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Sarah MacKenzie

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Sarah MacKenzie
Catherine Bellas
Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie
First appearanceWe the People
JAG
(January 3, 1997)[1]
Last appearanceCode of Conduct
NCIS: Los Angeles
(April 26, 2020)[2]
Created byDonald P. Bellisario
Portrayed byCatherine Bell
In-universe information
NicknameMac
OccupationJudge Advocatein the
United States Marine Corps
SpouseChristopher Ragle (deceased)[3]
SignificantotherDalton Lowne (lover, killed)
John Farrow (lover)[3]
Michael "Mic" Brumby(former fiancé)
Clayton Webb(lover)
Harmon Rabb, Jr.(former fiancé)
RelativesJoseph MacKenzie (father)[4]
Deanne (mother)[4]
Colonel Matthew O'Hara (uncle)[1]
NationalityU.S. Citizen
ResidenceApartment inGeorgetown,Washington, D.C.
RankMajor
(199?-1999)
Lieutenant Colonel
(1999-Present)
Alma materUniversity of Minnesota
USMC Officer Candidate School
USMC The Basic School
Duke University School of Law

Sarah "Mac" MacKenzieis a fictional character andlead rolein the American television seriesJAG,played byCatherine Bell.The character was created byDonald P. Bellisario,as awork for hireforParamount Television,in the script for thefirst episode of the second season,which was filmed and then aired byCBSon January 3, 1997.

Mac is introduced as aMajorin theUnited States Marine Corpsdesignated as ajudge advocate,assigned to theOffice of the Judge Advocate General of the NavyinFalls Church, Virginia,who has had to overcome many obstacles to get where she is career-wise. The viewer follows her professional career and personal life from that point as the series progresses. With the longevity ofJAG,plenty of information on her past life and career is given at various points in the series.JAGended its ten-year run onApril 29, 2005.

After a nine season longwill-they-won't-theyrelationship, Mac and the other main character,Harmon "Harm" Rabb(David James Elliott), become engaged during the show's final episode, flipping a coin to see who will resign their commission, but the outcome is not revealed at the end of the series.

Character arc inJAG[edit]

Amilitary bratborn in the late 1960s, Sarah MacKenzie had a troubled childhood; her mother abandoned her and her alcoholic father on the night of Mac's 15th birthday. Her father, Joseph MacKenzie, anon-commissioned officerin the Marine Corps, was physically abusive towards her mother, and emotionally and verbally abusive to Mac.[5]As a partial result of this, Mac became analcoholicin her mid-to-late teens and had no contact with her mother Deanne (Conchata Ferrell) until she reappeared at her father's deathbed.[4]She also learns at this time that her large white mutt, named Ruggles, was abandoned at a boarding house during her mother's travels after fleeing from her abusive father.[4]She showed more sympathy for her father's efforts to be a good dad, pathetic as they were, and more anger at her mother for leaving them to fend for themselves.[4]

Sarah MacKenzie ran away from home when she was 17 (her junior year of high school), and apparently married Christopher Ragle a year later. They were both drunk for much of their married life. He was later arrested and sent to prison formotor vehicle theft.[3]At some point, Mac finished high school. On the night of her graduation, she was traveling in a car with her friend Eddie. They were both drunk, and were involved in a car accident that killed Eddie.[6]Her uncle USMC Colonel Matthew O'Hara took her to Red Rock Mesa,Arizona,to dry out. Mac later repaid the debt owed to him by making sure he did not get killed during an incident where he and a group of rogue Marines hijacked a van transporting theDeclaration of Independence.[1]

After graduating from high school and then at some point earning abachelor's degree,Sarah MacKenzie joined the Marine Corps and received hercommissionthroughOfficer Candidate School.[7]

The first known assignment for Mac in the canon was at the grade offirst lieutenantat theHeadquarters and Service BattalioninOkinawa,Japan,as an administrative officer underJohn Farrow.[3]It was under his recommendation that Mac was sponsored by theMarine Corpsto earn alaw degreeatDuke University School of Law.[3][8]

While stationed inOkinawa,Mac engaged in anaffairwith her superior officer John Farrow. Unbeknownst to Mac, Christopher Ragle followed her toOkinawaand discovered the affair.[9]She was stationed inBosnia and Herzegovinaa year before the events in at the start of the second season,[1]at some point with2nd Battalion, 9th Marines( "Two Nine" ) for unknown duration,[10]and given the time-line, was likely part of or associated with theImplementation Force(IFOR), following the 1995Dayton Agreement.

