Original subtitles

[ in Spanish ] Look, look! The boat is coming.

[ excited shouting]

[ shouting continues]

[ cheering]

[ in English ] Please, please.

SOLDIER: Hey, wait. Wait.

[ in Spanish ] Wait!

[ clamoring]

Please, go back!

Please, go back!

[ soldier continues yelling in Spanish]

Please.

[ in English ] It's getting ugly down there, Senior.

Somebody from the Nicaraguan government was supposed to be here.

Think they need help?

No, they're Marines, Belkin. They'll handle it.

[ in Spanish ] Get off!

[ crying]

Let me go!

...the car.

What are you doing?

[ man grunts]

[ screaming]

Dead!

My husband is dead!

[ theme music playing ]

[ Weatherman in English] ...with unseasonably cold temperatures, and with

an onshore wind throughout DC, tonight's low...

I've mustered your troops, sir.

God, I hate snow.

...and snow levels expected to reach 18 inches.

Shoot me now.

I'd love to help, but I'll be busy digging my car out.

[ laughs] Attention on deck.

As you were.

Coates?

Where's Lieutenant Vukovic?

Stuck in traffic, sir.

Very well.

I have good news, and I have bad news.

I know how much you're all looking forward

to our annual JAG conference.

The endless days of lectures on the minutiae of the UCMJ,

its many articles and subsections.

Well, I find those talks very informative, sir.

[ softly] Suck up.

You said you had good news, General?

Given current conditions, I've, uh,

I've arranged for a change of venue.

We're not going to hold it in DC.

Well, Iceland would be an improvement.

[ both chuckle]

How about...

San Diego?

I imagine you'll be needing

an advance person, sir?

Got one already. I've, uh,

I've assigned Lieutenant Graves, who assisted

Commander Rabb at China Lake.

Her CO. was kind enough to lend her to me.

Thanks for the recommendation.

She's been most effective, if a bit tiring on the ears.

Hmm. She's a talker, General.

What's the agenda this year, sir?

I'll let Lieutenant Mayfield elaborate.

Thank you, sir.

The main topic this year

will be related to JAG involvement

in combat operations.

Prisoner abuse,

noncombatant casualties,

civilian property commandeered for military use,

legality of orders,

and rules of engagement.

That'll be my topic, actually.

Sounds like a full plate, sir.

Unfortunately, there's limited seating at this meal.

MacKenzie, Vukovic and Mayfield

will be making the trip with me.

Roberts and Turner, you have trial dates, you'll remain here.

Commander Rabb,

you'll be acting JAG while I'm gone.

That'll be all.

Oh, uh, I want see you

and Lieutenant Vukovic in my office

as soon as he arrives. Aye, aye, sir.

[ knocking on door]

Enter.

VUKOVIC: Sorry I missed the meeting, General.

I was stuck behind a snowplow.

I briefed him on San Diego, sir.

Thank you for including me, sir.

It sounds like fun.

This isn't a junket, Lieutenant.

Of course not, sir.

A Marine unit got into trouble

while it was bringing aid

to Nicaraguans hit by a tropical cyclone.

Marine Corporal Caden Duran was doing crowd control.

He allegedly hit a Nicaraguan civilian.

The man died.

Duran is being charged with

involuntary manslaughter by culpable negligence.

The Marines and their Navy L-CAC transport units

are based out of Pendleton.

We'll handle the case while we're out there;

the locals are up to their ears.

Colonel, you'll prosecute.

Lieutenant, you'll defend.

What about the conference, sir?

You're going to have to multitask.

Sounds like a win-win to me, sir.

A trip to San Diego,

and we get to mix it up in the courtroom.

♪ I... I ♪

♪ I've been around the world... ♪

Welcome aboard, General.

Thank you, Captain.

Pleasure to have you here. Good to be here.

♪ Looking for my girl ♪

♪ I said, I... ♪

♪ I... ♪

♪ I've been around the world... ♪

Morning, ma'am.

Morning. Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie.

I'm Lieutenant Graves.

Nice to meet you.

This is Lieutenant Mayfield and Lieutenant Vukovic.

Nice of you to meet us at the airstrip in person.

Oh, it's no trouble.

It's a nice day for a drive.

Right this way, Colonel.

Thank you.

