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Date Posted: 14:31:31 09/10/05 Sat
Author: all
Subject: responses
In reply to: Araninda 's message, "Episode of the Week Discussion. . . Inside" on 12:34:05 09/10/05 Sat

Things I liked: 1. The whole "Come Fly with Me" section! Harm and Skates, acing the landings, interspersed with the rehearsal. Love that song, love those scenes. 2.Harm and Skates talking in the mess hall- "Why are you missing your best friend's wedding" - Skates knew - along the the entire rest of the world. What I didn't like: 1. ANY of the Mic and Mac scenes - I just CANNOT get my head around that guy and Mac!! 2. The Renee and Mic "not part of the family" conversation - duh! Even though it is in A II- my very FAVORITE part is Skates breathing into Harm's face, willing him to hang on! Probably the ONLY non-angst scene in the whole two parter. Harm: Have we dated? ROTFLMAO every time!(NT)--can j - who is next- I'm done - for now., 21:39:22 08/19/05 Fri

I enjoyed this episodes so I ignore all the wackiness by TPTB. Ofcourse it was torture with the Adrift 1 cliffhanger because the wait is forever and cant wait for our greasy boy and lipgloss to get lost. The Harm and Mac phone call moment was painfully breathtaking yet unforgettable.A shipper classic but adrift 2 ended in a tormented note too.But it was still thudworthy. Ofcourse many were rejoicing that Bugme and Renee are close to being gone and we thought shippers will finally be free but little we know shippers have more agonies to come from Donboy. (NT) -- shipper, 22:19:51 08/19/05 Fri

I liked most of it. Obviously can�t stand to watch Mac and Mic be romantic in any way. At least there wasn�t Renee and Harm on top of that. I guess I didn�t look so hard for inconsistencies. I know there are times where I will act happy when in reality I�m not. For me Mac was afraid of being lonely and having no one. It was a very powerful motivator. I also believe in some small way she did love Mic. But I guess I don�t see Mic as being as bad as others do. Yes he was pretty pushy here. But I think he was nervous of losing Mac and was trying to hold on with all he had. I don�t understand why we can�t see Mac as insecure in her personal life but secure in her professional life. They are not one in the same. She knows what is expected of her as a Marine and knows how to be a good one. But what does she know but a healthy happy relationship. She never had a good role model in her life. I also she her abandonment by her mother causing her to be even more insecure in her personal life than normal. After seeing Harm with Renee and then getting back to work and having to deal with everyone wondering about the wedding and Mic I can see why Mac need to get away and deal with everything. Enjoyed Harm�s flying and showing the CAG he earned his wings. The line about needing him at the wedding was classic. I wonder if he waited to tell her because he knew she would be upset. The interspersing of the rehearsal with Harm�s quals was very dramatic. I never like the looks of Mic. That is one reason I really didn�t like him. Something about his face really bothers me. To me Chole had no idea what happened in Australia so until she met Mic and saw that Harm was with Renee she probably still held out hope for Harm and Mac. I�m sure Mac didn�t show Chole how uncertain she was. So all she knows is Mac is getting married and seems happy about it and Harm is in a serious relationship with Renee. So I�m sure all she wanted was for Mac to be happy which meant to marry Mic. She really had no idea what was really going on. She had grown a few years since Harm left for flying so probably not as believing in the fairy tale of Harm and Mac. She sees the reality that they are with other people. I thought Mic giving Chole champagne was cute. He knew she wouldn�t like it so gave her a sip so she wouldn�t wonder what it tasted like and maybe try to go and try some on her own. Of course I would have preferred a better ending but still like it for what it was. I also think to some degree everything in this episode was exaggerated for dramatic effect. Overall I give it a 4.(NT)--Hope, 22:21:14 08/19/05 Fri

One other thing I think TPTB dragged story lines out to long at times. They had this built in road block to keep Harm and apart in Mic and Renee and used it way past the time it should have been over. It seemed like they said hey it has worked for this long why not keep it going. (NT) -- Hope, 22:24:52 08/19/05 Fri

