JAG: Judge Advocate General is about the judicial body of the United States Navy, Judge Advocate General's corps (JAG). The individuals who serve in JAG are military officers with specializations in legal matters; they are military lawyers. JAG officers investigate, prosecute, and defend crimes involving persons and property connected to the Navy and Marine Corps. Their investigations take them all over the world, wherever U.S. military presence may be. The crimes include homicide, treason, espionage, terrorism, conspiracies, hostage situations, and other criminal acts. For more details about this series, refer to DVD Talk's reviews of season one, season two, season three, season four, season five, and season six.

Season seven is similar to past seasons, which means lots of drama and action, as well as major developments and changes for the cast. However, season seven stands out with a few cast changes and some pretty intense stories that lead up to an exciting season finale. The cast changes include the departure of Harm and Mac's love interests (Brumby and Renee). In the season opener "Adrift (Part 2)", Brumby and Renee realize their future (or rather lack of) with their significant others after Harm undergoes a near death experience. From this event, it is clear Harm and Mac's feelings for each other are real and strong. As the season continues, they slowly come to terms with their feelings.

The other cast changes have two new characters. In "New Gun In Town", Commander Sturgis Turner (Scott Lawrence) is assigned to JAG headquarters. He is a former submariner and his unique experiences make him an invaluable member to the team. He also fits in nicely, adding a good balance to the well-established cast dynamic. Petty Officer Jennifer Coates (Zoe McLellan) is a reoccurring character added this season (and appears more regularly in future seasons). She makes her first appearance as a troublesome case for Harm in "Answered Prayers". Later, she is assigned to work as Bud's legal aid. Coates is a quirky character and makes for a good laugh as she interacts with the cast.

Beyond the changes to the cast, JAG's seventh season has a lot more in store. There are some good, old JAG-quality fun cases with a good balance of courtroom drama and investigative action. At the same time, the season continues to have a lot of dramatic developments. The season opener "Adrift (Part 2)", which was briefly mentioned, is a good example. This episode has a lot of drama in store, as the characters sort out their feelings for each other. Another example is about Bud moving up the ladder. AJ gives him a great opportunity for advancement, but it means taking a JAG post on a carrier.

As for the rest of the season, there are some great episodes. "Guilt" is a strong episode with Mac at the fore. A Marine is accused of rape and in custody of the Indonesian government. She goes to Indonesian to barter for his release. Unfortunately, the situation is not good. The U.S. Embassy is overrun and the commanding officer is killed, leaving Mac in charge. The episode gets pretty emotional, as it ends with Mac sacrificing someone she cared about for the greater good. "Jagathon" is an all-around fun episode. The main and supporting casts give great performances. Inner-office rivalry heats up when the entire JAG team makes side bets during a fundraiser/marathon. The playful banter between the characters makes the episode very fun.

"The Mission" is the first of several episodes that take place in Afghanistan. The resident JAG aboard the USS Seahawk is reluctant to green light strikes against suspected Al Qaeda terrorists without 100% confirmation. His inability to okay the strikes has resulted in several suspected terrorists getting away. Harm and Mac are sent in to "fix" the issue, but Harm ends up flying the latest mission! The other Afghanistan based episodes include "First Casualty", Harm prosecutes a reporter who unknowingly revealed the location of a special forces team that resulted in military and civilian casualties, "Tribunal", the JAG team prosecutes and defends a 9/11 instigator and uncover another attack, "In Country", Harm and Mac go to Afghanistan to investigate a suspected terrorist; Webb and Galindez join them, and the intense season finale "Enemy Below", the team rushes against the clock to stop a nuclear attack against an aircraft carrier, which ends with a very dramatic turn that forever changes the team's lives.

Overall, JAG's seventh season continues the exciting trend from past seasons. It begins with a very dramatic, character-focused episode and finishes with an intense plotline of a terrorist attack against the U.S. Fans of the series will definitely want to give this season a whirl and see all of the exciting season seven developments from start to finish.

