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Season 2, Episode 28: Saturday's Heroes
Original Air Date: 12/11/84
Written by: Ken Levine & David IsaacsDirected by: Burt Metcalfe
Klinger, still confined to the hospital's mental ward, receives a weekend pass, which he plans to spend with Soon-Lee, alone. They plan to spend it at the Potter's house, since they are headed off for a romantic weekend. Similarly, Dr. Boyer has made plans with a beautiful new nurse.
Unfortunately, all of their plans are interrupted--Soon-Lee, too, is feeling amorous, but wants to get the business done of naming their child first, going so far as to invite a gypsy (the great Kathleen Freeman) over to try and mystically conceive of the perfect name. Potter is similarly non-plussed when he finds out that Mildred has offered Alma Cox a ride to a rendevous a couple of towns over where she has a date planned.
Back at the hospital, the new administrator, Wally Wainwright, talks with his family back in Washington. He is bored and lonely in this new job and town, and in his pique cancels all the weekend leaves for the mental ward patients. The staff psychiatrist Dr. Dudziak tries to talk him out of it, but it doesn't work.
That causes the beautiful nurse Dr. Boyer planned to spend the weekend with (lots of sex, then ice cream is the plan) has to cancel on him because she has to work. Boyer is crushed, and decides to hang out at the local bar and get drunk. Wainwright shows up, and after some initial tension (it is Wainwright's fault, after all), Boyer and he decide to get drunk together--Boyer having sympathy for the man who is so far away from his family.
Back at the Potter house, Klinger is willing to rush through the naming process to get upstairs, but Soon-Lee is having none of it. He goes through a list of baseball players to name their child after, at first settling on Jackie Robinson Klinger. Soon-Lee wants something that blends the child's Asian/Lebanese background more, and they keep going.
Meanwhile, the Potter's car breaks down just out of town and they all walk back home, destroying any idea of romance Klinger might have had. Then Father Mulcahy arrives, ready to christen the child. After some more discussion, where everyone throws out the names of baseball players, they settle on Cy Young Klinger.
Dr. Boyer and Wainwright, drunk, also show up, and Wainwright is perturbed to see an unauthorized Klinger out of the mental ward. They try to explain the situation, and he seems to relent. Watching the christening, he grows so sad over his absent family that he asks to use the Potter's phone to call them. Potter agrees.
He places a call, but its not to his family--its to the hospital's security, telling them there's an escaped mental patient at the Potter house!
Later, we see Klinger in isolation at the hospital's mental ward. But its not so bad---Dr. Dudziak arranged Soon-Lee to be in there with him, finally giving the young couple some time alone.
Fun Facts: An alternate title for this episode could have been Coitis Interruptus, since its essentially about how Potter, Klinger, and Dr. Boyer are all getting thwarted in their attempts to spend some alone time with their women. Kind of a startling concept for such a family-oriented show--no wonder Father Mulcahy only shows up at the end!
Favorite Line: When Dr. Boyer's hot date arrives--still dressed for work--he grits his teeth in anticipation and says, "Oh, good--she's wearing her nurse's uniform. That woman knows my every sick thought."I never thought I would see this episode (the last one of the series ever aired), until Swamp Rat Kevin Greenlee offered to send me a copy of the show once he read here on the blog that I'd never seen it. Thanks Kevin!
This episode was one of the funnier ones, with a lot of good, quick lines being tossed out by the cast. The aforementioned adult premise of this episode is somewhat hidden by the show's overall genial tone, which to me seems the best way to do material like this, and was one of the things M*A*S*H excelled at.
Having now seen every episode of After M*A*S*H that ever aired (there is still one unseen episode, "Wet Feet", that must be around somewhere in some dusty vault), I stand by my earlier opinion that the show should have been given more time to find its creative bearings.
To the show's credit, it wasn't just aping M*A*S*H; no, After M*A*S*H was its own entity and it was criminal of CBS--who made untold millions of dollars of profit and earned tons of prestige from the original show--to cancel it so abruptly. As silly as it might sound, I'm still kind of aggravated that three characters I love so much--Col. Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy--never got a proper send off here; they just disappeared.
Thanks again to Kevin for giving me the chance to see this elusive episode!
Season 2, Episode 27: Ward Is Hell
Original Air Date: 12/4/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine and Dennis Keonig
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
Klinger, being Klinger, is running a lottery in the ward to make some money, based on numbers called out over the PA. Even when someone wins, Klinger still makes a profit.
Dr. Boyer comes down with an infection, and even though Col. Potter tells him he's going to be fine, Boyer is pessimistic. Potter's suggests Boyer take a few days off (since walking around on his artificial leg is a physically grueling task), and Boyer agrees, reluctantly, taking a bed in the ward with his own patients.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Wally Wainwright shows up, saying no one can find Dr. Boyer's Army records, oh-so-jokingly suggesting that if they can't find them, Boyer will be tossed out of the hospital.
Luckily, they find the forms, and Alma Cox comes to have Boyer sign them. After pretending he's on death's door--which gets Alma all emotional--he makes a crude play for her, right there in the ward, causing her to run off in a panic.
Col. Potter gets wind of Klinger's lottery scam, and is upset this is happening in his hospital. He gets even more upset when he learns Mildred and Soon-Lee are in on it. When Mildred guilt-trips Col. Potter over it, saying they need the money for their baby, he gives up and lets the lottery continue.
When Soon-Lee wins the afternoon's lottery, the other patients think its been fixed. Klinger locks himself inside the ward, while some of the angry lottery losers try and bust down the door. Finally, two orderlies get in, and Klinger offers a refund to everyone.
At the end of the night, the Potters, Father Mulcahy, a young intern named Dr. Caldwell (Tom Isbell), and Dr. Dudziak visit Boyer in his bed. After a discussion who is the funniest comedian out there, Boyer lightens up, and starts doing an old Abbott & Costello routine, verbatim, keeping them all at rapt attention.
Fun Facts: After a month off the air, AfterM*A*S*H came back for two episodes, this one and the following week's "Saturday's Heroes." There was another episode shot, "Wet Feet", that never even aired. Is this anyway to treat a show?
Favorite Line: After Wally Wainwright questions Dr. Boyer's military history, Boyer responds: "If I recall, I stuffed my papers in a shoe and sent it to the White House. Ask the Eisenhowers, they keep all their old junk around--look at Nixon."
This is the last episode of AfterM*A*S*H I have available to me; "Saturday's Heroes" sadly was not part of the package I was sent, and the last filmed episode, "Wet Feet" never aired.
It's downright criminal that CBS didn't even bother to air "Wet Feet", let alone give the show a chance to film a final episode--Col. Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy simply disappeared, never to be seen again.
Those actors, after their years of service on M*A*S*H, deserved better, and so did the loyal viewers--I bet at this point, the only people watching the show were die-hard M*A*S*H fans, so to have the three main characters so unceremoniously yanked from TV is pretty inexcusable.
Having seen these shows for the first time in a quarter century, I feel compelled to have some sort of final thoughts on the series. All in all, I'd say AfterM*A*S*H--in its first season--was a solid show, and definitely could have blossomed into a really good one.
