Plot A: Major Lawrence Weems seems very concerned about the Negroes under his command, urging that they be sent home even when they aren't seriously wounded. This is at odds with the fact that the Negroes are more frequently injured than the whites in Weems' unit. There are only eleven percent of Negroes suffering forty-six percent of the injuries. The doctors ask questions and set a trap, revealing that Weems assigns the Negroes the most hazardous duty, so that they will either earn points quicker and get sent home--or get killed.
Plot B: Charles reveals that he is totally paranoid about dentists, when he suffers a bad toothache.

Why didn't they arrange for an actual member of the JAG to be present, instead of running a bluff?

It seems funny that Charles Emmerson Winchester the III would admit to having "primitive" biting instincts.

Charles seemed to have problems with his teeth period. Remember the episode where he gave a major, I think it was, a bad inspection grade? The major went to the 4077th. The major decked Charles. Watched carefully. Winchester is spitting out teeth. Who fixed him up then? Early on in the series, didn't they have "The Painless Pole" as camp dentist? If not, well, there was the one dentist who got a discharge and was paranoid about getting home safely. he even went so far as to disinfect the steering of the jeep he was driving. Then there was Futterman in "For Want of a Boot". He was the camp's dentist who thought he was Japanese. Then in "Five O"clock Charlie", there's Phil. The dentist playing the guitar in the Swamp while Hawkeye and Trapper figure out how to stop Frank. Now Winchester's teeth go bad and they have to import a dentist. Wha' hoppened?

By the way, note that all medical personnel have a caduseus (sp) on the left collar of their shirts. Even Col. Potter. Yet the dentist who's impersonating a major from the Judge Advocate office, has a star (I think) on his left collar. Where did this star come from? There are no generals at the 4077th, and if there were, there'd be no need for the charade. Would there?

I liked how Charles was shown commending Hawkeye and B.J. for thier actions in this episode.

During triage, as Potter and Hawkeye examine the wounded engineer, Pierce's hands change positions between shots.

When Potter asks Charles about his teeth in the Mess Tent, the Colonel brings his right arm to his chest. However, in the shot before that, the arm was already folded across Potter's chest.

Nice of Margaret to offer Major Weems some coffee, even if she is giving him her coffee cup...

The positions of Potter's right arm does not quite match in the shot where Margaret expresses astonishment that Weems is visiting his men at 3 in the morning and when Major Weems responds to her.

Great lines:

Charles: "What does this cure."

Dr. Jong: "Hunger. That's my dinner."

As Potter says he'll be out one surgeon if Charles doesn't have his tooth checked out, Winchester lowers his spoon. In the next shot, the spoon is raised again.

Where was Charles' hotplate in "A Holy Mess"? Winchester could have used it to cook his kippers (and eggs).

I think Weems' comment about "our beloved president" can be construed as meaning that Truman is still in office at the time of this ep. That means the ep can take place no later than January of 1953. Considering how nice it seems to be outside, it probably takes place no later than the fall of 1952.

Closed captioning spells Truman's first name and initial as "Harry S." There is no period after the ess in President Truman's name, however.

Once again, I should mention that by the time of the Korean War, the Army was no longer using the point system to rotate its soldiers back home.

Yet the dentist who's impersonating a major from the Judge Advocate office, has a star (I think) on his left collar. - me

Scratch that. Quentin Rockingham had oak leaves on, not stars. He was supposed to be a major. The leaves came from Winchester.

Waitaminute! Waitaminute. Wait. A. Minute. If getting out of the Army is as easy as resigning your commision, then why the hell hasn't Klinger done it? Or Hawkeye? Or B.J.? Or Charles? Surely it can't be that easy?

In the tag, before Charles gets up, Dr. Rockingham's left arm is at his side. However, in the next shot*, the arm is raised.

Lawrence (Larry) Fishburne played Corporal Dorsey in this ep. Fishburne appeared as Cowboy Curtis in Pee-Wee's Playhouse, "Mr. Clean" in Apocalypse Now and Morpheus in The Matrix.

Tom Atkins, who played Major Weems, was a semi-regular on The Rockford Files, where he played Alex Diehl. He also appeared in Escape From New York, Creepshow and Lethal Weapon.

"The undrinkable chasing the inedible."

*I think I may have to patent that phrase. I keep using it so much.

If getting out of the Army is as easy as resigning your commision, then why the hell hasn't Klinger done it?

Klinger's not a commissioned officer -- he has no commission to resign.

Or Hawkeye? Or B.J.? Or Charles? Surely it can't be that easy?

I suspect that in a draft environment, only career officers can quit by resigning their commissions.

>Closed captioning spells Truman's first name and initial as "Harry S." There is no period after the ess in President Truman's name, however. >

Actually, President Truman used the S with and without the period. "S." is technically an abbreviation for his middle name "S". This might be one instance where an abbreviation is actually longer than what it abbreviates.

Good points, Scott.

Ccabe: The "ess" in Truman's name did not stand for anything. However, I do concede the point about the period. Especially after having read this page.

"The undrinkable chasing the inedible."