Creator
Donald P. Bellisario
Cast
David James Elliot”¦”¦”¦Commander Harmon “Harm” Rabb Jr.
Catherine Bell”¦”¦”¦Lt. Col. Sara “Mack” MacKenzie
Patrick Labyorteaux”¦”¦”¦Lt. Cmdr. Bud Roberts Jr.
John M. Jackson”¦”¦”¦Adm. A.J. Chegwidden
DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 685 Minutes on 4 discs
The Show
It’s really kind of hard to determine how good a crime drama really can be when there are so many different ones on television. There are the ones you like and then there are the ones you kind of like and then the ones you really can’t stand to watch. So I’m not sure if it’s really fair to try and grasp onto a new show that has actually been around since 1995. But when it came to watching the second season of JAG, I was actually pleasantly surprised.
It’s very difficult to come up with new ideas, but JAG managed to come up with extremely unique situations for the characters to get into whether it happens to be a mock-trial at gunpoint or getting lost in the mountains. This season really managed to keep my interests not so much by my wondering how the cases would turn out, but more so by how they were going to start.
Hospitals, training sessions, Washington, and Ireland are just a few of the locations that these crimes and mysteries take place, so things never end up getting drab or dull because it’s always a new background. And with the addition of Mack’s character this season, it helped form a nice love-hate relationship with Harm. They are co-workers and friends, but at times they are pitted against one another and their strong-willed passion to win their case comes out.
Episodes
Disc One:
We The People: Harm and his new partner Lt. Col. Sara MacKenzie get thrown into one of the most serious cases ever as the original Declaration Of Independence is stolen. A Marine colonel has taken the document and is holding it so as to remind the country of its true meaning.
Secrets: A convicted spy escapes from prison and kidnaps Adm. Chegwidden and wants justice. So he orders the Admiral to defend as he did before in a set-up mock trial in order to prove his innocence.
Jinx: An air squadron seems to be cursed as they accumulate an unlucky streak of mid-air accidents. As JAG investigates this further, Harm is torn finding himself attracted to his late friend’s widow.
Heroes: In a case of a Navy SEAL killing his best friend, Harm and Mack oppose each other to determine if it was an accident or murder.
Disc Two:
Crossing The Line: A female fighter pilot decides to file sexual harassment charges against her commanding officer after being subjected to a hazing ritual from her fellow pilots.
Trinity: Harm and Mack take on an interesting kidnapping case when a Lieutenant’s baby is taken from her in Ireland. It’s not long before the main suspect in the case is revealed to be an IRA terrorist”¦and also the baby’s father.
Ghosts: Admiral Chegwidden is in for a surprise as his normal jogging path is booby-trapped and he finds a tiny statue of Buddha left to symbolize the person who tried to kill him. Thinking back, he realizes that a CIA agent he knew in Vietnam may be the suspect.
Full Engagement: Engine trouble forces Harm and Mack to make an emergency landing when their engines begin to fail. Stranded in the Appalachian mountains, they stumble across some backwoods poachers who have recently murdered a game warden who tried to stop their illegal actions.
Disc Three:
Washington Holiday: The country of Romania is contemplating joining NATO which would form a partnership with the United States, but assassins are threatening to kill the Romanian princess if they go through with the deal. Harm has been assigned to escort the princess around Washington, but must now protect both their lives.
The Game Of Go: A Columbian drug lord is holding the body of a dead Marine hostage to get what he wants from the United States. Harm isn’t going to let that happen though as he tries to outsmart the criminal.
Force Recon: A bunch of men are almost killed during a Force Recon test due to some old-style training methods of a tough Marine captain. JAG investigates by having Harm go undercover and try to get more inside information.
The Guardian: An ex-Navy Seal who is now homeless is accused of using excessive force to kill three men who were trying to hold up a convenience store. Harm and Mack go to civil court go to civil court to defend the man and help all they can.
Disc Four:
Code Blue: Harm is hit by a car and Mack has to rush him to the emergency room. Little do they know that the entire hospital is about to be taken over by Islamic terrorists.
Cowboys And Cossacks: A war games exercise is going on between Russian and U.S. submarines, so Harm and Bud decide to climb aboard the Russian sub and watch the happenings. They soon realize that the sub’s captain is actually planning real attacks against the U.S. sub.
Rendezvous: A cheating wife’s boyfriend is murdered by her abusive and alcoholic husband who is also a Chief Petty Officer. Mack is assigned to the case to defend him even though the case hits a little too close to home.
The Video
The show is shown in 1.33:1 Full Frame and transferred to DVD very well. The colors look good and the backdrops in almost every scene just are shown extremely nicely.
The Audio
It’s heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround and sounds good. JAG‘s fair share of action, to go along with a good bit of dialogue for it is a show about law, comes off sounding just fine.
Special Features
Commentary – Different cast and crew members provide commentary on episodes “We The People,” “Crossing The Line,” and Washington Holiday.” Doesn’t really add much or take away from the episodes so it’s worth a listen.
Setting Sail On Season 2 – Everything to expect from the second season after being cancelled after its initial season and introducing the new character of Mack.
Inside The Real JAG Corps – All you ever wanted to know about the actual JAG corps and the men and women involved in it.
The Inside Pulse
If you were an avid watcher of JAG during its run, I would sincerely suggest picking this up. But if you were someone who never really watched the show before, you can most likely get the same premise from one of the crime dramas on TV today. It’s hard to try and sell this set when, like most TV box sets, it is severely lacking in extras. If they had just put a little bit more into maybe a “making of” or perhaps more on the characters, then it’d make it more eye-catching. Other then that, check out your local listings and see when one of the fifty reruns of Law & Order is on.