Sure, overall it wasn't all that funny, and you didn't have the life-and-death drama that came from a show set in a war zone. But I was impressed that AfterM*A*S*H, despite its title, didn't really try to merely replicate M*A*S*H's success by copying it: no, I think AfterM*A*S*H was well on its way to establishing its own identity, but of course once the ratings started to slide CBS panicked and insisted on "retooling" the show, then never giving the new version a real chance.
Part of the sad legacy of AfterM*A*S*H is its reputation as one of worst spin-offs, if not the worst, of all time, which is really not fair. I have to think the reason the show is such a joke is because of its sheer unavailability--in an age where you can get According to Jim: The Complete Seventh Season or Viva Laughlin: The Complete Series on DVD, the fact that AfterM*A*S*H isn't on DVD makes it look like Fox has something to hide.
The only mention you'll find of it on the entire Martinis & Medicine box set is an off-stage (but still on-mike) conversation between Harry Morgan and Jamie Farr, while they were shooting the final filmed M*A*S*H episode, "As Time Goes By." Its like it never existed. I really have to thank M*A*S*H fan What The Parrot Saw for sending me the shows; I'm really glad I got to see them again.
But we're still not quite done--because I'm a glutton for punishment, tomorrow we'll take a look at the failed series pilot known as...W*A*L*T*E*R!
Season 2, Episode 24: Trials
Original Air Date: 10/9/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Charles S. Dubin
Klinger's day in court has arrived, and, despite his lawyer's advice, he pleads Not Guilty. Col. Potter and Father Mulcahy question this, but Klinger's view is that, if he's found Guilty, Soon-Lee and his son will be sent back to Korea--Klinger wants to take the chance, even if it is "all or nothing."
Col. Potter is brought on as a character witness, but the prosecution brings up Klinger's constant attempt to get a Section-8, his penchant for wearing dresses, etc. Potter does his best to defend Klinger, despite his checkered Army record.
Father Mulcahy testifies next, similarly trying to defend Klinger's character. The prosecution brings up Mulcahy's past drinking problem, which Mulcahy objects to: "Hey, I'm a priest!"
Bob Scanell and Mildred Potter also testify, doing probably more harm than good. The prosecution then calls a surprise witness--Col. Flagg!
Potter, Mulcahy, and Klinger are shocked, to say the least. Flagg enters, and we see he's the same gung ho lunatic he was in Korea, asking the baliff where he'd land if he had to jump out the window. Walking to the stand, he looks at Klinger, mimics drawing an "X" on his forehead, and says, "Hello, fruitcake."
Col. Flagg, on the stand, launches into a tirade against Klinger, accusing him of being a communist because, after spending years trying to get out of the Army, stayed in Korea for two months. Klinger protests that was to help Soon-Lee find her family, but of course Flagg cannot be reasoned with.
Flagg, over the years, has seemingly gotten worse, and he goes on a long tirad about Klinger, Communism, Capitalism, and more, despite the judge's admonitions to settle down. While Klinger testifies, Flagg rushes the stand, supposedly with proof Klinger associated with communists--a photo of him and a Korean civilian, who Klinger says "a dung salesman."
The judge has had enough, and has Flagg subdued. He then makes a decision to end the trial by getting Klinger's lawyer (an inexperienced, easily swayed young man) to change Klinger's plea to Not Guilty Due To Mental Insanity, and orders him to be put under the care of the Psychiatric Ward of...General General!
Klinger is carted away, sort of a free man. Flagg, left alone in the courtroom with the judge, is horrified. He keeps ranting, and eventually the judge gets up and walks out, leaving Flagg alone, testifying to an empty room.
Fun Facts: With this episode, the opening credit sequence changes again--the bland Season Two theme is retained, but the pastel drawings are replaced by photos of the cast members and stills from the show.
Obviously, this episode makes an explicit connection to M*A*S*H, with the guest appearance by Edward Winter as Col. Flagg, who had not appeared on the original series since the Seventh Season. Too bad Klinger couldn't call Winchester to defend him again!
Favorite Line: After Flagg goes on another tirade, Klinger objects: "This is America, not Korea--you can't destroy people over here like you did over there!"
Flagg responds: "I know, McCarthy is stealing my thunder."
Season 2, Episode 22: Calling Dr. Habibi
Original Air Date: 9/25/84
Written by: Dennis Keonig, David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Hy Averback
Alma Cox is in a tizzy over the imminent arrival of General General's new administrator, Wallace Wainwright (Peter Michael Goetz). Col. Potter, Father Mulcahy, and Soon-Lee have other things on their mind, though: namely, Klinger, who is still hiding. Luckily, with a friend in supply, he's able to borrow various outfits--like a doctor's coat--to stay around the hospital and see his wife and baby.
Wainwright introduces himself to Potter and Dr. Boyer while they're examining a patient. After he notices Boyer walk away, he's shocked to see that General General has is missing a leg. He thinks Boyer isn't up to the task, but Potter staunchly defends him. Wainwright is unmoved, and flatly states he plans to be stuck at General General for six months--not a day more--and then, "Move on to bigger and better things."
Klinger finds Father Mulchay, who tells him that Soon-Lee has moved in with the Potters. Mulcahy begs Klinger to turn himself in, but Klinger refuses. He then bumps into Wally Wainwright, who believes Klinger is a doctor ("Dr. Habibi"), who insists on getting a tour of place, led by Dr. Habibi.
They end up in the surgeon's changing room, and Col. Potter asks to have a private confab with "Dr. Habibi." While they're outside, Wainwright is open and direct with Dr. Boyer: he's sure Boyer, because of his missing leg, is not up to the job, and even mocks him as a cripple. Boyer, understandably, is enraged.
Boyer and Potter go in to perform surgery, and it's a long, complex procedure, hitting the three-hour mark. Potter, assisting, advises he step in so Boyer can take a break. But Boyer, having something to prove, keeps working.
Wainwright meets with Alma Cox, and her loyalty to Mike D'Angelo is quickly forgotten when she sees a chance to be Wainwright's executive secretary. Wainwright has no interest in her in that capacity, and assigns her to be Col. Potter's assistant (now that Klinger is gone). Cox is upset, but accepts the demotion.
Back at Potter's house, they, Father Mulcahy, and Soon-Lee are shocked to see Klinger show up, in the outfit of an employee of the gas company. When the doorbell rings, Klinger is sure its the cops and goes to leave.
Father Mulcahy tries to stop him, even threatening to knock Klinger out. But when push comes to shove, he can't do it, and Klinger departs. To be continued!
Fun Facts: Clearly the powers-that-be thought the show needed more of a villain, so the ineffectual and dim-witted Mike D'Angelo was replaced by Wally Wainwright, who's a jerk from the get-go. With Dr. Boyer more of a Hawkeye-esque character, AfterM*A*S*H was settling into a format more reminiscent of M*A*S*H--the noble doctors trying to carry on, even though the brass is trying to control them.
Favorite Line: Potter, defending Dr. Boyer: "I've worked with good doctors, I've worked with bad doctors. Even worked with a witch doctor named Frank Burns."
Season 2, Episode 21: Less Miserables
Original Air Date: 9/23/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine and Dennis Keonig
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
Picking up right where last season's "Up and Down Payments" left off, Potter and Mulcahy are wheeling Soon-Lee into General General, about to deliver her baby.
