Plot A: The doctors want a cement floor in the operating room, to cut down on the bacteria that breeds on the wooden floors. The "M" in M*A*S*H standing for Mobile, however, no one wants them to do it, and it's up the Klinger to arrange matters.
Plot B: A wounded Italian soldier, having received a "Dear Giovanni" letter, rebounds onto Margaret.
The second time they mixed up the concrete, you could tell that it was setting up nice and firm. However, when Charles accidently walks through it, it resembles the "oatmeal" consistency of the first attempt.
It just occurred to me--exactly how does one disassemble a wooden floor for handy traveling? Not just in the O.R, either--all of the main buildings had hard floors that could be mopped. Why not just lay canvas, as they would do in their tents?
Also, having discovered the source of the infections, wouldn't you think that they would just sluice down the cracks with strong disinfectant?
As for Margaret's problem with DiSimone--an Italian at that point in time would very likely be a Catholic, and--again at that point in time--all Margaret would have had to do was tell him that she was divorced.
Charles made an interesting comment. While announcing that he had no intention of helping out with the cementing, he said that his hands would never do lower work than an appendectomy. Charles seems to scorn the more mundane aspects of being a doctor.
Margaret first starts talking to DeSimone in Post-Op, and she's trying to encourage him. She starts naming Italian cities. DeSimone interrupts her, saying, "I know the cities." In one shot, the letter in his hand is close to his shoulder. Just after he says, "I know the cities", the camera angle shifts and the letter is closer to the end of his ribcage. The position of the letter changes in the same way around the time DeSimone says, "What good is it to be a Ferrari when you are out of gas?"
A patient in isolation in Post-Op? With other patients nearby? How much isolation is that? Why not move such patients into the VIP tent?
When DeSimone tells Margaret there'll be a hole in his heart after he's discharged from the 4077th, his left hand is extended towards the Major. In the next shot, the hand is by his side.
So Potter's been trying to get a concrete floor for OR for some time now, huh? So, does this mean that he's been aware of the possibility of staph infection? If so, and if he was aware of the cases the unit currently had in Post-Op, why didn't he inform his men the wooden floor was probably the source of the infections? And why hadn't the Colonel ordered "Sluic(ing) down the cracks with a strong disinfectant" as D.K. suggests? I mean, if a concrete floor was out of the question as far as the Corp of Engineers were concerned, then why wasn't the Colonel using alternative methods to prevent the spread of the germs?
According to Hawkeye in this ep, the 4077th hasn't moved from its current location in five months. Five months? The unit is supposed to stay within 3 miles (IIRC) of the battle front. Five months is an awful long time for the fron to remain stationary. And you know, if the unit has moved around, it's hard for me to tell. I mean, everything is always in the same exact location wherever they move - the Swamp, OR, Post-Op, the Mess Tent, Rosie's...
The 4077th is lucky there were no wounded while they were laying the concrete floor in OR. What were they going to do if suddenly the fighting started up again and they had to operate - on wet cement?
Y'know, considering that DeSimone was a corpsman, Margaret's lucky he didn't ask for a transfer to the 407th.
When Potter announces the commendations for the cement floor, he singles out Charles. Everyone protests, saying Winchester did nothing. Not true. Hawkeye and B.J. did coerce the Major into mixing cement while Father Mulcahy went to get more help.
"Beaver biscuits!"