DUNGAREE JUSTICE

JAG:  C   Mac:  A-

I don't know about the rest of you, but my biggest question throughout this episode was "What is 'dungaree justice'?"  "Kip" was kind enough to provide an answer:  "In years past, Sailors and Marines would occasionally get tacit approval to go on liberty in their work uniform (dungarees for Sailors, fatigues for Marines).  These liberties were to right some wrong that had been done to shipmates by someone in the civilian population, usually a bar or a gang."  According to Kip, Donald Bellisario participated in such a liberty back when he was on active duty as a Marine.

Tsk, tsk.  Hopefully it wasn't the kind of glaring example of vigilantism we saw in this episode.  The trouble with people taking the law into their own hands, as we saw here, is that it's not always the guilty who wind up on the receiving end of a two-by-four.  The poor bar owner, Reardon, was guilty of nothing but trying to do the right thing by this drunken girl whose friends had ditched her.  For his troubles, he gets the hell beat out of him.  This on top of the fact that he had served his country during Vietnam and received a war wound that he's got to live with for the rest of his life.  Cripes.  They should call it "dungaree injustice."

I can't say I was impressed with the main storyline of this episode; it was okay, but not spectacular.  I think the main reason it wasn't as powerful as a rape story should be was a result of the casting (with the exception of Leo Rossi, who played the bar owner).  The young actress who played the rape victim just didn't have the acting chops to carry off this particular storyline.  The plot was somewhat predictable--I figured out early on that the bar owner was innocent of the rape and suspected that one or all of the sailors might be guilty.  But the guilty party wasn't the sailor I thought it was going to be, so that, at least, was a surprise.

At first I was disappointed that Mac's Article 32 hearing was over in about two minutes. But the scene between Mac and AJ which followed more than made up for it.  This was precisely the scene I'd been hoping to see since "People v. Mac."  What appeared to be a glossing over of Mac's transgressions in the Article 32 hearing turned into a punishment far worse than any the court could have awarded her:  It cost her the regard of a man of whom she thinks very highly, and whom she wants to think highly of her.  We've seen evidence of Mac's attempts to win AJ's respect over the past year since she left JAG. She's had to work very hard to build their strong working relationship, and it was just heartbreaking to see her wind up back at square one again.  I really felt both characters' pain in this scene--AJ's hurt and bitter disappointment, and Mac's shame and sadness over this turn of events.  Kudos to John Jackson and Catherine Bell for their (as always) fabulous acting.

The resonance of this scene to the scene between AJ and Harm in "To Russia With Love" was very nicely done.  Just as his response to Harm lying to him was a very personal one ("You didn't just lie to your commanding officer, you lied to me!"), so was his response to Mac's behavior from "Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington" and "People v. Mac" ("You didn't trust me," "I expected better of you," and "You let me down").  This is the SEAL in AJ.  Loyalty to the team is everything, and the team is family.  There's no worse betrayal than when family lets you down.

This would have been a wonderful scene if it were only viewed from the perspective of their professional relationship.  But when viewed within the context of their year-long struggle to overcome a mutual attraction, and all of the resulting personal interactions, the scene becomes even richer.  It was painfully beautiful.  By the time AJ uttered his closing line of "You let me down," I was probably as affected as Mac was.

Admittedly, I have very little knowledge of the mysterious ways of the military, but I thought it was a copout that the only professional punishment Mac was awarded was not receiving an accelerated promotion which she hadn't yet received anyway.  How can you miss something you never had in the first place?  According to various persons on the mailing list who have greater
understanding of the military culture than I, this can actually bring her career to a screeching halt.  Okay, I'll take their word for it, but DSBPost essentially stated in a message on the mailing list that the main reason the writers went in this direction was so that Mac wouldn't be busted down a grade, putting her at an inferior level to Harm.  What this means is that they didn't necessarily follow the natural progression of the plot, but rather manipulated it to their own ends.  This is what is known as plot-driven drama.
Since I prefer character-driven writing--let the characters' personalities and behavior determine in which direction the plot goes--I disliked the choice they made, but I accept their right to make that choice.  (However, I still can't figure out what Mac has done over the past two years to warrant an accelerated promotion in the first place.  It's pretty obvious from the way AJ hands out assignments that he considers Harm the "star" of the office, so if anyone was going to receive an accelerated promotion, you'd think it would be him.)