Klinger is determined to get out of jail, and Father Mulcahy comes back to tell him that the baby hasn't arrived yet. Klinger is sure that the baby's going to be born while he's still in jail, since the judge that could free him won't be back in his office until morning.
A man in a sharp suit arrives, asking a nurse questions about General General. He seems interested to learn that there's a pregnant woman as a patient, and asks to be pointed to the X-Ray room. He follows Dr. Boyer around, quietly taking notes. Without context, it seems like General General is a total madhouse.
Klinger gets so desperate to get out that he changes clothes with a fellow in-mate, a drunkard who likes where he is. When "Klinger" is put before a judge, its the other guy, who pleads guilty.
The man in the suit happens to be in the elevator when Dr. Boyer makes another movie on Alma Cox, partially to distract her from his going against the regular surgery schedule. After they depart, Klinger drops through the roof of the elevator!
Unfortunately, the cops are already in the building, looking for Klinger. Mulcahy sees him, and tells Col. Potter--but right at that moment, Soon-Lee goes into labor, so they send Bob Scanell to delay the police's search.
Klinger finds his way to the supply closet, and he decides to hide in plain sight...dressed as a nurse. The man in the suit sees this, and jots down all of it in his little notebook.
Klinger arrives just in the nick of time, as they're baby--a son--is born. Unfortunately, the celebration ends there because Klinger announces he's officially on the run. Feeling he can't go back to the judge without being thrown in jail for years, he has decided to stay in hiding.
Col. Potter, Father Mulcahy, and Soon-Lee protest, but Klinger is adamant. Before he leaves, he says, "I had it better in Korea."
Col. Potter is then called to Mike D'Angelo's office, where he finds Alma Cox, crying. She can't even say why--all she does is point to D'Angelo's office. Potter enters, and inside is the man in the suit. His name is Burt Philbrick (Max Wright) and he tells Potter that D'Angelo has been transferred to Montana.
Philbrick says the place is a disaster area, but Potter actually tries to defend Mike D'Angelo, saying the whole V.A. system is a disaster, and D'Angelo shouldn't be taking the fall. Nevertheless, Philbrick explains, a new boss will arrive by the end of the week, and get General General in shape.
Fun Facts: This is the first episode of the second season, and a lot of tinkering went on between seasons: the show's original theme song has been changed (from a nice tune reminiscent of "Suicide is Painless" to a bland, almost Muzak-sounding theme), and the vintage, color-tinted photos from the 50s that were run under the credits have been changed to drawings. Before we even see the episode, Jamie Farr is pictured...in a female nurse's outfit. Uh-oh.
David Ackroyd has been added to the credits, and Barbara Townsend (Mildred Potter) has been replaced by Anne Pitoniak. A new character, played by Peter Michael Goetz, has been added, and John Chappell (Mike D'Angelo) is also gone.
The original credit sequence ended with a nice shot of Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy; this one ends with Klinger, again dressed as a nurse. Double uh-oh!
Neither Anne Pitoniak or Peter Michael Goetz's characters appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: Its not a funny line, nor is it meant to be: I loved Jamie Farr's low-key delivery of "I had it better in Korea".
Considering the extensive (and, IMO, entirely detrimental) changes AfterM*A*S*H underwent as of the second season--none of which saved the show, in the end--the line feels a little meta, too: indeed, Jamie Farr and Klinger had it better in Korea.
Season 1, Episode 20: Up & Down Payments
Original Air Date: 3/12/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
Dr. Boyer seems to be adjusting to life at General General quite well: he's friendly with the patients, and they admire him greatly. He also flirts with some of the nurses, who seem to be interested in him right back. He's even able to make a self-deprecating joke about his leg, something Potter and D'Angelo notice from afar.
Meanwhile, the Klingers look for a new, bigger house. When the real estate agent learns that Klinger is also a veteran, he agrees to help get the necessary loan. Klinger is unsure, since the house is beyond what they can afford, but Soon-Lee loves the house so much, and the real estate agent is so bullish, that agrees to take it.
Back at General General, Dr. Boyer's good mood is spoiled when the elevator breaks, and he has to take the stairs. With his wooden leg, climbing the stairs is a slow, painful process, and it takes him a long time to respond to an emergency page. When he finally gets to the ward, he's furious, and barks at the patients who are staring at Boyer, who is drenched in sweat.
Klinger is overjoyed over his new house, and shows his lease to Father Mulcahy. Mulachy wonders how Klinger can afford it, and looks over his lease. He finds a clause in it that says Klinger has to come up with a huge payment (aka a "balloon payment") in just two years, or he loses the house. Feeling like he's been had, Klinger storms off to talk to his real estate agent.
D'Angelo wanders into the ward, picking the exact wrong moment to goof on Boyer's wooden leg. Boyer cuts D'Angelo's tie in two in front of some visiting officials, embarrassing him greatly. Within moments, Boyer is in Potter's office getting chewed out.
Boyer complains about how he feels like an outcast because of his leg. Potter is sympathetic, but has no time for Boyer's angry sad-sack routine. He tells him that if that's going to be Boyer's attitude, he can just get out, now.
Klinger confronts his real estate agent, and after some pressuring, he agrees to tear up the contract. But he insists on sticking the Klingers with the loss of a down payment, which Klinger objects to...physically.
The Potters throw a dinner for the Klingers, Father Mulcahy, and Dr. Boyer. Klinger shows up with bandages on his hand and head, saying he got hurt in a fall (Potter seems dubious).
Just as everyone is about to eat, the doorbell rings--its the police, here to arrest Klinger, for assaulting the real estate agent!
Potter, Mulcahy, and Soon-Lee follows Klinger to the county jail. Just as they slam the cell shut, Soon-Lee goes into labor! Klinger is left behind as the rest of them head for the hospital.
As we see Klinger watch helplessly from inside the jail cell, we see the words: "Continued Next Season."
Fun Facts: This is the final episode of the first season--the cliffhanger being a departure from M*A*S*H, will never did a two-parter that took place over the season break.
Father Mulcahy plants a Victory Garden, a nice callback to his penchant for gardening on M*A*S*H.
Favorite Line: A nurse has some forms she needs Klinger to sign, but since he's off for the morning, Potter volunteers to fill in. He asks what he's supposed to do, and the nurse points to some forms: "Just sign where it says 'Approved, Sherman Potter' and sign it 'Max Klinger.'"
Season 1, Episode 18: Another Saturday Night
Original Air Date: 2/6/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Jamie Farr
Mrs. Potter is going away over night to visit her sister, leaving Col. Potter all alone in the house. At first, he's enjoying being by himself, but that quickly fades and Potter decides to head to a bar that's across the street from General General.
Potter's waitress is Sarah, the former prostitute gone straight (who appeared in episode 5, "Night Shift"). He's thrilled to see Klinger walk in, who has stopped by to get some food for a ravenous Soon-Lee. Potter wants Klinger to stick around, but he's too busy working a second job at a garage.
Mike D'Angelo walks in, and Potter tries to hide, not wanting to run into him. But, nevertheless, D'Angelo spots him, and wants to buy him dinner. Potter protests that he's already had dinner, but D'Angelo says "You can watch me eat!"
Sarah, the ex-prostitute, seems to know D'Angelo, but he nervously denies this. Potter agrees to not ask any questions, despite Sarah's insistence on knowing him as "Mr. Snyder."
