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All Ye Faithful, December 17, 2002 |
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O, Come all you faithful JAG fans to
JAG's Christmas special, All Ye Faithful. This hour is sure to warm your
heart as a homeless couple get a very special Christmas present, the
Roberts get a gift from Santa Claus and Mac's Christmas wish comes true.
This episode was, in my opinion, lamer
than any other I have seen. Not only was there no real clear and pressing
plotline to follow, rather a series of tiny plots, but the cliches got to
me. previous episode review//next episode review
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The show starts out with Harm and Boone missing their ride home because
the tailhook on the C-2 broke. The CAG won't let Harm have a plane because
of the most recent plane he dunked in the Atlantic last year (Adrift).
That plane was meant for the CAG. Can you spell grudge? This gets Harm
into checking on planes going to the East Coast. He finds the log sheet
and talks two men into giving up their flight so Harm and Boone can take
it (see Quotes on how he does it). 
On their flight home, they end up helping a transport plane. They only run
into two problems one of them being they can't find the transport. Here's
where the Christmas story comes into it. The plane turns on it's lights
and after careful searching Harm and Boone see the lights and help guide
it in. It turns out the transport is delivering Toys for Tots all along
the East Coast. I loved the version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer that
played as both planes landed on the ship. 
While Harm is mid-air, JAG takes in a homeless couple who were booted out
of their apartment because the husband, Corporal Tenney, played his drums
too loud. The Admiral gives up his nice warm office to the couple so the
pregnant wife can be comfortable. JAG had its own little miracle that
night as baby Jason Tenney is born in the Admiral's office. This makes the
second baby that is born in the Admiral's office and the third pregnant
woman to be in JAG. Meredith mentions this to the Admiral on his way to
Bud and Harriet's house and the Admiral, nervously, asks her if she's
expecting a baby. Meredith informs him that she is not, but would like to
be.
Bud and Harriet have one problem, well actually two problems with their
dinner. Harriet's sick as a dog and they have no money for food. They head
to the Support Detachment where Warrant Officer Scoggins (a grinch worse
than Scrooge) tells them because of the new house and Bud's hasty
transfers the money's been tied up. They have $14 dollars in their account
which upsets Harriet even more because they were told earlier they had
$16. Bud insists on taking Harriet to the hospital because he thinks she
has food poisoning from eating five day old Chinese food. However, Santa
(no joke!) gives them a little present for Christmas Eve. It turns out
they're going to be having a baby. Harm and Mac will be godparents again.
Again while all this is going on, there are three Kuwaiti officials or as
I like to call them "The Three Wisemen" lost in Virginia. The three men
are supposed to be at JAG to inspect military operations. They found JAG
with the help of the Admiral and a blinking red radio beacon I'll call the
"star of JAG Headquarters". Get it? Star of Bethlehem. Star of JAG
Headquarters. They show up just in time to see the baby. The three men
offer gifts of gold, incense and an apartment in one of sixteen apartment
complexes. Okay, so they changed the story a little bit. It was still a
beautiful sentiment. 
Warrant Officer Scoggins shows up at Bud and Harriet's offering his
apologies and thirteen courses he had ordered from his favorite
restaurant. Now everyone is happy except for Mac who is worried about a
no-show Harm. We also find out that Meredith may not be able to do a lot
of things, but she can play a piano. They all sang "O, Come All Ye
Faithful" as Mac walked off to call Harm's voice mail. 
And what would a Christmas episode be without Harm visiting his dad? This
time he has Boone with him. Boone remembers the day his wingman went down
and thanks Harm for bringing him along. While they are there they meet
Lieutenant Clarence. The Lieutenant missed his Naval Academy graduation
because he wanted to be with a friend on suicide watch. Harm takes off his
wings and gives them to Boone to pin on Clarence since he missed his
graduation and his wing pinning. 
Literally at the last few minutes of the show, Harm appears as Bud's
giving his speech. This has been an emotional year for Bud and he doesn't
know what to say until Harm walks in the room and then with his raised
cane he says, "God bless us." The show ended as it always has on Christmas
with a message to our troops. 
A little drummer Marine, Joseph Tenney, and his very pregnant wife were
kicked out of their apartment for his excessive (and excessively loud)
practicing of his drum set, causing neighbours to be unhappy. They went to
JAG because nowhere else was open over the holidays, and Sturgis tried to
help them. The Admiral put them up in his office while they waited. Next
thing we know, the woman has given birth, the Admiral delivered her baby,
and everyone is helping to try and make them more comfortable.
Meanwhile, Harm and Adm. Boone were on the carrier - we're not 100% sure
why, but there was some sort of presentation involved by the retired
Admiral. Their ride's tail broke off, thus missing the trap. So Harm and
Boone were stranded. Until - hey, look! An F-14 needs to be returned to
New Jersey! Unfortunately, two other men are supposed to pilot it. So, of
course, Harm and Boone have to convince them otherwise. Harm promised to
introduce them to Jennifer Lopez, who he sees twice a year - his dental
hygeinist.
Bud and Harriet are not having such good luck. There's only $16 and change
in their checking account because neither one have been paid, they're
supposed to have Christmas dinner for eleven, and Harriet spent the entire
scene eating bad Chinese food. They go to try to solve the problem of
their finances, and Warren Officer Scott, the man they talk to, is NO help
whatsoever. After insulting Bud for his injury and saying "Why would the
Navy want you back when they can fill both your shoes?", he proceeds to
say that no, he can't help them, there's nothing he can do, and the party
is their own fault for not getting food before the day of. Harriet snaps
at him, ends up saying she hopes the ghost of Jacob Marley drops chains on
his foot, then apologizes, saying she's not feeling well, and shortly
thereafter rushes out of the room, sick. Bud thinks she has food poisoning
and should go to the hospital, but she's too nauseous to drive, so they'll
have to wait until she's up to it. "Not necessarily" Bud says...and next
thing you know, he's driving. There's a cute little moment with her
responding to his question about how she's feeling: "Sick...but safe." At
the hospital, it takes forever to see a doctor - finally one dressed as
Santa who's on his way to
At the Roberts House, Big Bud has just arrived and no one's sure what to
do about dinner...until Warren Officer Scott shows up. Having had a
strange experience not unlike Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" with Jacob
Marley's ghost (who knew Harriet had so much power?), he has come over to
apologize and bring dinner. He brought 13...and Mikey says there will be
12, including the Warren Officer...but Harriet corrects him. She's eating
for two, so thirteen dinners will be just fine.