Government issue, Lieutenant?

Well, my issue.

Given the occasion, I sprang for a rental on my own dime.

Well, I appreciate the personal touch.

You mind if I drive, Lieutenant?

No, be my guest.

GRAVES: I've secured quarters for you right on the beach, Colonel.

Oh, wait till you see the sunset, ma'am.

Well, how about the sunset from our quarters, Lieutenant?

Oh, it won't disappoint.

I didn't doubt you for an instant.

MAYFIELD: Beautiful.

GRAVES: Trying to find ugly housing here is...

Like trying to find an ugly girl in Stockholm.

[ Graves chuckles]

So I've heard.

There's a lot of vacancies here, due to the war, actually,

so your quarters are here

and Lieutenant Mayfield's and mine are right next door.

Oh, that's convenient.

Um...

This harbor was an old Indian whaling ground.

In fact, they still find artifacts here.

Oh, and at night, the San Diego city lights are just incredible.

Well, maybe we can all go artifact hunting

at night sometime.

Pass.

GRAVES: Are you finding everything to your satisfaction, General?

CRESSWELL: So far so good, Lieutenant.

How're you doing?

Oh, I'm fine, sir.

So, the cocktail reception begins at 1800 tonight.

It's casual civilian attire.

Thank you, Lieutenant. Yes, sir.

And the seminars are going to begin at 0900.

All the speakers have arrived,

the presentation speakers, not the hi-fi type.

Oh, my God, I hope we have those.

Anyway, I found a really great DJ.

Um, what else?

Oh, oh, I stocked your fridge.

I heard you're into health food,

so I got you lots of tofu, organic millet...

Who-Who suggested that?

Petty Officer Coates.

Did she? Yes, sir.

This is my first conference, sir,

so if there's anything I've missed.

You did well, Lieutenant.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir, no trouble. Here's your office.

BOTH: Morning, sir. Morning.

Thank you, Lieutenant. That'll be all.

Aye, sir.

Let's step in and go over the plan of the day.

Everyone settled in okay?

Just fine, sir.

I'm assigning Lieutenant Mayfield

to be your second chair in the Duran case.

Will that be a problem for either of you?

No, sir. No, sir.

Scuttlebutt says you two have a history.

Whatever it is, I don't care.

I need good lawyers on my staff.

I also need cooperation.

You may consider this a test

neither one of you wants to fail.

That'll be all.

RABB: Just finished going over your

inquiry into the Courtman case.

You recommend against court-martial. Why?

While I believe the corporal is guilty of disorderly conduct,

I also believe there were mitigating circumstances.

Such as? He just got back from Iraq,

where he saw eight men in his platoon, his friends, killed.

He put a civilian in the hospital,

and he started a barroom brawl

that caused $5,000 worth of damage.

The civilian started that fight.

He's a good Marine, Harm. He's taking a hit.

Let's leave it at that?

All right, well, if it's good enough for you,

it's good enough for me.

Take it to the convening authority.

[ door opens]

Excuse me, sir.

You have a call on line two.

Who is it?

The hospital, sir.

Mattie's been in an accident.

MAN: Even before our L-CAC hit the beach,

I could see them, sir.

A whole crowd of people, sir.

Word travels when you haven't had food or water

for three days.

MAYFIELD: What happened when you landed?

We off-loaded the trucks, ma'am.

And we started distributing the food and water.

It got crazy.

Like, uh, on a hot summer day,

when the ice cream truck shows up

and the kids all swarm the guy.

In my neighborhood, Lieutenant, you had to fight to get any.

In my neighborhood, too.

It was a riot, straight up, sir.

Men, women, children,

they were throwing elbows,

tearing at each other.

I saw babies in mothers' arms getting knocked around.

That's not going to justify clubbing a civilian.

It wasn't like that, ma'am.

This big guy

stomps on this little girl

while he's fighting over a bag of rice?

I tried to get him to stop, but he-he kept going,

so I... I hit him.

Oh, you were trying to save the kid.

Yes, sir.

You gotta believe me, sir.

Government's going to argue

you used excessive force.

Maybe I did, ma'am.

I got upset, but I didn't mean to hurt anyone.

We were there to help.

You did what you thought was right.

And that's what we're going to demonstrate in the courtroom.

