The Guardian, March 28, 1997

By Shirley

This was an exciting episode. It had action, some good courtroom scenes, and a very interesting storyline.

Act One started off with poor Bud in church, praying for divine interference because he had been neglecting his studies and was not ready for his exam the next day. As they say, be careful what you ask for, you may get it. And Bud did. He is taken hostage by the fleeing Bauwer, and has to call for help, to the one man everyone always calls on, for help, Lt.Cmdr. Harmon Rabb.
 

Harm arrives post haste, and resolves the hostage situation with his usual daring and panache. Of course, in the process, he finds himself making a commitment to the deranged ex-SEAL. This eventually translated into a volunteer effort to defend him in civilian court against charges of murder.

Bauwer is not the easiest client to defend. He is totally unco-operative. It is in the manoeuvrings that the defence has to go through that we are treated to some really enjoyable scenes, especially between Harm and Bud. There was Bud being Bud, and managing to figure out a Bud-like way to find the missing witness. And we have Harm riding Bud with hard good humour, in this same search for the missing witness. "No more Game Boy until you find that witness." I really enjoy the interaction and chemistry between David James Elliott's Harm and Patrick Labyorteaux's Bud. There is nothing else quite like it on JAG.

There were many other enjoyable scenes. I like the scene of Harm, red-faced and choking, hoarsely reassuring the jail guards that Bauwer was just showing him something, that Bauwer had not just tried to strangle him. And finally, my very favourite scene is of Harm getting the best of the civilian prosecutor, leading him to trap himself with his own words. Then Harm remarking as he walked past a fuming Nardoni, "I think I like the big leagues."

The funny business aside, the storyline is timely and meaningful. It deals with the after effects of war and the havoc it wrought on all it touched. War has destroyed Paul Bauwer's life. He could no longer live life; he became an observer of life. War has alienated him from mankind. He has killed so much that he cannot conceive of living. He only knows killing. So he watches from afar. And because his son is his only tie left to humanity, he watches him dumbly, from afar. He is the guardian. It is the only role left to him. He was no longer able to be husband, father, or responsible member of society. He could only be the guardian. Harm has now given him a second chance. Paul Bauwer can once again be a part of the human race.

I really enjoyed watching David James Elliott's Harm as he delivered the closing speech for the defence. He did it with honesty, straight from the heart, and it convinced me just as it convinced the members of the jury. "Not guilty." There could be no other verdict. There are some truths that need no evidence to prove.

previous episode review//next episode review