"Boot" is an episode of JAG that first aired on January 6, 1996. Directed by Jim Johnston. Written by Lucian Truscott IV.
Recruit Schuller, a female Marine recruit, is found dead on a rappeling tower at Paris Island. Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb and Lt. j.g. Meg Austin are sent to investigate, to determine if it was an accidental death, suicide or murder. While Rabb works with the Provost Marshal in a direct investigation, Austin goes undercover as a Marine recruit MacIntyre.
It's clear that the two drill instructors, Staff Sergeant Carrington (Julie Caitlin Brown) and Sergeant Gonzalez (Jenny Gago), and the Provost Marshal are hiding something, but it's not clear what.
Rabb talks to Major Klein (John Finn) and tests the rappelling tower where Schuller was found dead. Rabb also talks to the Carrington and Gonzalez.
As MacIntyre, Austin feels like she has become Schuller's replacement as the main focus of Carrington's anger, and strongly suspects Carrington of killing Schuller. Also, Austin runs afoul of Recruit Johnson (Renee Hughes), identified by Recruit Whitley (Sam Jenkins) as being "from South Philly."
While field daying the head (cleaning the communal bathroom), Austin finds a newspaper clipping pertaining to Recruit Schuller from her hometown paper. When Rabb interviews the recruits one by one, Austin takes the opportunity to give him the newspaper clipping. Rabb offers Austin the opportunity to drop her cover as MacIntyre, but Austin insists on continuing.
At gas chamber training, someone tries to kill MacIntyre. Austin winds up at Naval Hospital Beaufort. Rabb visits her and offers her another chance to leave recruit training. Once again Austin refuses, and goes back to Platoon 4010 with Recruit Whitley.
That night, Austin sees Whitley leave the squad bay, so she follows her to the swamp, where Whitley falls into a pit of mud and almost goes under. Austin rescues Whitley, who, instead of being grateful, tosses Austin into the pit.
Around the same time, Rabb catches Klein and Gonzalez alone together; the two confess that they're actually married and that that is the main reason Gonzalez applied for the Enlisted Commissioning Program. Klein gives Rabb a copy of the hometown newspaper for the date he asked for; from this Rabb figures out that Whitley is a killer as well as a likely motive for the murder of Schuller.
Rabb, Klein and Gonzalez drive back to the recruit squad bay in a hurry and find Whitley and MacIntyre missing. Then, together with Carrington, they all drive to the swamp, where they find MacIntyre and Whitley. Gonzalez arrests Whitley.
Rabb then reveals MacIntyre's true identity, and Lt. Austin gives Staff Sergeant Carrington a big, muddy handshake. As for the matter of the Klein and Gonzalez fraternization, Rabb says that he will accept it on her honor that she will turn herself in if she does not get her commission in a month.
Before leaving Parris Island, dressed in her Navy lieutenant's uniform, Austin pays a visit to Platoon 4010.
Tropes
- Ambiguous Situation: Someone attacks Austin in the gas chamber, but it's impossible to see who. It's possible that Private Whitley was trying to kill her because she was on her trail, or that Private Johnson was trying to rough her up out of spite.
- Boot Camp Episode: Exactly What It Says on the Tin, with the added twist that one of the characters is an officer pretending to be a recruit.
- Cherry Tapping: Austin and Johnson are selected to fight each other with pugil sticks, with any blow to the head (and only a blow to the head) being counted as a kill. Johnson manages to disarm Austin and proceeds to repeatedly beat her without going for the headshot. Austin in turn manages to trip Johnson, get her pugil stick, and gently tap her in the faceplate.
- Continuity Nod: Three prior episodes are referenced, and one episode that would have been a prior episode except it was first aired after this episode aired.
- Referring to "Defensive Action":Lindsey: The State Department is not happy with your handling of the CAG's court-martial. They don't understand how the defending counsel wound up parachuting into Bosnia.Rabb: The Bosnia rescue was an integral part of our defense, sir.
- Just a little later in that same conversation, Lindsey crams references to three prior episodes into one line: "Then State wanted to look at your cases for the last few months and wanted to know if staging jailbreaks in Iraq, flying missions in F-14s, and recovering stolen nuclear weapons qualify as "occasionally" [going beyond the courtroom]."
- "staging jailbreaks in Iraq" refers to "Scimitar"
- "flying missions in F-14s" refers to "Pilot Error"
- "recovering stolen nuclear weapons" refers to "Brig Break"
- Referring to "Defensive Action":
- The Dreaded: According to Major Klein, Lt. Commander Rabb has a reputation as a "Heavy Hitter". It seems that it is considered rare for Rabb to be assigned to anything routine.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: A pair of female instructors who are very strict, but who everyone is quick to defend as being fair.
- In fact, Carrington admits she was hard on "Private MacIntyre" because Carrington believed that she would be an outstanding soldier. She remarks she didn't know how right she was.
- Foreshadowing Austin finds a letter mailed to the deceased recruit, which included a newspaper clipping about her. On the backside is a clipping about a female suspected wanted in an armed robbery case, with a partial photo of the suspect (and the episode's villain).
- Also, the swamp around Paris Island is mentioned early on, and the movie the two D.I.s are watching was in fact made in response to an incident where several Marine recruits drowned in the swamp. The climax of the episode takes place in the swamp.
- Gas Mask Mooks: The recruits receive training in the use of gas masks. Specifically, they are subjected to the effects of tear gas for a short time before being allowed to don the masks, to demonstrate that the masks work.
- Genre Savvy: Major Klein knows something out of the ordinary is up simply because Rabb has been placed on the investigation.
- Both drill instructors are quickly able to tell who the actual instigator is whenever the recruits have an altercation, even when they didn't see how it started. Granted, it's usually Private Johnson.
- Ironic Echo: "Semper Fi."
- Let's You and Him Fight: Between Johnson and Austin. Justified, since this was part of their boot camp training.
- Red Herring: Private Johnson isn't the villain. She's just a Jerkass.
- The Reveal: Private Schuler's killer was Private Whitley, who appeared to be the nicest character in the episode.
- Secret Relationship: Between Sergeant Gonzalez and Major Klein. Rabb decides to overlook it on the condition that they will turn themselves in if Sergeant Gonzalez is not accepted into the officer commissioning program, which she was previously mentioned to be a shoo-in for.
- Semper Fi: An entire episode based around Marine boot camp.
- Stock Footage: The instructors pass the time watching The D.I., an old Jack Webb film based on Marine boot camp, itself made in response to a training mishap that resulted in the deaths of several recruits at Paris Island.
- Theme Music Power-Up: During the boot camp training montages.
- Toothbrush Floor Scrubbing / Punishment Detail: Of course it's going to happen. It's practically a requirement in an episode like this.
- Training from Hell: Marine Corps boot camp.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: Played for Laughs. After everything she has put her through, Staff Sergeant Carrington is stunned to discover that Private MacIntyre, a problem recruit she had been singling out, was in fact Lt. Meg Austin. Carrington immediately comes to attention, but Austin assures her she knew it wasn't personal (after smearing swamp mud all over Carrington's uniform).
- Unflinching Walk: Staff Sergeant Carrington and Sergeant Gonzalez slowly pace up and down the length of a gas chamber full of tear gas, singing the Marine Corps Hymn while the recruits are hardly able to breathe.
As you were...
Dismissed.
