with Harm and Bellisario is still giving them "soft" (non-action) cases. They also seem to have replaced the "love distraction," which Mac has lost, with one for Harm, preventing them from reconciling their differences.] A legal student, Rachel Hanna, uncovered new DNA evidence which she felt proved that Saul Wainright hadn't committed the murder of a transvestite hooker, Tamaray, for which he had been a prisoner in Leavenworth for 22 years. With her professor, Alicia Montez [the new "interest" for Harm], she convinced Harm (H) to review the case and intervene. But, H felt that Tamaray's blood on Wainright's knife, the knife cut on his face and his prints on the knife, all proved that Wainright was guilty. Wainright claimed, however, that when he was in the alley, and had realized that Tamaray was a transvestite, he wouldn't pay, so Tamaray pulled his knife and cut Wainright on the face. He said that defending himself, he had wrestled with Tamaray, and the knife accidentally stabbed Tamaray once. He then ran and threw the knife away. Unexplainedly, however, Tamaray had been stabbed 12 times. Hanna found that there had been another murder of a prostitute the following day, by someone named Waldo Sapphire; and, although Sapphire had died in prison, she subpoenaed his shirt and found Tamaray's DNA on it. H realized that, after this length of time, only the president could order another retrial; but, Turner (T) said he wouldn't go to the line for H, unless he had more than the DNA evidence - even when H asked him to "trust me." Hanna also stole records from Henry Kale's office, who was the former prosecutor of Waldo Sapphire. The records showed that Sapphire had been willing to confess to "another murder," for a plea bargain. Kale said he had given the information to Wainright's prosecutor, Lt. Cdr. Marvin Bolton - now a congressman; but Bolton had failed to turn it over to the defense, as required by the Supreme Court Brady decision. The SECNAV insisted on keeping the president out of it, because Bolton had led the opposition against the president's weapons program and now it would just look like "payback." When the SECNAV told harm "maybe next year," H didn't respond kindly. He argued that: this innocent man has spent 22 years behind bars, it's a mockery, and he can't wait another year just for political reasons! The SECNAV talked to Bolton, who admitted knowing the information; but, as expected, threatened the SECNAV for doing "payback." Trying to defuse the situation, the SECNAV authorized a simple pardon; but, when H offered it to Wainright, he refused it, saying that he wanted a whole new trial. Finally, the SECNAV got the president to authorize a new trial, stating that he "didn't like to be threatened." H asked T to let him to defend Wainright and T assigned himself to prosecute, against H. H called Bolton to testify and made him look a fool. Bolton threatened H that "your career is over!" Harm replied "so's yours." T tried to shame H about "not doing his homework," when he uncovered that Hanna was actually Wainright's daughter, and he claimed that Hanna had switched shirts while they were in her possession in order to free her father. But H showed that, in the first trial, Wainright's shirt was shown to have two types of blood - his, from the cut, and Tamaray's; while the shirt now in question, with the newly discovered DNA, showed only one type of blood - Tamaray's. He muttered back to T: "you should have done your homework, counselor." Wainwright was exonerated for murder.

Mac (M) prosecuted and Bud (B) defended Morris Renfield, found to have four wives. He had a job which required extended deployments, and had married all four in different areas of deployment, had children with two and financed it from his fathers trust fund. M took the whole thing personally, showing contempt for Renfield, who was sickeningly sweet. Renfield inappropriately tried to get personal with M, telling her that he "just knew she had been hurt" in the past. All of his wives loved him and tried to get M to drop the charges. Finally, when M wouldn't relent, they drew straws and all but one divorced him. That way M could drop the charges. She finally relented, but said she found his actions reprehensible and recommended dishonorable discharge with loss of pay and allowances. M asked H what had changed between he and T, because they "used to be friends." He said "people change, they grow apart," then interjected that he was still talking about he and T. She ragged on him about being attracted to Montez, and he said "when have I ever compromised my integrity for a woman?" She responded, "you've never compromised anything for a woman." Montez told H that Bolton was a bad enemy to have, and that she would help H "watch his back."

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."