I think you hit the nail squarely on the head. Mac is very insecure due to her home life. I dont think she ever believed Harm could want her. She took his reticence(sp) as rejection. I disliked Mic though because he used her insecurity against her. She would be very unhappy with Mic in the long run. Chloe wasnt around Mac enough to do more than take Macs word for it that she was happy. (NT) -- Karen, 13:31:41 08/20/05 Sat

1) What I loved was every Harm and Mac scene, even the ones that hurt, it beat the hell out of acting like they didnt even care about each other(As far as I was concerned the handwriting was on the wall for Mic and Renee, even with that last scene in Adrift II What I didnt like I hated that we dont see Harm reflecting more about Mac while he's on the carrier. I hated Harriets apparent cluelessness too when Mac keeps going on and on about Harm's not being there for the rehearsal dinner. I know this sounds morbid because I know Harm was in survival mode but I would have loved to see him, seeing her in his minds eye in the middle of that ocean. IN adrift two...my biggest pet peeve was the 'shot' to the shippers. The scene that makes you think Renee is talking to Harm while Mac is on her way to his apartment(breaking it off with her) and it is about Renee's father passing away, the event that keeps us from seeing what we had waited all summer for. It was cruel and unnecessary, as was the end of ATW2 same concept...to me it was 'Screw you shippers, I'll do what I want.' I had admired DPB without question until that point, I loved all of his characters, Magnum, Sam Beckett and now Harm but this was cruel to the people who were a great majority of JAG viewers. Talk about out of touch! Oh yeah, in Adrift 2 I would also have like to have had Harm think that Skates was Mac as he came out of that hypothermic coma. Shes closing her eyes concetrating on him the camera goes to Harm unconcious on the gurney but as he wakes ....no Mac. No like it at all.(smile)(NT) --mkim overall I give the episode a 4, I was on pins and needles all summer so they did a good job of 'hooking' me in., 22:27:09 08/19/05 Fri

Adrift I was the first JAG episode I watched on CBS. I cried right along with Mac. I held my breath everytime Harm went under water. I sneered at Mic and disliked Renee. Yep I think the writers did their job. I think I felt the emotions I was supposed to at the right times. When it was over it had me clammoring for the next season to start. When it did I was right in front of my T.V...just like It was also an hour of intense drama. Mic and Renee were there to be catalysts for upcoming episodes. That is how you tell a story. You build and build then you follow through. As a medical proffesional I found a lot to be desired in the story, but hell it aint E.R. They dont have to be accurate. I think everyone's emotions were all over the place in this episode and the writers did a great job showing that ( for me). Life isnt neat and tidy and unfortunately, emotions arent pretty either. Mac being confused and conflicted seemed more real to me than her acting one way or the other for the entire episode. Harm's amnesia was also accurate, he had a head injury, he also had been choked by his guide line and he was hypothermic......he had ejected from a jet at a high altitude his body temp had most likely dropped a few degrees BEFORE he hit the water, thus adding to the hyperthermia. (Found this out from someone who HAS actually ejected from an aircraft into the ocean...my nephew who is lucky to be alive.) Maybe i'm just easy. Entertain me, give a hero and a heroin with lots of characters thrown in to stir the pot,and a good solid story to keep me on the edge of my seat and i'm happy. (NT) --Trish 22:34:55 08/19/05 Fri

I agree about the medical Trish. I worked in PT for 10 years....that cane nearly drove me INSANE!!!! It was on the wrong side and it was too short...and Renee grabbing his other arm when he walked into his apartment...Arrrrgghhh! (NT) -- mkim, 22:43:43 08/19/05 Fri

I would give it a 3.5. I guess my favorite part of this episode is the song "Come fly with me"! :) For me, there was not much plot to the episode to discuss, only a collection of small scenes. You can even rearrange the order of the scenes without affecting the content - well, except the last part about Harm's crash. The episode only seemed to serve to build up Adrift II. I liked Adrift II much much better!! As for Araninda's qiestions, I neither like nor dislike them. They served their purposes. That is it. Oh! I guess I do like the photo of Harm that Hope posted :):)!! (NT) -- Acer, 22:41:04 08/19/05 Fri

