"Ares" is an episode of JAG that first aired on May 22, 1996. Directed by Raymond Austin. Written by Jack Orman and Eric Hall.
Lt. Mason (Don Handfield) goes to talk to the father of an Okinawan girl he likes, and to give her a necklace, but after a little boy steals the necklace, Mason winds up dead with a sign reading "ヤンキー GO HOME."
Rabb gets recalled from his vacation to investigate the murder by his old partner, Lt. Kate Pike (Andrea Parker), who pulls him off the plane. The two along with Campisano (Tim Lounibos) are heloed over to the USS Daniel Boone, where Commander Brockman (John Dossett), Pike's former lover, is leading the investigation.
The captain of the ship, Captain Evans (Barry Jenner), does not have the JAG investigation as his highest priority; he's more concerned with winning the war games the ship is about to engage and winning a bottle of wine. But Rabb convinces the good captain, who then allows the lawyers to question Lt. Donovan (Todd Kimsey) as long as they do it in time for him to return to the bridge and participate in the war games.
The purpose of the war games is to test Ares, a computerized system intended to automate naval warfare. Rabb is convinced Mason's murder has something to do with Ares. Brockman doesn't buy it, but he's more concerned with showing Harm who's boss and winning Kate back. Rabb's suspicion is proven to be well-founded when, with the war games barely started, Ares takes over the ship, targeting all incoming air vehicles with live missiles and steering the ship to North Korea.
To prevent the helo bringing Lt. Austin to the ship from being shot down by Ares, Rabb gets on the radio to suggest to the pilot he "make like a boat" and fly close to the water. Austin gets to the ship safe and sound as Donovan comes under suspicion for hijacking Ares, and it doesn't help that some of Mason's floppy disks are found in Donovan's quarters. But Rabb figures out that finding Mason's disks in Donovan's quarters was just a red herring to keep suspicion off Campisano.
As the Daniel Boone draws closer to North Korean waters and North Korean ships draw close (but North Korean planes stay put) Campisano leaves his station and takes Brockman hostage. Rabb gets Campisano to reveal he's really a North Korean spy who took the identity of a real Navy brat born of a Brooklyn sailor and a Korean woman. Rabb kills "Campisano" and retrieves a disk which Austin uses to shut down Ares. The captain orders warning shots across the bow of the lead North Korean ship. The North Korean ships retreat.
Tropes
- Book Ends: After resolving the situation with Ares, Rabb tries to get back to his vacation but is pulled off another plane.
- Frame-Up: Campisano planted Ares disks on Lt. Donovan.
- Logic Bomb: Having the helicopter fly at low altitude confuses Ares and prevents it from firing at the aircraft.
- Master Computer: Ares.
- The Mole: Campisano.
- Straw Loser: Brockman has higher rank than Rabb, but winds up being useless, and worse, is taken hostage by Campisano. Rabb treats Brockman with all the courtesy due a superior officer, but no genuine respect.
As you were...
Dismissed.