Excuse me.

I'm looking for Mattie Johnson.

Tom.

[ respirator pulsating rhythmically]

She was taking a flying lesson.

The instructor cut the lesson short

because of the storm.

They brought the plane in for a landing

just as another plane was taxiing across the runway.

RABB: In this weather, they probably

never saw each other.

Well, not till the last minute, till it was too late.

The instructor was killed, and, uh, Mattie's...

What are the doctors saying?

JOHNSON: They say she has a spinal injury.

They gave her a CT scan to examine her brain,

and they say they can't tell me anything else

until a specialist gets here from Johns Hopkins.

When will that be?

I don't know.

Could be a couple of days.

Tom, I-- I'm sure they're giving her

the best possible care.

You raised her to be tough, Tom.

She's going to pull through this.

They know things, Commander.

They're just not telling me.

But I know they know things.

[ fast-paced music playing] ♪ And you're wining on me ♪

♪ Pushing everything ♪

♪ Right back on top of me, yeah, eh ♪

♪ But if you think you're gonna get away from me ♪

♪ You better change your mind ♪

♪ You're going home ♪

♪ You're going home with me tonight ♪

♪ Let me hold you ♪

♪ Girl, caress my body ♪

♪ You got me going crazy ♪

♪ You turn me on, turn me on ♪

♪ Let me jam you ♪

♪ Girl, wine all around me ♪

♪ You got me going crazy ♪

♪ You turn me on, turn me on ♪

That's not right.

I think I'll have a drink.

Yeah, I'd love one.

♪ One hand on the ground and bumper... sky high ♪

♪ Wining hard on me ♪

♪ Got my... hollerin' for mercy ♪

♪ Yeah, eh ♪

♪ Then I whisper in her ear, so, wine harder ♪

♪ And then she said to me... ♪

Are you enjoying the party, Colonel?

Oh, I'm actually not much of a party person.

Mmm. Me neither.

[ chuckling]

Aren't you wanted on the dance floor, Travolta?

Only if you will join me.

Not tonight.

You know, I know something you might enjoy.

MACKENZIE: Wow, this is amazing.

How did you find out about this place?

I was home-ported to San Diego

when I served aboard the Stennis.

Do you bring many women up here?

Only when I want to soften them up.

For what?

Corporal Duran was on a humanitarian mission.

He shouldn't do brig time.

He clocked an innocent civilian.

He killed him.

Allegedly.

We'll go along with reduction of rank,

and we'll give back

some pay. [ chuckles softly]

Given the mitigation, a humanitarian cause,

I'll go for two years

instead of four.

Come on, Mac. Colonel.

[ chuckling softly]

He's not doing time.

No confinement or punitive discharge.

We'll take an administrative separation with benefits.

No deal.

Okay.

No deal.

Now, about that dance?

[ sighs softly]

There's no music.

Oh, I think there is.

Senior Chief Pudero--

Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie, JAG.

Colonel, a pleasure.

I've been assigned prosecution of the incident in Nicaragua.

Permission to come aboard?

Yes, ma'am. Marines are always welcome on my L-CAC.

MACKENZIE: Thank you.

It's been a while,

but these boats never cease to impress.

PUDERO: They're even better when you get to know them, ma'am.

With these babies, we can carry

a 60-ton payload at up to 50 knots.

Trucks, Humvees, an M-1 tank,

they all fit in our mailbag.

As do enough relief supplies

to feed a small village for a week.

Yes, ma'am.

Did you witness the incident

involving Corporal Duran and the Nicaraguan civilian?

I saw some of what happened.

How much? Will you excuse me, Colonel?

The crush box has got

some fresh dings in it, Petty Officer.

And make sure you check out the skirting.

Aye, aye, Senior; I'm on it.

These hovercraft are maintenance-intensive, ma'am.

MACKENZIE: I saw your people pulling

some serious maneuvers out there.

PUDERO: It's air hockey

with a 200-ton puck.

You can turn these bad boys on a dime,

take them damn near anywhere.

Gives us access to more than 75% of the world's shores.

Which brings us back to Nicaragua

and Corporal Duran.

Indeed it does, ma'am.

When I saw the corporal unsling his weapon

and jump down into that crowd,

I knew there was going to be trouble.

I figured he was just going to try to push the people back.

