GUILT—THE REDEFINING OF MAC

By Anne Taul

 

       “Guilt” is a sweeping saga of the JAG world, which encompasses a broad range of emotional situations and offers wide appeal. Mac is the primary focus here, and the episode deals mostly with redefining the lieutenant colonel. After all the changes that Mac’s been through lately, I guess we’ve reached a point where it’s necessary to redefine her a bit. And “Guilt” does this by presenting us with the various sides of Mac, which make up a complex and intriguing character.

 

        Beneath her austere military demeanor, we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that Mac is a woman. This episode gives us a clear view of her femininity, though. At the beginning, she’s sharing a seemingly intimate meal with the ship captain, where, while he jokes about the Navy/Marine thing, he certainly treats her like a lady. Mac’s femininity is also accentuated by her interactions with young Lilianna. This is the nurturing/maternal Mac, the one we often see with Chloe or sometimes with Harm, when he acts like a child. The woman in our strong marine colonel displays a striking need to take care of and emotionally bond with those around her. Whenever she has worked with children, in the past, Catherine Bell has demonstrated an ability to project this tenderness and vulnerability into her portrayals. JAG is no exception, and “Guilt” is a prime example of how convincingly Catherine can show us the maternal/ feminine side of Mac. The bonding between Mac and Lilianna is symbolized by their exchange of gifts (the military insignia and the picture), which represent part of who they are as individuals. Catherine Bell’s facial expressions as Mac is both flattered and bolstered into action by Lilianna’s hero worship of and confidence in her show us a whole range of feminine emotions. Then this is reinforced by the tenderness with which she comforts the little girl in the school, with a love and caring that Catherine doesn’t seem to have to search far for.

 

       Mac also gets the opportunity to reassert herself as the strong military leader and warrior that we’ve seen in the past, but haven’t found as much lately (the one that Harm calls the “kick-ass jarhead”). Even when she tells the ship captain, “I have nothing but respect for squids, Sir,” she’s asserting her marine superiority with a confident air, which we can clearly recognize in CB’s expression and eyes.

 

      She’s determined to get the corporal released from the local authorities, no matter what it takes (even the engagement ring she’s still wearing close to her heart). Later, when she finds out that this young man is guilty and has him arrested, Mac is the strong, in charge marine of old. She exudes authority. When she's trying to keep the consulate staff from using deadly force, she states very strongly about her motivations, "“Marine first, lawyer second." Mac is the highest ranking military officer present, but she tries to gain her authority from the others instead of simply taking it. Her strength and resolve are certainly there, but she’s now tempering them with diplomacy.

 

        On the other hand, when it comes right down to it, Mac can still kick ass and take names. This part of her character is well represented here, as a defining element of the character; and is conveyed to us through the confidence and determination that Catherine Bell brings to Mac in these situations. Nobody does facial expressions like Catherine, but it’s something in the eyes that projects this part of Mac best. When the gunnery sergeant is killed after an encounter with the mob at the gate, Mac goes out into the danger zone to get him – brave and heroic! And Mac is in command of the small band of consulate refugees. It is she who physically leads them on their exodus, and who gives the orders that keep them moving forward to safety, as well as contacting the rescue helicopter. The final decision to order the helicopter away and leave Lilianna behind is heartbreaking—and we see that so painfully in Mac’s expression, but it’s the only “correct” thing to do. This is Mac the soldier, the warrior.

 

        But even the warrior-Mac gets to show that she’s got the cool-headed and calm qualities of good leadership. She goes after the downed man, but doesn’t put others in danger.  After the gunnery sergeant’s death, she facilitates a shift in command to the blinded staff sergeant.  Even though she’s the senior officer and takes charge, she allows this blinded marine to maintain some control over what’s going on. That’s the kind of leader that people are anxious to follow – one with a calm, sensitive approach, but one that still gets it done. Despite objections from all the other marines around her, she refuses to turn the guilty corporal over to the mob; yet Mac is still the staunch, hardened officer when she lets him know how she really feels, “You’re a disgrace to that uniform!” But Mac shows the calm control of the superior leader as she directs the evacuation through the tunnel, making split second decisions about what to tell the rescue helicopter. She’s more than a soldier, she’s the one who can lead and direct soldiers in a panic- laden, combative situation.

 

        Mac is moving on in “Guilt.” Her breakup with Mic was devastating, but she gets a symbolic closure to that pain when she sacrifices the ring. It’s at that moment when she knows, and we know, that she must redefine who she actually is.  The subplot with Harm and Harriet serves, in some ways, to reinforce this “moving on” idea. While Mac must go forward, we see that Harriet is not yet able to do this. I’m glad she’s still attending the support group. Karri Turner gives us a great interpretation of Harriet’s continued grief for her lost child, and sets us up for the grief Mac will have to bear for the child she leaves behind.

 

     As the new Mac emerges from the events of this episode, we get a clearer picture of the character than we’ve had before. She is a woman, a warrior and a leader. All these elements are present in “Guilt” and we can see them blend together through the expertise and emotive gifts of Catherine Bell. Maybe it’s because she knows Mac so well that she’s able to give us this. I do think that it’s more her interpretation than anything else going on that helps us see the redefining of Mac.

                                                                                                --Anne Taul