"Rendezvous" is an episode of JAG that first aired on April 18, 1997. Directed by Duwayne Dunham. Written by Craig Tepper.
Liz Holst (Jamie Rose) is about to have sex with Ensign Felker (Brien Perry) on the beach when she decides to go for a dip. Felker is about to follow her, but doesn't. Liz comes back ashore and finds Felker dead.
Chief Petty Officer Holst (Terry Lester), Liz's husband, is the number one suspect right out of the gate, and is soon facing court-martial, with Lt. Commander Rabb assigned to prosecute. But Holst stalls the case by repeatedly firing his defense lawyer, demanding one woman attorney after another, ultimately getting Major MacKenzie as his last defense lawyer.
Just like Mac expected, Chief Holst is a pig, and he's probably guilty of the crime he's accused of. Chief Holst demands that Mac profess his innocence. Mac refuses: Holst had better get with the program if he's to beat the rap. The first day of the trial doesn't seem to go Mac's way, and Chief Holst is angry about that.
Lt. Roberts is assisting Mac, and Ensign Sims is assisting Rabb. Sims discovers love letters from Petty Officer Ralph Carlos (Al Sapienza) to Mrs. Holst. This suggests that Carlos, Chief Holst's right-hand man, was having an affair with his mentor's wife.
Mac goes to the gym to blow off steam by beating up a punching bag. Rabb meets her there and presumptuously tells that she's taking the case personally because the Holsts' marriage reminds her of her own parents. Mac leaves.
Later, Rabb goes to Mac's hotel room to apologize, but Mac confirms that her father was indeed a smoker and an alcoholic who beat her mother. Having a legal obligation to disclose, Rabb also delivers Carlos's letters to Mac, since they are potentially exculpatory evidence.
The next day, Mac calls Carlos to the stand, asks him about the letters. As Carlos reluctantly reads one of his letters, Chief Holst loses his cool. Maybe Carlos killed Felker, except his alibi is fairly solid.
Roberts and Sims once again have a nocturnal picnic on the very same beach Felker died. Roberts clumsily says that "defending Western civilization makes people horny." Sims find that endearing. A shooting star crosses the sky and Sims urges Roberts to make a wish. Roberts points out it's a satellite, not a shooting star, but decides to make a wish on it anyway.
Mac visits Liz Holst at the Sanctuary House. Liz is now concerned that her husband could be sentenced to death. She hates him, but can't bear the thought of sending him to the firing squad. Also, she needs to correct her testimony.
The next day, Mac calls Liz Holst to the stand. The wife now says that her husband was indeed home on the night of the murder, and he beat her for coming home late.
Roberts is acting weird as he waits for a fax from a satellite. Somehow, he got Webb to do him a favor. The satellite photos clearly show two cars, including Chief Holst's, on the beach when Felker died. Roberts presents this evidence to Mac, who orders him to shred the satellite photo, because they have no legal obligation to disclose inculpatory evidence to the prosecution. Roberts begrudgingly does shred the photo, but he winds up indirectly tipping Rabb off through Sims.
Rabb recalls Mrs. Holst to the stand. But then he tries to stall for time with an incoherent line of questioning as he waits for Sims to come in with the photo. The judge (Drew Snyder) calls a sidebar, he wants to know if defense has seen the satellite photo before. Mac confirms and expresses no objection.
Tropes
- Continuity Nods to "Heroes":
- Rabb didn't lose the case in that earlier episode, he simply declined to bring the case to court-martial.
- Mac still feels Rabb sandbagged her on that case with evidence of dubious probative value.
- Once More, with Clarity: When Liz Holst corrects her testimony the second time, the flashback now also includes Chief Holst. Husband and wife reconciled and began thinking about how to deceive the justice system.
- With All Due Respect: Mac is not pleased to be assigned to defend a man said to beat his wife.Chegwidden: What can I say, major? You're on top of a short list.Mac: With all due respect, sir, should we be indulging this man?Chegwidden: Chief Holst is accused of capital murder. I'd rather err on the side of indulgence.
