Chains of Command, March 3, 1998

By Shirley

In Chains of Command we are not only talking about the various chains of command that exist in the military; we are also talking about the allegorical chains that bind those who are in command.

The chains of command that exist in the military are quite obvious and straightforward. Those at the top of each chain give orders; those down the chain took the orders. This chain also carried with it obligations. Those at the top had obligations towards those within their chain of command. With the power came the responsibilities. This was the way the chain was set up. But when those with power abused it, then those at the bottom of the chain suffer.

This was the case with Chief Sullivan, who used his position of power to prey on the women within his chain of command. I am quite aware that there are those who would say that these women must have been stupid. All they had to do was say "No." I disagree. I think that these people are missing the point as to why this is such an abuse of power. These women are absolutely powerless. They have no choice other than to co-operate. Unfortunately, this sort of sordid situation happens all too often and those who are its victims suffer in silence because that is the only safe course of action available to them. There is a terrible price to be paid for whistle blowing, as we saw in the proceedings, both in and out of the courtroom.

Mac's boyfriend Dalton Lowne came back for this episode, on the side of the nasties, where he belonged. He showed that he was perfectly at home there by stealing information from Mac's apartment, and then he had the gall to claim that he was only doing what every good lawyer would do for his client. No, Dalton, there is a fine line, and you crossed it. Mac finally realized that you are a real stinker. All the money and status in the world cannot take the stench away. The lady has principles. You should have realized that.

There are chains that bind Captain Ross, who was being blackmailed by Chief Sullivan. As an officer in the United States Navy, he had certain standards of behaviour he had to live by. He also had to contend with the loneliness of long periods away from his wife, who resorted to the bottle to cope with her own loneliness. These are the chains that we voluntarily put on, and drag around with us all our lives, just as Jacob Marley did in Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Chains of expectations and responsibilities; chains of love and hate. Captain Ross wore the chains from his command until he came to see that he was denying both himself and his wife a chance at life. That was when he freed himself, when he confessed to the blackmail and in so doing, loosened the chains that had bound the women, including his own wife, abused by Sullivan.
 

I just loved the wolfish delight on Harm's face when he realized that he and Dalton would be going against each other in court. I like thee not, Dalton Lowne. And of course, it is entirely typical that it is Harm who instantly caught the swift interplay between the Rosses. It is Harm who with sensitivity and delicacy convinced Captain and Mrs. Ross to do the right thing.

This episode was not one of my favourites. I thought the story itself a bit lame. Also, I had liked Captain Ross. He seemed to be a good fair-minded skipper. It was a bit of a letdown to find that he was not the exemplary officer I had thought him. As for Chief Sullivan, he had shown himself to be a bit of a roughneck in his previous encounter with a senior female officer, Mac, so it was no surprise to find out that he was even worse with his female junior ratings. Anyway, it was interesting and I am glad that Mac has come to her senses about one Dalton Lowne.

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