What’s it about?
Navy Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. (the "junior"
is important) was following in his fighter-pilot dad’s heroic footsteps (dad’s
missing in action, so we reckon he’s probably dead). Nevertheless, on the evidence of
the third season, there seems to be some possibility that his father is alive - yes, the
Vietnam War has been over for longer than many viewers have been alive, but Harm is hot on
the trail of dad! In the cliffhanger ending of the third season, Harm is at the wheel of a
stolen MIG looking for his dad, now supposedly in Russia (is he a KGB agent?). This is
resolved in the beginning of the fourth season episode "Gypsy Eyes". Harm came
undone in a terrible accident - he crashed his Tomcat fighter because of his night
blindness. This is like saying you haven’t got a licence but you want to drive a
sixteen-wheel front-end loader! In other words, the Lieutenant Commander was in a pickle.
So what does he do? Leave the navy? Get a job flying jumbos in the daytime? Take that
longed for trek into the Kalahari Desert? No, of course not - he (wait for it)…..
becomes a lawyer!!! Why didn’t we think of that, it’s so obvious? It’s
generally uphill after this somewhat farfetched premise. Really, would anyone in their
right mind go from flying fighter jets to being (of all things) a lawyer? (Let’s be
honest, would anyone in their right mind ever become a lawyer?) The credibility may not be
high, but it helps that Rabb is a good looker and not averse to a bit of action (we mean
the running and jumping types of action, although there’s plenty of the other sort as
well).
Okay, at least there’s a remotely plausible explanation for
this life-changing decision. It seems the Lieutenant Commander cannot bear to leave the
navy, so he’s going to be a navy lawyer to maintain his involvement (after he
completes law school, of course). Rabb has joined the Navy Judge Advocate General's, and
he’s just as much a high-flyer (get it?) as he once was behind the joystick.
JAG is the acronym for the Judge Advocate General’s corps, an
elite corps of Naval officers who both prosecute and defend navy personnel. It’s a
pretty clever concept for a visual medium. Not only do we get to see a dynamic lawyer in
action, with all accompanying courtroom drama we’ve come to expect from these types
of shows, but there is the added bonus of those enormous aircraft carriers and whizz-bang
high-tech flashing doo-dahs-watchamacallits. There’s something quite cinematic in all
of this, like "Top Gun" reduced to the small screen ("Top Gun Lite"?).
The producers promise bigger and better sets this year to match the larger-than-life
theme.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a show without a prominent female
co-star who is (surpise, surprise) also good-looking, highly intelligent, tough, and able
to leap tall buildings at a … in other words, another television superwoman.
Rabb’s partner is Major Sarah "Mac" Mckenzie (Catherine Bell) of the Marine
Corps, and she fits the bill.
Who's it about?
Harmon Rabb, Jr. ("Harm") - The rank is Navy
Lietenant, and he is qualified lawyer and fighter pilot (here at Law in the Lounge
we’ve got qualified lawyers and licenced drivers). He is assigned to the Judge
Advocate General’s Corp. His father was a decorated fighter pilot, but Harm got into
real trouble when he crashed because of night blindness, and unfortunately his radio
operator went down with the plane. Harm can’t help but feel guilty about this, even
though it wasn’t really his fault and he was officially cleared of all
responsibility. Even though he’s been one of the fly-boys, the Navy, like all the
services, does not take kindly to any investigation by the JAG team. It’s like being
a member of Internal Affairs on a police investigation, so Harm is not going to be
universally popular. The big issue in his life is the "MIA" (missing in action)
status of his father Captain Thomas Boone. At 16 he went to Laos to look for his father.
Since we met him on the small screen, he's been promoted from Lieutenant to Lt. Commander
and been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Another ongoing issue is his continuing
ambivalent relationship with Mac - stay tuned.
Lieutenant Meg Austin is a lawyer, too. As a bit of a
sidelight, she’s also a computer weapons specialist. (How come all these lawyers can
do these other fancy tricks - most of the lawyers we know have trouble tying their shoe
laces and talking at the same time.) She was there to assist Harm in his investigations
and whatever else they decided was fun. Before she made way for a new character, her
technical virtuosity often came in handy - but even with all that talent she had to
continually prove herself in this MAN’S navy. Unfortunately for her she was
transferred from JAG to make way for "Mac" MacKenzie. We don't really know where
she was transferred.
Major Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie does her job by the
book, a no-nonsense assistant to Harm in his investigations. She’s done very well in
the Marine Corps, going farther quicker than most of her colleagues would have expected.
