Somehow you just knew Abe was going to be acquitted.
That doesn't mean that Trey and Maya had it easy on The Code Season 1 Episode 12.
The whole trumped-up charge was just so transparent to everyone.
Still, all those in the JAG office had to do their duties, regardless of what they thought about the merits of the case.
One of the best scenes was between husband and wife Steven Pasquale (Abe's prosecutor Lt. "Kit" Schuykill) and Phillipa Soo (his intransigent assistant Harper).
She tore into him for the obvious frame job on Abe, while he threatened to ruin her if she didn't do her usual stellar work.
I bet they enjoyed playing that scene.
Harper had minimal involvement while Kit hogged the prosecution spotlight.
Related: The Code Season 1 Episode 11 Review: Don and Doff
Having the narrative cut back and forth from the present to the previous weeks leading up to the court-martial, as well as Abe describing what happened back in 2010, was an effective way of telling the story.
The worst thing was that this was all so unnecessary since Alex and Abe had decided to drop the suit against the Feres Doctrine anyway on The Code Season 1 Episode 11.
The Feres Doctrine seems necessary. It prevents people who are injured as a result of military service from successfully suing the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
Taking that risk is part and parcel of entering the military.
But the flip side of that is that veterans who are injured should be well taken care of and that's where the federal government is failing, with long waits for essential services.
So, in reality, Feres is likely to be back in court again unless veterans and their families begin receiving better treatment.
But because Abe and Alex wanted to be able to continue their relationship in the open, they were ready to move away from the suit.
But the conspiracy was well underway at that point.
And Abe, a legacy Marine, became a victim because he was doing what he could to help out a friend's family that was in need.
The whole charge made little sense because Abe's fledgling relationship with Alex had ruined his value as a witness anyway, as her lawyer had pointed out.
The Marine brass could have just set back and waited for the case to fall apart.
Instead, they attacked with a weak charge just to discourage others who might take the same path.
Kit was an ass, being one of the conspirators and then prosecuting Abe, blasting Harper along the way.
The whole case was torture for Abe because it meant he had to revisit the worst night of his military life, the end of his combat career.
He blamed himself for every death, Marine or civilian, that happened that night, and as a result, he wasn't giving Trey all the help he should have.
The sad part was that he did the right thing, protecting civilians under the rules of engagement.
An airstrike would have killed everyone in the compound, Taliban and civilian alike. And the coalition was trying to reduce collateral damage at that time.
His only mistake was sending out Dixon to create a landing zone, which led to Dixon's getting captured and eventually beheaded, a choice Abe had been regretting since then.
Related: Characters That Served in the Military
It would have been great if Maya could have sprung a video of General Geiger talking about the conspiracy against Abe, which included Kit. But the dying Geiger was just too far gone to complete that mission.
So Trey and Maya had to win the hard way, convincing the panel that Abe made the right decisions under trying circumstances.
Trey getting Abe to break down on the stand over Dixon's fate sealed the deal and helped him be the right side of that 5-4 split panel.
I would have thought it was more clearcut than that, but Marines are trained to follow orders, whether they are right or wrong.
Even though this was Abe's episode, the rest of the unit had plenty going on as well.
Trey was there to defend Abe even though things were tough at home, with Nona recovering after miscarrying.
Abe tried to make him feel better by telling him that he would be a father someday.
Trey is always there for everybody else so it would have been karma if he and Nona had gotten their twins.
Glenn's promotion to become one of six female brigadier generals in the Marine Corps was a real BTW.
She was keeping it quiet so that Adam could focus on his recovery. And with Abe's being charged, there probably wasn't a right time to celebrate the promotion at the office.
Glenn helped Adam and viewers to explain why the Marines was so important to her.
If there is more Code to come, I wouldn't be shocked to find out that Adam stayed in the Marines.
Maya did the right thing, holding off on her political career.
Even if that's where she ultimately ends up, immediately trampling Matt's dream wasn't the right thing to do.
And he was big enough to say that he would be there for her when she does eventually run.
In case this is it for The Code, at least things got tied up nicely, including Rami becoming a U.S. citizen.
The Code has been a solid military legal drama which deserves a second season.
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CBS did everything possible to hamper it, including a late start, minimal promotion, and a month off during sweeps.
Unfortunately, with rumors of a JAG reboot in the air, that's probably unlikely.
I'd love to be wrong. Maybe it could again be a summer series, with a lower ratings bar.
To savor the first season, watch The Code online.
How did this case ever get brought?
What surprises you most this epsiode?
Do you want more Code?
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