JAG (1995–2005): Season 4, Episode 20 - Second Sight - full transcript

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Whoop. Ma'am.

Pardon me. Sure.

Excuse me.

Major, there you are.

You have an urgent phone call.

Who is it? I'm late
for a client meeting.

A Father Genaro.

I don't know who that is.

He's a Catholic
priest from Fresno.

Okay, take a message.



Ma'am, I really think
you should take this call.

This is Major MacKenzie.

Sarah MacKenzie?

That's right.

I'm Father Genaro.

I'm a Franciscan priest,
and the administrator

at the hospice of
the Sacred Heart

in Fresno, California.

I've been talking to a man

I-I don't think
will last the week.

He's been asking for you,

so I looked you up.

I'm sorry. I think you
have the wrong MacKenzie.

Really? Um, may I ask you...



is your father's name Joseph?

♪ ♪

Your father came in last week.

The cancer, it seems,
has traveled to the liver,

which was apparently not in
very good shape to begin with.

Father, do you need money?

Oh, no, no, no.

We don't charge.

We're set up principally
for those who can't pay.

Joseph and I talked.

He's accepted his fate,

but there seems to be a
great deal of psychic pain.

I guess he wants to...

Father Genaro, I haven't
seen my father since I was 17.

We're estranged.

Yes, that's been
confirmed by him.

But I would...

What do I call you?

Miss? Mrs.?

Major is fine.

Major.

Major, I think that's
the point of my call.

I believe it would be of
great comfort to your father

if you and other members

of your family were present.

In fact, I've been trying
to reach your mother.

Do you know where
I could contact her?

No.

Oh, I, uh...

I believe he would want
the both of you here...

you know, to settle things.

Major?

Whoo!

Whoa!

Blacksburg unicom,

this is Stearman
November, Romeo 1-5-3,

for a straight in
approach on runway 2-4.

Blacksburg unicom, no
other traffic in the pattern.

Roger, Blacksburg unicom.

1-5-3 is key on
1-3-5 point zero.

Click twice for runway lights.

You know, the sun was setting,

and I hadn't checked
my night vision in a while.

I drive at night.

I... can find the light
switch in the dark.

Maybe it's okay now.

It's not okay.

You have scars on both retinas.

Yeah, they're from a
bout of toxoplasmosis

I contracted about
ten years ago.

And what made you think
they would have gone away?

And don't tell me the
Navy doctors told you

to eat carrots and
drink cod liver oil.

If you're serious about
improving your condition,

you're going to
have to face surgery.

Well, doc, according
to my research,

night blindness is not
surgically treatable.

You don't have night blindness...
You were misdiagnosed.

You have blurred vision...
as a result of the scarring.

During daylight hours,
it's inconsequential.

It's evident at night.

You can make this go away?

Through a process

called laser ablation.

I've done six of
these procedures...

One on a commercial pilot.

Is he flying?

All the time.

Well, what are the risks?

Well, there's a chance you
could experience further reduction

of your normal vision.

Meaning? Meaning you might never

step into the cockpit
of another airplane.

Hey.

This is not a good time, Harm.

Okay. No problem.

How about now?

Talk to your friends.

My father's dying.

I'm sorry.

I'm a little confused.

Your father drank, right?

Often.

And I think you told me

that he abused your mother.

Yeah, just as often.

I guess I was
under the impression

you didn't care about him.

I don't.

He asked for me.

He's in a hospice
in Central California.

You still angry at him?

No, I'm over that.

So go.

Well, the reason I'm over it

is because I stopped
making him a part of my life.

I don't think about him.

I don't even acknowledge
his existence.

So what are you upset about?

I don't know.

Well, maybe you should find out.

What would I say?

Go with an open mind.

It might turn out
better than you think.

Maybe he wants to bequeath
you a 100-acre ranch in Texas.

Introduce you to a twin sister

you never knew you had.

No more death this year.

It's not worth the anguish.

Let me tell you something
I've been thinking about lately.

Unfinished business.

Don't make this about
your father, Harm.

It's not the same.

This is something
altogether different, Mac.

Why is it that we think

it's a good idea to
bury things, you know?

To pretend that
they don't matter.

See, you don't realize
what kind of an influence

your father's been on you, Mac.

Think about it.

You joined the Marine
Corps, you're an alcoholic...

My father had nothing to do
with my becoming a marine,

and I'll take the responsibility

for my drinking
problem, thank you.

Your relationships with men.

Okay, you need to go now.

You're angry, Mac.

Harm. You just don't know it.

You're badgering me.

Look, you need to go down there

look him in the eye,
and tell him how you feel.