Hail and Farewell (Part II) - 207

[Follow-up sequel to last season's finale and the first without Chegwidden who has left the series.] Mac (M) returned to her apartment late and found that it had been trashed. Simon Tanveer (MI6 agent) was there, stabbed, and claiming to be "saving her life." He told her that he thought Webb (W) was still alive. He stayed in Ms apartment, because "everyone who knew W was in danger" from Peter Tyrook, "the Hawk," a contract killer who was looking for W. W had been planning to do a "sting" on Tyrook; but, now the tables were turned and W was the target. M tried to get Turner (T) to tell her what he had found during his investigation of Ws death; but, instead of just telling her he found nothing, he acted like he just "wouldn't tell her." She went to Ws apartment and heard him punching codes, to retrieve his messages from the answering machine, but he wouldn't answer her. She talked to Laurie June, Ws assistant, and asked her to "think about" telling her where W was. Later, while Tanveer was with her, M got a call from Laurie who merely said W was at "Mandalay." They went to Laurie's apartment and found she had been tortured to death. Tanveer and M were walking in the park and were shot at by W, but it missed. M talked to Ws mother to tell her about: Laurie's murder, "Mandalay," and to protect herself from "the Hawk." M finally told Harm (H) about it all; and, with Coates' help (by remembering the words to a poem about "Manderley"), deduced that W was at their families old home named "Manderley." Searching it, M & Tanveer found clothes in the house, and H found W on the beach. Tanveer got the drop on M, then admitted to being "the Hawk," who was a fictitious person. He said that he had stabbed himself, then trashed her apartment, killed Laurie, automated the phone call and was using M for his bait. He then got the drop on W, who was attempting a rescue, and H got the drop on Tanveer. But Tanveer still had M hostage, so he captured them all. While threatening to kill M, in order to find out how much info W had obtained about the Al Qaeda, Mrs. Webb appeared and shot Tanveer three times. M had it out with W for lying to her and walked out on him. W asked his boss, Kershaw, how he could "be who I am and still be with her." Kershaw didn't give him an answer and said that it was time for him to "come in from the cold."

The SECNAV appointed Turner as temporary JAG. Probably, as Coates observed, because he wasn't at all put off by the mindless paperwork and politics. H was very annoyed by all the "make work" T was dumping on them, instead of "real" cases. H tried, the whole episode, to talk to M about her medical condition. She apparently has endometriosis, which was "mostly removed." She put him off and told H that she would come to him when she wanted to talk. Finally he tried again on the beach, after Tanveer had been killed, only to be put off again; so, he walked away, frustrated, saying "let me know when you're ready." Krennick was rumored to be on the "short list" for JAG, and H said that she was the only one "to have ever chased him around the desk." She was later said to have been "flagged" and taken off the list.

Hail and Farewell (Part I) - 205

[Season finale (a real downer!).] An attempt to rescue three men in a Zodiac life raft, during a severe storm, failed. Three of the men attempting the rescue, drowned as well. Chegwidden (C) sent Turner (T) to the Thomas Lyons to investigate, where he was stonewalled by the captain claiming to have a "classified" mission. T found little information, but when he went to fax his report back to Chegwidden, the communications officer said he would have to "check" the names in T's report against those on the "list" which were not to be released. Looking over his shoulder, T saw that Webb (W) was one of the classified three, who had been drowned. W had told M (M) that he was going to Germany, and promised that he would make his absence bearable for her by communicating with her every day. She began receiving German gifts, including a German singing group, and had flashbacks of their last few times together and his promises. T returned and bumbled around M which made her suspicious. She went to Ws office and found Laurie June, his assistant, closing out his office. She saw that Laurie had been sending M the presents, as if they had been sent by W himself, and tricked her into admitting that W was in the Tripler morgue.

Mattie began wearing her mothers old locket and told Harm (H) that her dad had not done any prison time after he had "killed her mother" by being drunk. That didn't make sense to H who investigated the police report and found that her father had not been drunk. H talked to Mattie's father, Tom, at his rehab facility, and heard him blame himself for being in "denial," and for not paying attention, which made him skid on the ice. He had the letters, that his wife had sent to him, and gave them to H for Mattie to read. Mattie refused point blank, but then didn't come home from school and missed her first Al-a-Teen meeting. She walked in, just as Coates and H were calling the police, then stormed into her room refusing to talk. Later she told H that she had read the letters and was reconciling with her father.

