“JAG: Judge Advocate General” — 4th Season

By Jae-Ha Kim
Amazon.com
August 21, 2007

With the fourth season of JAG: Judge Advocate General, viewers get a real sense of who the characters are.

Originally running in 1998-1999, the fourth year is consistently good in both storyline and acting, and rarely loses steam in any of the 24 episodes.

The six-disc boxed set begins with Commander Harmon “Harm” Rabb (David James Elliott) and his comely colleague Lieutenant Colonel Sarah “Mac” MacKenzie Mac (Catherine Bell) searching for his father in Russia. The season ends with Harm possibly giving up his military legal career to return to his first love as a naval fighter pilot.

But before the cliffhanger, Harm helps to clear Mac’s name against charges that she killed her ex-husband, bumbling Bud (Patrick Labyroteaux) and his wife Harriet (Karri Turner) welcome their baby into the world, and Admiral Albert Chegwidden (John M. Jackson) deals with the kidnapping of his daughter.

In many ways JAG evokes memories of older whodunit series that relied on charm and humor as much as drama (and gross-out medical examinations) to keep its audience captivated. Elliott and Bell provide pleasing eye candy along with enough flirty chemistry that viewers root for the couple to get together.

And Labyorteaux has transitioned well from a child actor into a very funny thespian with superb comic timing.

While the plots occasionally can be out there, the series serves up feel-good stories without excessive patriotism or preaching.

There’s not much in the way of special features, other than a so-so gag reel. But fans of the series won’t be disappointed by this set, which tackles political issues as well as matters of the heart.