But he did more than that.

Yes, he did.

Did Corporal Duran overreact?

Is that still fragrant over there, Belkin?

Get a team in there to swab that thing out.

I don't want my boat gathering flies,

understood?

Aye, aye, Senior Chief.

Whew!

Sorry, ma'am; should've warned you.

We had a full load of Marines this morning

packed in like sardines,

one small porthole to look through.

In rough seas,

even the toughest Marine can become reacquainted

with his breakfast.

I'd be happy to take you for a ride, Colonel.

I've had all the reacquainting I'd ever want

in the back of an F-14, but thank you, Senior Chief.

You still didn't answer my question.

Did Corporal Duran overreact?

It was a bad situation, ma'am.

It was very tense.

The people

on that beach were out of control.

That being said,

I don't think the corporal needed to use

the south end of his weapon on that civilian the way he did.

Thank you, Senior Chief.

Ma'am.

VUKOVIC: We're not taking the offer.

Can we at least discuss it, sir?

What is there to discuss?

I'd like to hear what he has to say.

Go ahead, Corporal.

The deal the colonel offered-- two years instead of four--

would make a big difference to my family back home.

A zero time served versus two years

would make an even bigger difference.

But we can't guarantee that outcome at court-martial.

Maybe "we" can't, but I can.

Do you believe that you're guilty

of the charges, Corporal?

I keep replaying it in my head, sir.

Truth is, I don't know, sir.

Well, then let's replay it now.

You saw people fighting.

You saw a child trapped in the middle, endangered.

Your instinct was to protect the child, right?

Yes, sir.

You didn't mean to hurt anyone?

No, sir.

Well, then you did your job

on that beach, Corporal.

You helped people.

Now I got to do my job,

which is to help you.

But I can't do that unless you trust me.

[ seagulls crying]

GRAVES: Ah, it's enough to make Otis Redding cry.

VUKOVIC: "Sitting on the dock of the bay."

See, I would have thought

you were more of, like, a Smokey Robinson fan.

[ giggles]

No. Any old-school R&B, I'm there.

Me, too. Get out of here.

No, I'm a southern girl.

Well, Southern California, but you know?

I like this artifact hunting.

How's your case going?

I-I just, I find murder mysteries really intriguing.

I don't know how much mystery there is here.

It's pretty caveman-basic.

Boy meets boy,

clobbers him. [ chuckles]

It's the context where my argument lies.

Sounds like you've already mapped out your strategy.

I have. I'm basing my defense on mob mentality.

Ordinarily peaceful citizens

become violent and dangerous when in a mob,

especially in a highly-charged environment.

Like a basketball game.

Or a natural disaster.

Last time I checked the NBA, it pretty much looked the same.

See, I would have gone straight to forensics,

and I don't know, I would have just wasted a lot of time.

That was my first stop. Really?

But it was pretty much open-and-shut.

The victim died of a cerebral hemorrhage

due to blunt force trauma.

Like I said, caveman-basic.

The more "caveman-basic" things are,

the more excited I get, you know?

I'll keep that in mind.

The locals started grabbing crates of food.

Our guys told them to back off, but they wouldn't.

MACKENZIE: What was their temper?

PUDERO: Ma'am?

Well, the locals,

were they friendly, aggressive, desperate, hostile?

Did they yell out anti-American sentiment?

They weren't exactly hostile, Colonel.

Um, they were certainly aggressive,

and I guess you could say they were desperate.

Just as any parent would be whose child

was homeless and hungry.

Objection, Your Honor. Objection, Your Honor.

Sustained and sustained.

MACKENZIE: What led up to the accused

striking the victim?

Assumes facts not in evidence.

I'll rephrase.

What led the victim

to fall down dead from a blow to the head

at the feet of Corporal Duran?

Colonel. Sorry, sir.

Just tell us what you saw, Senior Chief.

PUDERO: Yes, sir.

Well, Corporal Duran unslung his M-16.

He jumped off the truck and waded into the mob.

He was yelling at the people in Spanish,

but they didn't listen.

Would you please use your display

to clarify the sequence of events?

I'd be happy to, Colonel.

I was up here on the craft.

Corporal Duran was on this truck here.

He jumped down. Other Marines joined him.

There was a lot of yelling.

