As has been mentioned before, this show seems like a JAG reboot. Which is ok, since that show went away many years ago. Story was good, acting is ok. My big problem was uniform mistakes. In the 3rd scene where "Abe" request to prosecute the case. He is wearing the MC dress blue uniform, or more commonly known as "blues". One of the junior officers in the room asks him " What's with the clothes?!" No Marine would EVER say that. The Marine Corps dress blue uniform is a cornerstone of who the Marine Corps is. She would have said "Why are you in your blues?!" The other big mistake was the Base Surgeon's uniform. The Navy's officer blue uniform is adorned with gold bands around the lower portion of the sleeve. They kept addressing the accused as "Commander", O-4 grade, which is equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in all the other US branches of service. However he was wearing 2 gold bands which is equivalent to O-2 grade, Lieutenant (Navy)/Captain (all others). An actual Commander would have 3 gold bands not 2. Hopefully they'll improve the show by hiring a military technical advisor, to fix these problems.
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I never expected reviewers to attack this program about uniforms, customs, etc. I. on the other hand look at the stories and am most pleased about the contents. The stories are fresh and interesting and enjoyable to watch.
Looking forward to seeing the rest and if ever, this series deserves a rating of seven! -
sumner5_510 April 2019The battalion doctor is supposed to be a Commander. The uniform he is wearing in courtroom , he has the rank of a lieutenant. get a military helper--
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clubhaus-8124910 April 2019This show could really use a military adviser.
Captain Maya Dobbins needs some advice on wearing the uniform. IE: No Marine ever wears their garrison cap and an angle. Really looked stupid.
The medical doctor was constantly referred to as Commander, while wearing the 2 full stripes on his uniform sleeve of a navy lieutenant, US Navy rank 0-3.
Two officer ranks in the US Navy can be addressed as Commander - a Lieutenant Commander, Navy rank O-4 with 2 full and one 1/2 stripe --- or a full Commander, Navy rank O-5 -- three full stripes.. An O-6 (4 full stripes) is a navy captain. The US Coast Guard used the same system as the navy.
In the Marines, along with the Army and Air Force O-3 officers are captains, O-4s are majors, O-5 are Lt Colonels, and O-6 are (full/bird) Colonels -
FFS, if every lawyer, doctor and scientist was as thin-skinned as those who keep rehashing MINOR inaccuracies, there'd be no TV shows at all & Sci Fi wouldn't exist. The pilot was the worst episode so far, but after 2 or 3 episodes, I found myself caring for the characters: a female JAG who struggled to get where she is now, and her staff, which is both easy on the eyes and clever, handle one or more Military court cases each week. The show reminds me of "For the people", a legal procedural show about the Southern District of NY mixed with a more realistic version of JAG and just a tiny pinch of "Army Wives". Except for episode 1 - a lame rip-off of "a few good men" where the prosecution calling the defendant to testify is hard to stomach for anyone who enjoys legal drama - the court cases are compelling and address a variety of issues: women in combat, legal agreements with allied countries, dealing with the Pentagon, political corruption (no party affiliation provided, which is refreshing these days!), murder, theft, leaks of classified information, spies, cyber-security etc The character development is slow but steady. By episode 5, the Senior officer (the only actress I'd seen before, in "Desperate Housewives") has her son deployed and missing, the main defense counsel and his wife are struggling with infertility, the main prosecutor lost his best friend in combat and is now helping the charming widow and her young son (romantic connection coming up). The two female leads are equally interesting: one worked very hard, but has yet to demonstrate her ability to surmount unexpected obstacles in life while juggling career and family (she helps her brother who suffers from a chronic illness), while the other who gets mocked for being called Harper Li (Harper Lee, "to killa mockingbird") is at first a bit cold, and finding her footing as the junior officer in the group. She comes from a well-known family of lawyers but chose to serve our country instead of following family tradition. Each character is realistic, they sometimes succeed, but they also fail even with the best of intentions. Episode 3 is gripping, when Harper Li comes up with a very clever solution, which backfires unexpectedly. They're lawyers, not geniuses, not super heroes but hard-working tough intelligent US Marines who face difficult choices, while aware that the most convenient solution isn't always the morally