After reading a newspaper article that criticizes General General, Potter and D'Angelo have a discussion about how he should be more available to the patients in the ward. D'Angelo agrees, and takes off to head back to work.
Father Mulcahy walks in, and recognizes Sarah. He believes she's a nurse, and wonders why she's waiting tables. A former "john" walks in, offering her money for her usual services. Mulcahy is offended in Sarah's behalf, and demands the man apologize. The man responds by belting Mulcahy in the face.
D'Angelo does what he promised--visits the ward to talk to the patients. He tries his best, but he has no real solutions to the patient's problems, and accidentally harms a patient by trying to make him more comfortable. The man starts to have trouble breathing, but Dr. Boyer catches it in time, pushing D'Angelo out of the ward.
Sarah follows Father Mulcahy to General General to thank him for standing up for her. She tells him the truth--she was a prostitute, but the time they talked in the stuck elevator helped he rethink her life, and that she will always owe him for that. Mulcahy, shocked at first, is pleased to learn he made such a positive difference in Sarah's life.
Just as Potter is about to head home, he runs into Klinger, pushing Soon-Lee around in a wheelchair in a total panic. Soon-Lee says she has a simple stomach ache, but Klinger is sure this means the baby will be born prematurely.
After an examination, it turns out the baby is fine--Soon-Lee has simple Gastritis, caused by her eating large amounts of bizarre food in the middle of the night. After having such a panic attack, Soon-Lee begs Klinger to quit one of his part-time jobs so he can be home more. He agrees to quit his job at the bakery, but Soon-Lee asks him to dump the garage...since she enjoys having a husband who works at a bakery.
Fun Facts: Alma Cox does not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: Potter argues that D'Angelo needs to spend more time on the floor of the hospital, getting to know the men. D'Angelo gives in and agrees, saying, "Sometimes, it takes your own mistakes to make you a better man."
Col. Potter responds, "If that was the case, you'd be Jesus Christ."
Season 1, Episode 16: It Had To Be You
Original Air Date: 1/23/84
Written by: Dennis Koenig, David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Larry Gelbart
Father Mulcahy, Klinger, and Soon-Lee show up at the Potter's house so they can all drive together to Iowa to attend Radar's wedding. But just as they open the door, they see a surprise guest...Radar!
Radar is nervous and disheveled. After he calms down, he explains to his old pals that last night, during his bachelor party, his oldest friend revealed that he slept with Radar's fiancee. Radar got so flustered and furious at the news he just took off, and headed straight for Col. Potter's house. He didn't even tell his fiancee Sandy, who is at the moment headed for the church, thinking the wedding is still on.
Col. Potter calls Radar's mother to reassure her, and word gets to Sandy, who calls Radar there, to his fury. He storms off, only to go as far as the Potters' front porch.
Father Mulcahy goes out to talk to him, and Radar shares with him how tough his life has been since he got back from Korea. His farm collapsed, and even though he got a big pay-off from the government, he felt like a failure. Radar even contemplated re-enlisting.
A few hours later, Col. Potter then tries talking to Radar, telling him to maybe give Sandy another chance. Soon after, Radar's fiancee Sandy (Kathleen Wilhoite) arrives, in her wedding gown. At first they argue, but Radar realizes he does love Sandy, and they decide to get married. Father Mulcahy performs the ceremony, right then and there. In the middle of the ceremony, Sandy tells Radar that nothing happened between her and Radar's buddy.
Father Mulcahy pronounces them husband and wife, but Radar and Sandy embrace in a passionate kiss before he can finish the ceremony.
Fun Facts: There's a whole separate B-plot with Dr. Boyer, as we see him leave his cruddy, lonely apartment head over to a bar. He's lonely, but can't quite bring himself to talk to anyone, even the beautiful blonde nurse that walks in and makes eye contact with him.
Its a good storyline--dealing with the difficult readjustment some veterans had returning home--but feels odd for the show to give this much time to a brand-new character, especially when the show has other characters--Mike D'Angelo and Alma Cox--still to develop. (Although, to be fair, it does tie in with the main plot, briefly)
As of this episode, Jay O. Sanders (Dr. Pfeiffer) is gone from the opening credits, and the show. Clearly the Dr. Boyer character was brought in, and Dr. Pfeiffer was phased out.
I thought that was too bad, since I liked the character of Dr. Pfeiffer--his naive ways contrasted well with old hand Col. Potter. While Dr. Boyer is, on a gut level, a more compelling character, he's a lot more in the Hawkeye mold, which probably wasn't an accident.
Favorite Line: There's a brief discussion about the then-government policy of paying farmers not to grow food, which means after Radar's crops died, the U.S. government issued him a big check: I didn't grow corn, I didn't grow wheat. Next year I'm thinking of expanding and not getting into soybeans."
Season 1, Episode 15: Yours Truly, Max Klinger
Original Air Date: 1/16/84
Written by: David Isaacs & Ken Levine
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
This episode opens in the middle of the night, with Klinger writing a letter to...Radar!
He's telling Radar the the great news, that he and Soon-Lee are going to have a baby. We see Klinger and Soon-Lee discuss what to name the baby (Klinger is sure its going to be a boy), and where to put it since they don't have any spare room in their small house.
To earn extra money, Klinger has taken a second job on the side, selling frozen meat over the phone (it doesn't go well). He tells Radar about what its like to be around Col. Potter, now that he's home, and Mrs. Potter, whom they both only heard about for so long.
Potter is none too pleased to learn that Mike D'Angelo has hired a new surgeon, named Boyer, whose record post-Korea is spotty at best, having been fired from several hospitals. But D'Angelo--having done this as some sort of favor for a crony--is adamant.
Potter finds Dr. Boyer (David Ackroyd) waiting for him in his office, and at first he's sarcastic and surly to Potter. His record shows he was a Battalion Aid surgeon--and he even has a missing leg to show for it. That impresses Potter, and he mentions having run the 4077th. Boyer's response is, "Ah, a M*A*S*H---the suburbs."
That doesn't endear him to Potter much, but he's willing to give Boyer a chance at a fresh start. He tells Boyer to get to work, and Boyer leaves Potter's office without another word.
Klinger tells Radar about his work with the patients, and Father Mulcahy's adjusting to working with the patients at General General (we see him trying to calm down the mixed-religion parents of a wounded boy, who are arguing over which holy man will counsel their son).
In the ward, Dr. Boyer overhears Dr. Pfeiffer trying to convince a patient to submit to an important surgical procedure. The man is scared to go under the knife, and Boyer unceremoniously tells the man that if he doesn't get the procedure, he'll die, period. Dr. Pfeiffer is horrified and angry, but it seems to work: the man agrees to the surgery.
Mike D'Angelo finds Dr. Boyer sitting at his private cafeteria table, reserved for hospital administration. Boyer has no time for D'Angelo, and insults him to his face, refusing to get up. D'Angelo is incensed and storms off.
In surgery the next morning, Dr. Boyer proves to be a whiz, impressing both Col. Potter and Dr. Pfeiffer, who are assisting. Later, D'Angelo finds Potter getting a haircut, telling him that Boyer is fired.
Potter blows his stack, saying Boyer is a top-flight, "instinctive" surgeon, and demands Boyer stay at General General. D'Angelo is unsure, but Potter bullies him into giving in.