And if I don't?

You'll carry him with
you the rest of your life.

Every time you put on
that uniform, he'll be there.

Every tray of martinis that
passes will smell like him.

Every time a man tells
you you're worth something

you'll push him away.

But the way I see it,
you have two choices...

You can choose to ignore
it, or you can move past it.

At the moment, sir,
they're concentrating

on transmission problems
with the phone lines,

a faulty codec board,

or a corrupted computer.

And that's the, um...

that's the progress that we
have made in three days?

I'm afraid so, sir.

Well, Tiner, that's, uh...

that's an option a day.

We do have the video
cameras working, sir. Uh-huh.

Well, I've a very
simple question for you.

Will Commander Rabb and I

be able to video conference

with the CNO
tomorrow as scheduled?

That's the plan, sir.

Because if we can't,
Tiner, if we can't,

we'll have to fly to
the U.S.S. Corregidor,

where's he's presently visiting

and discuss the horse
slaughter trial aboard ship.

Yes, sir. I'm aware of the
inconvenience factor, sir.

And as manager of this, this...

project...

I assume that you're also
aware of how I might react if that

becomes a reality.

Painfully, sir.

Where the hell is Rabb?

I believe you gave
him the morning off, sir.

Why?

He asked for it, sir?

Tiner... do you
consider me soft?

Hardly, sir.

Just checking.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Don't look at me like that.

I'm not. Where's the beer?

We're out.

There was a six-pack

in here this morning!

You drank it.

No, Joe!

You hid it from me, didn't you?

Sarah, get your ass down here

and take my shoes off now!

No, Sarah! You stay in bed!

Damn it!

Please, no, Joe!

I'm sorry.

What did I do?
Baby, are you okay?

I'm okay, Joe.
Are you all right?

God, I love you, I'm so
sorry. I know. I love you.

I got to do something
about the swelling.

It's okay, Joe.
I'll get some ice.

What's on your mind, Commander?

I was, I was wondering if I
could have the afternoon off.

This afternoon?

Admiral, I haven't forgotten

that you and I are to be video
conferencing with Admiral Drake.

I've talked to
Lieutenant Roberts.

As co-counsel, he's agreed

to take my place, sir.

The Lieutenant
is new to the case.

I realize that, sir,

but I can assure
you, he's on top of it.

Didn't I give you
yesterday morning off?

Yes, sir, you did,
and I appreciate it.

Uh, this is the follow-up, sir.

To what?

To a medical procedure,
sir... Minor surgery.

I need the remainder
of the day to recover.

I've asked the Lieutenant
to place a copy of the notes

from the meeting on my desk.

I'll come in later and catch up.

So you spoke to him
before you spoke to me.

Sir, it's just that the doctor
has an opening later today,

and if I don't take this now

I'll have to wait six weeks.

Permission denied.

But, sir...

We're short-staffed, Commander.

Major MacKenzie, Commander
Brumby are on leave.

Admiral...

Why can't this wait?

Well... I guess I'm just
eager to have it done, sir.

Is your health in risk?

I'd have to say no to that, sir.

Good God! It's not
plastic surgery, is it?

No, Admiral.

It's my eyes, sir.

Hmm.

Hmm.

Does this have, uh,
career implications?

Well, sir, it gives me options.

Are you unhappy here, Commander?

I can assure you, Admiral,
this has nothing to do with JAG.

Go ahead.

Thank you, sir.

♪ ♪

Major?

Father Genaro.

W-Welcome.

Was your flight all right?

It was fine.

About your father...

I noticed he's asleep.

Well, actually, he's... I
should probably check in

to the hotel first anyway.

Maybe you can call
me when he wakes up.

Sure.

Are there visiting hours, or...?

No, you're allowed
to be here at any time.

Okay, then.

Your father slipped into a coma

just under an hour ago.

Will he come out of it?

No, I don't think so.

I-I'm deeply sorry.

He would have wanted to see you.

I hope you can take
comfort in the fact

that you were here
while he was still alive.

St. Peter tells us

"All flesh is as the grass

"and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass.

"The grass withereth

"and the flower
thereof falleth away,

but the word of the
Lord endureth forever."

Major, a-are you all right?

You can't do this to me!

You can't die like this!
Major, please! Nurse, nurse!

Do you hear me?!

You can't die yet!
Do you hear me?

Nurse! Major, please!
Do you hear me?!

The satellite transmission's
coming through, sir.

Good afternoon, Admiral.
How are things aboard ship?

Good afternoon,
Admiral, Lieutenant.

Things are stretched
to the limit by Kosovo.

But that's my headache.

Let's discuss yours.