Uh, at some point in time,

the crowd pulls back,

a guy is laying on the sand,

and Corporal Duran is standing over him.

Weapon in hand.

PUDERO: Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Senior Chief.

You were on the L-CAC watching this, Senior Chief?

Yes, sir, I was until I ran down.

Well, according to this picture, your line of sight

into the crowd where Corporal Duran was

was blocked by this truck, am I right?

That is correct, sir; I didn't have

a clear view until I went down onto the sand.

So, you did not, in fact,

see Corporal Duran strike anyone, did you?

No, sir.

Thank you, Senior Chief.

Senior Chief, do you see this pen?

Yes, ma'am.

Where's the pen now?

On the floor.

MACKENZIE: But how do you know? You can't see it.

The table's in the way.

Where else could it be, ma'am?

Is there a point to this, Your Honor?

Connect the dots, Colonel.

MACKENZIE: I intend to, sir.

You saw the accused unsling

his M-16 and wade into the crowd.

A short time later, you saw him standing over the victim, weapon in hand.

What do you infer?

That he hit the guy with the M-16.

Just as you inferred the pen hit the ground.

Thank you.

I'm not saying give up, but I think

we should reconsider Colonel MacKenzie's offer.

I can beat her. That's what this is about to you.

It's about beating MacKenzie.

No, it's about winning the case.

I don't know what drives you more, your ego or your libido.

Let's not make this personal.

We have a duty to our client. Gonna give me a lecture now?

It's one thing to be cocky with your own life.

It's another to showboat

with someone else's. I'm not showboating.

I am being aggressive.

Fool! I see you working Cresswell.

I see you working MacKenzie.

What, you jealous?

Disgusted is more like it.

You're playing Russian roulette with our client.

I am willing to live with the consequences.

That'll be a real comfort to Corporal Duran,

sitting in the brig.

I have a presentation to prepare.

You go ahead, walk away. You were always good at that.

You don't just use people.

You use people up.

MAN: Commander Rabb? They told me you were up here.

Dr. Michael Rosenbaum.

I just drove in from Baltimore.

Doc, it's been three days. What took you so long?

Well, teaching, patients, rounds, surgery, weather.

Shall I go on?

Come on. Let's go in.

CT scan shows bilateral frontal contusions.

That's bruising of the brain,

which explains the coma.

Her doctor said she has a spinal injury.

I'm not going to jump to any conclusions

till all the results are in.

When will that be?

I've already scheduled an MRI.

Can you help her?

This girl's body suffered enormous punishment,

and the fact that she's still alive is...

it's a miracle in itself.

Being alive isn't enough, Doctor.

She has to get better.

What's your relation to the patient?

I was her legal guardian. Now I'm a friend.

Where are her parents?

Her mother's deceased.

Her father was here late last night.

He's, uh, getting some rest.

Look...

Please, you got to help her.

I'll do my best.

You should get some rest, too.

Hey, Mattie.

You're going to be okay.

You're going to get out of here in a couple days.

In fact, you got to get better.

You know, we got plans, remember?

We're going to sail the Mediterranean,

ski Aspen...

fly Mount McKinley.

There's so much you got to do.

Go to college,

fall in love,

have babies...

...live.

God, she is so good and so smart.

You know, I want to be her.

Who? Colonel MacKenzie.

The woman who hammered you in court today.

Aw, she didn't hammer me, okay?

Oh, looked like it from where I was sitting.

She served you up a big ol' plate of ass-whup.

She chewed you up, spit you out, burned you down.

Okay, I get it.

She's also very attractive.

VUKOVIC: She's also two pay-grades above me.

There are rules. Yeah, like you care.

You want to know what I care about?

No, no.

Don't you even start... What?

"What? What?"

Oh, I am not letting you in, Vukovic, okay?

I'm on a guy-atus.

A guy-atus?

A hiatus from guys.

Oh.

Well, you can't judge the whole barrel

from a couple of rotten apricots.

All right, all right, all right.

Let's just let the, uh...

your blood supply get shifted back to your brain.

I read the forensics report.

Oh, right, your amateur sleuthing.

And what did the report tell you?

Well, the victim was struck on the crown of the skull,

Mr. Patronizing.

So?

So, three words: horizontal butt stroke.