Maybe that’s where she got her toughness, from battling all those chauvinists in the
Marine Corps. This is a woman determined to maintain the honour code of the Corps. She has
managed to hold her own against Harm, as we saw in the second series, often without having
to say a word. Her past has emerged in dribs and drabs, including an abusive father and a
previous alcohol abuse problem. At the end of the third season she left the JAG to work at
a private law firm, but it wasn't long before she was back in the fold. Her love life has
been a little convoluted of late, and a bad penny (in the guise of her secret estranged
hubby) returned from her past and threatens to expose an indiscretion in her past.
Admiral A.J. Chegwidden appeared halfway through
the first season. He's the real thing, having served as a Navy Seal in Vietnam and
commanded a destroyer before getting a law degree and joining the JAG. By the way,
"A.J" stands for Albert Jethro.
Who's who?
David James Elliott plays Lt. Cdr. Harmon "Harm"
Rabb, Jr. Where have we seen him before? Here’s a clue - he used to be part of the
hottest show on television, or at least that’s what the publicists at Channel Ten say
about (tick, tick, tick…) "Melrose Place". Remember the affair with Alison
when she was a recovering alchoholic? No? Neither do we. He also dated Elaine in
"Seinfeld" (he was the furniture removalist). Elliot credits this role as the
real break that brought him his own series. Before he was twenty Elliot had entered a
drama school in Canada, and then went on to three years in a Canadian series "Street
Legal". Like many Canadians, he had to move to America to strike it rich. He did a
lot of guest spots (one in a Bochco show "Doogie Howser") and then landed a
longer stint in "Knots Landing".
Catherine Bell was murdered in the first season after a short
guest spot but returned to play Maj. Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie. Only in television
and Buddhism can you be reincarnated as another character. Bell is hardly a veteran
actress. She did some modeling to support her univesrity studies, then television
commercials and some overseas work until she was introcduced to acting through a drama
coach. You might have seen her in the Meryl Streep movie "Death Becomes Her",
and more in the line of her present work, opposite action man Dolph Lungren in "Men
of War". She’s also done a guest turn in the phenomenally successful
"Friends". By the way, she speaks fluent Farsi. (this comes in handy in the
episode "To Russia With Love").
Patrick Labyorteaux plays Lt. J.G. "Bud" Robert and
is a veteran of the stage and screen. Labyorteaux was a child star, even starring opposite
Lucille Ball in "Mame". Since that time there have been a number of less
memorable roles (anyone see "Ghoulies Go To School"?). Surprisingly, Labyorteaux
wrote "National Lampoon’s Last Resort", and is the co-founder of the Youth
Rescue Fund, which helps runaway youths.
Where did it come from?
JAG was created by Donald Bellesario, the force behind two previous
hits (one of them a mega-hit) "Magnum P.I." and "Quantum Leap". It
comes from the Paramount stable and CBS Television. Howard Kazanjian is the producer.
The gossip
Producer Bellisario has not been backward in coming forward with his
excuses about the less than sparkling first season. Actually, we don’t think it was
too bad, but Bellisario has a few matters he wants to put straight. He says that the
original broadcast network in America, NBC, had little faith in the show, and treated it
accordingly. He is also none too happy that some of his ensemble cast was dismissed,
especially Andrea Parker, who NBC then placed in another show. No excuses from now on,
Don, because you’re in a better time slot and you’ve got the changes you wanted.
He has been quoted as saying that he can now make the show the way he always intended it
to be.
What happened to Tracey Needham, who played Harm's offsider in the
first season? She went to a Steven Bochco creation "Total Security" which did
not succeed and never made it to the TV screens in Australia.
Harm's first on-screen romance was mentioned but never seen, with
the mysterious and enigmatically named Maria Elena Carmelita Romero Guttierez; then Annie
Pendry the widow of his friend Luke. And the fourth season sees more romance - look out
for a Congresswoman and a naval psychiatrist, Lt. Commander Jordan Parker.
Harm (somewhat improbably) found a book that listed his father as a
member of a group of POWs transferred to Russia. He goes looking for his father in the
episode "To Russia With Love").
The facts
"JAG" debuted on American NBC on September 23rd 1995.
Andrea Parker starred as Harm's partner Lt. Pike, but she was replaced in the next episode
by Tracey Needham.
Harm's birthday is October 15th, 1963.
Elliot has a film coming out, "Clockwatchers", with
"Friends" star Lisa Kudrow. The show changed partners between the first two
seasons in America. It began on NBC; now it’s on CBS.
Tracey Needham (Lt. Meg Austin of the first season) has gone to the
movies.
Andrea Thompson (Commander Allison Krennick) is now on "NYPD
Blue" as Detective Jill Kirkendall - check out our review of "NYPD".
David James Elliott's wife, Nanci Chambers, is to be seen in the
series on an occasional basis. She will play his neighbour, and we believe there might be
some on-screen romance.
Harm's new partner had a part in the first season, but she was
someone different - do you know who?
