In this episode of JAG, Commander Rabb investigates the death of his ex, Lt. Commander Jordan Parker (Susan Haskell), with the assistance of Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie and Lt. Commander Teresa Coulter (Trisha Yearwood). Doing so strains his relationship with Renee (Cindy Ambuehl).
Meanwhile, Danny Walden (Sean Murray) goes on trial for drug possession with the admiral as a prosecution witness. Because Danny's mother, Dr. Walden (Cynthia Sikes), dumped Admiral Chegwidden, the main witness against Danny, the defense try to paint the admiral as "a scorned lover."
Tropes
- Back for the Dead: Rabb's previously recurring love interest Jordan Parker returns, for the first time after breaking up with him at the end of season 4 (when he'd briefly left JAG to return to flying F-14s), but is murdered just prior to the start of the episode and appears only in flashback and as an answering machine voice-over.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: It appears as though this may have been the case, with Parker contacting Rabb after a long absence, having ended things with her current beau and seemingly wanting to resume something while Rabb is involved with Renee; and then dying.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Parker's Marine lieutenant colonel neighbor's mentally unstable wife saw him emerge from her house, thought he'd cheated on her with Parker and subsequently killed her. In actuality, the lieutenant colonel had been in her house for an emergency counseling session as his wife's mental illness was getting unmanageable.
- Trading Bars for Stripes: The judge is all too willing to let Danny be on probation with his mother as "guardian," but Admiral Chegwidden convinces him that Dr. Walden is way too permissive a mother and is easily manipulated by her son, to actually enforce a probation. The admiral thinks that Danny needs a more strict setting — and suggests enlistment in the Navy. The judge, who credits the Navy with making him a better man, agrees.
- Shout-Out to George Clooney: Renee says she and Rabb should go see a movie "about this guy who keeps putting his job above his girlfriend. She leaves him for George Clooney."
