"Webb of Lies" is an episode of JAG that first aired on February 9, 1999. Directed by Mark Horowitz. Written by R. Scott Gemmill.
Agent Webb (Steven Culp) calls Lt. Commander Rabb in his apartment when he's making out with Lt. Commander Jordan Parker (Susan Haskell). Rabb ignores the call. The next day, Admiral Chegwidden informs Rabb and Major MacKenzie that Webb died in an explosion aboard a ship along with two others.
Rabb goes see Parker at Bethesda; she tells him that Webb had to be identified from dental records. Rabb suspects Clark Palmer (Peter Murnik) may know who killed Webb, so he goes visit him at Fort Leavenworth, only to find that someone else is posing as Palmer and doing his time.
Back at JAG, Rabb learns that one of the deceased worked for the Bradenhurst Corporation. Rabb and Lt. Roberts go to Webb's apartment where they're confronted by Agent Paul Candella (William R. Moses) from the CIA. Candella says there's a mole at the CIA feeding information to former Defense Security Division (DSD) agents, something that Rabb and Roberts refuse to believe. Rabb says Webb "was not always above board with us but in the end he always came through."
Rabb visits Webb's mother (Claudette Nevins), who receives a call from Lt. Abby Cowan. Mac figures out "Lt. Abby Cowan" is an anagram for "Clayton Webb." Rabb goes to the pier where he finds Webb injured but alive. They get shot at by Palmer, who threatens to kill Parker unless Webb gives him a special circuit board for a classified project; Webb refuses.
Back at his apartment, Rabb is relieved to find Parker still alive, but seeing Palmer dropped off a Polaroid of himself, Rabb evacuates his girlfriend. The next day Webb reassures Rabb his apartment has been thoroughly swept for explosives and toxins, and speculates that Palmer doesn't want to kill Rabb, but instead force him to live the rest of his life "in the wilderness of mirrors."
Tropes
- Continuity Nod to "Jaggle Bells": Rabb tells Parker that the charges against her of driving while intoxicated have been dismissed.
- Faking the Dead: Webb fakes his death because he doesn't know who he can trust with the superconductor.
- Black and white Flashback to "Imposter": The scene in which Palmer explains to Rabb the artistry of assassinating someone while making it look like natural causes or an ordinary accident.
- Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: Randy the janitor supposedly died in a car accident.note So now Clark Palmer is filling in for Randy so as to access the CIA computer system.
- MacGuffin: A room temperature superconductor, that's what Clark Palmer's after. But it really could be just about any other top secret classified item that can fit in a briefcase. This particular MacGuffin goes unseen, though in one scene Palmer does open a briefcase purported to have the item.
- Rule 34: When Rabb asks Parker about the morgue, she immediately wonders if it's some kind of sexual fantasy.
- Significant Anagram: "Lt. Abby Cowan" for Clayton Webb. It's how Mac figures out that Webb is still alive.
- Shout-Out:
- To the Commodore 64 and a Cray supercomputer: If the room temperature superconductor really does work, it would be like upgrading from a Commodore 64 to a Cray supercomputer, Roberts says.
- To Robin, Batman's sidekick: When Agent Candella walks into Webb's apartment, Rabb and Roberts are in there. As Rabb points a gun at Candela, Candella asks "Who's Robin?" referring to Roberts.
- Title Drop: A displaced example. "The Wilderness of Mirrors" is an episode after this one.
