A female Naval officer is killed during a drunken party. The Navy claims jurisdiction in the case, but detectives soon suspect that the guilty party is being protected and the wrong man is b... Read allA female Naval officer is killed during a drunken party. The Navy claims jurisdiction in the case, but detectives soon suspect that the guilty party is being protected and the wrong man is being railroaded.A female Naval officer is killed during a drunken party. The Navy claims jurisdiction in the case, but detectives soon suspect that the guilty party is being protected and the wrong man is being railroaded.
Photos
- Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
- (credit only)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on two separate cases/incidents:
- The 1991 Tailhook scandal case. In September 1991, the 35th Annual Tailhook Association Symposium in Las Vegas featured a two-day debrief on Navy and Marine Corps aviation during Operation Desert Storm. It was the largest such meeting yet held, with some 4000 attendees: active, reserve, and retired personnel. According to a Department of Defense report, 83 women and 7 men stated that they had been victims of assault and sexual harassment during the meeting. A series of official investigations was conducted, but all were widely criticized, involving official cover-ups by senior Navy and civilian officials and denial of due process to hundreds of individuals, most of whom were not accused of any wrongdoing.
- The ongoing crisis of sexual assault in the United States military.
- GoofsDeaths of active duty naval personnel are not investigated by local police, but instead by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). This is later confirmed by ADA Robinette in Captain Cragen's office.
- Quotes
Captain Allard Bunker: Don't you judge me.
Ben Stone: I am not judging you, sir. That luxury belongs to your conscience and twelve taxpayers, and I assure you, the latter will not be nearly as lenient as the former.
- ConnectionsReferences Candid Camera (1948)
At a NYC hotel officers have a party that gets out of control and one of their own - Lt. Tracy Hagen - is found dead. Briscoe (Orbach) & Logan (Noth) have to fight lies to find the guilty. As do Stone (Moriarty) & Robinette (Brooks) battle the bureaucratic nature of the US military. An ensign who drunkenly tried to have sex with the deceased ends up confessing and the Navy is satisfied he's their man, but further digging uncovers Cpt. Bunker (Len Cariou). Who had a antagonistic past with this female officer, was at the party and they spoke privately before her death.
The event which this was based highlights the "old boys club". Outdated sexist misogynist attitudes where abuse, harassment & sexual assaults are kept quiet, brushed aside, never reported. Then of course a bungled government investigation, media frenzy where an image was left of protecting it's highest ranking men in the wrong. This episode touches on select pieces of the fiasco, but it feels relatively surface level at best.
'Conduct Unbecoming' is a serviceable whodunit using a topical theme "ripped from the headlines". It's also one of those episodes that doesn't make it hard to guess who is the bad guy. A young Julianna Margulies puts in an early role and seeing George Coe (Best Seller) play another lawyer you love to hate was fun. They'd return to this Navy world again seasons later with 'Navy Blues' and it did a better job of presenting it's theme, bag of lies and military ignorance rooted in reality.
- refinedsugar
- Apr 24, 2024