I do need to point out the part that I hated most about the episode.............That was "To be continued"!!!!!!!!!! LOLOL That little scene started the least productive summer in my whole life (i.e. I spent the most my summer watching and discussing JAG) ! LOLOLOLOL (NT) -- Acer, 23:01:32 08/19/05 Fri

I remember loving Renee correcting mac's countdown to the wedding - AJ's line about don't use me as a barometer for anything was great - Mic did indeed look like an exotic bird. Not a pretty sight. I loved the grins on Harm's face when he was flying - the music come fly with me in the background - the look on the CAG when Harm told him he wasn't going to make a rookies mistake. Love it when Harm takes charge. LOL & I got a kick out of Skates face when she realized Mac's wedding was the next day & I especially loved the interaction between her & Harm when she said she wasn't a strong swimmer (NT) -- Chris K - who unlike many of you - didn't see this episode until reruns so I didn't have to wait a long summer & who is amazed how much I remember despite not having time to watch it again this week., 22:56:34 08/19/05 Fri

Mic had ecclectic tastes in hair-dos. He frequented the Road Kill Studio for all his quaffing needs. Not everyone can carry off the dead muskrat look and make it work. LOL (NT) -- Trish.......he could have hid Jimmy Hoffa under that do, 23:01:05 08/19/05 Fri

Exotic bird? LOLOLOLOL Oh! Now, I am picturing Mic as a big parrot!! LOLOLOL (NT) -- Acer, 23:06:16 08/19/05 Fri

Well....Tracyjean has certainly given me a lot to think about. I wish I had the courage to do a post on just what I think tptb were doing since before A1. But for now I have to give this ep a 5. I hated the last scene, it tore my heart out. I hated the whole marriage ceremony rehearsal part, but the fact is this was the last great cliffhanger we had and nearing the last of the best of Jag. I do believe this was the season that brought Jag to height in popularity. It was this cliffhanger along with LL that brought out the diehard Jag fans, that has to say something in itself. (NT) --Samgiz, 23:15:11 08/19/05 Fri

I loved Adrift. For me it was some of the best of JAG. The "Come Fly With Me" sequence was great. It was fun watching Harm fly and enjoy flying. Harm and Skates made a great team. Back then I really didn't think much about TPTB, I just enjoyed the show! (NT) -- Shell, 23:47:52 08/19/05 Fri

I give it a 5--This had high drama-- everything taken to the extreme--grand weddings, fast jets, perfect storms, true love-- everything pushed to the edge...Mac on the brink of marrying the wrong man...Harm trying to make it back...and then the crash--it crashes more than a Navy jet-- it crashes weddings and relationships and rearranges futures. Mic is written as the wrong man--so yes he is brash and desperate and insensitive-yet we can feel some sympathy for him on his way out the door. Rene is the same- pushy and desperate to hang on to something she knows in her heart she never really had....they act the way lots of people do who feel pushed aside and set adrift when their relationships with H/M prove fragile. Of course I felt manipulated at the end by Rene's dead father--- but I wasn't expecting any real resolution at the beginning of the season-and it kept me tuning in--that's for sure. (NT) --manette, 23:40:20 08/19/05 Fri

I love this discussion and really hate to be superficial - but were there ever two more beautiful looking people than we saw in this episode. Always loved Mac's hair in this season the best - and that man's eyes - WOW! Page 21 of the screencaps WOW! AGAIN! (NT) -- iflynavy, 00:45:42 08/20/05 Sat

I've always disliked Adrift 1 and liked Adrift 2. I think I disliked Adrift 1 because I just hated the idea of Mac and Mic getting married, and disliked seeing Mac enjoying herself at the rehearsal, and seeing the others (Bud, Harriet, AJ) being happy for her, even though it made sense for them to do that for her. To me it all just rang false. I just couldn't buy it. I did like seeing Harm fly, and interacting with the CAG and Skates, but I didn't like the "Come Fly with Me" scenes, again because of the juxtaposition with the wedding scenes. (NT) -- Tina, 02:26:33 08/20/05 Sat

