Plot A: Private Nick Gillis, who has been in Korea for over a year, has just learned from a friend that his wife has just given birth. He goes AWOL and ends up at the 4077th. He is attending church services when the MPs show up. He claims sanctuary and Father Mulcahy backs him up, facing down all authority. When Gillis finally decides to take matters into his own hands, Mulcahy is left facing a gun.
Plot B: A grateful chicken farmer, whose farm has just been liberated from the North Koreans, is donating a day's supply of eggs to all military units in the area. Everyone is anxious to have their eggs prepared just so.
I've noticed that most of Father Mulcahy's sermons, what we hear of them, are rather stilted. That having been said, the face-off in the mess tent is one of Mulcahy's finer moments.
On several occasions, Charles has been seen cooking on a hot plate in the Swamp. Why didn't he do his eggs there?
I will admit, this episode really gives Father Mulcahy a major chance to shine (although I wonder if he ever preaches a "planned" sermon that doesn't include the one legged man and the wheelbarrow.
I do have the old question about whatever happened to the Officer's Club. When the command Chaplain sends word that the mess tent is not a perminant structure, this making it ineligable for Sanctuary, Mulcahy says "This is a perminant structure as we have." The officer's Club is more perminant, and as Henry said when it was put it, it could double as a church on Sunday.
Also, in other episodes, we have seen Hawkeye, Potter, and others eat eggs. Yet Margaret seems to have sentimental feelings about an egg she had in a shampoo a year earlier. Are eggs really that scarce, and if so, why did the others eat them in public?
Real eggs presumably WOULD be scarce, as it would be difficult to pack and ship them fresh. The units generally would receive them powdered. (Most of the fresh ones were probably sent to generals, if at all.)
I can recall Klinger boasting about having a fresh egg that he won in a poker game. Shortly afterwards, Hawkeye came back to the swamp and described Klinger's feast in detail. (Apparently someone eating a fresh egg qualified as a spectator sport.)
But yes, fresh eggs have been seen. I seem to recall seeing Hawkeye carefully tapping at a soft-boiled egg. I think that the scarcity of eggs was only commented on when they needed it for the plot, rather like the availability of the V.I.P. tent, or common peanut butter, seen often, suddenly becoming an unattainable luxury.
D.K.,
But yes, fresh eggs have been seen. I seem to recall seeing Hawkeye carefully tapping at a soft-boiled egg. I think that the scarcity of eggs was only commented on when they needed it for the plot, rather like the availability of the V.I.P. tent, or common peanut butter, seen often, suddenly becoming an unattainable luxury.
I thought that what was available depended on the delivery and if someone in logistics screwed up/ road conditions were bad/ too much fighting/ too much moving/ not enough trucks etc. then some articles like peanut butter, eggs, etc. would become scarce suddenly. There were several eps where specific medical supplies ran low, too, and at least two where supplies messed up and shipped the wrong stuff.
Considering how things are normally cooked at the 4077th (for instance, what happened to Father Mulcahy's corn in "A War For All Seasons"), you'd think the camp would know better than to ask the cook, Pernelli, to prepare the eggs to everyone's individual specifications.
I would have thought Klinger's goat cheese would have been aromatic enough that everyone would have smelt it the minute Klinger enters the kitchen.
How likely is it that there's only one person doing all the cooking for the 4077th? I would think that Pernelli would have at least two assistents in the kitchen.
Between the time Hawkeye says something about licking the egg shells and B.J. says, "You lick, I'll sleep.", the position of Pierce's right hand changes in two different shots.
Please note that Private Gillis reaches for his gear twice - once in a over the shoulder shot and then in front view - after he awakens.
Waitaminute. How did Margaret get three eggs? I thought there was a two egg limit? (I'm refering to the scene where Charles is in the kitchen frying his kippers. Margaret is in the background holding three eggs.) Of course, if the eggs are scrambled, how can there be a two egg limit?
Charles told Margaret Pernelli wouldn't cook the eggs to order? Um, no. Pernelli did. Margaret was right there when the cook anounced that everyone would be getting scrambled eggs.
When Father Mulcahy says he'll only listen to "the command chaplain at 'I' Corp", he's looking at Lt. Spears However, in the next shot, he's looking at Colonel Potter.
Gillis is facing his Lt. when the officer calls Mulcahy's action a "crock". In the next shot, Gillis is looking at the Padre.
Pernelli tells Pierce and Hunnicutt they'll have to serve the eggs if they want to have a picnic. He doesn't deliver. Well, serving the food is normally Igor's job, so no one would be expecting Pernelli to do it in the first place. Pernelli certainly wasn't going to serve the eggs in the Mess Tent. So why, when the eggs will be serve outdoors, is it suddenly the Captains job to serve the eggs?
In the master shot of the eggs falling off the table, we see a pan of toast next to them. In the close up shot, the toast is nowhere to be seen. Neither is the bowl and plates to the right of the pan of eggs. Also in the master shot, the pan of eggs does not seem to have a ladle in it. The ladle can be seen in the close up shot.
Lt. Spears was played the late David Graf, most famous to the general public for his portrayal of Tackleberry in the Police Academy movies. He also is known to Trekkies for playing Fred Noonan in the Star Trek: Voyager ep, "The 37's" and Leskit in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ep, "Soldiers of the Empire".
The undrinkable chasing the inedible."