Brig Break, December 2, 1995

As reviewed by Rosepetal

As reviewed by Shirley

In this episode, Meg and Harm are sent to investigate the theft of stolen missiles at a Naval Base where Lt. Pike from the JAG Pilot episode is now stationed.  Harm and Meg arrive at the base to be met by Lt. Pike who only has enough time for a quick cup of coffee with Harm before she has to go.  Meg and Lt. Pike argue over the correct number of the form they will need to fill out to see the prisoner.  Meg meanwhile goes ahead to meet with the prisoner in the brig.  While there, several inmates and a guard stage a brig break.  They take Meg hostage and load a bus and proceed to break the base gates.  Harm sees what is going on and tries to get on the bus only to be knocked off.  The commanding officer tell Harm and Lt. Pike they are to stay put and investigate the brig break while he goes off with other personnel and try to capture the escaped prisoners.  Of course, Harm doesn't listen and jumps in the car to go after the bus.  Lt. Pike will not let him leave without her so she goes with him.  She has a map on her computer of the local area.  They find a mountain road that they think the escaped bus will travel.  They meet up with a truck that has been met by the bus.  The truck contains two hunters who apparently have been beat up by the escaped prisoners. 

The commanding officer arrives with his personnel and chew Harm out for not following orders.  Of course Harm being Harm tells him that it was not an order but only a mere suggestion.  Well this time the commanding officer gives him and Lt. Pike a direct order to follow the two hunters back to the base and to stay there.  Of course, this time Harm does violate a direct order and continues on his path to search for the bus. 

The bus does travel the mountain road that Harm thinks it will.  They arrive at the bus to find it deserted.  Meanwhile, Meg is handcuffed to the prisoner she was interrogating about the stolen missiles.  She learns that he is not a criminal at all but an undercover person who was sent to infiltrate the band of criminals.  They get met up again by the Guard who is involved with the band of criminals. He makes them go in a raft with him that contains one of the missiles that was stolen.  While on the raft, he shoots the undercover guy that is handcuffed to Meg which causes Meg and him to fall back off the raft into the water.  While in the water, the man uncuffs himself from Meg so she doesn't drown because he knows he is going to die in the water. 

Meg gets back into the raft where the guard makes her return with him to the base where he can activate a bomb that will destroy anything in the a 500 mile radius.  Harm and Lt. Pike realize that the hunters were probably involved with the criminals and return to the base.  They find Meg with the bomb.  She is trying to disarm it by putting in the Guards password.  Harm decides that he will drive the bomb off the base and far enough away so it will not destroy anything but itself.  Lt. Pike and Meg go with him.  Meg still continues to try to disarm the bomb.  Again the argument between Lt. Pike and Meg heats up because the figure that is the password that the Guard put in.  Finally Meg puts in the correct password and the bomb disarms itself.  The episode ends with Harm asking who was right with the argument, Meg or Kate.  They all laugh.

Not one of my favorite episodes but a good one.

By Shirley

I thought that this was a rather weak episode. I have no idea why they had to drag Kate Pike back. Was it because Harm has to have a partner and Meg's been abducted? Nah, that's not a good enough reason. I have never been able to understand why TPTB cast Andrea Parker as Kate. She is not an attractive character, IMHO. And Parker is not a good actress, also IMHO. So the end result is, we are left wondering what Harm saw in her, if anything. The little business of Kate 'in mittens' did not come across as convincing. The words were there, and the script was doing its best to show that they were carrying on their relationship from the pilot. However, there was no depth to it. Harm certainly didn't act in a lover-like manner towards Kate once Meg was abducted. He just switched modes, instantly. I think this had to do with chemistry. As they say either it's there or it's not. With Harm and Kate, it's not there. With Harm and Meg, it's there, so that even when the dialogue or the storyline does not show any kind of sexual energy between the two, their chemistry is such that even the most technical conversation is imbued with sexual innuendo.

I found the storyline to be contrived, and awkward. Harm got to do the heroics, sort of, although Meg did the actual disarming of the bomb. Meg also got hit by the good guy, and kissed by the bad guy. Poor Meg.
 

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