Secrets, January 10, 1997

By Shirley

I really enjoyed this episode. I had had some doubts about this season after the premiere, We the People, which seemed to be an awkward echo of the strictly action shows from the first half of Season One. But this was more like it, with lots of good drama, and an interesting story.

Cpl. Jason Magida, wrongfully convicted of espionage, escaped from Groton Brig in an extremely ingenious manner, and took Admiral Chegwidden hostage in his own office. But Chegwidden has an advantage. He has Harmon Rabb on his staff. In a matter of minutes JAG OPS is evacuated and surrounded by a SWAT team headed up by an old nemesis of Chegwidden's Vietnam days, Gayle Osborne. (Small digression here, I must commend TPTB for their true-to-the-period use of names. Gayle was a popular boy's name then, as was Marion, Valerie, Shirley ... No more. Pity the poor boy with such a handle now.) To add to the exciting mix, the CIA was involved, and Osborne was there on the CIA's hidden agenda; his objective: silence Magida.

In the complex negotiations that ensued between Harm and Jason, Mac and Bud are added to the hostage list. There, in the Admiral's private office, they go through a retrial, with Bud as the earnestly bumbling judge. Meanwhile, outside the office, Harm tries to come up with a solution that will not involve body bags as Osborne and his men close in on the increasingly desperate Jason.

This episode showed me that it is possible to cram in a heck of a lot of character development, action and drama without sacrificing anything. The lovely little scene of Clayton Webb (Clay!) doing the tango with his Mom is a prime example. That summed up our Special Assistant, in a concise vignette. And his interactions with Harm were wonderful. We've certainly come a long way since We the People. Clayton Webb may protest that he doesn't want to bond with Harm. I've got news for you, Clay. It's done. You'll always do what's right, even if it's not Company policy. That was why you helped Harm, and that was why you enjoyed slugging the SWAT guy.

Harm showed us why he is the hero. Chegwidden told Magida that "... Cmdr. Rabb's the best...", and it's the truth. Harm was alert enough first of all to realize that there was a problem and then to work with Bud to figure out Chegwidden's cryptic message. Nobody else had any idea of the message's import or even that there was anything wrong. Then he managed to bring the situation to a controllable level and eventually gained Jason's trust. Of course, he was the only one in that building both hostages and hostage-taker could trust. Despite the Admiral's carping about "man of action", Harm kept his head and his command of the situation. He only resorted to force when he had to, and then even a renegade like Osborne recognized his utter implacability. You don't mess around with Harmon Rabb.

It was such an enjoyable episode I didn't even mind the obligatory syrupy ending.

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