B.J. writes home to Peggy about life at the 4077th. Among the highlights are a visit from a senior chaplain, Frank Burns trying to teach Koreans English to help with the patients, and Hawkeye trying to break a world record for stuffing people in a Jeep. Meanwhile, Klinger makes two attempts to desert, once by disguising himself as a Korean woman and once by trying to sail home in a life raft.
Attention, attention. B.J. wrote home to Peg about the following tropes.
- Accidental Misnaming: Hollister addresses Margaret upon their first meeting as Major Hooligan.
- Actually Pretty Funny: After Frank calls him a twerp, Hawkeye reveals that he has been training the Korean wards on how to insult the major. Everyone breaks out into laughing fits as Frank storms off with Margaret behind him, and even Father Mulcahy can't help but smile.
- Asian Speekee Engrish: The Koreans recruited by Col. Potter to work in the wards, shown repeating English phrases being taught to them by Frank.
- Badass Preacher: Colonel Maurice Hollister certainly sees himself this way, but verges on Church Militant.
- Bait-and-Switch: An MP brings a Korean woman into Colonel Potter's office after catching her trying to steal A jeep. The guard is dismissed, and Radar leaves not long after. Potter approaches the woman and addresses "her".Potter: Alright. What's the big idea, Klinger?Klinger: [looks up] How did you know it was me?Potter: Korean women are not know for hairy knuckles.
- Big Damn Heroes: After Frank flippantly gives up on saving Davis after the pulse is lost, B.J. is so enraged that he jumps in and takes over. His passionate efforts literally bring Davis back from the brink, much to Frank's surprise and ire.
- Brick Joke: Mulcahy's comment about Hawkeye "sharing a spicy salami" with a nurse initially sounds like an Unusual Euphemism. But then Margaret takes offense to Hawkeye's breath in a scene in the OR.note
- Clown Car: After reading about students stuffing themselves into a Volkswagen, Hawkeye tries to break their record by fitting 16 people into a Jeep.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: B.J. continues his trend of quoting figures in history, introduced in his first episode.B.J.: (in voiceover) I remember reading Justice Holmes. He said "War is an organized bore."
- Improbably Predictable: Frank, who Hawkeye had trained the Korean recruits to make fun of on command.Father Mulcahy: Is he gonna make it?Hawkeye: Probably. It depends. We could get bombed, there could be an earthquake or Frank could operate on him again.Frank: Twerp!Hawkeye: (points to the Koreans)Koreans: You tell 'em, ferret face!
- Insane Troll Logic: Col. Hollister is convinced that by writing home to a critically wounded soldier's parents with good news, Father Mulcahy will guarantee that he pulls through.
- Large Ham: Hollister during his lecture to Mulcahy about getting the 4077th in the palm of his hand. Father Mulcahy is suitably impressed.
- Lost in Translation: B.J. tells Peg about everyone getting worked up over Klinger having a fresh egg for breakfast instead of the usual powdered, then notes that it may lose something in the retelling.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Davis, the patient mentioned above in Insane Troll Logic takes a turn for the worse, Father Mulcahy laments ever sending the letter that Hollister told him to write.
- Noodle Incident: In The Tag, the MPs lead Klinger past Hawkeye and B.J., in camo and with branches strapped to him. When commented on, he states he would have gotten away with it "if not for that dog".
- No Yay: Applied In-Universe when Klinger describes a dream he had to B.J. and he asks the doctor what it could mean. B.J., already knowing from the start what the majority of it meant, tells him that he wants to go home. For a moment, Klinger is elated, until B.J. adds on he wants to go home with Major Houlihan. Klinger is disgusted.
- Not So Above It All: Though she protests at first, eventually Margaret joins the group crowding into a jeep for a world record.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Relatively speaking, as Klinger having a fresh egg for breakfast in the mess tent apparently causes quite a stir.
- Oh, Crap!: Father Mulcahy realises upon Hollister's arrival that the colonel witnessing him taking part in the world record bid is not a great start for his inspection.
- Running Gag: Klinger's notable escape attempts. The one with the inflatable raft really takes the cake.
- Shout-Out: Klinger's scene with the inflatable raft in Potter's office is reminiscent of a similar scene in The Dick Van Dyke Show.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Colonel Hollister is loosely based on Shaking Sammy, a Protestant chaplain from the novel MASH. Sammy also had the habit of writing to the families of wounded soldiers, in the belief that they would pull through as a result. This raised the ire of Trapper John, who tied him to a stake and threw what looked like a Molotov Cocktail at him after he wrote to the family of a soldier who actually died. Hollister, due to not going that far and B.J. not being as vindictive as Trapper (yet), never gets that unlucky.
- Voiceover Letter: B.J. writes his letter home to his wife throughout the episode.