Where's Rabb?

The Commander
was unable to attend.

Lieutenant Roberts
is co-counsel.

He's taking his place.

You're familiar with
the case, Lieutenant?

Yes, sir. Two SEALs
and a marine are charged

with slaughtering 24
wild horses in Wyoming.

All three are
pleading not guilty.

The Commander and I are
representing the two SEALs.

The marine's family has retained

a civilian attorney, sir.

Due to the particularly
heinous nature

of this crime, I wanted
to brainstorm ways

of avoiding a sensational trial.

Any suggestions?

Yes, sir. Actually, I...

What the hell?

We've lost transmission, sir.

But you know that.

Get him back, Tiner!

Yes, sir.

Thought they fixed

this damn thing! They did, sir.

They finally located the
problem at the inverse mux.

The what?

The inverse multiplexing box

that terminates the phone line.

It's where the I.S.D.N. pry
line enters the system, sir.

Okay, sir.

My suspicions were correct.

Things here are fine.

Must be the main fuse box.

You want some help?

Please, sir.

"Inverse mux."

Is there a problem, Major?

I put in my money,
I pushed the button,

and nothing came out.

What did you want?

Root beer!

Um, would cola suffice?

No.

Why don't I send
one of the nurses

to a convenience store?

What brand of root
beer do you prefer?

Don't send anyone.

How about a glass of iced tea?

I don't drink it.

L-Lemonade? Father...

I think we have one of those
punch mixes in the kitchen.

I'll just go get it.

It's not about the drink.

I don't care about the drink.

Is that not clear to you?

It is.

Then why are you asking?

I'll give you anything

if it gets you to stop
kicking this machine.

People are dying here.

I'm sorry.

Would you like to talk about it?

No.

Okay.

Well, um, I'm here and about.

If you change your
mind, and you can't...

find me, just holler.

No, don't do that.

Come find me, please.

I'll most likely be in my
office at the end of the hall.

You know, Father,

you don't have
to worry about me.

I can control myself.

Good.

I'm-I'm glad you said that.

Not just for the patients

but for yourself as well.

I believe that time
spent here can be useful.

Useful?

In helping you
accept certain things.

Many visitors and family members

find they have issues
that need resolving.

Certain feelings come up.

They find themselves
frightened, confused...

Angry?

Certainly.

I'm not angry.

You're not?

I'm furious.

My father was a first-class
drunken son of a bitch.

Major, please. He
drove my mother away

and he made my teenage
years hell on earth.

Hell is only in the afterlife.

He had a rotten soul.

He didn't deserve to
live as long as he did.

He hasn't passed yet.

Jesus said,

"Let not the sun go
down upon your wrath."

That may work for you, Father.

Not for me.

Yes, I'd like to book
a flight tonight to D.C.

Where does it stop over?

Orlando?

Are you kidding?

How long a wait for
a connecting flight?

Forget it.

I could walk there faster.

Is there anything else?

Okay, fine. 3:00 tomorrow.

I don't care.

Just get me out of here.

Fuse is blown, sir.

Do you have another?

No, sir.

The nearest electronics
store is in Crystal City.

If I don't get this
happening soon

the old man will kick
my butt back to Norfolk.

Well, what are the alternatives?

I say we bypass the fuse

and tap into the
emergency power supply.

The generator?

It won't last long,

but it shouldn't compromise
anything that's running.

And you know how to do this?

Yes, sir.

When I was in junior college

I borrowed juice from the
stadium's emergency unit.

You stole it?

I had an uncompromising
budget, sir.

Will we have enough time
to complete the meeting?

How fast do you talk, sir?

I don't get it, Father.

Sorry?

I can think of more
productive things to do

than try to save Joe
MacKenzie's soul.

He's a child of God.

His soul belongs in heaven.

Will never happen.

Jesus forgives all
who accept his love.

And my father did that?

Yes, just last week.

He was scared.

He was looking for a
last-minute reprieve.

No, I believe it was genuine.

He was gripped
by the Holy Spirit

to the point of tears.

If he could have done
that when he was born,

well, then we'd have something.

If you don't mind me asking,

if you hate him this much,
why did you come here?

I do mind you asking.

I mind everything about you.

Your wimpiness, your naiveté,

your sanctimony,

your presumptions.

What makes you
think that you can walk

into the middle of a family

and heal all wounds?

There are scars there, Father,

and what's left of my
soul is covered in them.

Are you done yet?

No.

Then go ahead. I'm listening.

Don't turn the other cheek.

It just makes me
want to smack it.

You're right about
your first observation.

I am a wimp.

That said, I am less naive

than I appear to be.

