Plot: Casualties are high, and the camp's supply of penicillin has been stolen. A homeward-bound soldier confesses to Father Mulcahy that he was a part of the local black market, and tells him the drop-off location. Father Mulcahy and Klinger go to the place and discover their own penicillin there.
Klinger and the Father have just removed the penicillin from under the bell. An unseen black marketeeer fires a shot hitting the bell. The next shot isn't fired until almost a minute after, giving Max and the Padre plenty of time to escape. Why? Was his gun (rifle?) suddenly out of bullets? It took him that long to reload? In a wartime situation, I imagine the sniper would never gotten through his first day of combat in one piece. Not if he takes so long between shots.
Some sniper rifles a single action/Bolt action and it could have taken the sniper a few moments as he may have been out of ammo. not everybody (especially at that time) used spray and pray.
Except, after he "reloads", the sniper fires several shots (about four, I believe) in sequence. In other words, he gave Mulcahy and Klinger time to get away from the bell and hightail it back to the jeep. In other words, the sniper took too long between his initial shot and the three or four which followed. IMHO.
When did Mulcahy start dealing with the Black Market? In this ep, he seems to very ignorant of the Market. However, next season, in "Out of Gas", the Padre seems to know quite a bit about them.
The Father picked a fine time to warn Klinger that what they were doing (going to retrieve the stolen penicillan) was dangerous. They were almost at their destination.
When Father Mulcahy & Klinger return to the 4077th, Margaret and Charles are standing in the compound (in front of the office). Charles bends down to pick up a shirt or jacket. What, exactly, were the Majors doing there? It appears that a scene has been cut.
No one has mentioned plot B (the British regement) and plot C (the patient who is addicted to morphine).
In the British regement plot, I am not sure I fully understand Hawkeye's response to the British commander. I will admit, the commander seems a bit pushy with his men, but not "breathing fire" as Hawkeye seems to think. Unless there was a syndicated cut that showed him being much meaner than simply saying "why are you all lollygagging around here for a fortnight," it seems that Hawkeye way overreacts.
The soldier Major Ross, the British commander, speaks to - a couple of things about him when Ross first enters Post-Op. In his close-up, his head bandage appears to be up higher on his forehead than in the previous shot. The orange tags he wears also shift position between shots.
I'm not sure, but when Potter and Mulcahy talk about the Father's dilemma, it looks as if the shadows on the Colonel do not match from shot to shot.
I don't know about anyone else, but I can hardly tell the schoolhouse had burned down. Considering that it was made of wood and grass, you'd think that if it caught on fire, none of it would be left standing. But it looks to me like it was only singed.
When Father Mulcahy & Klinger return to the 4077th, Margaret and Charles are standing in the compound (in front of the office). Charles bends down to pick up a shirt or jacket. What, exactly, were the Majors doing there? It appears that a scene has been cut. - me
Indeed. And what's cut is Charles and Margaret discussing the "famine of culture" at the 4077th. Margaret says she's able to survive it through her work and yoga. She then demonstrates a yoga position. In doing so, she begins to teeter and Charles reaches an arm around her to steady her. However, this causes a button on his sleeve to get caught in the sweater Major Houlihan has draped around her shoulder. Winchester tries to disentangle himself from Margaret. It looks like they're hugging, which of course, embarrasses Hot Lips. Just as Max and Father Mulcahy pull up, Charles pulls the sweater off Margaret. It subsequently falls to the ground, which is about where this scene picks up in syndication.
That bill Klinger gives Colonel Potter for the skirt, how'd he get it made up so quickly?
Corporal Bryant, the soldier who confesses to Father Mulcahy about his involvement in the Black Market, was played by Sal Viscuso, one of the P.A. announcers for the series.
This is the tenth episode this season in which Radar does not appear.
"Gentlemen, please. Mozart."