As a major, she was subsequently assigned to JAG headquarters inFalls Church, Virginiawhen she was pulled off a double homicide investigation to work on a case involving her uncle Colonel Matthew O'Hara (Carmen Argenziano) who had the stolen Declaration of Independence.[1]Lured by her then-boyfriend Dalton Lowne (Larry Poindexter) and the glamour of private legal practice, she resigned her commission to work as an attorney at theWhite-shoelaw firm"Lowell, Hanson and Lowne".[11]However, soon changing her mind after successfully defending Harmpro bonoin a court martial, she askedRear AdmiralA.J. Chegwidden(John M. Jackson),Judge Advocate General of the Navyto take her back at JAG.[12]Chegwidden gave her back her letter of resignation, claiming he had been "too busy to process it" (despite having had at least four weeks in which to do so).[12]

When Christopher Ragle (Joe Lando) caught up to Mac at JAG headquarters in 1998, he attempted to use the information regarding her earlier affair with her former superior officer John Farrow (Ben Murphy) toblackmailher for money.[9]Farrow paid Ragle the money he demanded, but Ragle threatened to kill him anyway. Mac tried to wrestle the gun out of Ragle's hand, but it accidentally went off and killed him instead.[3]

Upon her return she was temporarily assigned many menial tasks as in the administrative law department, and was informed by Admiral Chegwidden that he had withdrawn his recommendation for an accelerated promotion. However, Mac was subsequently promoted tolieutenant coloneloff-screen between the fourth and fifth seasons,[13][14]after Admiral Chegwidden's renewal of his recommendation for her accelerated promotion.[15]

Mac bears an uncanny resemblance to Lieutenant Diane Schonke, aUnited States Naval Academyclassmate of Harm who he had been dating before she was murdered, which initially made Harm uneasy, though he soon got past it.[1][16][17]However, Mac was unaware of the resemblance until the third season, when Harm had worked out who had really killed Schonke.[18]Harm,Bud,and later,Sturgis Turner,[19]who were aware of the resemblance, had never mentioned it to Mac, who only found out by finding a picture of Schonke in Harm's apartment, in an old shoebox; it was then that Harm told her everything. It was during that same episode that Mac kept Harm from throwing his career away, by inadvertently appearing as the long deceased Diane Schonke, showing up on the pier wearing one ofHarriet'sspare uniforms.[18]

In addition to European ancestry, Mac also possesses bothCherokee[20]andIranian ancestryand is fluent inPersian,[21][22]being capable of recognizing a nativePersianspeakerby the accent.[23]Her grandmother was a Muslim born inIranand taught her the basics ofIslamic law, [24]although her grandmother was not religious to the degree of ever wearing theabaya,which Mac reluctantly had to wear when she and Harm went outside the perimeters of aU.S. Air Force basewhile they were on a case inSaudi Arabia.[25]Mac can also speakRussian[26][27][28][29][30][31]andGerman[32][33]proficiently at near native levels and is able to read anIsraeli intelligence reportwritten inHebrew.[34]Sarah can also get along inRomani.[35]She also always knows the time without ever having to look at a watch or clock[1]and exhibits borderline psychic abilities orextrasensory perceptionin a few episodes.[36][31]

Mac has very little chance of having a child due toendometriosis.[37]She and Harm eventually (after years of denial) proclaimed their love to each other. The couple decides to get married in the last episode, further deciding to be fair about who would remain in service, and who would resign, or retire, by way of a coin flip.[38]The outcome of the coin flip was not revealed until 2019.

PostJAG[edit]

Harm and Mac both appeared in theseason 10finale ofNCIS: Los Angeles.[39]It is revealed that Harm left the Navy and followed Mac to San Diego after losing the coin flip, but he ended up being drawn back into service sometime later, and they mutually ended their relationship. Mac ended up taking up an assignment as the Marine liaison to thesecretary of state,and they had not seen each other for nine years until video conferencing in their new roles.[40]In theseason 11premiere, Harm and Mac reunited in person, where they shared an embrace and later renewed discussion of their relationship, once again without reaching any conclusions.

