Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie

Catherine Bell

Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, or Mac as she is called, first appeared in the second season opener (We the People). She first appeared as a Marine major who is assigned as Harm's partner. We learn that when she was a teen she struggled with an alcohol problem. She finally stopped drinking after she was in a car accident that killed her best friend because they were both too drunk to drive. In We The People, we learn it was her Uncle Matt who took her up to the hills of Arizona to dry out.

In the season two ender, we learn that at the root of Mac's drinking problem was an abusive father who finally drove her mother to leave the family, leaving Mac feeling abandoned. Because what little we have learned of Mac suggests an abusive past, it suggests that she is very wary of men, and in fact, we learn that she is very sensitive when she finally lets down her guard and befriends Harm.

At the end of "Heroes", we find that Mac is forgiving, but we know Harm hurt her because when he asks "Where were you raised?" she says "Where friends don't sandbag friends." There was also that brief conversation with Bud during "Washington Holiday" where we learn that Mac doesn't date very much.

We know that Mac was commissioned through Officer Candidate School (Ghosts). We also know that she served over in Bosnia (Force Recon). We don't know what she did there, but we do know she was there as part of unit 29.

In the third season, Mac has a romance with high-powered attorney Dalton Lowne. He convinces her to leave JAG and join his law firm (Impact). Unhappy with this decision, Mac returns to JAG (pretty quickly too!) She and Lowne break up after they face off in a court case and he copies information about the case from a file on her desk (Chains of Command). After the break up, she believes that she is being stalked by someone. At first, she thinks that Dalton is the culprit, but he is shot and killed. The stress of this and the continued stalking takes its toll and she starts to drink again. It turns out that the stalker is in fact Detective Frank Coster, the man who was supposed to be investigating her stalking case. (The Stalker).

Mac's love life did not die with Dalton. She and Admiral Chegwidden almost shared a kiss (The Stalker) and by the end of the third season they still seem to be affected by the fallout from that intimate moment.

Mac bears an uncanny resemblance to Lt. Diane Shonke, the woman Harm was accused of killing in the never aired episode Skeleton Crew. (This is, of course, because Catherine Bell played both Diane and Mac.) The resemblance was explored further when Skeleton Crew was remade and aired as Death Watch in the third season.

In season four, Mac's personal life takes a turn for the worse. We find out that she was married when her husband, Chris Ragle (guest star Joe Lando) shows up. (Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington). Seems that Chris owes money to the mob, and he tries to get it out of her by threatening to reveal the fact that she lied about being married. Mac finds out that he has been following her for years and knows about an affair that she had with a superior officer, Commander Farrow, while technically still under his command (and married!). Chris was killed, and Mac was accused of lying on the stand at her trial (which took place in The People vs Mac). She was acquitted of any wrongdoing in the murder, but had to face an Article 32 hearing for lying under oath (Dungaree Justice), adultery and fraternization. The adultery and fraternization were dismissed due to statute of limitations involved, but she had to face Admiral's Mast for the perjury charge. Chegwidden took back his recommendation for accelerated promotion that he had filed for her.

Mac faced a huge personal trauma when she found out that her father was dying (Second Sight). Mac went to California to visit him in a hospice, but found that he had slipped into a coma. She could not find it in her heart to forgive all the alcohol and abuse in her childhood. The priest running the hospice tried to convince her that her father really loved her, but just could not show it in the right way. The situation is further complicated when Mac's mother, who abandoned her as a child, shows up. She tries to explain why she left and Mac understands her reasons, but still feels hurt that she left. Mac also begins to remember some of the good times with her father. She goes to sit with her father and forgives him right before he dies.

Season four did have some light points for Mac. New arrival Lt. Com Mic Brumby (Mr. Rabb Goes to Washington) begins to turn his attention towards her and she too feels a little attraction for him. Brumby shows up at Mac's apartment and asks to dinner, but she has Chloe that night (Yeah, Baby). Mac also is in a Big Sisters program (Jaggle Bells). Her "little sister's" name is Chloe. Mac and Chloe have a slumber party before Chloe goes to live with her father (Yeah, Baby) and Chloe points out that the reason that Mac doesn't want to go to dinner with Brumby is that she loves Harm.