I'm going to need more words.

Okay, according to Forensics, your client used

his M-16...

...like a club, like so.

Ah!

But the Marines are trained

to use a horizontal butt stroke like so.

Okay.

Okay. Which means that the wound

would've had to be on the side of the head

or in the face, but not on the crown of the skull.

And another thing-- there was no test done

to match the victim's blood with the blood on the M-16.

There was no need; witnesses saw Corporal Duran hit the victim.

Are you sure?

Things were pretty chaotic.

Why are you looking at me like that?

[ giggles]: You're creeping me out.

I got to go. I'll see you Monday.

Oh, my God, Tali, thank God. Over here.

So, they're kind of waiting.

I know. I'm sorry.

What's wrong?

I'm feeling a little nauseous...

and a little dizzy.

What, are you sick?

No.

[ gasps]

Oh, my God. I'm terrified.

I made it through OTS, I made it through combat,

I made it through court, a wedding,

but when it comes to public sp...

What-What, do you have a phobia?

But you're a lawyer.

Well, lawyer's have phobias, too.

Okay. Hey, okay, take deep breaths.

Take deep breaths.

Yeah.

That's feeling better.

Good. You could picture the audience naked.

Lieutenant, I hope you have something interesting to say

about the rules of engagement.

I don't think the naked thing's going to work.

As you were.

I'm Lieutenant Tali Mayfield.

I apol...

[ clears throat]: I apologize for the late start.

Sun Tzu said,

"Those who excel in war must first cultivate

their own humanity and justice."

But what if you're in the sand in a foreign place,

not knowing what to do

and when to do it?

Do we have an ETA on Lieutenant Vukovic?

I'm sure he'll be here shortly, Your Honor.

You should both invest in better watches.

Yes, Your Honor.

You're an able attorney, Lieutenant,

as you demonstrated during your presentation Saturday.

I think you're capable of representing your client,

unless the accused has an objection.

If it pleases the court, Defense calls

PFC Ogden to the stand.

VUKOVIC: My apologies to the court.

Rough weekend, Lieutenant? No, sir.

Rough weather-- our flight was delayed.

JUDGE: And what flight was that?

The one from Nicaragua, sir.

You were in Nicaragua. Yes, sir.

I flew down there this weekend to locate this man.

His name is Fonseca Godoy.

He was on the beach that day.

He saw the incident clearly.

Your Honor, I have no knowledge of this witness.

Neither did I until yesterday.

There was no time to inform Trial Counsel.

Do you speak English, sir?

Si.Uh, yes.

Were you on the beach when the trucks came in?

Yes.

Why didn't you give your statement

to the police at the time?

When the police came, I run.

All right.

Please have a seat.

Mr. Godoy, did you know the man

who died on the beach that day?

Yes. Carlos Mejia Tijerino.

He lived in my village.

Did the accused-- the man sitting at that table--

strike Mr. Tijerino?

GODOY: No, he did not.

VUKOVIC: Then how did Mr. Tijerino die?

There was a struggle over a big crate.

Uh, Carlos slipped.

The crate fell on his head,

and, uh, it was a heavy crate.

But everyone knew that Carlos had a soft head.

Well, there were witnesses who testified

that they saw the accused strike Mr. Tijerino with his M-16.

No, that's not possible.

And why not?

Because I am the man that he struck.

This is where the corporal hit me with his gun.

VUKOVIC: This was taken in the emergency room

of the local hospital an hour after Mr. Godoy was struck.

Why did the corporal hit you?

We were all crazy.

I didn't mean to, but I, uh...

I stepped on a little girl.

Your Honor, the government requests an early recess

to investigate the credibility of this witness.

JUDGE: Do you have reason to doubt it?

Yes, I do.

No objection, Your Honor.

Counsel may investigate to her heart's content.

JUDGE: Very well.

Witness may step down.

This court-martial is in recess

until 1000 tomorrow. [ gavel bangs]

Who is he?

He is the guy Corporal Duran hit with his M-16.

No, I mean, who is he-- another actor?

Oh, yeah, that's right.

I, uh, I used an impostor in the Genuzzi case.

I admitted that. But this guy's the real deal.

Who you just happened to find on a weekend trip to Nicaragua.

No, I went looking for him.

