Plot: Hawkeye and B.J. return from Tokyo to find that Charles has hired a personal houseboy--a man who is actually a North Korean spy. Sent to try and find out how the 4077th achieves its remarkable record of saving lives, he concludes that their unorthodox methods cannot be imitated. Before leaving, he helps out by providing a local remedy for a mysterious and maddening rash.
During the show, Hawkeye receives a howitzer (sp?) that was supposed to be a jeep, sent by a supply sergeant that owed him money. Potter, of course, orders him to get rid of it before it draws enemy fire. After Hawkeye fails to find a taker, B.J. suggests that they "Put it out of our misery" by removing the firing pin and pouring cement down the barrel. Very nice, but it disregards the fact that the thing still LOOKS like a gun, and would still draw enemy fire. Unless, of course, they removed it during a syndication cut. And speaking of cuts, right before they cut from this scene, at the far right of the screen, you can see the spy, watching them. I remember him talking to the doctors about what they had done to the gun, but I cannot remember the conversation.
"Nother point--Klinger tells the spy that he'd like to have a howitzer--"Just think of the self-inflicted wound it would make!" On a different episode, he had commented that he would never shoot himself to get out--"I'd ruin a perfectly good pair of nylons!"
I loved the spy's comment: "This big country. Must be better boss someplace."
The spy doesn't have much of a sense of humor, does he? It's not from a lack of understanding the English language, either. At the end of the ep in the Officer's Club, he proves he's pretty fluent in English. Again, it must be that he doesn't have a sense of humor.
During the poker game in the O Club, it's a bit strange to see Charles wearing a Hawaiian shirt like Hawkeye would. It just doesn't look right on him.
After receiving the Howitzer, Potter orders Hawkeye to remove it. Pierce and Hunnicutt then proceed to try to move it - physically. By themselves. First of all, just where were they planning on taking it? And while I know the Captains tended to loathe to use the authority that goes with their rank, why didn't they order someone else to move it? Why not, for that matter, move the way the way it was brought in - with a jeep?
It's interesting that Hawk didn't raise hell with Cimoli. The Supply Sargeant promised Pierce a jeep and gave him a Howitzer instead. Anyway, what was Hawkeye going to do with the jeep after the war?
Take it home? Sorta the way BJ did with the motorcycle.
Radar sent a jeep home, but Radar also sent it home piece by piece. B.J.'s bike was, IIRC, originally the property of North Koreans. The jeep Hawkeye was supposed to get was U.S. Army property. He's not simply going to able to drive to Kimpo and have them load it on a plane for him.
Hawkeye: "Just put my jeep in the back of the plane, willya?"
Soldier (sceptically): "Your jeep, sir?"
Hawkeye: "Yeah. You heard me, my jeep."
Soldier: "Sir that's an Army jeep. That's US government property."
Hawkeye: "No it's not. I won from Staff Sgt. Cimoli in a poker game."
Soldier: "Cimoli?"
HAwkeye: "He's with the ****. Check with him."
Soldier: "Hold on, sir." (Goes to place a call.)
Soldier: "Sir, Sgt. Cimoli denies giving you the jeep. He says it was stolen some months ago. You're under arrest."
And who said B.J. took the bike home with him? He did use it to leave the 4077th. But that's all we know for sure. (If Hawkeye still had the jeep, he would've driven it out of the camp, rather than leave by chopper. This would've ruined the ending to "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.")
Apparently nobody thought it was strange that Kwang was leaving so late at night. Charles was in bed at the time Kwang was gathering his stuff. Then again, it's strange that Charles would choose to go to the Officer's Club instead of back to sleep.
In a voice over, we hear the rest of Kwang's letter. In it he informs his Comrade's that his return will be delayed. Just how much longer was Kwang planning to stay at the 4077th? Over night? When did he get the chance to write that part of the letter? And if he was staying long enough to get drunk, why bother writing the letter? Come to think of it, I wonder how he got his letters out of camp?
Notice at the end of the ep, while laughing, Hawkeye is scratching himself just below his collar. In the next shot his hand is on the bar.
BTW, what is Hawkeye's complaint about Charles having a houseboy? After all in the first season, he, Trapper and Spearchucker had a houseboy - Ho Jon. I wonder how much they paid Ho Jon?
I don't think that Ho Jon's duties included keeping the Swamp sparkling clean. Serving drinks, etc, was much more important.
Well, there was Young Hi, Hawkeye's moose ("The Moose"). She cleaned the Swamp very thoroughly. Of course, the Swampmen didn't like it...
Charles is paying Kwang a $1.50 an hour. B.J. sarcastically asks Charles how he can afford to pay him? Apparently Hawkeye hasn't said too much about Ho Jon to Beej. According to Hawkeye in "I Hate a Mystery", Ho Jon earned "about two dollars" a week.
Actually, Kwang is paid $1.00 a day. When he leaves, Charles offers him $1.50, then $1.60 a day to stay.
The plot is consistant with MASH as a whole, but inconsistant with the last ep. where the 4077 had firepower in camp. In Hey Doc (season 4) Potter seems to want a tank in camp to get rid of a snipper. Here, the minute the gun gets in camp, Potter wants it gone, claiming that they are a non-combatant unit, and will stay that way.
Does Charles not own a record player anymore? I've noticed this in other eps this season, but there's a record player by Hunnicutt's bunk in the Swamp. Is it Charles'? Has he suddenly decided to be nice and put his record player in a neutral (sort of) corner of the tent, rather than his own side?
In O.R., while complaining about the shortage of hemostats, Charles says, "I wanna know why." "Wanna"? The prim, proper, genteel Winchester using such a vulgar idiom? I guess the people at the 4077th really have been a bad influence on him.
The black soldier with the rash - the one Potter talks to? In a close-up shot, he's scratching his shoulder. In the next shot his hand is over his sternum.
This episode marks the fourth mention this season of General Imbrie.
This episode also contains the second mention this season of the "1812 Overture". The first was in "None Like Hot". (The recording Charles played while taking a bath.) In this ep, Hawkeye mentions it to a band he wants to give his howitzer to.
If Hawkeye's being accurate about Kwang putting up with Winchester for three days, how'd Potter get that Certificate of Achievement so quickly?
If Kwang was leaving, why was he heading to the Company Clerk office?
Just before pouring Kwang more whiskey, Charles starts to protest and says, "A day ago I employed you." "A day ago"? More like an hour or two ago. Kwang had just resigned before they all entered the Officers Club.
Wonder why Charles never bothered hiring a new houseboy?
"All that good whiskey shot to hell."