Plot A: Disgusted with how out of shape everyone in camp is, Col. Potter orders mandatory exercize. When the reaction is less than enthusiastic, he livens it up by creating a set of Olympic games.
Plot B: Hawkeye and B.J. help an overweight MP loose the twenty pounds he needs in order to stay in the army.
Plot C: Learning that you can be thrown out of the army for being too overweight, Klinger...well you can guess.

We can pretty much know when this episode takes place. The Olympics in Helsinki took place in July-August of 1952. I mention because the 9th season episode, "A War For All Season" takes place in the year 1951. Yet in this ep, Margaret is newly married, B.J. has yet to grow his mustache, Klinger is still a corporal and scamming to get out of the Army.

What is the name of the overweight Sgt.? At one point, Hawkeye and B.J. call him Ames. But later Potter calls him Dobbins.

This episode is one of the first indication that Margaret's and Donald's marriage isn't built on the firmest of foundations. The way the two of them fight after losing the MASH Olympics, you know they weren't likely to last.

I'm not sure how much time has elapsed, but when B.J. and Hawkeye are talking to the overweight Sgt. at the ep's end, you can see some soldiers moving the MASH Olympics scoreboard and folding the banner.

Potter must be psychic. When Donald Penobscott arrives, Colonel Potter informs Penobscott that he's in time for the last two events. The problem is that the second of the events is a tie-breaker.

No wonder klinger gets sick after eating 10 or 12 salamis, all strongly spiced, in a hurry. But why does he not continue the idea of gaining weight with less spicy food? shouldn't be that hard to do it in a few weeks rather than a few days.

The seargant looses 20 pounds in 10 days by stopping eating and doing exercises, and hawk and BJ think thats healthy? Was that offical medical opinion at that time? Today we know that that kind of strain is bad for the body and that the metabolism will bounce back worse. (I somehow doubt it would work with 20 pounds in so short a time.)

I noticed that, in the nurse carry, it really wouldn't have mattered if Donald had participated or not--the second man to cross the finish line was B.J, captain of the Pinks.

The pipes on the obstacle course seem to be made of sets of barrels placed end to end. When Ames does that obstacle, the last pipe is knocked out of place, and jerks to the side. Then there is a close up, and the pipes are straight, then the last section jerks out to the side again.

Pentalarc

When Ames sits down in the Mess Tent, to his left is a bowl. However, in the B.J./Hawkeye POV shots, the bowl is on his right.

Please note that when the MPs lift the jeep, they each put a hand underneath the roof of the vehicle to help bring it up. None of the MASHers do that. All they do is push on it. Makes a big difference.

Watch Margaret after Colonel Potter says, "You can bet your chubby cabooses". She half-turns and puts a hand on her bottom as if suddenly self-conscious about the Colonel's remark.

Potter has the camp doing calenthetics because of the poor physical shape everyone seems to be in. When the first day of exercises bombs, he then changes his plans to holding a MASH Olympics to begin the very next day. Y'know, if everyone's in such pitiful shape, how would having their own Olympics get them into shape? Especially if it is, as it seems, a once only event?

Syndication cut: Just after Margaret and Donald drive off, there's a brief OR scene in which we see Father Mulcahy and Hawkeye are sore from all the physical exertion they went through during the MASH Olympics. A PA announcement specifies that this is the year 1952.

This is the fourth episode this season in which Radar is missing. How much leave did he have?

"Gentlemen, please. Mozart."

I noticed that Penobscott didn't "hit" all of the tires in the obstacle course.

In a Henry Blake Ep one of Frank Burns' coutrs-martial charges is for having gurney races in the compund on Kentucky Derby day.

With no Frank around Potter's able to avoid that here.

Potter has the camp doing calenthetics because of the poor physical shape everyone seems to be in. When the first day of exercises bombs, he then changes his plans to holding a MASH Olympics to begin the very next day. Y'know, if everyone's in such pitiful shape, how would having their own Olympics get them into shape? Especially if it is, as it seems, a once only event?

Perhaps he's hoping that it will show them how truly out of shape they are. What an object lesson. I think the only one who learned anything was Ames, though. :-)

Wow. So during the crutches race, at the lineup, BJ's team has five people in the race. Hawkeye has seven. Kinda lopsided, doncha think? Even in the Nurse Carry race, 5 of the eight participants are members of Hawkeye's team. However, during the pep talk in the Mess Tent, it looks like BJ's team has at least 18 members. So there's no reason for Pierce to have more people in those races than Hunnicutt.

Does Potter think he himself is in shape? Why didn't he participate in the exercises?

Ames got to stay in the Army because he lost three whole ounces?! Talk about a technicality. Seriously, three ounces is hardly a significant weight loss.

RIP, Mike Henry

Does Potter think he himself is in shape? Why didn't he participate in the exercises?

Rank hath its privileges.