Plot: "Milton" Freedman is called in to examine Klinger. Hawkeye falls for a nurse (Joan Van Ark) and considers marriage. A panicked POW causes the contamination and subsequent death of one of Trapper's patients.

At what point in psychobabble history did they decide that cross-dressing was not necessarily an indication of homosexuality? And what was with that comment that he'd have to wear dresses for the rest of his life? Couldn't he "recover"?

One of the best lines in this episode came when Frank and Margaret came to Henry's office to lodge a formal complaint about Klinger. Henry calls in Klinger, who shows up dressed to the nines. Henry glances at him casually, sits back, and says something like, "O.K, he's here. So tell me--what's wrong with Klinger?"

I always remember this episode when Hawkeye looks at his former live-in lover and says, "There's been no one since you. Pale imitations, at best."
He completely forgets that he proposed marrying one of those "pale imitations" and SHE turned him down. Perhaps it was a case of selective memory.

I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but it struck me as odd that the name of Trapper's patient was never mentioned -- it was just "the kid in bed 6."

It's also a little strange that Hawkeye is put off by the idea of a married nurse here, but it doesn't bother him with Carlye (the former lover) or with Lieutenant Dish, who was engaged.

Well, often patients are referred to as bed numbers or diagnoses. Example: "The appendix in bed 7."

As for the marriage thing, I doubt that Hawkeye was in love with Ericka. He wanted to marry her, possibly through some deep seated need to belong to somebody during an uncertain time, possibly any other psychobabble reason, but I highly doubt that he loved her. They'd known each other for what, a week? I think he honestly loved Carlye, as much as he could love a woman, anyway (other than Margaret, of course, his one true love:) ). I think that it would not have mattered to him if her husband had been right there in camp, he loved her. Just MHO, tho.

The events of this ep take place during the week of October 17-22, 1951. Um, that's not a full week. It's six days. How can this be a weekly report if it covers only six days?

Hey, where'd that adding machine on Radar's desk come from? Do we ever see it again in the series?

I guess Klinger's trying to swindle the Army. In the requisition form for replacement of damaged personal property, Max is asking for the replacement of a Miss High Rise bra, 36B cup. I don't think Klinger was wearing a bra when he stopped the prisoner in O.R. He was wearing what he said was a $39 dress. It was the strap to the $39 dress that was cut.

This episode contains yet another Groucho Marx reference. While talking about Trapper's patient, Hawkeye calls McIntyre "Dr. Hackenbush", which was Groucho's character in A Day At the Races.

The stencil on Trapper's footlocker says "Capt. J.F.X. McIntyre". Trapper's full name was John Francis Xavier McIntyre. In the novel anyway. I don't recall that they established that in the series.

When Hot Lips asks Klinger what he's doing in her tent, he replies "Just borrowing a little of your shampoo, Major." No he wasn't. He was using her hairdryer. Whatever happened to that hairdryer anyhow? We never see it in her tent again, do we?

Kind of funny that even after Klinger leaves Hot Lips' tent, the hairdryer was left running. You'd think someone would think of shutting it off.

Joan Van Ark's fingernails are longer than the fingernails of the hands used for the closeup shot of the wedding ring. (Cheap ring, too. No diamonds on it at all. Just a gold band.) The position of the fingers are also different. Joan Van Ark (Erika) has her pinky on the underside on the glass of gin/wine. In the insert shot, all four fingers are on the side of the glass.

Frank and Margaret want Klinger discharged from the Army, and they go to Colonel Blake about it. So when Klinger shows up in Henry's office, he's wearing the very same dress and outfit the Chinese prisoner of war cut the strap of earlier in the ep. The strap is intact. I guess Max didn't need it replaced after all. (So he really is trying to scam the Army.)

Mmm. Why does Major Freedman need to examine Klinger? In several other episodes it's revealed that all Klinger needs to get his Section Eight discharge is the signatures of three officers. This is the one time Frank would willingly sign. I'd imagine Hawkeye and Trapper would sign, too. Since three signatures are all Klinger needs, he shouldn't need a psychiatric examination, should he? Or is there a part of the process tha never gets mentioned in all the other eps?

Radar walks to the front of the Swamp where Trapper and Hawkeye are, enjoying some martinis. The Corporal informs Trapper that he's needed in O.R. Trapper runs in the direction he was facing, away from the front of the Swamp. Trouble is, isn't O.R. behind the Swamp in that big building? Trapper, it seems to me, is running in the wrong direction.

The Jeep Sydney, er, Milton arrives in doesn't have a serial number on the hood like many of the other Jeeps in the series do. It does have the letters HQ on the back bumper.

The sinks in the scrub room face each other. Normally, or rather for most of the series, they will sit side by side.

As Erika and Hawkeye break up, the song playing is "As Time Goes By", the song made famous in the movie, Casablanca. ("You must remember this/A kiss is just a kiss.")

The last tag for this ep has been cut for syndication. In it Radar gets Henry to sign the weekly report. After complaining that Radar never lets him read anything he signs, Henry goes over the report. When he's done, he makes the comment that "Every week can't be exciting."

Abyssinia!

Incidentally, this is the one ep where war prisoners are not called POWs. They are called PWs. Or at least the Chinese Communist wounded prisoner is referred to as a PW.

Abyssinia!

The stencil on Trapper's footlocker says "Capt. J.F.X. McIntyre". Trapper's full name was John Francis Xavier McIntyre. In the novel anyway. I don't recall that they established that in the series.

I forget the ep, but during one conversation in the shower Trapper makes some comment about how his parents actually wanted him to become a priest. "Ah yes," Hawkeye replies in his best stage Irish, "The good Father John Francis Xavier MacIntyre..." yada yada yada the usual banter.

When Hot Lips asks Klinger what he's doing in her tent, he replies "Just borrowing a little of your shampoo, Major." No he wasn't. He was using her hairdryer.

Right, after washing his hair. He's probably trying to minimize the offense by skipping the dryer part.

I forget the ep, but during one conversation in the shower Trapper makes some comment about how his parents actually wanted him to become a priest. "Ah yes," Hawkeye replies in his best stage Irish, "The good Father John Francis Xavier MacIntyre..." yada yada yada the usual banter. - kerriem

I'd forgotten that. It was in the back of my mind that Trapper's full name had been revealed before in the series, though. Thanks for the reminder Kerrie.

When Hot Lips asks Klinger what he's doing in her tent, he replies "Just borrowing a little of your shampoo, Major." No he wasn't. He was using her hairdryer. - me

Right, after washing his hair. He's probably trying to minimize the offense by skipping the dryer part. - kerriem

While in the midst of using the hair dryer? The dryer is on the entire scene. If Max is trying to minimize the offense, it's not going to work. If he'd said "using the hair dryer" while omitting the shampoo part, that'd be something else.

Abyssinia!

I've always been amused at the initial use of the name "Milton" for Sydney Freedman. I wonder if the original name for his character was changed because of the real Milton Friedman who was a famous economist and was eventaully awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976. On the other hand, maybe it was a coincidence that TPTB changed Freedman's name to Sydney, perhaps for the same mysterious reason they changed other names (e.g., Mildred-Lorraine).

Frank & Hot Lips are constantly flip flopping from wanting Klinger out of the outfit to not wanting him to get his Sec. 8 discharge.

And they are both very definite in thier opinion both ways.

A really big flip flop if you ask me.