Plot: Hawkeye's father has been notified that he is dead, and Hawkeye must battle brass, red tape, and a morbid morgue officer in order to prove that he's not.
Isn't the officer called in to unsnarl the snafu played by the same actor who was in "The Incubator", "Payday" and "The Chosan People"? (Well, maybe not "The Chosan People; I'll have to see it again to know for sure.) He really gets around! This is the only episode where you see him smile--although what he's smiling at is not very funny.
I really don't understand what Digger proposed to do with the body he was hoping to obtain. Said body would have come with its own paperwork, and would not match Hawkeye's death certificate. Or was he really hoping to pass the body off as Hawkeye, leaving Hawkeye permanently listed as deceased and another unknown family wondering what happened to THEIR soldier? Digger seems pretty dim.
Saw this episode uncut last night. They extended the scene in the office, after B.J. tried and failed to speak with Hawkeye's father. Hawkeye and Klinger sat down on the bunk and Hawkeye spoke of Crabapple Cove, Maine. He said that they had a summer cottage there. I believe that in all other references to Crabapple Cove, it was the town where he was born and raised. (Klinger dozed off while Hawkeye was talking.)
They also have a fairly long scene in the mess tent, when they were lined up to get paid. Frank was the paymaster, and he refused to give Hawkeye any money, saying that he'd been redlined. Frank was savoring the moment, but Hawkeye, figuring that no one was going to court-martial a dead man, started knocking Frank around the tent, finishing up by cramming cooked carrots down Frank's shirt and shoving mashed potatoes (something soft and whitish, anyway) into his face, before he was finally dragged away, shouting that he was not going to take his death lying down.
Perhaps they had a house at one end of town, and a summer cottage at the other end. Not that the town sounded big enough for someone to have 2 houses, but you never know.
Where's B.J. been that he doesn't know that Radar's been sent to Seoul to go on leave? It's hard to imagine Hunnicutt being anywhere in camp and not know about that. Not to mention not knowing that Radar's been flipping out some. ("...putting cabon paper in the latrine.")
How bad are the phones at the 4077th? As Klinger hands B.J. the phone, Hawkeye says a few words, yet Pierce's dad doesn't hear his son speaking. Much less recognize his voice.
When Hawkeye is dictating his telegram to Klinger you can see a bottle of alcohol behind him on a shelf. Next to the bottle of alcohol is what appears to be a bottle of plasma. What's it doing sitting out like that? Shouldn't it be in the freezer?
When Digger enters Post-Op, you can see Radar's clipboard on the end of the first bed. It's identifiable by the scratch marks on it.
Klinger can't get any calls through because Eisenhower is visiting Korea. Klinger refers to him as "General Eisenhower". Hawkeye later wonders "Who needs a president with dysentery?" So, Ike is now the President of the U.S.? Then why does Klinger call him "General Eisenhower"? Isn't the proper title "President Eisenhower"? Incidentally, if Eisenhower is the President, then this episode takes place around February of 1953. Maybe January. (Ike was inaugurated in '53. Of course, he could have gone to Korea in December of '52. But he wouldn't yet be President. But December of '52 would explain why Klinger calls him "General" and not "President".)
If the Pierces have a summer cottage in Crabapple Cove, why would Klinger be trying to reach Hawkeye's dad there in the winter? (Answer, Crabapple Cove is Hawkeye's hometown. Still, the ep does say a "summer cottage"...)
When everyone is in line to get paid, Detmuller's in the Mess Tent. Is he in line to get paid? Why would he get his money at the MASH unit?
How long was Digger away from his unit anyway? Two, three days? Didn't his superiors wonder what was going on with him? Where he was?
When did the camp ground get covered in asphalt? In every other episode, the grounds of the 4077th is covered in dirt. Yet, just as B.J. hops on the bus to talk to Hawkeye, you can see that the ground has been paved.
Horse hockey!