Clipped Wings, May 5, 1998

By Shirley

I was really looking forward to this episode. Why? Because Francesca would be in it! The last we saw of AJ's beloved daughter, she had monopolized Harm at the party, dallied with him, and kissed him good-bye. I was all-agog to see what came next.

So, Harm and Mac are sent to Italy to defend and prosecute, respectively, the pilot of the Tomcat that collided with a sightseeing helicopter, killing many civilians. We've got the Italian government and the paparazzi calling for blood and threatening to kick the Americans out of their strategic bases in Italy. In response, Congresswoman Latham is there to pour oil on the political waves, and also to have another go at one Harmon Rabb. Caught in the middle of all this brouhaha is the Tomcat pilot, and willy-nilly, Harm and Mac, the attorneys.

It's a good story, and quite well done. Harm of course, had to do his own investigating to try to scrape up a defence for the pilot. Mac rightly went all out to prosecute to the best of her ability, even though her sympathies were with the pilot. Even though hers seemed to be the easier task as all the evidence was weighted against the pilot, the hostile attitude of the CO made life difficult for her. Not everyone can divorce his feelings from the court procedures, Mac.

Once upon a time, I had a fleeting fantasy about Harm as a male model. I must have ESP. That scene at the spring fashion show was almost straight out of my befuddled brain. Wow! I'll have to be careful how I think now. LOL.

Now onto the two women vying for Harm's attention. First off, Francesca, yes Francesca. I guess Harm didn't really take her too seriously at that party. Okay, he was still involved with Annie and all that, but from his slow uptake on the Admiral's leading remarks about his daughter - Mac actually had to poke him - he hadn't really thought about her that much more. Francesca had thought about him though. I'd be willing to bet that she laid the groundwork for dear papa to have Harm check up on her while in Italy. It was a nice tactic to have Francesca be the mouthpiece of the horrified Italian people. Yes Americans, there are quite a number of people all over the world that feel that way about you. It comes with the territory.

And then there's Bobbi. Poor Harm, which way does he turn? Every which way, there's a woman making goo-goo eyes at him. Of course Bobbi took full advantage of her political clout. Francesca had to cede her place, but she cannily made sure that Harm and all observers knew of her interest with her variation of the continental greeting kiss - on either side of his mouth. As for Harm, he looked bemused and a bit amused, I think. What about Mac, you ask. Well, she could only look on from the sidelines, but actually that may have been the safest place.

The flying sequence was wonderful. It was cute the way Bobbi was all hyped for her first ride in the Tomcat, while Mac played the part of the nay-sayer. I just loved Bobbi's response to Harm's question "Doesn't anything scare you?" Her answer "A one-on-one in the Oval Office." Ouch, talk about 'ripped from the headlines'!

I also enjoyed the Italian farmer's testimony. "First you see, then you hear ...". Well done, sir.

I did not like the final little soapy bit with Arianna hugging the pilot. But I guess we'll forgive TPTB for that since all in all, they delivered a good episode.

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