JAG Pilot Episode, September 23, 1995

As Reviewed by Rosepetal

As Reviewed by Shirley

This was the pilot episode of JAG which is a show starring David James Elliot as Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb. But in this episode he was still only a Commander. Also starring in this pilot episode is Andrea Parker as Lt. Kate Pike, Harms female partner.

In this episode, we find a little out about Commander Rabb.  He was a aviator until a crash ended his career and the life of his Rio.  He was diagnosed with night blindness which is what caused his accident and ended his career.  After his stint as an aviator, he transferred to the Navy's Judge Advocate General, JAG for short.  We also find out that his dad went down missing in Viet Nam and that the CAG was his wingman.  I don't really remember learning anything about Lt. Pike. 

Harm and Kate are sent to the Seahawk to investigate the death of a female aviator, Lt. Angela Arruti.  While onboard they find out that Lt. Arruti after flying with the CAG, went back to her quarters and wrote up her resignation.  We also see Lt. Arruti leaving an area of the deck late at night after meeting with someone but we don't get to see who it was.  Shortly thereafter, she dies by going over the side of the ship by the Safety Net.  They now must find out if she was pushed or thrown over the side or if she jumped.  If she was pushed/thrown over the side, then they must find out who did it.

We find out that the person who Lt. Arruti was meeting was her secret husband, Painter.  He admits to Lt. Pike that they were married and that is why they were meeting secretly.   Lt. Arruti's roommate call sign on board is Lobo and Lt. Arruti was wearing her roommates jacket at the time she was murdered.  Arruti was mistaken for her roommates Lobo who the murderer was really going after because he and Lobo hated each other.  The murderer turns out to be Ripper.

Harm goes out on a mission with the CAG while onboard the Seahawk.  While flying the plane is hit, and the CAG is injured, so Harm must fly the plane home instead of ejecting so that the CAG can get medical attention.  Harm gets them safely home and right before he and Lt. Pike are scheduled to fly back with the accused murderer and the witnesses, the crew pins wings on Harm again.

All in all, I think a very excellent episode.

By Shirley

It was billed as the television version of the big screen big budget action adventure movie, with promises of lots of spectacular footage (culled from big budget movies), and packed with plenty of action. Well, it delivered, in spades.

JAG was exciting and fun to watch. Not having seen too many summer action movies on the big screen, (I don't go to the movies much because I'm a big chicken. Bad language and mindless bloody gore really turn me off. I usually wait for the edited-for-TV version), I didn't mind the small screen one little bit, and found this to be more enjoyable than its summer movie cousins.

The story - the investigation of the death of a female naval aviator, was it accident, suicide or murder - was topical. It also allowed TPTB to strut their stuff and they did it with aplomb. The flying sequences were realistic and quite spectacular. The sets were very convincing. I had no problem believing that this was happening on board a real U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.

I admit I was rather impatient to see the star, David James Elliott, as Harm. They made us wait though. It wasn't until we were well into the story that Harm finally made his entrance. And what an entrance it was! Wow! This is the hero, and no doubt about it!

Harm is written very much as a conventional hero, with some personal problems to provide the necessary angst and some minor depth to his still fairly one-dimensional character. The personal problems arise mainly from his crash and the subsequent termination of his career as a naval aviator. Now he's just a pencil-pushing lawyer. Not! DJE may be an unknown quantity, but he certainly has what it takes to be the star of a hit TV series - the looks, the charisma, and most important of all, he can act. He's able to imbue this stock character with much more than what the script has provided. This guy's a winner!

Unhappily I can't say as much for his co-star, Andrea Parker, in the role of his mandatory female sidekick, Kate. Kate too, is written as your stereotypical action adventure heroine - sassy, tough and quick with a comeback line. Unfortunately, AP doesn't have the acting nous to do more with her character, as DJE was able to with his. It really left me wondering why on earth would Harm even try to flirt with this very boring woman? The answer - it's in the script, and it's obligatory because every action movie has to have at least one love scene between the hero and the heroine. That's what they call romance, and is a sop for the many girlfriends who have to sit and watch the rest of the show. I didn't care for this enforced sexual stuff. It makes Harm out to be shallow and insensitive. And of course, what TPTB don't know is that it's the women who'll make up the primary audience for this series, and it won't be because of the so-called "romance" between Harm and whichever partner he has.

It must be admitted that the entire approach to the issue of women in the military was anachronistic and chock full of clichés. All this talk of "easy on the eyes" is enough to make a modern woman scream and root for what's her face Lobo with the muscles. Down with the wimpy guys! Silly and degrading, don't you think?

I was tickled pink to see that TPTB had very perceptively given Admiral Brovo a strange and wonderful hobby. People in stressful and difficult jobs often take up esoteric hobbies. Admiral Brovo's is playing the clarinet. It was most enjoyable. Nice lick, Admiral.

Bottom line for this pilot for the new series - a wonderful beginning. Some things will need to be worked on, but it's a most promising beginning.
 

next episode review