"Fair Winds and Following Seas" is an episode of JAG that first aired on April 29, 2005. Directed by Bradford May. Written by Stephen Zito.
Cresswell dispatches Vukovic to Parris Island to investigate the case of Recruit Walter Evans (Zach Bostrom). At first Vukovic thinks it's an Open-and-Shut Case for administrative separation, but soon he learns that Evans is in fact the 16-year-old son of a Marine killed in Iraq.
The recruit's mother Mildred (Judith Hoag) shows up to bring the young man home, but he refuses, even as he is in the brig. General Rossing (Michael O'Neill) presents Evans with a certificate proclaiming him an honorary Marine, and an invitation to come back to boot camp when he's old enough, provided that he goes home with his mother.
The episode begins with the same scene from the previous episode, edited slightly different, and continued with Cresswell telling Rabb and Mac they can choose anyone from JAG HQ to take to their assigned commands. Vukovic asks Mac to take him with her to San Diego but she refuses him.
Bud Roberts is asked by both Rabb and Mac, but after talking it over with his wife, turns down both. Rabb and Mac decide to get married, and that one of them must give up their Navy career. At McMurphy's, they announce their engagement to the Robertses, Turner, Coates and Cresswell. Bud Roberts tosses a JAG unit coin that will decide who resigns their commission. The series ends with the JAG unit coin in mid-air.
Bud Roberts went on to appear on three NCIS episodes. But Rabb and Mac don't make another appearance in the NCIS franchise until the end of NCIS: Los Angeles Season 10.
Tropes
- Ambiguous Ending: Did Rabb and Mac go to London or to San Diego to live happily ever after? The NCIS: Los Angeles episode "False Flag" reveals that the coin toss resulted in Rabb and Mac going to San Diego. But they were, according to Mac, "living separate lives," so they split up and Rabb returned to the Navy, eventually becoming executive officer of the USS Allegiance.
- Artistic License – Military regarding Military Salute, kind of averted: Commander Turner refers to Rabb as "captain" but doesn't salute him. The promotion is not official yet and Rabb hasn't updated his uniform just yet.or.
- Continuity Nod to 'Straits of Malacca', in which Midshipman Roberts met Midshipman Cresswell.
- The General's Daughter: Literally Midshipman Cresswell, mentioned but not seen in this episode, the daughter of General Cresswell. Both Rabb and Lt. Roberts think Midshipman Roberts is crazy to want to date the general's daughter.
- Heads or Tails?: Lt. Roberts tosses a JAG unit coin to help Rabb and Mac decide which one of them will leave active duty to follow the other to their next duty station. Mac calls it but we don't see how the coin lands, nor know the outcome, at least not until NCIS: Los Angeles.
- Rank Up: Rabb updates his uniform to reflect his promotion from the previous episode. Note that Rabb started JAG as a lieutenant (O-3), so he went from lieutenant to captain (O-6) in ten years. As NCIS: Los Angeles shows, Rabb returns to the Navy after leaving Mac, so perhaps his time as a civilian holds him back from promotion to admiral.
- Retcon: In "Straits of Malacca", Midshipman Cresswell cheated at paintball, but Midshipman Roberts seemed to decide to let it slide. But dialogue in this episode suggests that he did take some action or else he wouldn't have mentioned it to General Cresswell. It could be that Midshipman Roberts did call out Midshipman Cresswell for cheating but that was cut from the episode for time. Or, just as likely, writer Darcy Meyers meant for Midshipman Roberts to not press the issue but writer Stephen Zito was unaware of that intent.
- Series Finale: This is the final episode of the series. The producers wanted to continue the show for one more season, but by the start of the tenth season it was already obvious that JAG had been overshadowed by NCIS and CBS just wasn't all that interested in JAG anymore. By the time this episode was written, it was clear JAG would not be renewed.
- Walk and Talk: Lt. Vukovic and a lieutenant at MCRD Parris Island have a walking conversation upon Vukovic's arrival.