Later in the season 11 finale, Mac returns seeking the team's help with investigating aNavy SEALaccused of murder and war crimes.[41]She is seen in uniform as a lieutenant colonel (O-5), her rank at the end ofJAG,suggesting Mac may now be a member of theIndividual Ready Reserveof theMarine Corps Reserve,as Mac would have either beenpromoted or forced out of the servicehad she remained onactive dutyduring the intervening 15 years. Her lack of promotion is also inconsistent with the advancement of her former subordinate,Bud Roberts,who by 2016 had been promoted tocaptain(O-6) as depicted inseason 14ofNCIS.[42]

Awards and decorations[edit]

Awards and decorations worn by Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, USMC in the 11th Season ofNCIS: Los Angeles:

Gold star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal,w/1 gold award star (2nd award) Joint Service Commendation Medal Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal Combat Action Ribbon Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Meritorious Unit Commendation National Defense Service Medal,w/1 bronze service star (2nd award) Afghanistan Campaign Medal,w/1 bronze service star (2nd award)
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon,w/2 bronze service stars (3rd award)
Marine Corps Expert Rifle Badge(2nd award) Marine Corps Expert Pistol Badge(2nd award)

Conceptual history[edit]

For its second season,JAGmoved fromNBCtoCBS.Bellisario had previously received offers fromCBSandABCto pick up the series,[44]which was reworked to be one of both "legal [drama] and action".[44]Following the departure of series co-starTracey Needhamand also the unavailability ofAndrea Parker,who was the female lead in the pilot episode and who had had guest appearances in the first season asCaitlin Pike,due to her starring role onThe Pretender,meant that Bellisario had to create a new female lead for the next season.

Catherine Bellmade her first appearance inJAGduring the season 1 finale playing another character which was killed off in that episode. "It was a really important character for Don Bellisario, who created the show, because Harm was in love with this woman," she said. Bell explained: "I went after the role... after I had read the breakdown for Mac and they brought me in.[45]The breakdown for Mac was that she would have to be "5′9″ or taller, brown hair, tough and feisty, martial arts experience a plus—that was me," Bell then wrote Bellisario a letter telling him how she "was perfect for Mac, and wouldn’t it be interesting if his new partner looks like the dead love of his life..."[46]"Six callbacks later, I got the role"[45]and "When I finally got the part, Don thanked me for being persistent enough to write the letter."[46]Executive Producer/showrunnerDonald P. Bellisarioand CBS PresidentLes Moonves"cast Catherine Bell, and [Bellisario] never heard another word from [Moonves] - who took great delight in the fact that it was part of the building block that started the CBS turnaround".[44]

To prepare herself for taking on the role of playing a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps and a judge advocate on network television, "I knew a bit about theNavybefore I began the role, but I knew nothing about the Marines, "Bell spent time doing research atCamp Pendelton,the principal US Marine Corps base on theWest Coast,located betweenLos AngelesandSan Diego,"I met and talked to 20female Marine officersand got to see what they go through and learn how they feel about the Marines. There's a real sense ofhonor and integrity among the Marinesand I got a real sense of that while I was there. And I got to see some bootcamp training and I was even drilled by adrill [instructor]while I took apart and put back together anM-16.It was tough! "[47] Mac was described by Bell in 1999 as "tough and feisty and a lawyer and an action hero all rolled in one".[48]Bell continued to co-star inJAGas Sarah MacKenzie until the cancellation of the show in April 2005. A possible spin-off/reformat of an 11th season ofJAG,centering on Mac's assignment in San Diego was pitched to CBS, but the network passed on the spin-off idea.[49]

FormerJAGscreenwriter and currentNCIS: Los AngelesshowrunnerR. Scott Gemmillsaid in a statement when it was revealed in April 2019 that the character of Mac would make guest appearance comeback onNCIS: Los Angeles:"Catherine’s Mac was a strong, smart woman who held her own, and then some, in a male-dominated world. Her character paved the way for other strong female leads" and that "Not only is it great to be working together again as friends, but to be able to write for Catherine and have her same character interact with ourNCIS: Los Angelescharactersnow, that’s wonderfully surreal. It feels like everything has come full circle. "[50]

