Original Air Date: 12/12/83
Written by: Everett Greenbaum & Elliott Reed
Directed by: Nick Havinga
A group of veterans arrives for their yearly physical, including a bladder check, which none of them look forward to. Col. Potter asks why all these bladder checks are done all at once, and Mike D'Angelo's answer is predictable: this is how the government wants it done.
That same day, Soon-Lee starts volunteering at the hospital, something Klinger isn't wild about. He's sure Soon-Lee's youth and looks will drive these bored, lonely men nuts, but Soon-Lee is insistent.
Klinger runs into an old friend from Korea, an ex-solider named Pete (Kevin Brophy). Pete is thrilled to see Klinger, and they make plans to go to a football game together. Klinger is sad when he sees Pete is at General General to get a new prosthetic leg, revealing an injury Klinger never knew about. But Pete seems to take it all in stride, laughing about the whole thing.
A particularly ornery patient, named Kraus (Jerry Hardin), is not happy with Dr. Pfeiffer's care (specifically, Pfeiffer's youth and unwillingness to cater to his every whim), and calls a friend in their congressman's office to complain. That trickles down to Mike D'Angelo, who is furious at Pfeiffer, and tells Potter to straighten him out.
Potter agrees with Pfeiffer's point of view, but has to instruct his young charge about how things operate at a VA hospital. Since this Kraus guy has friends in high places, they have to listen to his complaints.
Later, Pfeiffer learns another one of his patients, a sweet, good-natured guy named Gorcey (Mickey Jones), died during a routine operation. He's floored by the news, and then right at that moment, Kraus begins banging his water pitcher with his spoon, demanding his dinner in bed.
Pfeiffer is enraged, and grabs Kraus's bed, dragging it out into the hallway, into the cafeteria. He starts throwing globs of food into Kraus's lap, demanding he eat it, much to the amusement of the other veterans in the cafeteria.
Potter and D'Angelo show up, ready to ball Pfeiffer out, but Kraus is so nasty that they start to see Pfeiffer's point of view. Kraus says he plans to sue D'Angelo and the hospital, but when everyone in the cafeteria pretend they didn't see a thing, Kraus knows he's been beat. Furious, he attacks D'Angelo!
Fun Facts: Alma Cox does not appear in this episode.
Actor Kevin Brophy appeared on M*A*S*H, in Season Eight's "Life Time." Actor Mickey Jones also appeared on the show, in Season Ten's "Snap Judgment."
Favorite Line: Dr. Pfeiffer is arguing with Kraus, who refuses to go to the cafeteria to get his own lunch, even though he's physically able. He barks, "How am I supposed to get there, on my hands and knees?!"
Pfeiffer responds, "No, that's usually how we come from there."
Sure, if you swap the words "Mess Tent" and "cafeteria", its a joke that could've (and probably did) come right from M*A*S*H, but it still made me laugh.
No comments:
Post a Comment