correct one (the most compelling aspect of the show for me). Most have never seen combat, except briefly in the context of a case (ie more realistic than JAG or NCIS), their time on each case is limited. Nobody's firing semi-automatics in the court room while jumping from submarines into cockpits to save the planet (unlike JAG), judges and "juries" are grouchy and unpredictable i.e. realistic, Decent overseas action, good suspense, plot twists and cliff-hangers thus far. No political bias at all, no overt sexual content, even though some romantic relationship is likely to develop, but not necessarily between the main characters. This show isn't perfect, but it's finding its legs and I hope it'll find a large enough audience. No horrible plot gap, decent acting and writing, which could improve a bit, so 7/10, which corresponds to the bell curve of all ratings, thereby making it clear that most people agree with me more than with the nit-pickers : ) So I advise you to give this show a try and see for yourself, rather than judging based on 40 identical and non representative reviews bashing its pilot based on COSTUMES and hairdos, even if the show would absolutely benefit from a Military consultant. And if you're so thin-skinned that you can't get passed DETAILS, learn to use a remote control, instead of ruining it for the rest of us! . Unlike JAG, where the main protagonist was *the* best jet fighter in the entire Navy, and *the* best lawyer on the planet, along with *the* wisest man ever, who pronounced UCMJ correctly but never bothered much about following its rules, especially on fraternization (but hey, realistic since he wore his uniform correctly lol), The Code doesn't fall into the "perfect hero" cliches. I watched JAG, enjoyed it even, but this is a different show, by a different producer, in a different era: spice and variety are a must, both in life and on TV.
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jaydalynn26 April 2019I'll start this off by saying that I don't know much about the marines, or any military units in detail. I watch tv for the purpose of being entertained. I love watching how characters and plot lines develop. I really like this show. I love all the characters and all of their relationships, and I like how things have developed so far. Even the marine back drop. That being said that's the reason I watch tv, if you're looking for everything to be correct from a military stand point this is not your show. Obviously a lot of people are upset that things aren't being accurately portrayed, but it is just a fictional show. I think that the majority of viewers won't have the marine knowledge that most of the reviewers here have. I'd definitely suggest that they get a marine consultant though as an easy way to stop them from making preventable mistakes. Give this show a chance and don't just focus on the negatives. I think this could be a great show if given the time to find its legs.
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dpmbarrett12 April 2019I was pleasantly surprised by this new Military court drama. It has potential, each episode has its own conclusion. I am sure it will soon have a fan base.
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tmmurphy2810 April 2019Where to start, male Marines hair would never be that long, Marines never walk around outside without wearing a cover (hat) nor do they walk around outside with their jackets unzipped. All the actors uniforms seem ill fitting and often wrinkled. I've been around Marines my whole life and none of these infractions would fly.
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All you ramrod military types, lighten up. If you want to criticize a whole show based on uniforms or proper salute makes you sound awfully silly. I'm a Paramedic and I always laugh when they shock somebody who's in Asystole ( flatline ) which don't have any effect. Or use a Nonrebreather with the bag uninflated. So what? They're errors but don't diminish the entertainment values. Good show with capable actors and a good start. Go watch a military documentary if you can't handle mistakes and remove that stick from you know where.
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marie-cairns16 April 2019I would definitely watch more. If they get everything in order it would please everyone. Good story to start with. People need to remember it's a show and yes they need an adviser, but I can see this becoming a regular of mine to watch
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spf19719 April 2019A very poorly done imitation of JAG/ A Few Good Men. Hopefully gets better or will end up being a mid season cancellation.
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nicolevargo2121 May 2019The biggest complaints I'm seeing on here are missed military rank details and etiquette. Those are easily correctable. I think the bones of the show are good and it has a lot of potential.
