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JAG

JAG

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Seven Days

The Outer Limits

Navy NCIS

CSI:Miami

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The Federal Experience

David James Elliott - Harmon Rab Jnr.

Catherine Bell - Lt. Col. Sarah Mackenzie

John M Jackson - R Adm. Albert Jethro (AJ) Chedwidden

Mario Sanchez - P.O.DeMara

Tim Abell -Lt. Jenarette

Christopher Cousins

J Downing

Art Le Fleur

Sean Hannigan

Renee Estevez

Harm and Mac are on board the USS Suribachi in the Atlantic to interview PO DeMara who has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The dead man, PO Chinnick, was an untrustworthy black marketeer who had been found out by his Captain. The offence had been reported to NCIS and when the ship docked at Norfolk he was going to be arrested.
DeMara had been seen leaving the main machine room by a female Petty Officer who then found the deceased's body with a rope around it's neck. The suspect does not have the best record, having a reputation for falling asleep on duty. As Harm and Chief Sturdevant are interviewing DeMara the ship hits a reef and is run aground. DeMara is in the brig and Harm and the Chief are in the anteroom. The exit, through an overhead hatch is blocked by falling debris caused by the collision. The brig is below the waterline.
  Meanwhile 'AJ' is off to visit an old friend who is about to retire. He arrives at the USS Manassas just in time and the two men reminisce. 'AJ' feels he is getting too old and is also approaching retirement age, which does not go down well.

Tim leads the rescue team

 

The Captain of the stranded ship decides the only thing he can do is ask for a tow. However unknown to anyone the ship has been holed and it shifts in the water causing the lights to go out. DeMara, who has already been behaving erratically, gets very panicky. The emergency lights go on and the trapped men can hear the rescue team starting to clear the debris. This is no help to the prisoner who is getting more unstable as time goes by. But perhaps his fears are well-founded as the phone goes dead and the brig starts to flood. The rupture in the hull is also below the waterline and no one above decks knows that the three men are in more danger.

Harm tries to do his job, notwithstanding the trouble and learns that Chinnick was supplying DeMara with Bourbon and drugs. The drug, 'Black Beauty' is like speed and the PO had been taking it to overcome his little sleep problem. Unfortunately the last time DeMara took the drug was two days ago, before the murder, and he is now suffering withdrawal, hence the jitters. It also seems that prior to his death Chinnick had been regularly putting up the price of his supply and DeMara had been remonstrating with him to lower his prices. Thus when DeMara got a message from Chinnick to meet he hoped that it was to agree a lower price. When he arrived for the meeting the man was dead and DeMara claims he was framed.

Throughout it all Harm has been trying to reassure the suspect that he is only after the truth but DeMara does not believe him. As the water level rises Harm agrees to release the man from the brig. Upon his release DeMara goes crazy and attacks the Chief capturing his gun. He turns it on Harm and the Chief, taking them hostage.

On the Manassas, 'AJ' gets a message that the Suribachi is stranded and Harm is trapped. He transfers to the Suribachi. Lt. Jenarette is still leading the rescue team but fumes are seeping in from somewhere and he realises that they are poisonous chlorine gas. These fumes are filling the area above the hatch that is blocked making it dangerous to continue the rescue attempt.

Down below the three men discuss who would have framed DeMara. It is suggested that maybe Chinnick didn't write the note that summoned DeMara to the meeting. DeMara has kept the note which is in his hat band in his locker. Harm offers to have the note finger printed to try and back up the suspect's story.

The tow starts and a cage full of gas tanks, that had been loosened by the initial collision, fall on DeMara trapping him. Harm and the Chief try and free him as the water floods in even more. Up above the rescue team finally free the hatch, open it and call to the trapped men. The Chief goes to the hatch, is helped out and tells Jenarette that the other two men are dead. With the chlorine gas building up the Chief's statement is accepted and the hatch is sealed again and the rescue abandoned. Harm and DeMara are trapped again.

 

Tim explains.

'AJ' and Jenarette confront the Suribachi's Captain. Jenarette wants to go back. We know the Chief is lying and 'AJ' and Jenarette suspect him. The Captain doesn't want the rescue team to go back but Jenarette and 'AJ' do anyway, with breathing gear.
 

Harm and DeMara work out that the Chief is their murderer. He must have been blackmailing Chinnick, hence the price hikes. Back at the hatch, Jenarette and 'AJ' free the two men. Harm arrests Sturdevant.

After with everyone sitting down to tea, Jenarette comes in and informs 'AJ' that the breathing mask he used had only 15 seconds of air left and that it is a miracle he is still alive.

The episode was called 'Cabin Pressure' and was first aired on 1st February 2000. It was episode 14 of season 5.

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