Episode Guide

1. Adrift (Part 2): With Harm lost at sea, his friends gather at the JAG office in order to follow the rescue attempt. Mac frustrates Brumby when she postpones their wedding.
2. New Gun In Town: After his rescue, Harm returns to work in time to welcome Sturgis Turner to JAG. With her wedding now cancelled, Mac takes a case abroad a carrier to get away.
3. Measure Of Men: Harm surprises Mac when he shows up on the carrier to defend a Marine charged with negligent homicide. Admiral Chegwidden's rebellious goddaughter visits.
4. Guilt: After a Marine is charged with rape in Indonesia, the locals storm the consulate, where Mac gets trapped. Harriet breaks down while on the witness stand.
5. Mixed Messages: Harm tries to clear the name of a buddy who was killed at work - a computer analyst now suspected of selling submarine intelligence to the Chinese.
6. Redemption: While defending a pilot accused of fraternizing with a female colleague, Harm uncovers a more serious charge - espionage. Mac takes on a child abuse case.
7. Ambush: After a soldier targets a warlord in Sierra Leone, six of his men die and he's brought up on charges. But he claims he was given verbal orders.
8. JAGathon: JAG's first 10k run for charity stirs up long-brewing rivalries. And Harm and Mac clash over a sailor who saved a life while impersonating an officer.
9. Dog Robber (Part 1): When a Navy spy plane is captured by the Chinese, Harm is asked to accompany a retired admiral to negotiate the release of the plane and its crew.
10. Dog Robber (Part 2): After a zealous pilot destroys the plane detained by the Chinese, he asks Harm to defend him. Mac cries sexism when a female Marine's training tape gets leaked.
11. Answered Prayers: Not only is Harm's car stolen, but he's saddled with a belligerent female prisoner during Christmas. Bud and Harriet host a drama-filled holiday party.
12. Capital Crime: As Harm looks into a mishap aboard a carrier, Mac and Sturgis investigate the death of a female nuclear arms expert, who may have been the target of terrorists.
13. Code Of Conduct: Harm defends a Navy SEAL who put his team in danger retrieving the body of one of their own. The Admiral is told to resign after slapping a high school student.
14. Odd Man Out: Bud Roberts is the lone holdout when he sits on a jury in a murder case. Sturgis tries to prevent a young wife from divorcing her sailor husband.
15. Head To Toe: Harm and Mac defend a female pilot in Saudi Arabia who refuses to wear traditional garb. Sturgis has a first date with Congresswoman Latham.
16. The Mission: While advising other JAG lawyers aboard a carrier, Harm is asked to fly a bombing mission. Bud's future looks bright - until he falls asleep in court!
17. Exculpatory Evidence: Bud is accused of dereliction of duty for not providing a competent defense for his client. Meanwhile, Harm and Sturgis play matchmaker for the admiral.
18. Hero Worship: When an elderly war hero is arrested, he's denied an appearance at a Medal of Honor ceremony. And a smoker is charged with starting a galley fire.
19. First Casualty: JAG wants to court-martial a news reporter when he disobeys an order during battle. Bud is deployed to his old carrier, where he is greeted by a familiar face.
20. Port Chicago: A retired African-American Navy man, a survivor of the 1944 Port Chicago explosion, asks that he and his fellow shipmates be cleared of mutiny charges.
21. Tribunal: The first US military tribunal is held on Bud's aircraft carrier, where Admiral Chegwidden and Commander Turner must defend a suspected Al-Qaeda terrorist.
22. Defending His Honor: Harm represents a Navy judge who's accused of running a mother and her baby off the road. Agent Webb finds a link between the terrorist's brother and Russia.
23. In Country: Mac and Harm head to Afghanistan with Webb to track down the other Al-Qaeda terrorist, but first need to investigate their former JAG gunnery sergeant.
24. Enemy Below: Al-Qaeda has bribed a brilliant Russian submarine commander to launch an attack against the US. And Harriet's concerns about Bud prove to be well-founded.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are some occasional moments when the picture suffers compression artifacts. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen.

Audio:
The audio track supplied is an English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo surround sound track. The track is pretty clean sounding. Spoken dialogue is audible throughout the episodes.

Extras:
There are no extras included with this DVD release.

Final Thoughts:
JAG's seventh season has many similar attributes and qualities to past seasons. The cast has a strong dynamic and is able to be both dramatic and humorous as the situation dictates. The stories are also entertaining and engaging with lots of new content as the events always seem to develop the characters and their relationships. However, while season seven is similar to past seasons, the drama is much more intense with bigger plotlines and more extreme developments with the cast. In the end, season seven makes for a very positive viewing experience and will be enjoyed by fans.