Review of HEAD TO TOE

By Anne Taul

 

       JAG is a program, which focuses, in large part, on strength of convictions. It's about the law, and that lends it to dealing with the basic convictions of right and wrong. Typically, we are shown these strong principles through the character of Harm, who often says things like, "The truth is everything." In "Head to Toe," however, we get to see the dedication to truth and justice, the strength of conviction from Mac. And instead of a single interpretation of right and wrong, we get to see both sides of the issue explored passionately by their advocate.

              Yes, Mac doesn't merely flip-flop and change her position on the issue of female attire in a foreign country, she is allowed to examine the situation thoroughly with both intellect and emotion. She's able to do this, primarily because of the outstanding versatility that Catherine Bell exhibits in her portrayal of Mac.

        At the beginning of the episode, we get our familiar strong, opinionated Mac, the one who's always sure she knows best. When she talks to the protesting lieutenant, she's very critical of her disobedience of orders on how to dress. Mac doesn't seem interested in Lt. Donato's explanation about how the orders are not right. She even says, "It's not ours to choose which orders to obey." This determination and narrow course of interpretation clearly registers on screen in Catherine Bell's facial expression. It shows us the mind set and conviction that Mac feels about the situation at hand. There's just a firm resolution in her bearing, movements and even in the set of her jaw that lets us know that Mac is concentrating on a specific aspect of her case.

     When Lt. Donato goes off while foiling her apology to the cleric, Mac seems unsympathetic. She just cannot seem to focus this on any other issue than the disobedience. She questions the lieutenant's judgment and even tells Harm, "The lieutenant has no sense of propriety." But it's neither the events nor the dialogue that convey Mac's determination and will power in this instance, but rather, it is Bell's ability to focus our attention by projecting the emotional intensity so well. Her facial expressions are, as always, masterful. Here, though, we see her movements being so deliberate as to capture our attention and show us Mac's resolve.

          As we glean Mac's strength of conviction toward the need to prosecute Lt. Donato for her disobedience and disrespect, we also see an almost immediate change in the nature, though not the strength of her convictions at the point where she must don the abaya herself. Exasperation plays prominently in her reaction to having to let Harm drive and having to sit in the back seat. Here, Catherine Bell begins a whole new phase of  both verbal and nonverbal communication which expertly show us Mac's feelings about what's going on. Her stance changes with shoulders slumping a bit to signal frustration, the tone of her voice belies a shift in Mac's normal confidence and control and her eyes -- oh, those eyes -- become more expressive than ever. I don't know how Catherine can do that, but I can almost see the facial expression beneath the veil reflected in those eyes. The range of emotions is truly impressive. The Saudi men apparently don't look at eyes, because Mac's normally commanding presence becomes basically invisible, as when a man bumps into her without even noticing. The point is, I suppose, that in that culture men don't regard the presence of women at all. And that precept is all too clear by the cloaking of one so formidable as Mac.

      Mac's demeanor and ability to do her job are immediately stunted in her meeting with Colonel Coffey. As a lawyer, she is  used to being able to read people just by looking at them. Of course, when she looks at Colonel Coffey, she sees none of this. Her ability to perceive the individual is as concealed as she herself is in the abaya. Mac does make eye contact with Harm when the offer is made and is able to communicate to him that it's something that needs to be discussed. Harm's discomfort at not being able to look at Mac and tell what she's thinking, as he so often can, demonstrates to both of them the enormity of change that the abaya makes. Then, she removes the veil and her expression, even before she speaks, lets us know that she has learned more than she sought to. Her whole demeanor and attitude toward the case has changed. The dropping of the veil gives us access again to the familiar and powerful facial expressions that Catherine Bell does better than anyone, portraying a range of emotional depth so broad that we can actually feel along with the character.

       Immediately after the abaya wearing experience, Mac is changed. When she talks about, "the sense of isolation you get when you wear one of these things," and tells Harm, "you didn't know what I was feeling," you can still see the expression in her eyes. That coupled with CB's normally outstanding facial interpretation of deep emotions gives us a solidarity with the character and her new found issue. There's passion in Mac as she discovers that this dress code makes female officers ineffective and as she acknowledges that this case is really about free expression rather than disobedience. This complete change in Mac is believable because of the way Catherine can project the emotional conflict to us. When she talks about the lieutenant's "depth of feeling," the passion in her face covers a whole block of potential dialogue and makes us understand.

     When Mac rejects the last plea bargain offer, "if it doesn't include flying, the lieutenant won't be going anywhere quietly" you can see the light in her eyes that supports her client's position and truly believes in what she's fighting for. Catherine's eyes also give us the whole story when we can see them filled with sympathy as she talks to the lieutenant after the emergency landing incident. In this episode, those eyes have really captured the art of nonverbal communication. Ordinarily it's Catherine's facial expressions that tell us so much of Mac's story, but in "Head to Toe" she shows that her eyes can be just as expressive.

                   Harm gets the line that sums up the dilemma in this one, "No one should have to withhold their identity and reduce their stature in the eyes of others." Yet, it's in showing this played out in the strong character of Mac that we can understand what he's talking about. Because Bell can portray Mac's strength of conviction and vulnerability at the same time, we can fathom the reality of the struggle ourselves.