Lieutenant Graves clued me in when she...

Graves is working for you?

No, not officially,

but she pointed out an interesting anomaly

in the forensics report, so I flew down to El Astillero.

There's only one hospital in the area,

so it wasn't difficult to trace Mr. Godoy.

He's telling the truth, ma'am.

Lieutenant Vukovic and the truth

are rarely on speaking terms.

And I'm surprised at you, Lieutenant.

I thought you, at least, would have some ethics.

Ma'am, I know better than anybody

the deception Vukovic is capable of-- believe me--

but this time, he's being straight.

Hello? Can we talk about me as if I was here?

Withdraw the witness. No can do, Colonel.

If he's a fraud, I will prove it.

I welcome the scrutiny, ma'am.

We'll see.

[ laughs]

We are going to win this one.

This guy is for real... isn't he?

Have I ever lied to you?

You wanted to see me, Colonel?

Yeah. Sit down, please, Lieutenant.

I have a job for you.

Yes, ma'am.

But I'm not sure I can rely on your discretion.

Oh. May I ask why, ma'am?

Because of the way you look at Lieutenant Vukovic.

Whatever feelings I may or may not have

for Lieutenant Vukovic-- they in no way

affect how I perform my duties.

I'd like to believe you.

Respectfully, ma'am,

may I ask the Colonel how many times

she's been accused of letting her emotions

rule her judgment? Wrongly accused?

Point taken.

What's the job, ma'am?

There was a bright spot on the MRI around C-4.

It indicates a possible spinal cord transection.

Meaning?

She could be paralyzed from the neck down.

Could be?

We won't know for sure until she regains consciousness.

Well, when will that be?

Weeks, months.

[ sighs]: We don't know.

You people don't seem to know very much.

Uh...

RABB: Dr. Rosenbaum,

this is Tom Johnson, Mattie's father.

How is she doing?

Pulse is steady, her vitals are good.

She's holding her own.

What's going to happen to mylittle girl?

ROSENBAUM: With this type of injury,

Mattie could be respirator-dependent the rest of her life.

What does that mean?

It means, she'll be unable to breathe without assistance.

Um, eventually,

if Mattie remains in a coma,

a decision will have to be made.

What kind of decision?

Whether or not to keep her on life support.

Will you excuse us, Doctor?

Yeah.

Where have you been, Tom?

Uh, yeah, uh, you know, I had a lot of things to do.

You know, I had a lot of things to take care of

in case Mattie needs me.

Mattie does need you.

She's needed you for the last four days.

Yeah, yeah, I know that, but I...

See, I had a lot of things to... to take care of.

Like what? Your bar tab?

No.

You're wrong about that. I just...

I had stuff to do.

You're drunk.

[ sighs]

Yeah, I had a drink.

The kind they keep pouring.

[ sniffling]

She's all I have, man.

I mean, she is the whole reason

I got sober.

[ sniffling]

Now, it's, like, what is the point?

What's the point?

Didn't you listen to the doctor, Tom?

She's alive.

She's your daughter.

She's your responsibility, now more than ever.

[ crying]: Oh, God.

[ sobbing]

Oh, God.

Colonel?

Colonel?

I have the test results right here.

Is this accurate?

Yes. I have no reason

to believe otherwise, ma'am.

Thank you, Lieutenant.

And you've...

Been discreet.

Yes, ma'am. No one's seen the report but you.

Colonel MacKenzie, are you prepared

to cross examine the witness?

No, Your Honor, I am not.

Your Honor, counsel has no basis upon which to...

Rather, I would like to request a continuance

to contact the convening authority

and recommend the charges be dismissed.

On what grounds?

MACKENZIE: Lack of evidence, Your Honor.

JUDGE: Can you be just a tiny bit

more specific, Colonel?

MACKENZIE: Yes, sir.

In an effort to discredit the witness,

I conducted an investigation.

I asked the forensics lab to compare the blood

on the M-16 stock with a sample

from Mr. Godoy.

I have the lab report here.

It was a match.

Mr. Godoy is, indeed, the person that Corporal Duran struck.

There is no evidence

that the Corporal struck anyone else which

establishes reasonable doubt as to his culpability.

Does the defense have any objections?

Uh, none, Your Honor.

Very well, Colonel.