Later, Potter runs into Boyer, who is getting a new artificial leg. He says his goodbyes, believing he's been fired. But Potter tells him otherwise, to Boyer's shock. At first, Boyer refuses, but Potter tells him this is his last chance to work at a V.A. Boyer relents, and they head to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee--and sit at Mike D'Angelo's table.
We see Klinger finish letter, and it being read by its recipient--Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff)! We find Radar in the middle of his wedding rehearsal, looking not too confident, especially when he reads that Col. Potter, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy will be coming soon to attend his wedding. To be continued!
Fun Facts: Another episode that makes a direct connection to M*A*S*H--not only does it mention--and feature an appearance by--Radar, but the whole show is in the "Dear..." format that the original series mined so well.
There's a scene in the show where Alma Cox twirls a baton of a sort, and she does it really well, in one unbroken shot. Clearly actress Brandis Kemp really knew how to do this, and they worked it into the show (like Gary Burghoff's drumming!).
While I thought this was a solid episode, it can't help but leave you feeling a bit nervous about the future of the show: only fifteen episodes in, and clearly the network and/or the producers felt the need to make a stronger connection to M*A*S*H by bringing in Radar, as well as add a new character, Dr. Boyer. Not a vote of confidence for the series as it stood.
Favorite Line: Mike D'Angelo keeps trying to get Dr. Boyer to listen to him, but he refuses to look up from his newspaper. After D'Angelo barks at him another time, Boyer exclaims, in a Hawkeye-esque show of defiance: "Son of a gun, Virgina Mayo had a little girl! We've got to get her something, Mike!"
Season 1, Episode 9: Thanksgiving of '53
Original Air Date: 11/21/83
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
The Potters are throwing Thanksgiving dinner, and they've invited the Klingers, Father Mulcahy, and some surprise guests.
The Klingers are first to arrive, and Max gets misty about missing his family in Toledo. He asks Col. Potter if he can call his family, but Col. Potter puts him off and asks him for some help setting the table.
Also invited is the Potter's daughter Evie (Sandy Burnard) and her family, Bob Scanell (Pat Cranshaw), an old war buddy of Col. Potter's, and Dr. Pfeiffer, who is happy for the free meal. Mike D'Angelo also shows up, and sort of invites himself.
There's still no sign of the Potter's surprise guests, and they keep delaying Klinger and his call home. Luckily, a friend of Father Mulcahy's has come along, and he's spending the whole day on the phone talking to his family.
Finally, the surprise guests arrive--Klinger's family from Toledo, invited by the Potters as a gift to Klinger. Klinger nearly weeps with joy when he sees them.
After dinner, everyone sits around the piano and sings, while Dr. Pfeiffer is still eating. Klinger's parents ask Max and Soon-Lee to come back to Toledo and live with them--the first time they've really accepted Soon-Lee--but Klinger wants to stay where he is and build a life.
Fun Facts: We've heard Evie mentioned on M*A*S*H a few times, now we get to see her! The Potter's son (mentioned in Season Five), however, seems to be lost to the mists of time.
Evie's husband--here called Bruce--is played by James Widdoes (most famous as Hoover in Animal House), not Dennis Dugan, who appeared in Season Eleven's "Strange Bedfellows" as the Potters' son-in-law, Bobby.
This episode features another installment of The Young Sherman Potter Chronicles: Bob Scanell talks about a time in the Ardennes Forest he, Col. Potter, and two others "Got trapped in a barn with the Perault Sisters and their goat."
The end credit sequence (pictured) is made up of snapshots from the party, a nice touch.
Alma Cox does not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: Mike D'Angelo gives Father Mulcahy a glimpse of his life back in school: "I was very active in college: Hygiene Officer for the Young Republicans..."
Season 1, Episode 6: Shall We Dance
Original Air Date: 10/31/83
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Will Mackenzie
Mike D'Angelo holds a morning staff meeting, and everyone's concerns are ignored except for his own and Alma Cox's. D'Angelo tells them a troupe of dance instructors are coming to the hospital to put on a dance for the patients (something he was against until the Mayor called and told him what a great idea it was).
Alma Cox's main concern is the banning of the book From Here To Eternity, because of its "suggestive" nature. To prove her point, she begins reading a lurid passage from it, and from there we enter a flashback of Col. Potter's, remembering an experience he had with Mildred in a similar setting to the scene from the book.
The staff argues over Cox's censorship, so D'Angelo hands the book to Father Mulcahy to read and decide whether it should be banned. The meeting ends with not one medical issue discussed.
After the meeting, Dr. Pfeiffer asks Alma Cox's assistant Bonnie out on a date, but she's not interested--she only has eyes for Klinger, who has to keep giving Bonnie the brush-off. Bonnie tells Dr. Pfeiffer about another girl named Margie, who will go out with any doctor.
Pfeiffer and Margie meet for a "date" in an OR, and within a few moments of meeting they're tearing off their clothes. Alma Cox catches them and stops it, deciding to lord it over Pfeiffer in perpetuity.
Father Mulcahy agrees to fill in for another priest at his church, and he happens to be hearing confessions when Alma Cox stops by. She professes her unrequited love for her boss, and even going to see the movie version of From Here To Eternity.
Father Mulcahy comforts her, and tells her her feelings are understandable. He gives her a way to unburden herself, by forgiving someone else their failings. Later that night, during the dance, Cox follows through on Mulcahy's advice, and forgives Dr. Pfeiffer, promising not to rat him out.
Just as she's about to leave, Mike D'Angelo shows up, and offers to dance with her. Alma is overjoyed at this little bit of personal time with her boss, the man she loves.
Fun Facts: One of the biggest problems with the show so far to my mind is the general cartoonishness of the show's two "villains", Mike D'Angelo and Alma Cox. This episode though does a nice job at fleshing Cox out a bit, making her more of an actual person. In many ways, her rigid demeanor is a lot like Hot Lips' was in the first couple seasons of M*A*S*H.
Favorite Line: After Bonnie turns down Dr. Pfeiffer after a second date request, she tells him about a girl named Margie, who is a "pushover" for doctors. Pfeiffer asks for his gift of flowers back, but Bonnie tells him, "You won't need them with Margie."
Pfeiffer is elated: "Finally it pays being a doctor!"
Season 1, Episode 4: Staph Inspection
Original Air Date: 10/17/83
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
Things are happening all at once at General General: an old Cavalry friend of Col. Potter's named Rivers (Charles Tyner) shows up, a staph infection breaks out, and news comes that a staff inspection is taking place in just three days!
Mike D'Angelo puts the word out about the inspection, and puts Alma Cox in charge of getting the hospital in shape. She takes this as an opportunity to threaten Klinger's job once again.
Dr. Pfeiffer examines Rivers, and he believes its cancer. He tells this to Col. Potter, who flatly refuses to believe that the tough old man that he served with back in WWI is dying.
Meanwhile, news of the inspection spreads through the hospital, and rumors begin to fly: at first, layoffs are possible, then certain, then the whole hospital is being closed!
Col. Potter examines Rivers himself, and Pfeiffer is, sadly, right: its cancer. Col. Potter takes it upon himself to deliver the news to Rivers personally, but when the time comes he can't quite bring himself to tell Rivers the truth. Instead, they talk about the old days.
