Directed by Mark Horowitz
Written by Charles Holland
This episode of JAG commences the Kabir Atef arc.
Army Captain Dale Alexander (Nick von Esmarch) leads a team in Afghanistan that captures alleged terrorist Mustafa Atef (Marc Casabani), who is then taken to the USS Seahawk to be tried at a military tribunal.
Admiral Chegwidden defends with Commander Sturgis Turner (Scott Lawrence) as second chair. Commander Rabb prosecutes with Lt. Colonel MacKenzie as second chair (but that was only after Mac lost a coin toss for first chair). Captain Sebring (Corbin Bernsen) is the presiding judge on a 7-judge panel.
Chegwidden is surprised to see Agent Webb (Steven Culp) in the brig, next to Atef's cell. "I didn't know you were on board," the admiral says. "I'm not," Webb replies. And Rabb and Mac are surprised to find that Lt. Roberts's legalman aboard the Seahawk is a woman, Petty Officer Coates (Zoe McLellan). And of course Roberts has not told his wife.
Mustafa Atef is said to be Mohandes, "the Architect," No. 3 in al-Qaeda, in charge of all terrorist training around the world. Proving that at the tribunal might be difficult, however. Of course the defense argues that Atef is in fact not Mohandes. The prosecution plays a video of Atef arriving at a temporary detention facility in the Darya Bulkh valley as the other prisoners chant "Mohandes!"
The defense also wants to exclude Atef's confession because it was obtained by torture, only stopping short of a beating. The judges agree to the motion, not because of moral concerns, but simply because they think the confession lacks probative value.
Webb gets word that Kabir Atef (Francesco Quinn), Mustafa's brother, is planning something big, with help from Russia, but there are no specifics.
Maybe Kabir is among the prisoners at the detention facility, or maybe the prisoners know something about Kabir's plans. Rabb decides he will go ask the prisoners about Kabir, but Lt. Roberts reminds him that Mac speaks Farsi, and Rabb does not. Roberts thinks Rabb is mad at him.
The tribunal proceeds without Mac or Webb. Rabb wants to call Mustafa Atef to the stand. Chegwidden of course objects. But then Mustafa Atef just blurts out that he's got nothing to hide and he will testify.
Mustafa Atef doesn't care about the tribunal's judgement, only Allah's judgement matters to him. The judges of course find the defendant guilty, and sentence him to execution at Fort Leavenworth.
Mac and Webb go to the detention facility, where Mac is surprised to find Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez (Randy Vasquez) dressed like a local. Galindez has been carrying out special missions in Afghanistan.
Mac wants to question the prisoners one by one, but a whole group is brought out. Mac asks about Kabir. The prisoners say Kabir's not among them.
One of the prisoners grabs Mac, puts a knife to her throat and tries to use her as a human shield to escape. Webb orders everyone to put their weapons down. Mac stays cool and waits for Webb's signal to fight back. Webb and Galindez quickly pick their weapons back up and shoot the terrorists.
Kindness towards one of the prisoners results in his revealing that Kabir was in the area a couple of days ago, but he doesn't know anything more than that. Mac and Webb return to the Seahawk. Mustafa Atef must not be executed because he might know what his brother is planning.
But Mustafa Atef slashed his wrists with a ballpoint pen he took from the courtroom: in his cell, he turned his back to the guard, as if to go to sleep, silently injured himself and bled out through the night.
Meanwhile, Lt. Singer (Nanci Chambers) is in charge at JAG headquarters. Soon after telling Lt. Sims (Karri Turner) to get off instant messaging with her husband, Singer orders a fire drill. And after that she orders Sims to update all JAG instructions.
Tropes found here are
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Mustafa Atef commits suicide before the death sentence can be carried out.
- Human Shield: A Taliban fighter tries to use Mac as a human shield. It doesn't work out well for him.
- I Was Never Here: Agent Webb.
- Sacrificial Lion: Villainous example, where Mustafa Atif offered himself up for trial and execution, to distract American authorities from his brother Kabir, who is planning a major strike on the US.
- Shout-Out:
- To chess: Roberts asks Rabb if he wants to play chess. The winner can play Coates, who is said to be "good but beatable."
- To Heavy Metal: The torture of Mustafa Atef included playing heavy metal music at a loud volume. No specific song or band is mentioned.
