Line #38 Recap/MashS2E9DearDadThree


1	Hawkeye Pierce writes a [[RuleOfThree third letter to his father]], updating him on the more recent comings and goings happening around the 4077. Such incidents include teaching a racist patient a lesson he will never forget, a viewing of home movies that Henry Blake's family has sent him, a staff meeting, friction between Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan, a few sessions of OR and the fun times at happy hour, all in a mixed-up order.
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3	----
4	!!Dear Dad, these tropes also happened...
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6	* AggressiveCategorism: A wounded Condon refuses to have an infusion of blood from a non-white person due to his racial tendencies. Hawkeye and Trapper decide to teach him a lesson using a combination of ColorMeBlack and a tragic (not-so) real-life story involving this version of the trope.
7	* AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Henry has one too many drinks at Happy Hour.
8	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The story Hawkeye and Trapper tell about the death from car accident of Dr. Charles Drew, the black doctor who invented the separation of blood plasma and developed the modern methods of blood collection and storage. The popular story is that the hospital refused to treat him because of his race; in actuality, it was because the first hospital they tried wasn't a trauma center set up for such a thing (this predated modern systems of designated emergency trauma centers and paramedic services), and ultimately, his injuries would have been beyond treatment.
9	* BerserkButton: Frank, Frank, Frank. If you want your relationship with Margaret to continue unhindered, stop reminding her about your wife!
10	--> '''Frank''': Margaret, if I wanted this kind of aggravation, all I have to do is open one of my wife's letters.
11	--> '''Margaret''': I am sick to death of being reminded that you're a married man!
12	--> '''Frank''': Well how do you think I feel? [[BlatantLies It's not my fault I'm married. She trapped me.]]
13	--> '''Margaret''': Ha! I'll bet!
14	--> '''Frank''': She did. She did so! She said she liked me.
15	--> '''Margaret''': And that trapped you?
16	* BombDisposal: As Hawkeye explains in his letter, sometimes the 4077 gets wounded soldiers who have had [[BodyHorror grenades shot into their bodies]]. [[OhCrap And some of them don't explode on impact]].
17	* BookEnds: Early on in the episode and at the end, there is a session of Happy Hour.
18	* CardGames: Frank and Trapper are playing Gin Rummy at the start of the episode.
19	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Frank misunderstands what Margaret is getting at when she's talking about how much he seems to value her.
20	--> '''Margaret''': Frank, be honest. Do you really think of me as a bag of desirable bones?
21	--> '''Frank''': Of course, Margaret.
22	--> '''Margaret''': I have a mind, Frank. A mind and a brain.
23	--> '''Frank''': Oh, of course you do. Let me kiss your brain.
24	* DeadpanSnarker: Hawkeye describes the OR in this manner.
25	--> '''Hawkeye''': Even though we don't get along personally, we do have a professional animosity. The OR continues to be a funny place, if you can learn to laugh as you throw up. It's like smorgasbord in a slaughterhouse. Everything looks so bad.
26	** He does a very similar thing later in the mess tent.
27	---> '''Hawkeye''': Coming to you from the mess tent now. Not a bad place to eat if you like cold dishes like steak, lamb chops, stew, soup, coffee.
28	** Hawkeye has a low opinion of the staff meetings the officers have to hold every month.
29	---> '''Hawkeye''': At the London Zoo, every day at four o'clock, they have the chimps' tea party. The MASH equivalent is our monthly staff meeting. The Pentagon says it's necessary, but our meetings could prolong the war by years.
30	* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Frank's is revealed to be Marion.
31	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: Radar shows Henry an X-ray of a patient waiting in the scrub room to alert him to something serious. Henry assumes that it is because the soldier has a grenade in one of his pants pockets. Then Radar tells him what the X-ray isn't showing.
32	--> '''Radar''': He's not wearing any pants, sir.
33	--> '''Henry''': Holy cow! Collins, take over. Jones, you assist him.
34	* HappierHomeMovie: [=McLean=] Stevenson shows his acting chops with Henry Blake watching a home movie his wife has sent him of one of their kids' birthday party.
35	* MoodWhiplash: Watching his wife's home movie is bittersweet for Henry, with the "Miss You" part making Hawkeye want to cry. Then the movie cuts to some goofy clips of Henry, which leave the others laughing uproariously and even Henry himself smirking.
36	* NarratingThePresent
37	* OhCrap: Hawkeye has one at the episode's conclusion when he thinks Condon has entered the Swamp with the intent of shooting him with his rifle.
38	* ReassignedToAntarctica: We learn that Henry Blake ended up in Korea thanks to this.
39	-->'''Henry (inebriated):''' This guy's a one-star general. Patient's in pain. Guess what his orders were: "Give him a coffee enema."
40	-->'''Mulcahy:''' Oh, my word.
41	-->'''Henry (sloshed):'''Then I had to open my big mouth and say, "With cream and sugar?"...I was on a plane for Korea in 12 hours.
42	* ScheduleSlip: In-universe. The "monthly" meetings meant to be attended by the senior staff had a six month gap between them.
43	* ShipTease: Trapper and Ginger
44	* ShoutOut: Hawkeye beats off a rendition of [[Creator/RudyardKipling Rudyard Kipling's]] famous poem, Gunga Din while he is operating.
45	--> '''Frank''': [[LampshadeHanging Are we going to have poetry in surgery now?]]
46	** Trapper imitates the pop-cultural stereotype servant Igor is believed to be.
47	* SlapSlapKiss: Frank and Margaret, in the middle of an impending breakup, slap each other in turn. This instantly changes their minds.
48	* SoreLoser: Frank Burns, although Trapper did admit that he cheated.
49	* StealthInsult: Following on the above story of how Henry got assigned to Korea, Father Mulcahy remarks "Well, the enema's loss was our gain, Colonel."
50	* TruthInTelevision: Condon's racist request was actually quite common during the Korean War
51	* VitriolicBestBuds: Frank and Trapper are this at the best of times, and I mean best.
52	--> '''Frank''': Just don't talk to me for the rest of the war!
53	--> '''Trapper''': How about the next war?
54	--> '''Frank''': That'll be okey-doke with me, fella.
55	--> '''Trapper''': Fine. We don't talk for this war ''and'' World War Three. Moron.
56	* VoiceoverLetter: Hawkeye narrates yet another letter home to his father.

Context Recap / MashS2E9DearDadThree