D'Angelo puts pressure on Col. Potter to get to the bottom of the staph infection, but Potter is in no mood, and barks at D'Angelo to get off his back.
Potter is sitting quietly in his office when he's told Rivers is getting worse, and late at night they share a bottle of Cognac, swapping old stories. They stay up all night, drinking and laughing.
The next morning, Klinger tries to confiscate the one last bottle of booze he finds--the one in Col. Potter's hand as he walks down the hall. having just left his friend's room. He tries to take it from Potter, who angrily jerks it out of Klinger's hand. Bemoaning that "life is too short" for everyone to be working so hard just for the inspection, he orders everyone to go home and get some rest.
The morning of the inspection, Dr. Pfeiffer determines who's spreading the staph infection: Mike D'Angelo! All his glad-handing has been the culprit, so he's put in isolation, unable to greet the government inspectors (who are instead met by a patient who runs around the hospital flashing people).
A few days later, from a quarantined room, D'Angelo announces that General General passed the inspection with flying colors. As he drones on and on, each member of the staff stops listening and wanders off, leaving D'Angelo talking to an empty hall.
Fun Facts: The final scene with Potter and Rivers is exceptional: the room is dark, with only one small light over River's bed. As they talk, the camera pans back slowly, and Potter and Rivers get smaller and smaller.
Mrs. Potter does not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: There's a nice sequence, done without any words, where Klinger, upon orders from Alma Cox, has to confiscate all the hooch the various veterans have smuggled in the hospital. He finds hidden bottles all over the place, and one patient even has an old football filled with the stuff!
Season 1, Episode 3: Snap, Crackle, Plop
Original Air Date: 10/10/83
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Nick Havinga
Klinger and Soon-Lee have a talk about possibly getting a car, an extravagance for a couple with their income. But Klinger is so in love with his new wife that he plans to try, and he leaves the house all smiles.
His good mood is quickly dissipated when Alma Cox tells him that he has to take the Civil Service Exam--something Klinger was unaware of--today, at 5pm. If he fails, he loses his job. Klinger tries to protest that he wasn't told about the test and has no time to prepare, but Cox doesn't care.
Klinger turns to Col. Potter for help, who in turn goes to D'Angelo to see if they can give Klinger more time. But D'Angelo is indifferent to Klinger's plight, and, with a schedule packed with meaningless PR functions, is happy to turn the responsibility for the decision to Alma Cox.
When Klinger learns of this, he goes into a panic, and has a tough time dealing with the new reality that Col. Potter no longer has the pull he had back in Korea. Potter is sure Klinger can pass the test, and sends Klinger home to study.
Potter meets up again with D'Angelo, and tells him they desperately need a new autoclave. Once again, D'Angelo is indifferent to Potter's plight, telling him the hospital's budget is bare. But what about this new canopy that's being built? D'Angelo says that's "beautification", which, in his mind, is more important than a medical expense.
Klinger crams for the test, and returns to the hospital to take it, Alma Cox is positively gleeful about Klinger's impending failure, so much so that she's brought in a younger man (her nephew) to take the test as well, so he can fill in for Klinger once he fails.
Meanwhile, Father Mulcahy is dealing with a patient who is constantly in the hospital due to clumsy--but serious--accidents. The patient, named Walt (Michael Huddleston) is starting to grow convinced God is trying to kill him. At first, Mulcahy dismisses this, but soon grows concerned when Walt states he's hearing messages from God.
Mulcahy does some research on the man, and finds he served in Korea. He also learns that Walt was serving on a ship when it was hit, and 80% of his fellow crewmen were killed. After that, Walt started volunteering for dangerous missions, seemingly trying to get killed.
Mulcahy finds Walt sitting alone in a room, staring out the window. Mulcahy tries to convince him that God is trying to kill him, and that he doesn't have to keep risking his life. Walt states that God talks to him, and he's being driven slowly mad.
Mulcahy tries to calm Walt down, but instead he decides he's going to ask God directly what He wants--he climbs onto a table, opens the window, and jumps!
At that same moment, D'Angelo is throwing a big party to celebrate the new canopy. As he's droning on, giving a speech about how humble he is, Walt plummets from through the air...crashing into the new canopy!
Everyone rushes to Walt's aide, and even though he has a few broken bones...he's alive. Father Mulcahy rushes down and tries to convince Walt that this was God's way of telling him He wants Walt to live. Walt, finally, seems convinced. D'Angelo is at first upset his new canopy is smashed, but when Col. Potter points out that the press will eat up the story, D'Angelo changes his tune.
Meanwhile, back inside, Klinger finishes the test. Alma Cox totals up the scores, and her nephew beats Klinger's score by four points. Klinger is dejected, until Cox sees that part of the rules of the Civil Service Exam is that anyone taking it who is a veteran gets a bonus five points, putting Klinger ahead and letting him keep his job.
Cox and her nephew are furious, and Klinger is delirious: "I can't believe it! The Army saved my bacon!"
After Cox throws out her nephew (who is happy to go back to being a rodeo clown), Klinger tries to make peace with her. But Cox is having none of it, convinced that, one day, she'll dance at his termination. But there's a slight humorous tone in both their barbs, as if Cox just might be lightening up.
Later, Klinger and Soon-Lee inspect a used car for sale, and makes plans to buy it...after Klinger passes the next Civil Service Exam level, the G4. Soon-Lee offers, "Cars should be much cheaper by then!"
Fun Facts: Another decent show, with the Mulcahy plotline being rather chilling, and something that would've worked well on M*A*S*H.
There's a cute bit of business with the used car: Klinger inspects it in the usual manner: kicking the tires, pressing up and down on the bumper. Soon-Lee, clearly not knowing what he husband is doing, simply mimics his actions, trying to figure out what they're supposed to learn from this.
Mrs. Potter and Dr. Pfeiffer do not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: The barber asks D'Angelo for the 75 cents that the haircut costs. D'Angel hands him some money and says, "Here's three quarters...keep the change."
After he departs, Col. Potter asks, "I thought haircuts were fifty cents." The barber replies, "They are."
Season 1, Episode 2: Klinger Vs. Klinger
Original Air Date: 10/3/83
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Will Mackenzie
A patient named Smith (Norbert Weisser) arrives, claiming to be a veteran, but he has no identification with him. The idealistic Dr. Pfeiffer wants to admit him, but D'Angelo flatly refuses since no one can prove he's a veteran.
Once Col. Potter gets wind of this, he takes responsibility and has the man admitted, much to Pfeiffer's relief and D'Angelo's worry.
Meanwhile, Soon-Lee has a talk with Klinger, trying to convince him that they should bring her mother over from Korea to live with them. Klinger agrees, but we quickly see this was a plot of Soon-Lee's to get her entire family to come to America. Klinger is sympathetic, but he reminds his wife that with their tiny home and modest income, there's just no way they can afford it.
Soon-Lee decides to help out financially by getting a job, something Klinger finds difficult to accept. They argue about it, and Soon-Lee eventually gives in, but Klinger can see she's hurt. He changes his mind completely when she visits the hospital, and a patient, not knowing she's Klinger's wife, makes a crack and calls her a "gook."
Klinger gets enraged and defends his wife, and is aghast that, after all the hardships she's suffered, she is treated that way in America. Soon-Lee gets upset and leaves, but not before she sees her husband stick up for her.