Reception[edit]

The similarities in the relationship between Mac and Harm and that ofScullyandMulderonThe X-Fileshas been noted by many.[48][51][52]Entertainment Weeklyelaborated further on it: in each case it is a "hunky loner", partnered with "attractive women with whom they have a charged yet ultimately platonic relationship", each working for theU.S. Governmentand based in theDC metropolitan area,with seemingly "unlimited travel budgets": with the key thematic difference being that inJAGwith its "red-white-and-blue patriotism" the "U.S. military is seen as a force fighting for good around the world" while in the other series displays "antiauthoritarian cynicism" towards ditto.[53]Timein 2001 described the character of Mac as a "legal babe who didn't wear micro-minis or have sex with random men in car washes a laAlly McBeal".[51]Slatewrote that "Bell as Mac is fine. The character is cute and scrupulous, a recovering alcoholic; for a short time, she had a Southern accent" and as to the will-thy-won't-they aspect it was asserted that episodes "pass with little in the script or the performances to suggest that Harm and Mac are flirting; then, all of a sudden, they're kissing, then promptly forgetting about it".[52]

In 2015, Jayne Reardon, executive director atIllinois Supreme CourtCommission on Professionalism, graded several fictional lawyers on scripted drama television as to their display of professional ethics and thus by extension the image of the legal profession in the eyes of the public. Sarah MacKenzie fromJAGgot the highest grade for "respect for the system and all in it, strictly adhering to military court rules" and that "she proves herself to be a civil and professional lawyer with a strong work ethic".[54][55]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefg"We the People".JAG.Season 2. Episode 1. January 3, 1997. CBS.
  2. ^"NCIS: LOS ANGELES Episode Title: (#LA1024)" False Flag "".The Futon Critic.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
  3. ^abcdef"People v. Mac".JAG.Season 4. Episode 9. April 27, 1997. CBS.
  4. ^abcde"Second Sight".JAG.Season 4. Episode 20. April 27, 1997. CBS.
  5. ^"Rendezvous".JAG.Season 2. Episode 15. April 18, 1997. CBS.
  6. ^"Full Engagement".JAG.Season 2. Episode 8. November 17, 1998. CBS.
  7. ^"Ghosts".JAG.Season 2. Episode 6. February 14, 1997. CBS.
  8. ^"Act of Terror".JAG.Season 4. Episode 6. October 27, 1998. CBS.
  9. ^ab"Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington".JAG.Season 4. Episode 8. November 10, 1998. CBS.
  10. ^"Force Recon".JAG.Season 2. Episode 11. March 7, 1997. CBS.
  11. ^"Impact".JAG.Season 3. Episode 9. November 18, 1997. CBS.
  12. ^ab"People v. Rabb".JAG.Season 3. Episode 10. November 25, 1997. CBS.
  13. ^"Goodbyes".JAG.Season 4. Episode 24. May 25, 1999. CBS.
  14. ^"King of the Greenie Board".JAG.Season 5. Episode 1. September 21, 1999. CBS.
  15. ^"The Return".JAG.Season 5. Episode 4. October 12, 1999. CBS.
  16. ^"Skeleton Crew".JAG.Season 1. Episode 22. NBC.
  17. ^This was the neat in-universe explanation, as Catherine Bell had played Schonke in the last episode of Season 1, before joining the ensemble as Mac in the first episode of Season 2.
  18. ^ab"Death Watch".JAG.Season 3. Episode 19. March 31, 1998. CBS.
  19. ^"New Gun in Town".JAG.Season 7. Episode 2. October 2, 2001. CBS.
  20. ^"The Return of Jimmy Blackhorse".JAG.Season 3. Episode 21. April 28, 1998. CBS.
  21. ^"Code Blue".JAG.Season 2. Episode 13. April 4, 1997. CBS.
  22. ^"The Black Jet".JAG.Season 4. Episode 10. November 24, 1998. CBS.
