Germ Warfare

Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections: M*A*S*H: Season One: Germ Warfare
By D.K. Henderson on Tuesday, February 08, 2000 - 5:20 pm:

Plot: Hawkeye steals a pint of blood from Frank to give to a wounded POW, then the patient develops hepatitis. Hawkeye must determine if the disease came from Frank, and in the meantime, keep him away from everyone--especially Hot Lips.


By D.K. Henderson on Tuesday, April 11, 2000 - 5:30 am:

I liked the part where Frank was so anxious to get to the latrine that he ran out without putting his one boot back on.


By Benn (Benn) on Sunday, January 13, 2002 - 1:59 am:

Trapper doesn't seem too picky about his beers. That can he gets out of Henry's desk drawer must be very warm. (Most beer drinkers prefer their beers cold.)

This episode is also out of sequence. General Hammond is Henry's immediate superior. (Hammond is mentioned, but not shown in this episode.)

There's a rare shot in this ep. In his office, the wall to Henry's right has a dart board. It's lined up so Colonel Blake can throw darts from behind his desk.

This is Lt. Dish's second appearance in the series. Her first since the pilot.

Another rare shot takes place while Hawkeye and Trapper siphon blood out of Major Burns. We can the side of the Swamp where the fourth cot will later be.

Cut scene: Radar getting a huge breakfast and talking with Hawkeye in the Mess Tent. Radar asks if Pierce and McIntyre were successful in getting blood from Frank.

Once again, clean cut Frank Burns needs a shave. And speaking of shaving, in a later ep, Franks says his aftershave is called "Rough and Ready". Not in this ep. Before Frank samples the beers, you can clearly see a bottle of Old Spice among his personal effects.

The urine sample Pierce and McIntyre give Boone to send to Seoul for testing is in a bucket - an open container. Won't the specimen become contaminated?

Oh yeah. Boone. He was another character transplanted from the movie who did not last. Dish, Spearchucker, Ho Jon and General Hammond are the others. Boone also appears in "Henry, Please Come Home."

Another syndication cut: After realizing the Captains will have to keep Frank away from Hot Lips, Hawkeyes does a Wild Kingdom-type narration. The narration tells of the Majors' mating rituals. That is, where can they go to get together?

Frank was told by Radar that Henry wants to see the Major. Hot Lips is told she's needed in Post-Op. After finding out they were decoyed, the two compare notes. Margaret asserts that they were being decoyed because the camp is jealous of the purity of the Majors' relationship. These lines are cut in syndication.

Earlier in the episode, Ho Jon has to speak to the P.O.W., Pai, in Korean. I assumed it's because Pai does not speak any English. Actually, at the end of the show, we learn he does. To Hawkeye and Trapper he says, "Hi guys." Plus, he must speak English well enough to play checkers with Frank.

Playing checkers with Pai is a bit out of character for Frank, too, don't you think? Not just because is racist, but because Pai is "the enemy". Would Margaret approve?


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