The sibling interactions of Bud and Mikey were also a nice addition to the episode.  When Mikey told Bud "You sound just like Dad. I hope you do a better job with your kids than he did with us," I cringed.  Ouch.  Siblings always seem to know our sorest spots and don't hesitate to use them to win a fight. Luckily, Bud is maturing in leaps and bounds.  Not only does he readily forgive his brother, he teaches Mikey that living up to his obligation to the Navy doesn't mean he has to give up on his dream of being an artist. Well done.

Favorite quote:

Mac: Sir, I explained my reasons for acting as I did.
AJ:  Those weren't reasons, Major, those were excuses.  You abused the very legal system you swore to uphold.  It was bad enough you deceived the court, but you deceived me--by pretending nothing was wrong, by hiding your marriage, your affair with Farrow, by letting me believe you were a murderer.
Mac:  I made mistakes, sir.  I'm not proud of what I did.
AJ:  You didn't trust me enough to come to me with the truth?  I  expected better of you.

--Gray Cargill

WAR STORIES

JAG:  A+   Mac:  A+

Dana Coen penned this very funny and very satisfying episode--satisfying for me, because of the character growth it afforded three of our regulars:  AJ, Harm, and Bud.  I was also pleased with the continuity in regards to the Mac character and her recent personal problems, which impacted her behavior in this episode as well.  My only complaint--a minor one--is that the tie-in between this episode and the previous one, "Dungaree Justice," was forced and pointless.  Obviously, because CBS was airing the two episodes on two consecutive nights, they wanted to make it appear that the two episodes were connected so viewers would tune in on both nights; I understand this.  But because the episodes were not, in fact, at all related in terms of story matter, it came across as a cheap ploy to get viewers to watch the second episode.  JAG fans weren't likely to turn down a bonus new episode anyway, so it really wasn't necessary.

The humor in "War Stories" was wonderful.  It is probably one of the most quotable episodes of the show I've ever seen.  Much of the humor came from the Chegwidden plot and the movie set.  The in-jokes that I did notice left me wondering just how many I wasn't noticing and also made me wonder how much of what we saw on-screen has actually happened off-screen on the JAG set.  (I wonder how the show's real military advisors feel about the portrayal of AJ as a military advisor and the conflicts he had with the movie production team?) For instance, I liked the sly remark about why the Navy wasn't allowing the movie crew to film aboard a real ship.  Wink, wink.  It was great to see them poke fun at their own squeaky clean image during the scene of the movie in which the hero says "I owe you one Mowbry," and Mowbry, with a bright smile and patriotic background music replies, "Your country owes you one sir."  I also liked the juxtaposition between the filming of the movie's big courtroom scene with the actual courtroom scene in the Risnicki trial.  But perhaps my favorite "in joke" was:

Fran:  I take it you don't go to the movies.
AJ:  They make them for my age group?

Ha!  How wonderful to poke fun at the way the television and film industries cater to the 18-35 demographic!

AJ's suggestion that the hero of the movie get a female sidekick who bore a superficial resemblance to Mac was quite amusing--and even funnier that she ended up at his house later on for a romantic evening.  Hmm.....Coincidence? I think not.  Too bad she turned out to be a stereotypical Hollywood prima donna, rather than a carbon copy of Mac.

The running food gag was great fun.  AJ's obsession with food began back in "Wedding Bell Blues" when Harriet used him as a taste tester for her wedding buffet and progressed to "Act of Terror" when he was so engrossed in Mac's....um, pot roast.  :-)  By the time of the final kitchen scene in this episode, I was just about rolling on the floor:

AJ:  Are there no candy bars in here?
Harriet:  No, sir.
AJ:  No chili, no brownies?
Harriet.  Never, sir.
AJ:  Let's do something about that.
Harriet (beaming):  Chili and brownies? Yes, sir!

Just between you and me, I think that's why he decided to become a movie consultant in the first place.  Once Fran offered him guacamole, he was a goner!  :-)

In a way, I wish the courtroom trial they used in this episode had been saved for another day, because it was very interesting (certainly more so than the case in "Dungaree Justice") and deserved more focus than it was afforded in this very full hour.  Yes, Risnicki disobeyed orders, but he did it because he was concerned for the welfare of his team.  Yes, the NATO observers were
killed, but as Bud discovered, they would have been dead even if the SEALS had gone in prior to the deadline, and so would the SEAL team, since it was a trap from the beginning.  Fascinating little turn of events there.  Mac's controversial defense strategy, which placed her squarely in the SECNAV's doghouse, was an eyebrow-raiser. (But her closing argument was excellent.)

