M*A*S*HCast #87 – The Price of Tomato Juice

4 responses to “M*A*S*HCast #87 – The Price of Tomato Juice”

1. I found your discussion of Frank’s attitude towards regulations and military authority interesting. I’ve known people who came across as real sticklers for rules and regulations. When, in reality, they only cared about them, when those rules let them bully and intimidate others. I think Frank falls squarely into this category. His “respect” for regulations and authority is completely utilitarian and self-serving.

   To be clear, I’ve also known people who are sticklers for rules, because they genuinely value the rule of law.

   Thanks for another amazing episode.

   Reply

2. Mulcahy getting turned on thinking about the nurses taking showers always cracks me up.

   It seems like ordering tomato juice would be the job of the mess sergeant.

   I had only seen the episode ending with Potter saying he couldn’t drink tomato juice. Thanks for including the bit at the end. Hearing about how Klinger’s “date” with Barker turned out was interesting.

   Pimping out Margaret for one of Hawkeye’s schemes was more of an early season thing. I also think it was kind of mean to play with her emotions by setting her up with Barker and telling her Frank proposed.

   I guess he wanted to surprise him, but why didn’t Radar just go to Potter about getting tomato juice on the regular order? He could override Frank’s veto. (I know it is a TV show, I just like being pedantic).

   BJ was married and more philosophical than Hawkeye so the analysis of Frank and Margaret was better coming from him. I think it could have worked from Trapper as well.

   Reply

3. This episode felt like reverberations from prior seasons but with that look towards the future. As you say, nothing showed us that Potter wasn’t Henry like him actually paying attention to what he was signing.

   I don’t know how a doctor could forget he is allergic to something. You get asked about allergies at every physical and every medical interaction. Surely he would be asked that every time he got his annual. But I digress.

   Anyways, I do like that actually all the favors and requests actually go through for once and it is the denouement that is the unraveling. That made this sort of tried-and-true plot feel fresh.

   Reply

4. Another great one. Glad to have the el-tee back on the show.

   “Hardly dull at all.” This was my favorite line. I know a plethora of interesting Christians, but I also know the people of whom Father Mulcahy speaks.

   Hot water in a camp like the 4077th is probably available — or intended to be — but never a given. Power lines are never buried deep in a mobile camp, and conditions are not ideal for semi-delicate instruments like generators and water heaters. In the event of fuel delivery delays, the wounded in the OR and post-op would get priority for power (“Those lucky stiffs,” says Frank.

   I was at a much more established camp on the Arabian peninsula in the spring and summer of 2003 and again in the summer of 2004. I would blame my travel agent, but that was back when I was still volunteering for those little jaunts. What can I say? I was young, or at least young at heart.

   Anyway, we had pretty reliable hot water in giant, white plastic tanks next to the shower trailers. You could tell the hot water tank from the cold water tank, ’cause it had insulation wrapped around it. In the (125 degree) heat of summer, you had to shower with the water on full blast hot, because it was only near scalding, and the water in the uninsulated, above-ground “cold” water tank was even hotter. Among other things, war can be a terrible bother.

   Reply