JAG (season 2)
| JAG (season 2) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Starring |
David James Elliott Catherine Bell Patrick Labyorteaux John M. Jackson Karri Turner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | January 3 – April 18, 1997 |
The second season of JAG premiered on CBS on January 3, 1997, and concluded on April 18, 1997. The season, starring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell, was produced by Belisarius Productions in association with CBS Productions.
Plot
Following in his father's footsteps as a Naval Aviator, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. suffered a crash while landing his Tomcat on a storm-tossed carrier at sea, diagnosed with night-blindness, Harm transferred to the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps, which investigates, prosecutes, and defends the law of the sea. There with fellow JAG lawyer Major Sarah MacKenzie, he now fights in and out of the courtroom with the same daring and tenacity that made him a top gun in the air. - Introduction
By-the-book Marine Major Sarah MacKenzie (Catherine Bell), an Okinawa transfer, and Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. (David James Elliott), a former aviator, are employed by the Judge Advocate General Corps, the elite legal division of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Now stationed out of Falls Church, Virginia, they prosecute and defend a plethora of cases including the theft of the Declaration of Independence ("We the People"), a brig-break ("Secrets"), the bombing of a mosque ("Jinx"), and a sexual harassment allegation ("Crossing the Line"). Meanwhile, Harm finds himself in hot-water when he fires a machine gun during a tense courtroom battle ("Heroes"), Mac hones her language skills ("Cowboys & Cossacks"), and Admiral A.J. Chegwidden (John M. Jackson) becomes the target of a serial killer ("Ghosts"). Also this season, Lieutenant J.G. Bud Roberts (Patrick Labyorteaux) joins JAG at the behest of outgoing Lieutenant Meg Austin (Tracey Needham) ("We the People"), Mac confronts her past ("Rendezvous"), and Harm goes undercover as a Gunnery Sergeant ("Force Recon").
Production
For its second season, JAG moved from NBC to CBS. Bellisario had previously received offers from CBS and ABC to pick up the series,[1] which was reworked to be one of both "legal [drama] and action".[2] Following the departure of series co-star Tracey Needham, Catherine Bell was cast in the lead role of Major Sarah MacKenzie. Bellisario and CBS President Leslie Moonves "cast Catherine Bell, and [Bellisario] never heard another word from [Moonves] - who took great delight in the fact that it was part of the building block that started the CBS turnaround".[3] On her casting, Catherine Bell stated that she "guest starred on the season finale in the first season and there was another girl playing the female lead opposite Harm [...] One of the days when I was working, he announced that the show had been canceled, but CBS picked up the show and they decided to recast the female lead. I went after the role and wrote Don a letter after I had read the breakdown for Mac and they brought me in. Six callbacks later, I got the role."[4]
Cast and characters
Main cast
- David James Elliott as Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr.
- Catherine Bell as Major Sarah MacKenzie
- Patrick Labyorteaux as Lieutenant J. G. Bud Roberts
- John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden
Also starring
- Karri Turner as Ensign Harriet Sims
Recurring cast
- Sibel Galindez as Lieutenant Elizabeth Hawkes, "Skates"
- Terry O'Quinn as Captain Thomas Boone, "CAG"
- Steven Culp as CIA Officer Clayton Webb
- Chuck Carrington as Petty Officer Jason Tiner
- Harrison Page as Captain Stiles Morris
Guest cast
- Claudette Nevins as NSA Agent Porter Webb
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | "We the People" | Les Landau | Donald P. Bellisario | January 3, 1997 | 025 |
| After having received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in the pilot episode at a White House ceremony, Harm and his new partner, Major Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, investigate when Marine Colonel Matthew O'Hara and Medal of Honor recipient (who turns out to be Mac's uncle) steals the Declaration of Independence for ransom. The concluding scene shows a brief snippet of a trial. This episode contains the first appearance of CIA agent Clayton Webb. | ||||||
| 24 | 2 | "Secrets" | Ray Austin | Tom Towler | January 10, 1997 | 028 |
| A Marine corporal, whom Admiral Chegwidden prosecuted more than eight years ago, escapes from the brig in Groton, Connecticut, and takes the admiral, Mac, and Bud as hostages in the admiral's office. He demands a retrial here and now in the admiral's office; a court had convicted him of giving classified information about the Patriot missile system to Israel. Harm and Special Agent Clayton Webb work from the outside to rescue them without killing the corporal. They also must be wary of CIA operative Gail Osborne, who may try to prevent a revelation of the truth about the corporal's case. | ||||||