C began, according to Coates, "loosing it" by: singing "Ta Dah" after giving Harriet (Ht) a commendation from the SECNAV for her USO Christmas show; calling T by his first name; and giving Bud (B) two eagle bookends to "thin out his stuff." He discussed with B the "solid ceiling" he had on his rank, due to his handicap. Then he reserved the Annapolis officers club for his formal "dining out" party. He started the rumor, with Coates, that he was retiring, and gave her the manual for the Dining Out saying he would appoint an officer as "Mr. Vice." Ht announced that she was pregnant, with twins, and was requesting an inactive reserve billet. C appointed Ht as "Madame Vice" and had bagpipes play as he made his entrance as the "President of the Mess." Mikey (Mk) was charged with having his glass empty, and requested B as his council. B explained the infraction, and Mk was fined $5 to charity. H toasted C that his retirement would "take him to a place of peace, contentment and natural fibers." C gave a great speech about spending time with his daughter, visiting ball parks, and how he would remember everyone. As his last official act as JAG, he swore B in as Lt. Cdr., having written a six page letter to the promotions board. He was shown walking out of the club in slow-motion, looking back at everyone and remembering.

M had worsening back pain and H made a doctors appointment for her. The doctor said it was referred pain, and ordered a laparoscopy. She was shown giving M the results, but they weren't revealed out loud. She eventually talked with H and complained that men just "seem to come and go" in her life, except for him. When he said he would always be there for her, she said there was something that he had to know, and told him. He recalled for her their 5-year agreement which was up this week and told her: "the offer still holds." [So, it's anyone's guess what next season will be like - let's hope they are not going to mess with a good thing!]

Trojan Horse - 204

["Navy SEAL's come under the microscope when a large amount of heroin is intercepted and confiscated, only to have a kilo of it turn up missing. And Bud comes to the aid of a Marine singer who is being harassed by the record company that he is under contract to, when they object to him serving in the war."]

Coming Home - 202

["Harm helps protects a mother of a marine killed in action while serving in Iraq from overzealous reporters. In so doing, he works to prepare her for the upcoming burial of her son. Mac & Bud are called upon to see why armored vests given to soldiers in the field to protect them, instead are failing to do what they were designed to do."]

Fighting Words - 203

[The point that Mr. Witten was trying to make - and make and make and make - was that the, all to visible, Iraqi terrorists were NOT following the Muslim religious precepts that they profess. Unfortunately, so many points were superficial, and obvious counterpoints so often completely ignored, that the plot seemed contrived and forced. The self-serving, sensationalistic reporter was, however, all too familiar - if not an overused character type.]
The SECNAV introduced Major General Earl Watson and his Iraqi counterpart General Mohammed Jabra at a press conference where ZNN reporter Jill Waddington grandstanded and accused Watson of having an offensive attitude toward the Muslims. She claimed that she had "just happened upon" (a lie) Watsons guest sermon at a Baptist church, where he called it a "second rate religion" and that "we were doing battle with the devil." The SECNAV ordered a JAG investigation and (surprise) Harm (H) and Mac (M) disagreed on about everything. Watson told M that the religion "has a warrior streak which is too easily appropriated as justification for holy war." M began her arguments with him by saying that Islam explicitly condemned terrorism. Watson said that Waddington's reports weren't accurate or complete. He had spoken that it was "Christian duty to protect people from terrorism" and told the two to ask the congregation for the complete truth. Unfortunately they interviewed seven people who had all seemed to hear the talk completely differently. Turner (T) offered to help M, who was having back pain, with the prosecution saying that he had never heard his chaplain father say anything against any other religion. Then Waddington brought out never shown, archived footage of another "sermon" Watson gave 4 days after 9/11 over 2 1/2 years previously. Watson had said the US was under attack by people who were following the Koran's advice to "Fight unbelievers wherever you find them" and that we were "a Christian army who will win this holy war." The SECNAV bumped it to an official court of inquiry, closed to the press, who began asking questions like: why didn't you get your speech approved by public affairs? And why did you wear your uniform? M tried to belittle H saying: "why aren't you offended by his speech?" H told her that the general had spent, and nearly given, his life to defend our right for free speech, "now you want to take away his right to freedom of religion and speech - why doesn't that offend you?" T found that Waddington had actually received her tip from a Cpl Hamud who was getting out of the service.