  23. ^"First Casualty".JAG.Season 7. Episode 19. March 26, 2002. CBS.
  24. ^"The Princess and the Petty Officer".JAG.Season 6. Episode 6. November 14, 2001. CBS.
  25. ^"Head to Toe".JAG.Season 7. Episode 15. February 5, 2002. CBS.
  26. ^"Cowboys & Cossacks".JAG.Season 2. Episode 15. April 11, 1997. CBS.
  27. ^"To Russia with Love".JAG.Season 3. Episode 24. May 19, 1998. CBS.
  28. ^"Gypsy Eyes".JAG.Season 4. Episode 1. September 22, 1998. CBS.
  29. ^"Silent Service".JAG.Season 4. Episode 16. February 23, 1999. CBS.
  30. ^"Iron Coffin".JAG.Season 6. Episode 15. October 2, 2001. CBS.
  31. ^ab"Capital Crime".JAG.Season 7. Episode 12. January 8, 2002. CBS.
  32. ^"Nobody's Child".JAG.Season 4. Episode 17. March 2, 1999. CBS.
  33. ^"A Tangled Webb (Part I)".JAG.Season 8. Episode 24. May 20, 2003. CBS.
  34. ^"Straits of Malacca".JAG.Season 10. Episode 16. February 25, 2005. CBS.
  35. ^Episode 4/01, "Gypsy Eyes."
  36. ^"Psychic Warrior".JAG.Season 5. Episode 6. November 2, 1999. CBS.
  37. ^"The Four Percent Solution".JAG.Season 10. Episode 10. December 17, 2004. CBS.
  38. ^"Fair Winds and Following Seas".JAG.Season 10. Episode 22. April 29, 2005. CBS.
  39. ^Porter, Rick (April 2, 2019)."Catherine Bell Joins 'JAG' Reunion on 'NCIS: Los Angeles'".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
  40. ^"False Flag".NCIS: Los Angeles.Season 10. Episode 24. May 19, 2019. CBS.
  41. ^"Code of Conduct".NCIS: Los Angeles.Season 11. Episode 22. April 26, 2020. CBS.
  42. ^"Rogue".NCIS.Season 14. Episode 1. September 20, 2016. CBS.
  43. ^"Guilt".JAG.Season 7. Episode 4. October 16, 2001. CBS.
  44. ^abc"Why 'JAG' came to an abrupt end - The Watcher".featuresblogs.chicagotribune.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-10-12.Retrieved2017-08-15.
  45. ^ab"Catherine Bell was originally only supposed to have three lines on JAG".Heroes & Icons.Retrieved3 September2023.
  46. ^abBonin, Liane (December 4, 2001)."JAGstar Catherine Bell talks to EW: The war in Afghanistan isn't the only reason viewers are tuning in to this under-the-radar hit show ".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
  47. ^JAG - season 2 CBS website,accessed througharchive.org.Retrieved on 2019-04-12.
  48. ^abFretts, Bruce (April 9, 1999)."JAGgets a new recruit: Catherine Bell joins the hit CBS show as a series regular ".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
  49. ^JAG's Star: Why He's Out,TV Guide(February 25, 2005)
  50. ^"Catherine Bell will reprise her JAG role on NCIS: Los Angeles".Entertainment Weekly.April 2, 2019.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
  51. ^abPoniewozik, James (December 2, 2001)."Battlefield Promotion".Time.RetrievedApril 15,2019.
  52. ^abHeffernan, Virginia (August 15, 2002)."A Few Sanctimonious Men: CBS's JAG preaches all that it can preach".Slate.RetrievedApril 15,2019.
  53. ^Fretts, Bruce (February 4, 1999)."Remote Patrol: 'JAG' and 'The X-Files': We explore the strange similarities between the military drama and the creepy sci-fi show".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedApril 14,2019.
  54. ^Lafayette, Jon (October 8, 2015)."Some TV Lawyers Don't Make The Grade on Ethics; Illinois Supreme Court Commission says shows affect attorneys' image".Broadcasting & Cable.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
  55. ^Reardon, Jayne (October 6, 2015)."Grading TV Lawyers: Ethics vs. Entertainment".2Civility Blog.Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.RetrievedApril 12,2019.
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