| 25 | 3 | "Jinx" | Jerry Jameson | Jack Orman | January 17, 1997 | 027 |
| Harm must prove that an F-14 squadron that accidentally bombed a mosque during Operation Desert Storm is not "jinxed" after a mid-air accident kills his best friend. | ||||||
| 26 | 4 | "Heroes" | Tony Wharmby | R. Scott Gemmill | January 24, 1997 | 026 |
| Harm and Mac engage in a tense courtroom battle when a Navy SEAL is accused of murdering his friend during a mission, and Harm goes way overboard to prove a point about firearms, firing a machine gun the court room. This is the first episode of the series in which a trial takes place in the JAG HQ courtroom. | ||||||
| 27 | 5 | "Crossing the Line" | Tony Wharmby | Stephen Zito | January 31, 1997 | 029 |
| Harm and Mac face political pressure when a female pilot accuses Captain Boone of sexual harassment, the CAG says she's simply a bad aviator, and a prominent Congresswoman intervenes in the investigation. First appearance of Lieutenant Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes. | ||||||
| 28 | 6 | "Trinity" | Alan J. Levi | Jack Orman | February 7, 1997 | 024 |
| The infant son of a female U.S. Navy officer (daughter of CINCPAC) is kidnapped from a submarine base in Scotland and the evidence implicates the boy's father, an Irish Republican Army leader. Harm and Mac are assigned to work with the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Belfast to help get the child back, but the local cop is hiding a vengeful secret. | ||||||
| 29 | 7 | "Ghosts" | Ray Austin | Teleplay: R. Scott Gemmill Story: Brian Nelson and R. Scott Gemmill | February 14, 1997 | 030 |
| Admiral Chegwidden's life is in danger when the last surviving members of his SEAL team from the Vietnam War is killed and it appears someone is eliminating the witnesses to an atrocity committed 30 years earlier. | ||||||
| 30 | 8 | "Full Engagement" | Alan J. Levi | Jack Orman | February 21, 1997 | 031 |
| When Harm's Stearman biplane crashes in the Appalachian Mountains, he and Mac must avoid poachers who killed a game warden and do not want to leave any witnesses. | ||||||
| 31 | 9 | "Washington Holiday" | Joe Napolitano | Stephen Zito | February 28, 1997 | 032 |
| Harm is assigned to escort a Romanian Princess while her father the King is in D.C. to request Romania be admitted to NATO, as an assassin closes in on all of them. (Note: In real life, Romania is not a monarchy but it did join NATO seven years after this episode's airdate). Stars Nanci Chambers who later would act as Lieutenant Loren Singer. | ||||||
| 32 | 10 | "The Game of Go" | Ray Austin | Tom Towler | February 28, 1997 | 023 |
| Harm and a Colombian drug lord play a high-stakes game of "Go", with the prize being a Marine that was left behind during a covert mission, as Webb and the JAG team once again butt heads. | ||||||
| 33 | 11 | "Force Recon" | Alan J. Levi | Teleplay: Tom Towler and Stephen Zito Story: Tom Towler and R. Scott Gemmill | March 7, 1997 | 033 |
| Harm goes undercover as a Gunny for a Marine Force Recon Squad at Camp Pendelton, while Mac and Bud investigate whether their Captain (known as The Duke like John Wayne) is using unsafe techniques as a means of hardening his men for unexpected combat conditions. | ||||||
| 34 | 12 | "The Guardian" | Michael Schultz | Jack Orman | March 28, 1997 | 035 |
| Harm and Mac defend a homeless former Navy SEAL who is accused of killing three men while thwarting a convenience store robbery. | ||||||
| 35 | 13 | "Code Blue" | Tony Wharmby | R. Scott Gemmill | April 4, 1997 | 036 |
| When Hamas takes over the hospital where an Israeli diplomat is undergoing a heart transplant, an injured Harm becomes the FBI's inside man to thwart the terrorists. This episode shows Mac speaking fluent Farsi. | ||||||
| 36 | 14 | "Cowboys & Cossacks" | Tony Wharmby | R. Scott Gemmill | April 11, 1997 | 034 |
|
A joint exercise between American and Russian naval forces becomes deadly when the two captains decide to settle their Cold War grudges, trapping Harm, Mac and Bud in the middle. This episode shows Mac can speak at least a little Russian. To simulate the explosion of the Russian ship, real footage from the Falklands War (1982) was used. It shows HMS Ardent blowing up during the attempt to defuse an aircraft dropped bomb. | ||||||
| 37 | 15 | "Rendezvous" | Duwayne Dunham | Craig Tepper | April 18, 1997 | 037 |
| Mac's past clouds her judgment while she defends an abusive Chief Petty Officer accused of killing his wife's boyfriend. | ||||||
References
- ↑ http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2005/04/why_jag_came_to.html
- ↑ http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2005/04/why_jag_came_to.html
- ↑ http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2005/04/why_jag_came_to.html
- ↑ http://tvdramas.about.com/od/armywives/a/An-Interview-With-Catherine-Bell-Denise-Army-Wives.htm