I have just one question to ask about this ep, since almost everything's been covered: why was Singer at the rehersal dinner? If the whole office was invited to the wedding, sure she'd be invited to that...but the rehersal dinner? Maybe it's my tightwad midwestern upbringing, but rehersal dinner invitees are (in my experience) either in the wedding party, an out-of-town relative or extremely close to the family. Doesn't seem like Singer fits any of those catagories. Just a nit to pick. (NT) -- clr, 03:16:41 08/20/05 Sat

Probably because everyone connected to JAGops was there, including Gunny and Tiner. (NT) -- Cece, 03:38:26 08/20/05 Sat

...Which didn't really make any sense. The only ones from the office who were involved in the wedding were Mac, AJ, Bud and Harriet. I never understood why the rest of them were there. It didn't look like a cheap restaurant, and each of those dinners probably cost at least $100. Seemed like a huge expense to me. (NT) -- NanaSue, 14:58:41 08/20/05 Sat

This is JAG, and Gunny, Tiner, and Singer inhabit Mac's (and Harm's) world. If you think that is odd, don't you think it is odd that no outside guests or friends are there? This is a contained world, not RL, and only those in that world need be present. (NT) -- Cece (We never saw friends of H and M, except those in the office.), 15:38:13 08/20/05 Sat

I give this ep a 5+ + + +! But it's nearly 1 am and I will have to write on it tomorrow. (NT) -- Cece, 03:39:54 08/20/05 Sat

I'll give both episodes a 5, even though they broke my heart. The last scene with Mac, in the rain, looking up at Harm's window holding Renee made me cry. Harm's comment about maybe marrying the wrong man if she needed him at the wedding and the quals being scheduled at the same time as Mac's wedding activities was to me very telling -- I don't think Harm planned the quals to interfer with the wedding, but I bet he was glad that it washed out that way (deep down inside in a place he would never admit to). I think that Harm WAS intending to (or maybe hoping to) miss the wedding because I don't think he wanted to see the woman he loved marry another man (which I can totally understand) and he would have used the excuse that he was stuck on the carrier and couldn't get back as the reason for not attending. I think this is also shown in his conversation with Skates, where she questions him about doing his quals now and missing his best friend's wedding. However, with Mac calling him on it, his potential excuse was gone, and he had to try to get back in time. And then Mac not wishing him luck and him getting into the accident -- just WOW -- the guilt for Mac here. Mic giving Chloe champagne -- another example of how both Mic and Renee did things to get in with Mac and Harm's friends (and Harm's mother in Renee's case) in an attempt to do the -- if their friends (relatives) like me, Harm/Mac will like me better -- thing. I found Mic/Renee doing these things just plain sad. The toast -- I loved the toast!! Bud's speech about all great unions being ones of destiny -- at the same time that destiny was stepping in to make sure Brumby and Mac didn't get married. To me, it showed that Harm and Mac were the destined union. Also, Renee counting the minutes until the wedding hoping nothing would happend to Brumby before the wedding (thinking once Mic and Mac are married it would be clear sailing for her and Harm), but it's Harm's accident that stops the wedding -- interesting. Harriet's cluelessness. I think Harriet was shocked in FWFS that Harm and Mac were getting married. Bud -- he knew that Harm and Mac loved each other -- but Harriet, I would say she never had a clue. The reason?? Harriet was always secretly in love with Harm herself, and was oblivious to Mac's love for him. Just a thought. Adrit II -- I do not blame Harm at all for the last scene. He did not want to turn Mac away (man, did he want to be with Mac), but what could he do?? Renee's dad just died. It was so tough to watch -- Mac stuck in the rain. But, I think Mac saw something more when she looked in the window that lead her to run to the carrier in the next episode. Renee, in that episode, had told Mac that she loved Harm ("you mean my love for him"). I think Mac thought that Harm and Renee had a much better relationship then what we viewer saw. Remember, Mac never saw the discusssions were Renee whined to Harm re: Mac being his dream girl or about getting her "miracle." When Mac asked Harm about his feeling for Renee in Lifeline, he skirted the issue. Mac told Harm in Measure of Man the reason she ran was because there "was no us, there is you and Renee." I don't think Mac was mad at Harm for caring for Renee instead of her that night (okay maybe deep down she was, but she probably felt bad about that too), I think Mac was horrified that everyone was thinking that she and Harm were involved and their involvment was the reason her marriage to Brumby was cancelled (remember the telephone call from Chloe "I know what happended, Harm happened") Then in JAG-a-thon, Mac's comment to Sturgis about "you think Harm would cheat on Renee?" I think it scared her to think how close she and Harm came to doing that -- she was "coming" to him because she "knew" the reason. In my opinion, if Renee wasn't there, Harm would have been cheating on Renee. (IMHO -- I saw the Renee's father twist as fate stepping in again to keep them for doing something that might have damaged their future relationship) So, I could understand why Mac ran to the carrier.(NT) --Sammy, 10:10:13 08/20/05 Sat