Given the government's discovery,

I have no doubt that General Warbet will agree.

This court-martial is in recess until my call.

Thank you, Lieutenant. Thank you.

MAYFIELD: You're welcome.

Thank you for everything, sir.

Thank you. I told you everything would work out.

Now that's ethics.

[ bells clanging]

[ horns honking]

[ sirens blaring]

[ dance music plays]

Looks like a nice place.

Oh, yeah.

Uh, it came highly recommended, sir.

As did you.

[ laughs] Sir?

[ clears throat] Commander Rabb.

And, uh, I agree with his assessment.

You did an outstanding job with the conference, Lieutenant.

Thank you, sir.

I, uh, I understand you're up for orders.

Uh, have you, uh, ever considered a billet at JAG?

Well, the thought had crossed my mind

after working with Commander Rabb.

Well, good.

'Cause I'd like to have you on my staff.

Oh.

Wow. Well, the honor would be all mine, sir.

Gosh, I have the strongest urge to curtsy.

[ laughs]

GRAVES: Hi. The general's here.

What kind of mood is he in?

[ laughs]: He's good.

He's a sweetheart.

MAYFIELD: Not quite the word I'd use.

MACKENZIE: Oh, I don't know.

I see an occasional twinkle in his eye.

GRAVES: How would you describe, uh, Vukovic?

Vukovic is a perfect example

of reverse evolution.

Starts off a prince, ends up a frog.

[ Graves laughs]

Details, please.

Permission to speak freely?

Yeah. The freer the better.

All right.

If you're looking for a guy in black leathers

to ride up on a Harley

so you can jump up behind him

for a wild, nasty weekend...

Mm. Who doesn't?

...that's one thing. But if you want a relationship

with someone you can depend on,

that's something else.

Okay. Which do you prefer, Colonel?

I've been on the Harley.

[ laughs]

I heard that. Yeah.

MACKENZIE: But there's a third type.

The guy who used to wear leathers.

And now he wears a suit and a tie.

Or a uniform with commander's stripes?

Okay, getting back to Vukovic...

Sweetie, we never left him.

So what are you saying, stay away?

Far, far away.

Yeah, that sounds like good advice.

Except for she won't take it. Look at her. She can't

wait to mount that Harley.

That is not true.

Oh, okay, 'cause you're gonna

stay detached, right? Aloof.

He's not going to get to you,

'cause you're just in it for the fun.

Why not?

Because it won't work like that.

Well, I think that maybe you're misjudging him.

Colonel, please talk to this girl, 'cause she won't hear me.

No, no, no. I appreciate your concern.

It's just, I can handle myself.

MAYFIELD: Oh, my God.

Thank you, ladies, for your sound advice.

If you'll excuse me.

She didn't hear us.

No, not a word.

God, you're beautiful.

I'm sorry. I didn't just say that.

I meant to say the table is ready.

What am I going to do with you, Vukovic?

I could make a list.

[ phone rings]

Hello. Mac, it's Harm.

Hi. We were just about

to sit down to dinner with the General.

Can I call you back?

Yeah. Sure.

You sound strange. Is everything all right?

Enjoy your dinner. We'll talk later.

Yeah, okay. I'll call you back.

Uh, Commander Rabb.

Shall we?

I, uh, just wanted to say, um,

your actions in court today--

dropping the charges--

very admirable.

Well, your witness was real.

Your client wasn't guilty.

There was nothing admirable about it.

Still, I-I admire your integrity

and the thoroughness of your investigation.

Matching the blood on the M-16

with Mr. Godoy's was brilliant.

I wish I'd thought of it.

[ chuckles]: You did.

I did?

Yeah, you knew the blood samples would match.

You figured I'd discover it and present it in court.

Well, if you knew, then why did you do it?

Because an innocent man was exonerated.

When will I stop underestimating you?

I bow to your wisdom and your morals.

No. You wouldn't dare.

What?

Tamper with the evidence, get the blood samples to match.

What? No, I'm not that clever.

Was it Lieutenant Graves?

Did she show me a phony lab report?

Uh, if you don't mind my saying so, Mac,

I think you're being a little paranoid.

Yeah, maybe I am, but I hope

I never find out there was tampering.

You won't.

[ monitor beeping rhythmically]

[melancholy music playing]