I love it when Mac and Bud team up on cases.  Despite her personal problems, Mac has been such a good mentor to him; we've seen this before in "Wedding Bell Blues," and we see it here.  Bud proves for the second time in two nights that he has matured a great deal this season (perhaps as a result of impending fatherhood?).  His behavior was admirable:  First when he acknowledged and apologized for his naivete in second-guessing Risnicki's command decisions; then when he stood by Mac's strategic decision as lead counsel, even though it meant having to go against Harm's wishes; then in the stoic way he took the news that the Commander wanted him off the case; and finally, in his determination to see the case through to the end and prove Risnicki's
innocence.  He really earned the Commander's apology.

It was fun seeing Harm in charge of the JAG office.  That was a very nice growth experience for him.  One particular shot of Harm sitting behind the Admiral's desk as the camera drew back to a wide shot made me think of the phrase "It's lonely at the top."  Nothing like stepping to the other side of the boat for a fresh perspective.  Suddenly, Harm found himself responsible  for the actions of the officers under him and learned firsthand just how much trouble he has caused the Admiral in the past with his own rash behavior.  The scene between AJ and Harm, when Harm admitted his inability to handle the situation and AJ gave him some very sage advice, was well done, especially since Harm followed the advice and really rose to the occasion as a good leader.  I can definitely see him being JAG someday--but not in the near future; he still needs some seasoning.  (As an aside, the repeated reference of "I think he's getting taller" was lovely, given reports we've heard that DJE so often slouches to put him at a more even height with the other actors. Nice touch.)

The conflict between Mac and Harm re her strategy to attack the General's record was good on a lot of levels.  It pointed out the unenviable position Harm suddenly found himself in: a position of authority over someone who was previously his equal partner.  It's hard to suddenly get people who were previously your peers to take you seriously as an authority figure, as was evident in Mac's reaction to Harm's authority. She definitely did not show Harm the same degree of respect that she normally shows the Admiral.  I was surprised when she just left the office after their disagreement without waiting to be excused; that seemed like a serious breach of decorum to me.

That said, I felt that her behavior was very appropriate for her character at this particular moment in time, with everything that has happened recently--as AJ later explained so well to Harm.  In addition to her embarrassment over the Ragle/Farrow business, I would also guess that she was feeling more than a little defensive and jealous of Harm.  She's just been reprimanded by the
Admiral and lost her accelerated promotion, only to then see her partner promoted to a (albeit temporary) position of ultimate authority over the entire office, including her.  Was her behavior admirable?  No, of course not. But it was very human and very understandable, given the circumstances.  It happens even in the best of circumstances in the real world when one colleague
is promoted over another.

The ongoing saga of the Roberts baby also provided for some very humorous moments.  The first one for me was when Brumby suggested they name the baby "Mongo" (his grandfather's name), to which Bud very diplomatically responded: "I think it's too culture-specific."  Quick thinking, Bud!  The second was when they thought about naming him "David" after a famous military hero (not to mention a certain lead actor we all know--wink, nudge), but couldn't because it was the name of an old boyfriend of Harriet's mother.  Their final choice to name the baby "after someone who has most strongly affected our lives," AJ, was touching and appropriate.  Not only has AJ supported Bud's efforts to become a lawyer and allowed him to try cases before passing the
bar, but he arranged for them to continue working together after their marriage, and has advised Harriet on her wedding and her pregnancy.  Of course, the best part was when they learned, after the fact, that his initials stand for "Albert Jethro."  The expression on Harriet's face was priceless!  I thought I would die laughing.

Favorite quotes (it was tough this time--there are so many to choose from!):

Harm:  I'm told the SECNAV refers to me as 'Harmful Rabb'.

Harriet:  Bud, aren't you even interested in the sex?
Bud:  During working hours?

Harm:  I'm sorry, sir.  It's a side of you I'm unfamiliar with.
AJ:  Let's keep it that way.

--Gray Cargill