I have to give the episode a 4. It was the first JAG that I even watched. Looking back and watching it again, I just don't think that Mac looked comfortable in her dress. It was too big and it just wasn't right for her. I liked Adrift II much better. It was so much more emotional. (NT) -- Martian Barb, 11:37:13 08/20/05 Sat

IMO, "Adrift1" thru Harm's re-awakening in sick bay on the carrier (can't NOT talk about the resuce!), were probably the high-point for JAG in production, storytelling, drama, and plain ol' "wow"-ness. I remember being so wrapped up in Harm's struggle at sea that when "TBC" came on the screen, I sat there with my heart in my throat for the longest time. Nothing had ever hit me that hard in that way. Even tho I knew he was going to be rescued (JAG was renewed, after all), it was a horrible feeling to go through that with Harm. (NT) -- The Chief - but oh, so rewarding to have him rescued and awake and "back among us"!, 12:04:44 08/20/05 Sat

Oh I so agree Chief. In fact, Adrift I is, I believe, the best episode stylistically, as well as the most exciting. I loved the rhythms of Adrift I, the way the sequences moved from the mundane context of work at JAG ops, threading their way through the wedding preparations and Harm's set up for his qualls, the juxtaposition of the wedding rehearsals with Harm's successful traps, brilliant seques from the plane in the storm, to Bud's car in the ensuing torrential rain, and finally the joviality of the rehearsal dinner that contrasted with the tragedy occuring above. And throughout the fast paced events, we see a corresponding fluctuation and range of emotions, in the facial expressions, voices, and actions of all involved.
The Come Fly with Me sequence was the most poignant and most telling scene for me. Up to that point, Mac has been obviously conflicted, yet she goes through with the wedding rehearsal, ready to take her sacred vows with all the religious symbolism. But look at her face and in retrospect, contrast it with her facial expression when she meets Harm in FWAFS in the pub. That smile is not one of unfettered joy. It is barely even happiness. It seems a resigned look, as if what she is getting is going to be nice, but never emotionally satisfying. Her love for Mic does not go down to the bones, as we find out later. And as she is walking up the aisle and kneeling with Mic, we see Harm feeling the exhilaration of completing one successful trap after another, as the evening sky deepens to a soft purple. And WE realise that inside, he knows he is about to lose the woman he loves to another man. The song choice was a stroke of genius. Come Fly with Me is a romantic song that invites lovers to fly in a perfect "flying honeymoon". The singer wants his love to soar with him, in the exhilaration of falling in love. But the wedding is between Mac and MIC, not Mac and Harm, so who is doing the flying? Who are we supposed to think, subconsciously, is doing the asking? For me, the scene only depicted a veneer of happiness, as both Harm and Mac felt the surface pleasures of their activities, while in their hearts they were torn apart. The song's easy, catchy rhythms, breezed above the sadness that the scene actually conveyed. No one in the audience could be convinced that Mac was happy about to marry the wrong man. And no one in the audience could believe that Harm had gone to his qualls, forgetting for one minute that he was about to lose Mac forever. In the scenes that juxtaposed the danger in the air with Bud's and Harriet's inconvenience on the ground, brings us to everyday realities. Great tragedies happen in mundane circumstances. Think about it. The start of many cliche stories is, "It was a day like any other." Because, in fact, our personal tragedies, sorrows, heartaches---those "thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to", are indeed played out against a backdrop of mundane daily life. When the scene moves to the dinner table, with friends about to toast the future happiness of the engaged couple, accepting their choices as we inevitably have to accept, there is the sense of foreboding. Bud and Harriet are late. Harm hasn't arrived. The storm is in full force. Certainly, these are cliches. But the work so well in bringing us from the sunny day of flying and rehearsals, to what is about to happen. And when the Admiral makes his announcement, we can see the shock and fear that plays along the faces of all present.