T received notice of an investigation into his "anti-Korean bias" charge from Lt Yi. Chegwidden (C) assigned Bud (B) to investigate saying that if it wasn't true he wanted T's record cleared. B argued that he had been in the exact same place, having Ts career in his hands, a year ago. C quipped "well, fortunately, he survived that experience!" T worried to M that his prosecution of Watson was hypocritical. She told him that "you're far too obsessively rational to be prejudiced against anyone." T took B his notes and information and told him that he "would do a fine job." Coates (Co) nagged C for a press release and he told her that what the country needed was more baseball heroes. When she said she wasn't a fan of baseball, he said "I've fired people for less." He dictated a memo to the SECNAV and included the part about baseball heroes, so she said she would write the first draft for his signature. The whole gang cornered Co in M's office and asked about Meredith. H said "we know that you know something." She told them "yes, I do… and the admiral won't be saying those two words." Hamud told M that he had met Waddington doing a story at boot camp. He called her after hearing of Watson's new appointment because he had been offended by Watson's "trash talking Islam" at an "interfaith" sermon after 9/11.

The board of inquiry recommended court martial and on the stand Watson said that he had been asked to be a guest speaker at a church meeting, in a chapel, days after 9/11 when emotions were high and did wear his uniform but made it clear his opinions were his own. To M's caustic examination he said: "I expressed belief that God is not neutral in the struggle between freedom and terrorism. M sniped back that she "thought God would prefer that people didn't throw his name around quite so much." M called the SECNAV to testify against Watson but H countered all of her arguments. Jabra testified that most Americans "can't tell the difference between real Islam and the terrorist perversion of Islam." He said Watson's remarks didn't really bother them because they were "just words." After saying that the people were glad of the help to rid them of Saddam Hussein, he said that he could "cut Watson some slack" because the speech was made after 9/11. He then told the court that he, personally, found Christian ideas odd; so, "if I find your religion a little bizarre, I can't get angry with you finding mine equally strange." Waddington reported that she "wondered if the prosecution was really trying to win," and M called her a "stupid twit." T brought in reverend Haynes, from Watsons previous speech, to explain the slides he used. One showing Baghdad on fire he said showed "the devil in the smoke." Watson explained to H that while he was there with his men, in battle, in danger, he believed that "God had permitted him to see the face of the devil" which had given him the strength to go on. He gave H one potential witness for his character. Mrs. Sattar's husband, Ayman, was killed in a fedayeen ambush and Watson had come to the house to express condolences. When found that she had breast cancer that the Iraqi hospital couldn't help, he arranged for his church to bring her to America for treatment, let her live in their housing and drive her to the Mosque every Friday for worship. H called Watson to the stand and he did well. M felt it necessary to give a lesson on Islamic belief's saying that "Jihad" only meant "to struggle or strive," only considered "warfare justified for self-defense or liberation," had rules against killing "children, women, elderly and other non-combatants… including suicide." She said that "they are not following Islam any more than Timothy McVeigh was following Christianity." [The authors left out that McVeigh never claimed to be on a Christian crusade or that "official" Islamic leaders aren't seen to actively refute or "excommunicate" terrorists] The court found Watson not guilty on the charges; but, the judge recommended formal counseling and ordered not to assert belief's in public forums. As Watson was walking out with H and M, they saw a news report of 18 killed in a Fallujah suicide bombing by the "fire of Allah" claiming a "glorious victory in this holy war." Watson excused himself. H said "that's why we need men like the general." M sniped "or not."

Yi told B that T had allowed a sailor to antagonize a North Korean skipper and supported him being tied up. He said that T had made statements showing he had little respect for Koreans. B told Yi that he had spoken with his father, who had been shot by a black man, and found him to be bigoted against blacks. He asked Yi to tell him honestly that he hadn't at least once questioned his own motives against T. Yi dropped the charges and B told T that he "wasn't going to let you down this time." C told Co about the most famous Jew in the 1930's. Hank Greenberg, AKA "hammerin' hank" was a hall of fame 1st baseman and left fielder who took the Detroit Tigers to four world series. Greenberg, C said, did more to combat anti-Semitism in the 30's than any other man. "What the world needs now," C said, "is a Muslim who can hit 60 home runs!"

