Reviewer: Rissi C.
     

The season finale left those now enjoying JAG on DVD in a bit of a dither with its cliffhanger – one of the worst kind! With the leads in danger and unanswered questions hanging in regards to one Harmon Rabb Sr., there were answers galore in this premiere….
 
Having been seeking answers to the whereabouts of his MIA father ever since he began his navel career, Harm (Elliott), has come upon information that puts his father in Russia. Determined to take this news and act on it, he requests leave from JAG’s headquarters. His boss Admiral Chegwidden (John M. Jackson) has begrudgingly granted permission, but suspecting Harm is up to more than just a visit with family, Chegwidden orders Harm’s partner Mac (Bell) to accompany him -- after all someone needs to watch his “six.” Harm and Mac head to foreign lands armed with his “obsession” and her fluency in the language. Once there, all kinds of trouble befalls them, not the least of which is being confronted and double-talked by two Russians (Ilia Volok, Vladimir Skomarovsky), both of whom have given Harm and Mac reason to doubt them and commandeering a Russian fighter jet, with the assistance of a nervous cabbie (Allan Kolman).

During an attempt to reach the Russian region of his fathers’ last known location while commandeering the jet, Harm is shot down by a pair of Russians. The American media quickly picks up the story of two American pilots going down over Russia, leading their colleagues, including the newly married, Lt. and Mrs. Bud Roberts (Patrick Labyorteaux, Karri Turner), to think the worst. Luckily for Harm and Mac, they parachute out in time only to be sheltered by a gypsy brother and sister (Eric Zivot, Natasha Pavlovich). Taking shelter from this pair, what Harm and Mac don’t realize is that it may not be the search party looking for them, but a premonition they should most fear…

Plot arcs became a defining force behind earlier seasons and so are many of the situations in these cases (especially for Mac), but this time around we were interested in knowing how the premiere would conclude, being the one in particular that most held audiences' interest. It’s that one story arch that had us returning and popping in the first disc of the fourth season. The conclusion to Harm’s quest to uncover the secrets of his father's past is bittersweet; there is a sense of regret for this character that we have come to care for because Harmon, cares. In fairness to creators and writers, I cannot fault them too much for the way it ended because they do inform their audience what will happen in two different ways; one perhaps is not so obvious, the other is very visual. Either way it brings us and Harm closure. In the premiere, some violence ensues during dreams and flashbacks that glimpse men being shot numerous times. Other instances depict a shoot-out where several men are shot, some killed; and later one involves a terrorist being shot, and an agent is shot numerous times (neither of these are graphic). Explosions are also prominent in a small number of episodes, although the aftermath is never seen (i.e., the bodies or wreckage).

The writers chose to tackle more serious topics in a handful of episodes that involve sexual crimes. The first isn’t as problematic, being more of the a scenario than what actually happened, but does reference raping a woman twice; we see a naked woman bathing; she is carefully covered by bushes and/or tree branches when she emerges (“Gypsy Eyes”). The second speaks of an ensign raping a teenage girl (briefly we glimpse him atop her; this is shot in the dark, so it’s barely visible); talk revolves around ways of getting forensic evidence to prove the assailant. That same episode uncovers a teenager working as a prostitute in order to provide for her family, who do not know what she does (“Innocence”). Lastly, after a female petty officer gets drunk with male friends, she wakes to find she had been raped while asleep; all this is known by conversation, nothing visual (“Dungaree Justice”). In a haunting opening, a little girl is clearly frightened and running from someone before being murdered (off screen); there are pictures of her body and later other bodies, too, also queries about her being sexually abused (it’s never known for certain, but she was physically abused). Conversation revolves around a women having been previously married, never divorcing her husband and still carrying out an affair with her CO; additionally she briefly taunts her husband with the fact that there were “others” in the twelve years they were apart. One brief scene finds a man making out with his girlfriend (running his hand up her bare leg, etc). Later she is shown in lingerie waiting for him – a few other instances imply they spent the night together along with a bit of flirting. Chegwidden argues a case in a mock trial about a man ordered not to have sex – the discussion of practicing “safe sex” comes about too -- when diagnosed with HIV. Three men beat up a bar owner after accusing him of assaulting their shipmate; a little girl accuses a man of abusing her (a bruise is present). Elsewhere, Mac recalls her tumultuous past that included an alcoholic father. Profanity consists of common usage, uses of OMG, and crude phrases like “jack a**.”

In a fun twist, Muse Watson and Sean Murray (who is also Donald Bellisario’s stepson) guest star in an episode – those of you that are devoted NCIS fans know who these two guys are, and what part they play on the show (it was fabulous to see them in some of their earlier work before they became who they’re known for or at least who Murray is known as), those of you who aren’t, only know they are fantastic guest stars. Additionally the adorable Mae Whitman (playing a smart kid who likes to call things as she sees them) and Trisha Yearwood guest star. Main and returning stars continue to flourish under the writers delving deeper into some of their pasts while Bud’s story just continues to become funnier… with exciting news and changes coming in his life. Newcomer Mic Brumby joins the team for an extended turn as an Aussie, who wastes no time setting his sights on Mac; they flirt and argue with each other along the way. The acting is still top-notch, but no one gives their roles more than David and John. One of the most memorable episodes is “Mr. Rabb goes to Washington,” both for the inspiring, but short speech (perhaps paying homage to that classic Mr. Smith goes to Washington?) nearer the end that finds Rabb defending American soldiers who are “punished” but willingly put their lives on the line to keep the home front safe and the shocking disclosure of Mac’s past. The more we learn of Mac’s checkered past, the more it’s evident how much viewers root for her to have changed, because goodness, do we learn a lot about her. She hasn’t exactly lived a “decent” life when it came to past choices and through that, we want her to recognize those mistakes. Loyal audiences will cringe anytime something comes around that may threaten her fragile healing, like finally seeing (for us, it’s an introduction) her parents again. It’s been a refreshing change to see the two leading characters share a platonic relationship that is friendly and sometimes sparring, but never more. Granted this is for reasons of their working relationship and the fact that the service forbids enlisted people to be together in the same working environment, but it’s nice not to see them fall into bed here and there without the promise of marriage -- likely its building all that tension for future developments, too. The Christmas episode “Jaggle Bells” is adorable and sentimental whereas “Silent Service” involves a creepy villain of the worst kind; don’t ask why, but those polite baddies’ have always given me goose bumps ten times worse than someone who wields a fierce weapon that he hides behind. Harm’s manipulative arch nemesis who also happens to be a master of disguise makes a few appearances and each time he grows more wicked and conniving. When he threatens Harm’s girlfriend, I shouted through the climax for Harm to realize just what game he was playing, only for things to come out alright thanks in part to Harms latest operation.

The final four episodes climb to a fabulous conclusion melding well together with the finale being the “crowning” of sorts. They are poignant, joyous, and sometimes brutal but above all indicative of something yet to come (read: something brewing between Harm and Mac) in a season ender appropriately titled “Goodbyes.” When all's said and done, this series is likely the best to date.