"Against All Enemies" is an episode of JAG that first aired on November 4, 1997. Directed by Joe Napolitano. Written by Alex Davidson.
Marine F/A-18 Hornets are conducting a test of the new AMRAAM missile, when a North Korean aircraft squawking an airliner transponder code blunders into the area. Right after it is warned to bugger off, a missile "inadvertently" launches off an aircraft and shoots the plane down. Tensions erupt between both sides, resulting in a standoff as the U. S. Navy tries to salvage the downed aircraft.
Lt. Commander Rabb, Major MacKenzie and Lt. Roberts are sent to the carrier Reprisal to investigate. Mac clearly doesn't want to be there, as she seems intent to quickly determine the cause as pilot error and go home. She also becomes sympathetic to the plight of a galley crewman, Seaman Alice Tupenny (Marjorie Monaghan) who just can't seem to catch a break. Rabb, on the other hand, digs deeper and uncovers a potential spy onboard.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Military: Rank is of great importance in the military. In real life, it's highly unlikely that Seaman Tupenny would be assigned to a galley that prepares food for commissioned officers. At most she'd be assigned to a galley that prepares food for chief petty officers. But then it would have been less likely for Mac to become aware of the seaman's plight.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Seaman Alice Tupenny.
- Dead All Along: The real Seaman Alice Tupenny was murdered before she could even get to the ship. A freelance spy offed her and took her place.
- The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: The Marine fighter pilot who "inadvertently fired" the missile had a brother who was diagnosed. His own flight performance suffered as a result, improving only when his brother was in remission.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The North Korean "airliner" was a spy plane with an extremely powerful radar. That radar caused electrical systems to surge and ignite the AMRAAM on the Hornet, when it scanned the aircraft to discern details about the missile. The AMRAAM being a fire and forget missile found the spy plane and hit it, bringing it down.
- He Knows Too Much: Ostensibly why the MiGs fired at Harm's F-14.
- Shout-Out: Rabb sarcastically calls Roberts "Rambo" as Roberts humble brags on the phone to his girlfriend. "We're not heroes, we're just people doing our jobs."
- Stay in the Kitchen: A literal case — the galley senior chief wants Seaman Alice Tupenny to focus on her duties in the galley and berates her for leaving her post on watch to get some training elsewhere.
- Villain Ball: The North Korean MiG pilots just open fire on Rabb's Tomcat, killing Alice Tupenny in the backseat, neutralizing the grenade that threatened him and allowing him to escape. Had they responded to their spy's request to be escorted to land in Pyongyang, they'd have pulled off a major feat by acquiring an F-14 Tomcat with all its advanced missiles, and a pilot who could be exchanged or interrogated.