One more highlight of the year for Mac was getting her new red sports car (Soul Searching) after trying to understand why Harm was devastated when his Corvette is stolen.

When the fifth season began, Mac had been promoted to Lt. Colonel (King of the Greenie Board). In the episode "Rules of Engagement" she appears on the USS Patrick Henry, Harm's ship, to prosecute a case. After Harm's return, she and Harm team up and face off on a variety of cases, like old times.

Mac's personal life has some shake ups in the fifth season. While Harm is gone, she continues to struggle with an attraction to Mic Brumby. Her "little sister" Chloe turns up missing from her grandparents' home. Mac has to stay in Washington to finish her case (Psychic Warrior), but then jumps on a plane for California. While on the plane, Mac has a dream that leads her to Chloe's location. Chloe is found tired and hungry with a sprained ankle, but no real damage.

Mac also gets a new man in her life in the fifth season. This is the first man we have ever seen in her bed, her new dog Jingo! :) Mac saves him from the pound after the defense in the case she is prosecuting proved that he is too old and has lost the smelling accuracy required for a customs dog (Front and Center).

In the episode "Ghosts of Christmas Past", we also learn that Mac bears a striking resemblance to singer Jenny Lake (This is because Catherine Bell played Jenny in the episode).

Mac faces one of the hardest challenges in her career when she must handle the appeal of a man on death row (Life or Death). Mac does not win the appeal and dreads the time in the future when she will have to live up to her promise that she will be there at the end.

Harm, Mac and Bud go to Australia to help Brumby with a case involving an American Naval Officer (Boomerang Part 1 & 2).

While there, passions are ignited. Brumby asks Mac to marry him. She says that she will think about it and agrees to wear his ring on her right hand (Boomerang Part 1 & 2). In a heated debate over the case, among other things, Harm and Brumby come to blows. Unfortunately, they miss each other and hit Bud instead, breaking his jaw. Chegwidden then makes the go into a room alone and “settle” their differences.

Mac’s emotions are torn when she has to investigate anonymous allegations that Tiner is gay (The People v. Gunny).

Mac faces death in the fifth season. She is on a hijacked plane (The Bridge at Kang So Ri).

Mac faces a bump in her career road when a file, that she can’t see, but might help her case, finds its way into her car, possibly thanks to Lt. Singer (Drop Zone). Mac looks at the file, and then faces serious professional issues.

Mac goes undercover in the fifth season, posing as a new recruit into a group of Wiccans (The Witches of Gulf Port). We find out that Mac is will to go all out, or in this case, take it all off, to avoid blowing her cover in an investigation.

At the end of the fifth season, Brumby shows up in Washington and tells Mac that he has resigned his commission so he “can be close to the woman he loves” (Surface Warfare).

In the sixth season, we see that Brumby has taken a job with a civilian law firm and is spending more time with Mac (Legacy Part 1 & 2, Florida Straits, Flight Risk, The Princess and the Petty Officer).

Mac heads to Russia in the sixth season to help find a missing Harm (Legacy Part 1& 2).

Mac is thrust into the media spotlight when she prosecutes a televised trial (JAG TV). She must go up against her former law professor and deal with having her personal life invaded by the media [an article in people, swimsuit pictures on the news, etc.].

Mac shows off her talent for international law when she defends the marriage of a US Petty Officer and an Arab Princess (The Princess and the Petty Officer).

Harm and Mac conflict while they are investigating the CAG’s case (A Separate Peace Part 1). Mac ends up prosecuting the case, with Harm defending (A Separate Peace Part 2).

Mac is touched when Bud and Harriet want to name their baby girl Sarah (JAG TV). Sadly, baby Sarah died (The Princess and the Petty Officer).

Brumby leaves his law firm after he refuses to defend Harriet’s doctor in his trial (Family Secrets). This leaves Brumby in a state of limbo. He considers returning to the Australian navy, but changes his mind when Mac finally accepts his proposal (Family Secrets).

We also know that Mac has some hidden talents, such as speaking Farsi (Code Blue) and Russian (To Russia With Love). And she has an uncannily accurate internal clock. (We the People, Game of Go, Ghost Ship, To Russia With Love, etc. etc.)

To find out more about Catherine Bell, please visit The Official Catherine Bell Fan Club.

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