"High Ground" is an episode of JAG that first aired on April 3, 1996. Directed by Ray Austin. Written by Greg Strangis and Robert McCullough.
Gunnery Sergeant Ray Crockett (Stephen McHattie) is a brilliant Marine sniper who has seen too much war. He had a deal with Colonel Garcia: no more deployments for the rest of his military career, his only duty would be training young snipers. But Colonel Gordon (Christopher Murray) doesn't care, and orders Crockett to deploy.
After telling Crockett that he must deploy, Gordon drives off, and Crockett shoots the side view mirror of Gordon's Humvee from a thousand meters away. Gordon of course thinks he just survived a murder attempt.
Admiral Chegwidden assigns the case to Lt. Commander Rabb and Lt. j.g. Austin. Chegwidden is nostalgic about the time in Vietnam when Crockett saved his life, an incident Crockett does not remember. The investigation is hampered by all the redactions in Crockett's file. Rabb asks Commander Krennick (Andrea Thompson) for help obtaining Crockett's unredacted file.
Crockett breaks out of the brig and goes hide in the woods. Gordon sends several Marines in helicopters to go find and apprehend Crockett, but they all fail spectacularly. Rabb puts on camouflage and goes after Crockett, finds him, fights him, and gets close to killing him.
The next day, with Crockett back in the brig, Rabb urges Gordon to review Crockett's kill book, but Gordon doesn't care: Crockett is a homicidal maniac unfit for duty.
Later, in a meeting with Krennick, Gordon seems receptive to the idea of Crockett receiving a bad conduct discharge and losing all his benefits. Crockett should be punished because he tried to kill a Marine colonel. Rabb insists that if Crockett wanted Gordon dead, he would be dead already. Crockett is so good he can shoot a mirror on a moving vehicle from a thousand meters away.
Rabb gets Gordon to agree to a shooting demonstration, provided of course that Rabb drive the Humvee this time. Chegwidden shows up to see Crockett demonstrate his shooting skills. Rabb drives off. Crockett is given a rifle with one bullet. Once Rabb is at about the same distance as Gordon was earlier, Crockett shoots out the driver's side rearview mirror. Rabb stops, breathes a sigh of relief, then drives back.
Gordon awards Crockett non-judicial punishment for destruction of government property: Crockett is restricted to base for sixty days and forfeits half his pay for two months. But he won't deploy. Chegwidden invites Crockett to a bar for a drink.
Krennick dismisses Austin for the rest of the week. She intends to have a weekend alone with Rabb, but is thwarted when Chegwidden invites Rabb to join him and Crockett at the bar. Krennick is disappointed by this turn of events.
Tropes
- Artistic License – Military: Although JAG was more authentic in military matters than prior and contemporary shows, there will still occasional slip-ups.
- Military Salute: For the shooting exhibition, Crockett is referred to as "Prisoner Crockett" and he doesn't have his gunnery sergeant chevrons on his collar. And he shouldn't, on account of being a prisoner. But he should not salute anyone while a prisoner, and if he does salute, the officer should not return the salute.
- Badass Boast: Rabb has a knife to Crockett's neck, and Crockett still warns Rabb.
- Crockett is both a Cold Sniper and a Friendly Sniper who has a Sniper Rifle and Improbable Aiming Skills.
- Driving Question: What happened to Harmon Rabb, Sr.? Harmon Rabb, Jr. tells Crockett about his MIA father, who was shot down over Vietnam. The son, 16-years-old at the time, went to Vietnam to search for his father, and met Colonel Francis Stryker, whom Crockett also knows.
- Insignia Rip-Off Ritual, inverted: After his successful shooting demonstration, Gordon orders Crockett to put his gunnery sergeant chevrons back on his uniform.
- Scary Stinging Swarm: Crockett gets rid of one of the Marine teams Gordon sent by shooting a bees' nest over their position.
- Shout-Out to John Wayne: According to Rabb, "John Wayne was never a bushwhacker."
- Title Drop: Used both metaphorically and literally a few times in the episode, in regard to who has the high ground or thinks he does.
- With All Due Respect: Gordon says Rabb is close to insubordinate advocating for Crockett. Rabb replies "With all due respect, sir, I'm merely stating the facts."
