92. The Novocaine Mutiny

January 27, 1976 (G-523)

Written by: Burt Prelutsky
Directed by: Harry Morgan
Guest Stars: Ned Wilson as Colonel Carmichael.
Semi-regulars: Patricia Stevens as the nurse who decks Burns. Johnny Haymer as Sergeant Zale. William Christopher as Father Mulcahy.

Plot: Hawkeye is on charges of mutiny for attacking Burns when he was commanding officer, and we see his trial. During the trial, Burns gives a very interesting version of events in OR, including BJ whingeing about the hours, Hawkeye being mediocre, and Frank having to give a dead soldier last rites instead of an exhausted Father Mulcahy. The 'mutiny', as Burns saw it, involved Hawkeye taking over command by sedating Burns (hence the episode title). In reality, the way Burns was knocked out was when a nurse accidentally hit him in the head with the door. After all the evidence is presented, the charges are defeated.

AWOL: No sign of Hot Lips once more.

Great Lines: Hawkeye: 'Not only my life, Frank wants my virginity!' BJ: 'We all do.' Hawkeye: 'If only I'd known...'
Hawkeye: 'The Major's version of events was, to say the least, fascinating. It was, to say the most, perjury.'

The Klinger Collection: A pink print dress with a white fur coat for delivering mail. Later, his fatigues with a white feather boa.

Continuity is for Wimps: There seem to be a lot of fresh(ish) carcasses in the freezer, which is apparently odd in a MASH.
According to his fantasy, Burns is blood type B. In Episode 11. Germ Warfare, he is AB-. Maybe his fantasy was so skewed he got his own blood type wrong. Who knows? It's Burns.

Notes: Sometime after Oct 11, 1952. Burns may or may not be blood type B.

Comments: This is a pretty nothing episode, of that tired genre 'someone wants to split up the 4077th but fails', which was OK in season 1 but is a bit old now. Burns's interesting version of how things went in OR makes up for it. Something I'd have been interested in seeing is how well Hawkeye's version of events in the OR tied in with reality - all we see is how off-track Burns was.

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