Later, in Post Op, Col. Potter and Dr. Pfeiffer talk to their patient, and he mentions what platoon he was in--a German one. Col. Potter and Pfeiffer realize instantly they've worked on an ex-Nazi!
Before they have a chance to explain, their boss D'Angelo bursts in, wanting to have his picture taken with this wounded war veteran. Potter decides not to say anything, realizing that picture--which makes the front page of the newspaper--will keep them both out of trouble.
Later, Soon-Lee writes a postcard to her mother, promising she and Max will try and bring them to America as soon as possible, mentioning what a kind, sweet, and caring man her husband is.
Fun Facts: Another decent show, with the comedic plot--the hospital accidentally bestows all kind of attention on a Nazi--straight out of M*A*S*H. The episode doesn't quite pay it off as well, but its still a fine, funny idea.
Mrs. Potter does not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: Klinger's scene with the young bigoted soldier is just great. In the midst of defending his wife, he barks: "You don't know what she's been through, and she has to come here and listen to your crapola!"
Season 8, Episode 174: Good-Bye Radar, Part 2
Original Air Date: 10/15/79
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Charles S. Dubin
Radar begins packing to leave for the 4077th for home. Everyone is reacting differently (Winchester, for instance, barely cares), and Klinger is in a panic over becoming company clerk. Radar insists that he can't help Klinger--he has to learn it on his own, like he did.
But when the lack of electricity really starts wearing everyone down, Radar changes his mind and steps in, helping Klinger find a generator. It still doesn't go well, and things get even worse when they hear the sound of incoming choppers.
With no time to get a new generator, Radar gets a brainstorm: he lines up the compound with jeeps and ambulances, using their headlights to give the doctors enough light to work by. Potter, impressed, calls Radar a genuine hero.
Later that night, after ten hours of surgery, Potter and Radar talk in Potter's office. Potter once again commends Radar for his ingenuity, and Radar drops a bombshell: he's decided to stay at the 4077th.
Potter is stunned, and demands Radar reconsider. Radar gently remarks that Potter can't order him to stay, and as long as the 4077th is in such trouble, he's needed more in Korea.
The next morning, Hawkeye, having heard the news, angrily confronts Radar, demanding that he go home. Radar refuses, telling Hawkeye that no one can tell him how to run his life.
Klinger, depressed at the news, is in the office when a call comes in about a generator, meant for Radar. He takes the call, and hops in a jeep to I-Corps to trade for a generator. The deal almost collapses when a blustery major arrives for the same generator, but Klinger bamboozles his way into getting it for himself.
He drives back to the 4077th with it, and everyone is thrilled. Radar in particular is impressed, and that gets him to change his mind about going home.
The next day, everyone is about to kick off Radar's going away party, but it is interrupted by incoming wounded. This leaves everyone just a few moments to say goodbye--Potter is teary-eyed, Winchester condescending, Margaret cheery but impersonal.
Klinger insists he'll make Radar proud, Father Mulcahy blesses him, and B.J. seems more concerned with what Radar will say about him to Peg and Erin Hunnicutt, who will meet Radar when he arrives in San Francisco. Everyone then runs inside, leaving Radar without the chance to say goodbye to Hawkeye.
Radar takes one last lap around the camp, to the Mess Tent, visiting his animals (promising that everyone in camp will be looking after them).
He wanders into the hospital, where, through the door, he makes eye contact with Hawkeye. Hawkeye pauses for a moment, then gives him a classic Army salute. Radar returns it, when he hears his jeep arrive. He gives Hawkeye one last look, and then walks out.
He loads his stuff into the jeep, and says, only partly to his driver, "I'm ready...let's go." The jeep drives off.
Later that night, Hawkeye, B.J., and Potter go to the Swamp for drinks, wondering just where Radar is at the moment. Inside, on Hawkeye's bunk, is Radar's teddy bear.
Hawkeye picks it up, looks at it, and says, "Good-bye, Radar."
Fun Facts: There's a nice moment when Radar re-finds the thermometer that Henry Blake gave him in season three's "Abyssinia, Henry." He shows it to Klinger, describing it: "Col. Blake gave it to me just before he..." and then his voice trails off, not finishing the sentence.
This episode features the last cast change for the show.
This, of course, was not the last time TV viewers saw Gary Burghoff as Radar. He would make an appearance on After M*A*S*H, and even got a pilot for his own series, W*A*L*T*E*R. The pilot episode was only aired once--and even then, not in all of the country--and was never seen again.
Favorite Line: Klinger desperately asks Radar for help in taking over as clerk. Radar says he has to learn it all on his own, since no one helped him when he got the job.
Klinger argues that Radar is a "born clerk", while he's a "born civilian." He lists all the ways he's not suited for the job, adding that he easily loses things: "When I was a kid, my mother pinned my bike to my sleeve!"
Season 8, Episode 173: Good-Bye Radar, Part 1
Original Air Date: 10/8/79
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Charles S. Dubin
During a session O.R., the generator goes out, leaving all of them trying to operate in darkness.
Klinger finds Zale, who's in charge of the generators, and asks him to crank up the back-up generator. The only problem with that is--the back-up generator's been stolen!
Zale tries to fix the main generator, but after a few seconds of it chugging along sparks and smoke begin to fly from it, and it breaks down again.
Meanwhile, Radar is stuck at an airport, trying to get back from R&R to the 4077th. But his spot on a plane is taken by a general who travels with a life-size cut-out of himself ("It's his Christmas present to his troops", the clerk unhelpfully adds), stranding Radar in the airport's lobby, with nowhere to go.
Radar is angry at being stuck, but things start to look up when he meets a young, pretty nurse named Patty (Marilyn Jones) who is also waiting for a flight, except hers is bound for home. Turns out she's from Missouri, in a town just a short drive away from Radar's beloved Otumwa. They start to talk.
Back at the 4077th, the lack of electricity really starts to affect the camp, and the doctors have to find old-school workarounds to deal with the wounded. Klinger has assumed all of Radar's clerical duties, but he's hopelessly in over his head.
With the food about to go bad, Potter has everyone double up on their portions. He even invites all the local villagers to share, and they hungrily gobble up all the food they can get their hands on.
Eventually, Radar gets a flight back to the 4077th, although now he doesn't want one--he spent all night talking to Patty, and they've hit it off. She even likes Grape Nehi!
He tries to get out of the flight, but the airport clerk is having none of it. He orders Radar aboard, and, grumbling, he goes. But not before promising to see Patty when he gets home. He even gently kisses her goodbye.
He arrives back at the 4077th like a hero, since everyone assumes he can find them a new generator. Radar is cranky, clearly still angry about being separated from Patty. To make matters worse, everyone is so eager for him to find them a generator that he has to go right to work, not even taking a moment to relax after his long trip.
Things get even worse when Radar sees what Klinger has done to his office--i.e., destroyed it. Papers are everywhere, and the office is in total chaos.
Radar, furious, orders Klinger out, refusing to let him watch how someone trades for a generator. He calls his old friend Sparky but...there's no generators to be found, anywhere. Radar wanders into the Officers Club, now even more despondent. He admits to Klinger he's failed, leaving no one quite sure what to do.
Meanwhile, Col. Potter visits the Swamp, looking for Radar, with some bad news: Radar's Uncle Ed has died.