Sometimes I use that
quality to get what I need.

You're wrong
about the third point.

I don't presume anything.

Your father accepted our charity

and the conditions
upon which it is given.

Anyone coming in here should
know that or they're naive.

And as for being
sanctimonious...

I prefer the term "sanctified."

I trust in the love of
Jesus to guide me.

If you don't, that's
your problem.

I'm sorry.

You came here to
find answers, right?

I guess.

I know it may be
hard for you to believe,

but your father loved
you very, very much.

I guess that's why
he used to refer to me

as his "stupid tramp daughter."

He obviously didn't
know how to express it.

The hostility came from
a feeling of inadequacy.

He hated your boyfriends
because they had your respect.

That sent him into
a downward spiral.

His drinking got worse.

Much.

How long did you stay with
him after your mother left?

Two years.

My junior year in
high school, I ran way.

Abandonment is a
continuing theme in his life.

What do you know
about the rest of it?

Well, after his
discharge from the corps,

he played drums with
a roadhouse band,

traveled around a lot.

Was employed mostly
as a security guard.

Tried opening

a frozen yogurt shop
in Laughlin, Nevada.

It went under.

Spent two years in
prison for tax evasion.

Had girlfriends on and off.

Most of them left at some point,

except one and
she killed herself.

Wait until St.
Peter takes a look

at that resume.

Well, that's why he wanted you

and your mother here...

To acknowledge
the presence of God,

to apologize for
his misspent life

and to ask for your forgiveness.

You know what?

I'm sick of hearing about
his pain and his suffering.

What about my mother?

What about what
she went through?

Where was God when he was
smacking her across the room?

Yeah, Father.

I would like to
hear your answer.

Okay, sir, allow
me to synopsize.

No leaks, no press briefings.

All comments
should be restricted

to the legal
aspects of the case.

Anything resembling a moral tone

should be saved
for the courtroom.

The state investigators should
be encouraged to do the same.

Correct.

Anything else, sir?

No, that's about it.

Now what?

We appear to have
a power outage, sir.

Tiner?

My poor feet.

Phlebitis.

Thank God for disability.

You're beautiful...

even in that uniform.

I didn't join because of him.

Uncle Matt inspired me.

How is he?

In Leavenworth for stealing
the Declaration of Independence.

Oh.

You know, I stayed
with him for a while.

I don't know anything, honey.

The first I heard about you was

when I got a message
from this priest.

He said you'd be here,
which is why I came.

Certainly wasn't because
of Joe MacKenzie.

I don't look too good, do I?

No, just, just different.

I've only been heavy
for the last few years.

I'm an embarrassment.

Please.

You must hate me.

The night I left was
your 15th birthday.

You were at a sleepover

at Cheryl's house, remember?

Your father came home
from the N.C.O. club,

puked on the kitchen table

and accused me
of having an affair.

I tried to calm him
down like usual,

but this time

he put a paring
knife to my throat.

He drew some blood

and then told me he
was going to cut me up

into little pieces

and use me for rabbit food.

I took the threat seriously.

Where did you go?

Portland.

I didn't plan it.

I just got on a bus

and got off when it stopped.

What?

You left me with him.

Did he hurt you?

Not physically.

I know he picked on you

and gave you a hard time,

but I also knew

he never would have hurt you,

and that's what let
me sleep at night.

Why didn't you
try to contact me?

I did... on and off
for the first month,

but he always
picked up the phone

and a letter would have
never gotten by him.

Yeah, but I left
him after two years.

I was afraid that
you'd be so angry

that you wouldn't believe me,

and I was too fragile
to handle the rejection.

And this time?

This time, I said,
"To hell with it.

I'm going to see my daughter."

How's it feeling?

Everything's fuzzy.

As it should be.

Now, what I'm going to do

is hold this retinal
lens over your eyeball.

It provides magnification,

so that I can see the blood
vessels under the retina.

Okay.

And then we'll
use the Argon laser

to destroy the mutants.

You won't feel anything,

but you will see
tiny pulses of light.

That's the laser firing

at tenth-of-a-second intervals.

You nervous?

No.

Then would you mind
not tapping your foot?

Oh. Sorry.

It's disconcerting.

Ah, what about music?

You're going to sing now?

No, I brought a tape.

It's on the table.

Sure.

All right, hold steady.

Here we go.

He's passing.

Go to him.

Did your mother leave?

She's in the bathroom.

Maybe you'd better get her.

Major, I don't know much,

but I know a soul in
torment when I see it.

He's not even conscious.

I'm not talking about him.

If you're looking for closure,

forgiveness is the only way

to shut down the pain.

