Recap / M*A*S*H S4 E6: The Bus

Upon returning from a medical convention, the bus breaks down and Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Frank and Radar are left stranded.

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M*A*S*H 4077, repeat M*A*S*H 4077! We are stranded with the following tropes:

• Bad Omen Anecdote: Colonel Potter's story of being lost in the First World War is less than reassuring.
• Big "SHUT UP!":
  Hawkeye: This your first trip?
  Frank: Oh, shut your gizzard.
• Blackmail: Radar persuades Frank to share his stash of chocolate bars by dropping hints about the latter falling asleep while on guard duty.
• Bottle Episode: The whole episode is set in the Korean countryside, with only Hawkeye, B.J., Frank, Potter and Radar (and, eventually, a wounded North Korean soldier) around and a broken down bus to keep them sheltered.
• Call-Back: When Radar reveals to Colonel Potter that they're lost, he suggests to the colonel that they should pull over. At the same time he speaks the suggestion, the colonel orders it. For some, this may bring tears when they remember why the moment is this trope.
• Deadpan Snarker: Rather than snark at Frank himself once the major starts testing wind direction to tell them where they are, Hawkeye leaves the opportunity to Potter.
  Colonel Potter: What are you doing?
  Frank: The breeze is coming from that direction.
  Colonel Potter: Thank you. Now all we have to do is trade the bus for an airplane.
• Dirty Coward: Frank, as per usual. He forces Radar to come with him to search for a village, and makes him go in front of him to be a human shield.
• Drives Like Crazy: Hawkeye's early opinion of Radar driving the bus along the bumpy road.
  Hawkeye: Easy, Radar. My head's coming off at the dotted line.
• Enemy Mine: Frank tries to establish a truce with Hawkeye for the remainder of the trip back to the 40777.
  Frank: Pierce. Uh, do me a favour. We're all in this together. I know you don't like me.
  Hawkeye: That's just an ugly rumour started by someone who heard me say I don't like you.
  Frank: 'Til we're back safe, uh, no jokes. Okay?
• Entertainingly Wrong: When a North Korean soldier is seen approaching the bus, it is believed he wants the MASHers to surrender to him. Why is it this trope? Well...
  Colonel Potter: He's surrendering to us!
• False Reassurance: Frank gets concerned about having to walk a hundred yards alone in the wilderness. Potter tells him to take one of the enlisted men with him.
• Foreshadowing: Hawkeye looks uncomfortable and refuses to do a "love conquers all" story. We'll find out later he doesn't have one.
• Friendship Moment: B.J. refuses the gun Frank offers him when he goes on guard duty and treats their prisoner with a warm manner.
• Genius Bonus: When Frank is telling his story of his first romantic experience, he mentions that the girl who had a crush on him was his opponent on the debate team and that the topic of the debate was "Should Father Coughlin be our next President?" Charles Coughlin was a Roman Catholic priest who became a radio star in The '30s. He regularly broadcast anti-Semitic statements as well as expressing support for Hitler and Mussolini. The fact that Frank's high school even considered the idea of Coughlin becoming President as a suitable topic for debate gives a big clue into Frank's upbringing and the environment he was raised in, and goes a good way into explaining why he turned out the way he did.^note Since he was born in Canada, Coughlin would have been ineligible for the presidency, but Frank and the others in the debate might not have known that.
• Got Volunteered: Radar is initially amused by Potter's instruction to Frank to "take one of the enlisted men along" during their search for signs of civilization. Then he remembers he's the only one on the bus.
• Ham-to-Ham Combat: Frank and Hawkeye in the opening scene.
  Hawkeye: Radar, I don't remember this road being this terrible.
  Frank: There's nothing the matter with the road, Pierce. You're just feeling punk. Hahahaha.
  Hawkeye: Me? I'm in fine fettle. I've never felt fettler.
  Frank: You're telling me you're not hungover?
  Hawkeye: Oh, that's what it is! I thought somebody painted a base coat of fuzz on my tongue.