Mac holds up as long as she feels she can do something, take control, insist that the Captain keep up the search. Only when the Admiral takes over, does Mac fall apart. And against the rain streaked window, we suddenly see Mac's tear-ravaged face, and we, along with Mic, KNOW Mac's true feelings. All the pent up emotions, the uncertainties, and the conflicts, have disolved in the fear that Harm, the one man she truly loves, is lost...perhaps forever, in the stormy skies. And that last shot of Harm, fighting to stay alive in the freezing, storm tossed waves, is just about unbearable. It as simply stunning. (NT) ==Cece (writing this before reading the counter-opinions.), 13:23:17 08/20/05 Sat

Wow, Cec, I wish I had the way with words you do. They really did a fantastic job of making me feel all the emotions of sadness and worry even though we knew Harm would be saved. We knew the ending but how they got there was pure art. That, IMO, was rare for JAG. (NT) -- judi, 18:36:04 08/20/05 Sat

While I agree with all of what Cece said.....for me the whole "Mic/Mac rehearsal" thing was an annoying interruption to some great Harm scenes! LOL Oh, sure, there's loads of thematic drama in the juxtaposition of everyone's lives on that fateful night. But I was focused on Harm. From the moment he and Skates catapulted off that deck, I was gripping the edge of my chair, knowing it was gonna get bad. Then the cockpit chatter between Harm/Skates and the various control towers, the domino effect of their failing avionics and flight controls, the pure tension that you could cut with a knife .... all of it just played on my every emotion. Skates expresses her fear of the water by saying she's not a strong swimmer, and Harm - being Harm - encourages her to remember her training, then sets her loose to finally fight the danger alone. And that final image was the ultimate picture of "alone" - floating aimlessly on a storm-tossed sea with little hope of surviving 'til rescue came. ::shivver:: I was so shocked and dumbfounded that this little tvshow that could actually DID. It turned my heart totally upside down before ripping it out. Harm, *MY* Harm, was in danger and there was not a thing I could do about it. In a sense, for that moment, I could relate to Mac. When he's finally rescued and the docs want to give up on him, Skates won't let them. She knows that Harm is a "rescuer", and she brings him back by begging him to help her. That was the only thing that would register in Harm's hypothermia-rattled brain - someone he knows is in trouble and needs him! I loved that scene because it shows Skates' knowledge of Harm which gave *us* a better understanding of him, PLUS Harm's adorable "Have we dated?" comment when he realizes where he is and the position they're in. WHAT a relief! Loved those eps, but I tell ya, I don't watch them often because they are sooooo powerful for me because of the "Harm in danger" factor and how well it was put together. Part of me wonders if DJE brought some of his classical theatre training to the exquisite interweaving of all those themes, motifs, and stories.(NT) --The Chief, 21:09:59 08/20/05 Sat

I agree. Those moments were breathtaking. I remember so well when the camera panned back and all we saw was Harm's little light and the boat floating away. I want to write about A II separately. Though I loved it, I think A I outshines all the other eps for artistry. (NT) -- Cece... I remember every emotion I had at the time. A II came at a very emotional time, after 9/11., 21:22:31 08/20/05 Sat

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