"A Merry Little Christmas" is an episode of JAG that first aired on December 12, 2003. Directed by Bradford May. Written by Stephen Zito.
As Commander Rabb helps Mattie Grace (Hallee Hirsh) rebuild a carburetor at Grace Aviation, rude guy Harry Clark (Gregory Wagrowski) barges in. Mattie has lost the hangar because the bank wouldn't give a business loan to a 15-year-old girl. So the bank sold the hangar to Clark, who now gives Mattie two days to vacate. This adds urgency to Rabb's petition to become Mattie's legal guardian.
At least Mattie still owns her mother's house, but she won't be allowed to live there by herself for too much longer. Donna LeMoyne (Joan Mc Murtrey), a guardian ad litem, visits Rabb and Mattie in that house. Miss LeMoyne doesn't seem too impressed by Rabb's answers.
Inspector Morgan Watley (Shashawnee Hall) visits Rabb in his apartment. Rabb has only beer and tofu in his fridge, the apartment only has one bedroom, he has a gun in the apartment (but under lock and key), etc. Watley also inquires about Rabb's aviation career. Rabb says he has crashed four times. If nothing else, Watley is impressed by Rabb's honesty.
Rabb asks Lt. Colonel MacKenzie to be a character witness for him at the custody hearing, but after a round of their usual bickering, Rabb withdraws the request.
Mattie's father, Tom Johnson (John Walcutt), shows up out of the blue and vows to fight Rabb for custody of Mattie. Mac makes a surprise appearance at the custody hearing and declares that Rabb is the kind of man she'd want as the father of her children.
Judge Smith (Kay Lenz), is conflicted: Rabb would be very good for Mattie if it weren't for his professional obligations, and Mattie's father is still alive. The judge places Mattie in foster care pending the final decision in six months.
Meanwhile, Admiral Chegwidden tries to get a personal digital assistant (PDA) sent to Prof. Cavanaugh (Isabella Hofmann) in Italy as a Christmas gift. The truck with the parcel explodes in an accident, and the company, Worldwide Parcel, offers to give Chegwidden a check for the value of the parcel.
Petty Officer Coates (Zoe McLellan) helps Chegwidden brainstorms some ideas for a replacement gift for the professor, who is in Italy to attend a production of William Shakespeare's Italian plays. With help from a rhyming dictionary, Coates writes a little poem which one of the actors will read from the stage at the end of the production of Romeo and Juliet.
Chegwidden and Cavanaugh have set a date: May 14 at the Annapolis chapel. Chegwidden asks Captain Matthew Turner (Bill Cobbs) to officiate.
Lt. Sims (Karri Turner) introduces Commander Sturgis Turner (Scott Lawrence) to blues singer Varese Chestnut (Erica Gimpel); the two of them soon fall in love.
Almost everyone attends church for a Christmas Eve sermon by Captain Turner. Then they go back to JAG headquarters, where Coates has arranged for a live video feed of Varese Chestnut singing at the USO Christmas concert for the troops.
As is his tradition on Christmas Eve, Rabb visits the Vietnam Memorial. Mac surprises Rabb by bringing Mattie to him. Mac has convinced Tom to suspend his demand for custody until completing rehab. In the meantime, Rabb is Mattie's legal guardian.
Tropes
- The Alcoholic and the Recovered Addict: Mac frames her conversation with Mattie's father as "one alcoholic to another."
- Christmas Episode: The main characters go to church for a Christmas sermon by Captain Turner (Bill Cobbs).
- Continuity Nod:
- To "Someone to Watch Over Annie", in which Rabb took care of Josh Pendry. Mac leaves out the part about Rabb being in a sexual relationship with Annie Pendry.
- To "Goodbyes", in which Rabb protected a little girl from her homicidal father. In that case Rabb was more altruistic.
- To "Answered Prayers", in which Coates almost became a convicted felon.
- To the episode in which Rabb and Mac made a deal to have a baby in five years if neither of them is in a relationship at that time.
- Mandatory Line: Patrick Labyorteaux didn't have much to do in this episode: his character, Lt. Roberts, has a brief conversation with Sims in which she asks him to be a little more supportive. And at the end of the episode, he says "You did such a great job, sweetie!" to his wife.
- On the Rebound: In the previous episode, Commander Turner complained that Congresswoman Bobbi Latham (D-Detroit) loves politics more than she loves him. Now he falls in love with Varese Chestnut, a blues singer who looks a little bit like Bobbi Latham.
- Shout-Out:
- To Bessie Smith, quoted by Varese Chestnut.
- To William Butler Yeats, quoted by Sturgis Turner in reference to his father.