It's too late.

Not for you.

I'm okay now.

The hell you are!

I don't know where
that came from.

Father, you have other
patients to care for.

Why is this one so
important to you?

Because he's not
important to you.

It's his wallet.

Look at it please.

He's been following
your career...

with pride, I should add.

But you know what
impressed him the most?

That you were able to rise
above his failure as a father.

Yeah?

What, darling?

It's time.

Would you come in with me?

Honey, I can't.

I know how you feel.

You go in.

I'll wait.

Are you sure?

Do you have any hand
cream or anything like that?

Well, not so bad, huh?

How did it go?

Went fine.

Now, look, you're going to...

experience some blurring.

Don't worry.

It won't last.

Are there more procedures?

We don't anticipate it.

We'll see.

And if there's improvement,

you should be good
for at least a year.

Wait a minute. This
isn't permanent, Doc?

Can be.

Relax, you're getting
ahead of yourself.

Well, when will we know?

Aside from the scarring,

you have a healthy
ocular environment.

You should start
seeing improvement

within the next 12 hours.

Oh, I'm going to have to ask you

to control your enthusiasm.

There's something that
I never told you, Doc.

It's, uh... as a result
of this eye problem,

I crashed a $55 million aircraft
onto the deck of a carrier.

My Radar Intercept
Officer died in the accident.

Why do I need to know this?

Because I'm beginning to think

this whole thing
was a fool's errand.

Who am I kidding?

To think that I could ever have
a shot at getting back up there.

Look.

You're just suffering
from post-op anxiety.

You felt compelled to
do this out of a desire

to return to a skill that
you once had mastered.

No one can fault you

for trying to
complete your dream.

♪ ♪

His hand tightened
before he went.

It was a squeeze.

He was thankful
for your forgiveness.

Probably a muscle spasm.

"Beyond this shore

"and the farther shore

"beyond the beyond,

"where there is no
beginning and no end

without fear, go."

Is that a Catholic verse?

It's Buddhist.

Don't tell the monsignor.

I've never seen a priest cry.

I do it all the time.

Are you all right?

I don't think so.

It'll take a while.

Yeah, I suppose.

This is a really good
thing you're doing here.

Thank you.

Well, that took long enough.

You don't care,
not even a little bit?

I care.

I've been waiting
for this all my life.

He got to you, didn't he?

Would you hold me?

Oh, baby.

Come here.

Oh...

It's okay, baby.

It's okay.

Shh. Shh.

Oh.

Wow, I just had déjà vu.

I was upset, and
you were holding me.

I was crying over losing

that big white mutt.

What was his name, Ruggles?

Ruggles.

That's right, he ran away.

It was Dad who was holding me.

It was you who ran away,

and you took the dog
with you, didn't you?

He followed me, darling.

He was running
alongside the bus.

I had to beg the
driver to let him in.

I mean, I couldn't
have taken him back.

No.

So I kept him.

He liked you.

Yeah.

He used to come to you
with that rope in his teeth,

and you would swing
him around the linoleum.

What happened to him?

What?

Ruggles... did he die?

Oh, I'm sure.

It's been some 17-odd years.

You don't know?

Oh, honey.

I traveled around so much.

And, uh...

I don't even know
how it happened, really.

I was halfway to Utah,

when I realized I'd left
him at a boarding house.

He was so big and
so hard to travel with.

I didn't have a car

and they loved him there.

I'm sure they took
very good care of him.

What are you talking about?

The dog... he was left...

Abandoned.

Honey.

You know, I've been thinking.

Joe MacKenzie was a
confused and miserable drunk,

but I left him.

He paid the bills,
and he tried to cook,

and he looked at my homework.

He even cleaned the house.

He made a home for me
in his own pathetic way.

What I'm saying is that that
almost means more to me

than you coming back
after all these years.

Why should I care if
you were frightened

that I might reject you?

You rejected me.

You abandoned me, and I did

the same thing to my father.

It's for the best, I guess.

If I'd been with you,

I probably would've
woken up one morning

to find you gone again.

You're right.

I'm sorry.

I've never been much
good to anybody...

Not even myself.

Stop it.

I forgive you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Where are you going?

To bury my father.

Lieutenant!

What's the word?

Apparently, the main and
the auxiliary switch boxes

are fried, sir.

There's wax all over my desk.

I'll help you clean that up.

I don't want you to clean it up.

I want incandescent
illumination.

I wish I could help
you with that, sir.

Is Tiner with them?

When last I looked, yes, sir.

Get me an E.T.R.

Right away, sir.

Harriet?

Dad gum it.

Harriet?

He caught me.