Hours later, Hawkeye, B.J., Potter, and Father Mulcahy wait outside Potter's office. Radar emerges, just having talked to his mother on the phone. They talk about what's happened, and how tough things are going to be on the O'Reilly farm now that Radar's Uncle Ed has died.
Potter agrees, and tells Radar that its time for him to return home. He tells Radar to get out a Hardship Discharge form, and put his name on it. Everyone congratulates Radar, but he's so stunned he doesn't know how to respond.
Hawkeye says he's very happy for Radar, and he responds, "Yeah, I'm happy for me, too...I guess."
To be continued!
Fun Facts: Part one of a two-part episode. This was originally supposed to be the first two episodes of the season, but were pushed back.
This episode features the last appearance of Johnny Haymer as Sgt. Zale.
Hawkeye hurts his finger during surgery, so badly he has to wear a small cast on it. Since this has no relation to the main plot, I'm assuming that Alda hurt his finger in real life, so they had to find a justification for the bandage and work the injury into the show.
Favorite Line: Potter has to use up all the food since without electricity its going to spoil. He has everyone load up their tray, and Margaret asks how she's expected to eat all this food.
Potter says: "C'mon, Margaret, I can always count on you to pack it away."
Margaret, enraged: "What?!?"
Potter, trying to recover: "Yet you still maintain that girlish figure."
Margaret, barely mollified: "That's better."
Not only is that sequence funny, but look at Potter's face after Margaret walks away--its priceless.
Even better--watch Winchester's body language after Potter makes his careless remark. Even though you can't see his face (the camera is behind him), you can see he's smiling broadly, enjoying watching Potter get himself out of this jam.
Season 7, Episode 168: Ain't Love Grand?
Original Air Date: 3/5/79
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Mike Farrell
After a month straight of nothing but OR to Mess Tent to The Swamp, Hawkeye, B.J., and Winchester are sick to death of each other. Hawkeye suggests getting a drink at Rosie's, and Winchester agrees--but only if Hawkeye and B.J. stay behind.
At Rosie's, Winchester ends up talking to a pretty girl named Sooni (Sylvia Chang), and even though she's blunt and coarse, Winchester ends up taking a shine to her.
Klinger also meets someone, a Lieutenant Debbie Clark (Kit McDonough), who is completely charmed by Klinger's outsize and unique personality.
Winchester ends up falling for Sooni, mostly because he thinks he can educate, in a sort of Eliza Doolittle manner. He buys her a nice dress (part of the Klinger Collection), teaches her table manners, and tries to get her interested in classical music.
But, despite Winchester's best efforts, Sooni isn't interested in his efforts. She's a working girl, and doesn't see herself as anything more than that, and constantly rebuffs Winchester's attempts to make her into something else.
Meanwhile, Klinger and Debbi are having a good time together, until Klinger reveals that he has fallen for her, hard, and he's been thinking that they'd be together after the war: a house with a white picket fence, kids...the works.
This unnerves Debbie, who was really only interested in whatever good times they can both squeeze out in this miserable place. Klinger is hurt, thinking what they had was much more than that. He reveals himself as a huge romantic, and if its just a "good time" Debbie wants...then he's not really interested.
After another day, Sooni has finally had enough of Winchester and his interests. After hearing one too many poems, she bails on him, saying she's "just a working girl" and leaves him there in Rosie's, devastated and embarrassed.
Later, Hawkeye and B.J. have a drink at Rosie's with Winchester to try and cheer him up. Klinger is there, drunk, singing torch songs. Winchester gets up and joins him.
Fun Facts: The first episode of the series directed by Mike Farrell.
Radar does not appear in this episode.
Favorite Line: Hawkeye and B.J., without Winchester around, are sick of each other. When Hawkeye mentions that Winchester didn't come home last night, B.J. tersely comments: "At least one of us with someone interesting last night."
Hawkeye, in mock outrage: "...Well!"
Season 7, Episode 167: A Night At Rosie's
Original Air Date: 2/26/79
Written by: Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by: Burt Metcalfe
Hawkeye, enraged at the lousy breakfast the Mess Tent was serving, wanders into Rosie's Bar. Rosie (Eileen Saki) insists she's closed, but Hawkeye begs. Rosie relents, but all Hawkeye asks for is a beer and bowl, into which he mixes the beer and a package of Rice Krispies.
Moments later, a solider right off the line named Scully (Joshua Bryant) sits down, demanding a drink and a cigar. Rosie decides she might as well open for business, and Scully tells Hawkeye that he just came off the line, tired of the war.
Soon after, B.J. walks in, looking for Hawkeye. Potter wonders where Hawkeye went and wants him back in camp, but Hawkeye and Scully quickly talk B.J. into having a drink.
Cut to: the three of them, tipsy, loudly singing songs and declaring that Rosie's is its own country ("Rosieland"), and as long as they're here, the war outside doesn't exist.
Eventually, it seems like the whole camp is hanging out at Rosie's--Klinger comes to gamble, Father Mulcahy comes to corral B.J. and Hawkeye, but quickly gives up and has a drink, Margaret comes looking for her nurses but after a couple of compliments finds herself dancing with Scully.
Winchester arrives, demanding Hawkeye return to take over his O.D. duties, and gets Hawkeye so mad he stuffs a gag in Winchester's mouth and ties him to a chair.
Radar also comes by, but gets distracted by an unconscious major, who has been sleeping for days on end and doesn't seem to be assigned to any Army outfit in all of Korea.
Night falls, and Col. Potter finally gets so fed up he follows the rest of his camp to Rosie's. He has a talk with Hawkeye and B.J. outside and is furious with them, reminding them that he deserves more respect than this. He ultimately decides to let the party continue, and Hawkeye thanks him, saying "We'll remember this." Potter grimly replies, "Tomorrow, I doubt you'll remember anything" and walks off.
During the craps game, Father Mulcahy notices that the ringleaders are cheating, leading to a huge fight breaking out. MPs arrive, looking for Scully, who is technically AWOL.
When Margaret learns this, she's less than pleased, and demands he return to his unit. During the chaos of the fight, she helps Scully sneak out. Before he leaves, though, he kisses Margaret and promises to come back and see her again sometime.
The next morning, Rosie's is trashed, and Hawkeye and B.J. are hung over. Just before they leave, they hear the confused wailing of the previously unconscious major. Turns out he was stationed in Honolulu, and he was drinking with some buddies and joked about the war. When he passed out, those friends stuck him on a troop ship, and, two weeks later, here he is in Korea.
Hawkeye and B.J., amazed that anyone would feel the need to get drunk while being in Hawaii, offer to take the major on a tour of the 4077th, to get an idea of what he's been missing.
Fun Facts: Another format-busting episode: like Season Four's "The Bus", there are no scenes at the 4077th.
This is the introduction of Scully, who would come back a couple of times in the next few seasons.
Favorite Line: Hawkeye, B.J, and Smitty are singing loud, drunken songs. After finishing one song, they decide to sing an Andrew Sisters tune, and Hawkeye assigns each of them an identity. Hawkeye wants to be Maxine, and demands B.J. be Laverne. B.J. protests, asking, "Why can't you be Laverne once?"
Hawkeye, with mock outrage: "Because I've had it with making sacrifices!"
