Plot: A soldier is brought in after being found in a ditch of musty water. The scent stimulates a repressed memory of Hawkeye's childhood. It first causes heavy sneezing. Then a ghastly itching makes Hawkeye think he's going to die. Sidney Freedman is called in.

I've said this elsewhere today, but I'll say it again--I think Alan Alda's acting in this episode is superb. It is painful (in an empathetic sense, not critical) to watch him as the memory finally clicks into place, and he cries out in agony. One nit, however. As his conversation with Sidney came to an end, he commented that he was finally no longer sneezing. He didn't sneeze at all once he started talking steadily. Banging his fist, yes; sneezing, no.

And I love Sidney's last line: "You should never fall for that old fake sneezing!"

Mulcahy says that moldy uniforms like the one worn by the wounded soldier, Caputo, was common. This makes it somewhat surprising that Hawkeye had never encountered this psychological trigger before.

The next time we'll see Sydney will be the M*A*S*H finale, "Goodbye, Farewll & Amen." In that ep, he will once again treat Hawkeye.

I love watching Sydney doing the detective work to determine what's wrong with Hawkeye. Of course, as D.K. mentions, the revelation of what triggered his allergies is superb.

I wish I paid more attention to how full Post-Op was. I believe Hawkeye said there a light load of casualties. At least there was just before Hawkeye starting sneezing. If there were very few casualties, you'd have to wonder why the personal effects of the three soldiers weren't kept closer together. Mulcahy has to lead Sydney to the otherside of the shelves to find Private Caputo's and the other soldier's effects.

As I've already noted, the next time we'll see Major Freedman will be in the finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". Just as Hawkeye makes a number of references in this ep to water that will help identify the source Hawkeye's psychological trauma, so in too, in "G,F, and A", will Pierce peripherally indicate what is troubling him.

I can't help but notice that Hawkeye seems to be pretty good at going into denial about tramatic events. Or at least blocking his memory of them; his cousin Billy pushing pushing him into the water, the Korean mother smothering her own baby, etc.

It's funny, but if you pay close attention to what Hawkeye says in recounting the story of his being in the boat with Billy, Pierce gives subtle clues about what really happened. He mentions hearing laughter before he falls into the water. He doesn't say anything about the boat tipping over. Just that he fell in. These are excellent indicators of what we will shortly learn.

By the way, I can't help wondering if Hawkeye's penchant for practical jokes is not in some way related to Billy pushing Pierce into the lake. Billy obviously meant it as a joke (a cruel one, yes, but it was to Billy, anyway, a joke). In playing practical jokes, has Hawkeye been trying to somehow vent his anger at what Billy did to him or emulate Billy? I realize I might be reaching in suggesting a link.

Is the fact that Hawkeye stops sneezing after talking with Sydney really that significant? After all, Pierce did stop sneezing when he took the shower earlier.

When the ambulance arrived in the compound, Pierce, Hunnicutt and Winchester (among others) immediately go to meet it. Potter arrives just after triage is done. What took him so long?

Sidney and Father Mulcahy are in the supply hut going over the personal effects of the three wounded soldiers Pierce, Hunnicutt and Winchester treated. In a close up shot, Major Freedman pulls out Corporal Brooks' wallet. The wallet is open. In the next shot, it's closed.

Um, why does the VIP tent have a bulletin board with notes on it? It's not like there's gonna be a lot of people reading them in there.

Am I the only who has to blow his nose practically everytime he sneezes? This is something we never see Hawkeye do during his sneezing fits. It's like there's no mucus discharge at all.

Seems to me there's a couple of times while Hawkeye is talking to Sidney in the VIP tent, we should be seeing Pierce's right hand in the shots from behind Hawkeye. Yet, the hand is apparently lying at the Captain's side during that entire conversation.

Looks to me the position of the poker chips changes with the two different shots.

"Beaver biscuits!"

It's been so long since I saw this one uncut, I had forgotten that it gives a hint of the next stage of Hawkeye's "allergy". He is pacing around the tent, convinced that the source must be in the Swamp. He throws his laundry out the door (sneezes), throws Charles' aftershave out the door (sneezes again). He then snatches up a bright red blanket belonging to B.J, saying that "they" should never have sent it to him, as it's covered in fuzz. B.J. snatches it back, and says that he'll put it away. Hawkeye goes outside and yanks up a weed. Pollen--the oldest allergy of all! That must be it. He wonders why such stuff is left around, and B.J. comments that their last gardener attempted to mow the minefield. He comes back in, sits down, and says that he's getting better--he can feel it. As he does so...he starts scratching.