Hard Time - 201

[This is such an incredibly absurd episode, and the expectation that the JAG audience is gullible enough to believe it is so condescending, that it reduces it to the level of an adolescent 'soapbox opera' or 'sitcom.' It is hard for me to believe that it even deserves retelling! I wouldn't, except that the premise, that two 'poppy seed' bagles can ever be 'mistakenly' the source of a false positive drug screen, cannot be left unchallenged. Ms. Coen not only wrote an exceedingly poor episode; but, compounded it by perpetuating a drug user myth, and completely fabricating her own medical reality. The premises are childish, the dialog fabricated and the actions are out-of-character. Where is this series going?] Mac (M) prosecuted PFC Michelle Boyer for 'Heroin use' and won a conviction yielding 1 year confinement. The 'brig-chaser' let Boyer get in M's face and ask if she'd ever 'regretted sending someone away?" Then, when M answered 'no,' Boyer cold-cocked M to the ground. T asked for another three years, and the judge gave her four! Then, when M found that the same incompetent 'brig-chaser' was being assigned to move Boyer across country, she asked the convening authority, Col Okerman, to assign someone else. You guessed it, Okerman was the overused, arrogant, condescending, resenting women in military type and refused. Then, when Chegwidden (C) tried to intervene, Okerman demanded that M be assigned to do it (!) And C agreed (!!) They couldn't find military transport (!) went commercial (!) with a layover in Cincinnati - Boyer's 'hometown.' (!) Boyer 'disappeared' in 15 seconds from a restroom stall with M standing in front of it (!), then was recaptured when she went for a smoke (!). No more flights to San Diego until the next day and a weenie security boss forced M off the airport (!) Of course, sharing the same room made them best of buddies, so M took her the next day to see her daughter in her boyfriends custody (!) where she, again unattended, stole pills from a bathroom and tried suicide. Again, missing the apparently 'only' flight from Cincinnati to San Diego (!) and giving M the opportunity to feel sorry for her and take her to a beautician, and shopping and out to eat (!) Of course she would pig out on muffins and begin to retch and be taken to an ER where an eager 'intern' would recognize 'poppy seed' induced 'false positive' drug test and offer that 'some people's system's are more sensitive' and he would run 'allergy tests' to prove it (!!!!) C goes to bat for M against little Lord Fauntleroy Okerman to obtain a new trial and M testifies that even she wouldn't have had better control if she'd been falsely convicted (!) [This is the kind of crappy writing that lost the show ratings and got it cancelled!]

Harm (H) and Bud (H) were assigned the case of Senior Chief Paul De Fina who's CO, Stotler, stupidly revealed De Fina's HIV status to PO McMichael, who had gotten a 'couple of drops' of blood on his sleeve from De Fina's cut hand without either proper rationale or precautions for confidentiality. Of course, McMichael gossiped it all over the unit. Again, the arrogant, know-it-all Stotler not only compounded the harm by relieving De Fina of duty, but basically told H "oh well" when the harm his actions had caused was pointed out. De Fina wanted to proceed with charges for reversal of the decision but his wife, who was also HIV positive, refused to talk to H and B. De Fina had been shot in a rebel uprising in Africa and received 'tainted' blood according to the hospital. B, in his meticulous follow-up, found the treating doctor who said that he remembered the case and didn't give any blood transfusion. H and B manipulated a confession from De Fina's wife who had found she was HIV positive while her husband was away then let him think that he had infected her. De Fina filed for divorce and got a position as HIV case manager at Bethesda. Stotler wanted H to get De Fina back because he was now short of trainers; but, De Fina refused.

Meredith came to visit C. Coates didn't keep her out saying "I'll pay for this, but it's in his best interest." Meredith said she didn't come to patch things up or ask forgiveness, just "couldn't let us part without words." C said: "goodbye." When she said "I deserved that," he told her that "falling on your sword" was embarrassing and he wasn't "playing out a scene from a bad movie with you." She told him that "Allesandro is married, so I am not worthy of being with any man, especially you." And "I've done this four times. Two acts of unfaithfulness and two I just disappeared." She said it was a pathology, self-destructive behavior. He told her to "go to a Therapist and stop working it out on the unsuspecting." She tried to start requesting something; but, he shut her off with "not this time" and "somewhere down the line with someone else." She left.

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!"