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hawks_steve26 February 2020This is a Marines only version of JAG without the inner office romantic overtones. The series does a good job of cramming all needed info into 50 minutes. For anyone who enjoys military drama this is a show to watch.
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kgarnjost10 April 2019As a former USAF JAG, I cannot recall any case where the prosecution was allowed to call the accused as a witness. The right against self incrimination is observed under the UCMJ.
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Who knew eh?
Imagine if every review section was cluttered with whinges about how tv shows aren't faithfully and accurately representing a group... Just imagine - they'd be completely cluttered up with the carelessness that gets taken when representing women, minority groups, the underprivileged, disabled, older, younger, people.
But marines, you can tell how important they think the world needs to take their own jargon, codes and systems via the way they've thrown their toys out of the pram that their oh-so-important hierarchical structure of power asn't been faithfully reproduced in this DRAMA.
Snowflakes, indeed. -
spetersen-7842126 August 2019I do understand why errors in military visuals might annoy some viewers (I get annoyed when I hear the phrase "over and out" used in movies and tv shows) I enjoyed The Code despite these. The strength and compassion shown by the characters, the lack of competitive, combative posturing and the interesting cases made this show an enjoyable summer watch. It may be unrealistic but the reality of the military is all to well known. The Code is an enjoyable departure.
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mellip110 April 2019Ok I was never in the service so I didn't notice any uniform or rank mistakes .. but hey I liked the 1st episode a lot and will watch again
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yfjkgpm23 December 2021I have never been in the military, but I saw mistakes right off the bat. First was cover, Abe didn't wear cover outside, weird? Open roof humvees in a combat zone? No helmets in a combat zone? But here is my question. The women. The general had top button at above ribbon height, the Colonel was at ribbon height and the Lieutenant was 3" below ribbon height. How does this work?
And cover, is the women's cover required to be strait? Or can they wear it off to the side? -
AnActualMarine10 April 2019Please look the part and observe the customs and curtesy's of ACTUAL Marines. Things like a haircut that is within regs, not putting your hands in your pockets, wearing kevlars and flack jackets while riding around in a HUMVEE.
These "Marines" are about as believable as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Kevin Bacon was a more accurate portral of a Marine than these bozos... -
jjensonmiyw10 April 2019Anyone who isn't in the military probably won't have any clue about uniform or ranks. Sure they could get that right but the core story was great and if they keep churning that part out this will be good.
Can't wait for episode 2. -
bbockoven17 May 2019Many of the people commenting that uniforms have mistakes may not be aware that any time a service member is portrayed on tv or in a movie, there MUST be one aspect of their uniform that is incorrect, sometimes something as minor as having a ribbon in the wrong order on their right chest. That said, this show does play loose with military decorum. I've watched all 6 episodes and am starting to like some of the characters, but the stories are good. Stone-face Delaney is pretty good.
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wmnvbob14 April 2019They need R. Lee Emery to fix this. I am sure the Gunny is looking down on this in total dismay. I won't rehash the mistakes others have already addressed. I have been out of the Corps for 50 years. I know some things have changed but not this much. If the lead actor wants play a Marine Captain, he needs to be willing to get a haircut at least. Let me know when you shape up and I might come back.
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amanda_pursel10 April 2019Started slow but ended well but as the story unfolded it got better. Characters finished strong
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jamalking1515 November 2019The show is pretty good, though the actors do not resemble Marines, nor use common Marine mannerisms. On occasion they throw in an Marine cliche, or colloquialism, but it's clear the actor is acting.
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Look as a marine I see things that most don't, but I can say the an 0-4 is the equivalent to a Major in the army and marines. Not picking on anyone just so you know. But I'm full agreement that they need to have military person come in and show them how the marines and navy do things and rank and customs and courtesy's, Where the uniforms properly would be very much appreciated.. my opinion is that this is just them trying to make a new Mac and harm and they can't. I love JAG had very talented actors and actresses.. don't think this show will make it..