"Silent Service" is an episode of JAG that first aired on February 23, 1999. Directed by Alan J. Levi. Written by Dana Coen and Julie B. Watson.
An American submarine surfaces off the coast of Norway in the middle of a sailboat regatta. Meanwhile, stateside, Lt. Commander Rabb and Major MacKenzie can't agree on how to defend Yeoman Lipari on drug charges. Admiral Chegwidden asks the judge to dismiss both Rabb and Mac from the case so they can go to the USS Watertown and investigate the regatta incident.
But when they get there, it soon becomes very clear that the regatta incident is a symptom of a larger problem. Due to the circumstances, the JAG officers are placed in enlisted quarters. After interviewing the crew, Rabb and Mac have only two theories, neither of which seem plausible: either the crew is too fatigued, or the boat is cursed.
The lawyers' plan to leave after the initial interviews is thwarted by orders to proceed to Asia, requiring the sub to travel under the Arctic ice cap for about two weeks.
Mac wants to talk to Rabb about their relationship, but Rabb brushes her off saying they're not married, and they have an investigation to get through.
A crewman who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time is killed by high pressure steam from a nicked valve. The XO, Lt. Commander Eustis (Lennie Loftin) suggests burial at sea, but the captain insists that's inappropriate in peacetime.
Instead, the body is to be put in the freezer and most frozen food is to be salted. The mess chief encourages everyone to eat up the ice cream, but then Chief Hodge (Joel Gretsch), the corpsman, reports a crewman is infected with hepatitis A, which is transmitted through uncooked foods. Rabb becomes convinced someone is deliberately hurting the crew.
Mac is not completely certain but backs Rabb up as they talk to the captain, who flatly dismisses the idea as nonsensical, since the culprit would have no means of escape.
Undeterred, Rabb asks Lt. Roberts (who's back at JAG HQ) to review crew records and psych profiles. Roberts says he finds nothing to support Rabb's theory, but Rabb's interest is piqued by Roberts's mention of the award Hodge received for curing Legionnaire's disease on one of his previous cruises.
Rabb consults a psychology book in sickbay and talks to Hodge about "Münchausen's by proxy." Hodge realizes the jig is up and attacks Rabb, and injects him with a sedative. Mac shows up and Hodge claims Rabb came down with a throat ailment just outside sickbay, and that he saw an assailant run away but didn't get a look at his face. Mac is slightly suspicious, but Hodge manages to fool her.
As soon as Mac and Hodge leave sickbay, Rabb gathers as much of his strength as he can to send out an e-mail to Eustis saying "it's Hodge," knowing that Mac has the XO's PDA. Indeed, Mac gets the message, but with Hodge right in front of her, Hodge figures out that Mac knows now. Hodge passes an ammonia-laden cloth across Mac's face, rendering her temporarily blind.
Rabb gets out of sickbay and attacks Hodge, who now tries to stick him with a syringe again. Mac stumbles towards a valve and opens it, flooding the place with steam. Rabb grabs Hodge's syringe and stabs him in the neck with it.
After being briefed on what happened, the captain beats himself up about being fooled by Hodge, and recalls he specifically asked for him and interviewed him at length. The captain also apologizes for the necessity of Hodge sharing the lawyers' ride back to America.
Tropes
- Alliterative Title: This episode's title alliterates the letter S.
- Continuity Nod to "Shadow": In the earlier episode, then-Lt. Rabb went aboard the USS Tigershark, to deal with a civilian contractor who had taken control of the submarine's weapons system.Rabb: Before you [Chegwidden] arrived, my partner at the time, Lieutenant Austin, and I were assigned there to negotiate with a terrorist.Chegwidden: Tigershark is a Seawolf class, isn't it?Rabb: Yes, sir.Chegwidden: Watertown is Los Angeles class. Are you familiar with them?Rabb: No, sir.Chegwidden: Be prepared to do a lot of slouching.[...]Rabb: (to Mac) Oh, and I feel I should let you know, the entire time we were down there [aboard the Tigershark], Lieutenant Austin suffered from claustrophobia.Mac: I'm not Lieutenant Austin.
- Cryptic Background Reference: Yeoman Lipari's case could easily have been its own JAG episode. It's a serious enough case that it had to be dealt with at JAG headquarters, and with enough nuance to it that Mac and Rabb couldn't agree on it as a coherent defense team.
- Münchausen's by Proxy: Hodge with several members of the crew.
- Permission to Speak Freely: Mac and Rabb can't even agree on whether Chief Petty Officer Basilio can be allowed to speak his mind.Basilio: Permission to speak freely.Mac: On the record, chief.Rabb: Go ahead.Mac: Go ahead, Chief Basilio.Basilio: Something's not right about Watertown.Mac: In what way?Basilio: She's spooked, ma'am.Rabb: Chief—Basilio: Look, sir, the vibe is bad. Guys are getting sick and hurt all the time.
- Sub Story: The episode takes place almost entirely aboard a submarine.
