"Jaggle Bells" is an episode of JAG that first aired on December 15, 1998. Directed by Greg Beeman. Written by R. Scott Gemmill.
As department head, Lt. Commander Rabb secures everyone on account of the inclement weather blanketing Washington with snow, impeding car traffic and grounding planes.
Admiral Chegwidden is trying to make a flight to Italy to see his daughter.
Chloe (Mae Whitman) shows up at JAG HQ claiming to be Mac's daughter; she's in fact Mac's "little sister" in a mentoring program. Chloe's mother died of breast cancer four years ago, and her stepfather is an indifferent drunk.
Mac uncovers evidence Chloe has been abused. Rabb meets Lt. Commander Jordan Parker (Susan Haskell), a Navy psychiatrist arrested for drunk driving (one egg nog, she claims).
Chloe's birthday is May 17, 1987, and her biological father is Chief Petty Officer Kyle Anderson (Jim Hanks), who survived an attack on the sub he was serving aboard at the time. Chloe hopes her biological father has a farm.
Anderson is now stationed aboard the USS Cayuga. Chegwidden arranges a videophone call to the Cayuga, at an estimated cost of $4,000, which Mac justifies it because "It's Christmas." But before the call can happen, they have to get Chloe out of the elevator shaft she's gone to hide in.
Rabb gets the idea of having Parker talk to Chloe, but this doesn't work because Chloe is immediately put off because Parker sounds "like a shrink." Mac is able to get Chloe to come down and talk to Anderson.
Shy at first, Chloe expresses her desire for a farm, to which Kyle responds that his parents (Chloe's grandparents) have a farm.
Lt. Bud Roberts and his wife Ensign Sims (Karri Turner) have been working on preparing toys for a toy drive. Roberts dresses up as Santa Claus and Sims as an elf.
Roberts gets Chegwidden a flight to Italy on a military plane, seated between men in full combat gear. The episode ends with a title card wishing a merry Christmas to everyone, "especially" to our troops.
Tropes
- This episode is of course a Christmas Episode. It was the first one for the series, there would be one each season every season afterwards except for Season 6.
- Innocent Innuendo: For a brief moment, Chegwidden suspects Roberts and Sims are having sex at JAG headquarters.Roberts: Harriet, that hurts.Sims: Hold still, I can put it in.Roberts: This is really squeezing.Sims: It's not fitting.Roberts: Twist it.Sims: Oh, it's too big.Roberts: No, don't.Sims: Oh, don't be such a baby.Roberts: You're pounding on my — (to Chegwidden, who has just entered) Sir, I realize this [Santa Claus outfit] is not the uniform of the day, but Harriet and I... Ensign Sims and I...Chegwidden: I don't wanna hear it. All I wanna hear is that you found a way for me to get to Italy without resorting to eight tiny reindeer.
- Romantic False Lead: Parker for Rabb.
- Shout-Out to the Spice Girls: To get her to come down from on top of the elevator, Chloe's offered "twenty bucks, a pizza, a French manicure, and two front-row seats to the next Spice Girls concert." But Chloe's not convinced because the Spice Girls "broke up."
- Under the Mistletoe: Harriet and Bud.
