Directed by Rod Hardy
Written by Stephen Zito
This episode of JAG begins with Lt. Commander Hillyard (Brian McNamara), assigned to the USS Seahawk to advise on the rules of engagement, being so worried about civilian casualties that he allows a suspected convoy of Al-Qaeda fighters to escape out of Afghanistan through the Khyber pass into Pakistan.
Incensed at a pattern of overly cautious interpretations of the rules of engagement, Admiral Chegwidden sends Commander Rabb and Lt. Colonel MacKenzie to the Seahawk to advise all Navy lawyers in the area as to how the U. S. government would like the rules of engagement interpreted.
In order to better understand the combat situation, Captain Johnson (Scott Paulin) assigns Rabb to fly a strike mission, but as usual, things happen to Rabb, and he makes a very rough landing after the mission, which went off rather smoothly.
Meanwhile, Chegwidden advises Lt. Roberts to go to sea or take an overseas shore assignment to further his career and increase his chances for promotion. Roberts, however, is hesitant to leave the comfortable life he has built here with Lt. Sims (Karri Turner) and baby A. J.
Learning of the opportunity extended to Roberts, Lt. Singer (Nanci Chambers) seethes from being passed over for that assignment, so she makes things particularly difficult in a hit and run case she's prosecuting with Roberts defending Petty Officer Massucco (Joe Michael Burke).
The increased workload of this case combined with the exhaustion of caring for a sick 2-year-old child, causes Roberts to fall asleep in court as Singer badgers Massucco on the stand. The judge, Commander Helfman (Jennifer Savidge) pounds the gavel to wake up Roberts and suggest that maybe he should object.
Also, Congresswoman Bobbi Latham (Anne Marie Johnson) asks for Commander Turner (Scott Lawrence) to be temporarily assigned to her office to advise her on post-9/11 military appropriations.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Military: As of this episode, Roberts has been at JAG headquarters for more than five years, and Chegwidden for longer still. In real life, Chegwidden, and likely also Roberts, would have already moved on to other assignments. Most real life Navy judge advocate generals hold the post for less than five years, and this is probably also true of judge advocates at JAG headquarters. The longest serving Navy judge advocate generals were Marine Colonel Remey and Navy Captain Lemly, the first and second Navy judge advocate generals, respectively. The third, Captain Diehl, served from 1904 to 1907, and that has been the pattern since. Realistically, Chegwidden would have been replaced at least a year prior to this episode. But John M. Jackson had a good two more years on his contract, and the writers perhaps believed he would renew after that.
- Continuity Nod:
- To "Mr. Rabb Goes To Washington", in which Rabb was assigned temporarily to Latham's office and helped expose Delaporte's journalistic dishonesty.
- To 'Mishap', in which Lt. Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes, Rabb's former radio intercept officer, was charged for dereliction of duty after serving briefly as a landing signal officer.
- To 'Adrift' (Part 1) and Part 2 in which Rabb and Hawkes had to punch out of their F-14 over the open ocean.
- Career Versus Family: Singer had deliberately avoided any serious relationships because she didn’t want the possibility of a family interfering with her desire to become the first ever female JAG of the Navy. However, she hasn’t had the kind of career success that family man Bud Roberts has had.
- Coming in Hot: Rabb’s F-14 takes flak, loses an engine with the other one on reduced power and comes in on a risky night trap.
- Exhaustion-Induced Idiocy / Overworked Sleep : Roberts, exhausted from caring for his sick two year old the night before, dozes off in court and fails to raise a legal objection when he really should have. The judge has to bang her gavel to wake him up, after which he is facing charges.
- Lawful Stupid: A carrier judge advocate is so scared of inflicting civilian casualties, that he refuses to authorize strikes on any terrorist targets unless there is incontrovertible proof that they are card carrying terrorists. He is subsequently relieved of duty for being a “lousy wartime judge advocate”.
- Passed-Over Promotion: Not quite a promotion, but a plum assignment that could lead to a future promotion, is offered to Roberts instead of Singer, because the admiral has misgivings about her selfish attitude.
- The Resenter: Singer comes to resent Roberts’s success, even though she is more driven and ambitious.
- To Be Continued, with a fade to black: After Chegwidden tells Roberts that the convening authority in the Massucco case has asked for an inquiry that might lead to Roberts going to court-martial for dereliction of duty.