Is Harm's father actually alive? We don't want t spoil the third
season for Aussie viewers, but if you saw the first episode of the latest series to be
shown in Australia, "Ghost Ship", you'll know that Harm has information that his
father may have been transferred to Russia. There is a later episode in the series in
which the evidence begins to mount.
Thus far we haven't seen much of our hero's romantic life - is he
"harmless"? Not so for "Mac" - watch out for the fireworks with lawyer
Dalton Lowne. And love is certainly in the air in this show, because Lt. J.G.
"Bud" Robert is in love - watch out for Ensign Harriet Simms in the third
searson.
Good news for all Aussie "JAG" fans. The show has been
picked up for a fourth season in the U.S.
More good news if you want to see this show survive the prime time
jungle. "JAG" did very well indeed in its third season in the U.S, sometimes
beating tough opposition, including "Mad About You" and "Home
Improvement". This certainly repays the faith that CBS has placed in the show, and is
an endorsment of the producer's decision to move the show away from high-tech wizardry to
a more character driven plot.
Susan Haskell will return as Lt. Commander Jordan Parker.
The fourth season in America has been very successful, seeing the
show appear in the Top Ten.
The U.S. Navy loves this show and has offered an aircraft carrier
for filming. And the fourth season episode "Tiger, Tiger" was partly filmed on
board the guided missile frigate USS John A Moore in San Diego.
In 1988 "JAG" appeared on American TV for five consecutive
nights in a "Jagathon".
We never did learn what the "Meg" in Lt. Meg Austin stood
for.
What is "Zulu" time? That's easy - it's really the same as
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Did you know that the Department of the Navy is the official
timekeeper for the U.S?
Do not read this item if you haven't seen the beginning
of the fourth season and don't want to know what happened to Harm's dad! The
cliffhanger ending of the third season, where Harm is looking for his dad in Russia, was
resolved in the fourth season opener "Gypsy Eyes". Sorry Harm, but your dad was
not alive, but he died a hero, which was probably a lot better than being washed up on the
shore of a TV drama 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War! The last episode of season
three, "To Russia With Love", sees Harm on his way to Russia, and ended with
"to be continued"...
Do you remember in "Friends" when Joey and Chandler left
the baby on the bus? Catherine Bell (Mackenzie) was the cause of that debacle.
The legal point
The real Judge Advocate General’s Corp has over eight hundred
lawyers (yes, 800! Must be a fair amount of crime in the American Navy) with ranks from
Lieutenant to Admiral. Of these, approximately 170 are women. They manage the navy’s
criminal justice system in accordance with the Uniform Military Code. Like most lawyers,
they also provide advice on legal matters. If you want to apply for one of these jobs be
warned that the competition is intense. And no, you don’t usually have to go through
basic training. By the way, you have to pay for your own uniform (bet you didn’t know
that fact!).
Now, you may ask what advantages there are to law in the navy as as
opposed to civilian life - we did. This is the official line: you get to serve your
country (mmmm…); you are a leader of men and women; there is a greater responsibilty
than you’ll ever get early in a civilain career; you get to speacialise in criminal
trials (courts martial) almost from the start; people salute you as they walk by; and most
importantly, free dental and medical (you can finally get those teeth straightened).
Our verdict
We’re not the biggest fans of "Magnum P.I.", which is
the grandfather of this show (it’s an earlier effort of the producer Don
Bellisario's), and there’s some of that macho stereotype here in the occasional
chauvinism and double entendres. But it is hard to fault the basic plot, even if there are
a few holes in the premise. Combining the dynamics of a courtroom with the action of
aircraft carriers and high-tech military hardware is at least very interesting, and
sometimes downright magnetic. Unfortunately the same cannot always be said of the acting,
though Bell seems to have improved of late and Elliott is reliable. Perhaps the only real
drawback of the show is the sometime uneven story lines - still, even if they occasionally
cross the credibility line, we should remember that this is basically an entertainment,
not a treatise on military law (or logic).
It is not surprising that the show had the feel of the movie
"Crimson Tide", because the pilot borrowed the same sets. Also, this show has
changed in its shift from American networks NBC to CBS, where it is now perhaps a little
more entertaining (more action, more courtroom scenes). Bellisario has admitted that he
wasn’t entirely happy with the first season. He clearly has a penchant for leading
men who have a wry sense of humour - remember Tom Selleck in "Magnum P.I."?
It’s no easy task to combine this attitude with the terse plots that arise in the
military (after all it’s not "Hogan’s Heroes"). But the second season
seemed to make a better fist of it, especially in terms of character development. So check
out "JAG" if you haven’t seen it before, especially if you were a fan of
the movie "A Few Good Men"; if you weren’t delighted with the first season,
the second series was a lot better, and it is worth another look in the third series and
even moreso in the fourth. All in all a good night's entertainment.
Want us to
tell you when we review another TV show?
|