45. Crisis

February 9, 1974 (K-421)

Written by: Larry Gelbart and Laurence Marks
Directed by: Don Weis
Semi-regulars: Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, Jeff Maxwell (uncredited, but he's usually playing Igor).

Plot: The supply line to the camp has been cut. Hot Lips and Henry put the camp on red alert, meaning each of the senior staff has to manage and conserve a resource. Burns will be in charge of food; Trapper of heat and electrical power; Hawkeye, maintenance and general service and supplies; Hot Lips will look after the nurses; Radar is housing manager (in case they need to double- or triple-up to conserve heat and power); Father Mulcahy will be in charge of morale. People's portfolios soon start to clash and grate on each other. Casualties continue to come, though the people feel the pinch tighter and tighter. Henry loses most of his desk to the fires! Just when it looks like all is lost, the Army comes through with all the supplies they need. Hooray!

Glitches: Radar must really be off-form today. Henry has to wait around for the senior staff and Father Mulcahy to turn up. Shouldn't they just arrive as he was thinking, Maybe I should hold a meeting? (OK. Not that much of a nit. Even Colonel Blake must be able to run a schedule sometimes.)
Trapper says that he's cutting down on the use of all electricity except the hospital. Then what's lighting the tent in the next scene? That's definitely not firelight. (It's definitely not coming from the fire either.)
Would Burns really not need a blanket at all just because he's got warm socks?
When everyone's struggling with Burns's socks in Henry's tent, the shot changes and Henry's stance changes with it.
Henry says they burnt everything in his office. OK, so he lost his desk and chair and a lot of furniture and stuff. But the skeleton and the box he's sitting on are left behind. That makes sense, they're bone and metal, they wouldn't burn. But neither would the metal filing cabinet, usually in the front corner, but now missing.

Great Lines: Henry: 'Radar will decide who sleeps with who.' Trapper: 'Radar - I'd like to see you right after the meeting.'
Hawkeye tells his imaginary son what he did in the war: 'I was latrine officer, son. My outfit never made a move without me.'
Burns: 'A captain can't give a major an order!' Hawkeye: 'Then it's a threat.' Burns (relenting): 'Oh, that's different.'
Burns: 'This was a great war til you guys showed up.'

The Klinger Collection: Rich brown mink (coat and hat) with a bright vermilion scarf while he's playing bingo. His winter sleepwear includes a sky-blue quilted nightgown, and his hair's in curlers. Come to think of it, Klinger puts his hair in curlers a lot. He doesn't have curly hair, though, does he?

Notes: Burns was in the war (and probably at the 4077th) before Trapper and Hawkeye.

Comments: While I couldn't see any clever way for our heroes to save the day here, the ending still wasn't entirely satisfactory. The episode kind of went 'things get bad...then more bad...then worse...then very worse...OK they're better now'. As with many M*A*S*H episodes from these early seasons, of course, it was picked up by many funny bursts. Hawkeye's 'ten-hut', triggering everyone's latent military discipline, is great, especially once everyone realises what they did. Also funny Mulcahy calling bingo and making all the letters stand for Biblical things (I did that once, but I used rude words). Oh, and really glad Hawkeye gave up on that new laugh dead quick.

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