  Frank: Well, don't think I didn't see how much you drank at the medical conference. You were disgusting.
• Hope Spot: There is a moment where Radar seems to be about to get the engine going and Hawkeye, Colonel Potter and B.J. gather, waiting on edge for the triumphant noise of ignition. Then the engine fails.
  Radar: No soap, sir.
• I'm a Humanitarian: Joked about. Burns talks about a steak that he had at the conference, and Hawkeye points out that they were served right after the autopsy.
  B.J.: My lamb chop was wearing a wedding ring.
• Insane Troll Logic: Frank accuses their prisoner of trying to sabotage the already-broken down bus and claims it's how they "lost China".
• It's All My Fault:
  • Radar gets this way when Hawkeye incidentally blames him for getting them lost as he was the driver. This leads him to go find help.
  • Hawkeye blames himself for Radar going missing.
• Jerkass Realization: Although he takes offence that Frank had to be the one to point it out to him, Hawkeye apologises to Radar for suggesting their getting lost was his fault.
• Jump Scare: While trying to repair the bus, Frank gets hit with an electric shock that throws him back.
• Kilroy Was Here: When B.J. peeks out an open window from his nose up, Hawkeye writes 'Kilroy' on the muddy lower half of the window.
• Laugh Track: This episode is notable for not having canned laughter throughout the whole episode.
• Large Ham: Hawkeye. Frank Burns even more so, especially when he gets his hands on a walkie-talkie.
• Let Me Tell You a Story:
  • Colonel Potter recounts another time he got lost decades ago during World War One.
    Colonel Potter: World War One, Argonne Forest. Lost and hungry then, too. Couldn't find my outfit. After three days, I was ready to eat my socks. Nothing to do but wait.
    [The camera zooms in on Potter]
    B.J.: At least everything turned out all right.
    Colonel Potter: Right. I was taken prisoner, they shaved my head and beat me to a pulp.
    [Silence falls; Hawkeye, Potter and B.J. look around nervously]
  • B.J. suggests an exchange of stories to break up the monotony of their tense night lost in the wilderness, nominating everyone's respective first loves as the subject. He, Potter and Frank are the only ones to contribute.
• Nerves of Steel: Colonel Potter is the only one to keep a cool head when Radar vanishes and he reins in Hawkeye and B.J. from going out to look for him in the dead of night.
  Colonel Potter: Hawkeye, we're none of us going wandering around out there. Unacceptable procedure. Also stupid. I won't have it.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Hawkeye's thoughtless jab at Radar for getting them lost causes a guilt-stricken Radar to wander off searching for help in the middle of the night, sending the officers into a panic. It especially stings Hawkeye that Frank is the one to call him out on it.
  BJ: Radar's radar's jammed.
  Hawkeye: If it wasn't, would we be here?
  Frank: Oh, sure, Pierce! Blame it all on O'Reilly!
  Hawkeye: You just go back to being Tom Swift and his electric paranoid, okay?
• Nominal Importance: Played for laughs when Frank and Radar go off to search for any villages that might be nearby and Frank tells Radar to stay ahead of him.
  Radar: Why me?
  Frank: Well, you present less of a target. Anyway, they love to pick off officers. We're the cream of our generation.
  Radar: I'm sort of the cream of my family, sir.
  Frank: Besides, I can cover you better from the rear.
  [Frank pulls out a gun]
  Radar: Ahh! My rear would feel a whole lot safer if you were in front of it, sir.
• Oh, Crap!: Hawkeye, when he realises it's his turn to tell a love story that happened to him and decides to go check on Radar who is outside on a toilet break. A second, more dreaded one occurs a moment later when he can't find Radar.
• Point That Somewhere Else: Played for laughs. Burns rips a screwdriver out of the POW's hand, claiming he's trying to sabotage the (already broken-down) bus. Burns is holding the screwdriver, and...
  B.J.: (gently pushing the screwdriver down) Careful, that could be loaded.
• Precision F-Strike:
  Colonel Potter: A simple "crapped out" will be sufficient, Major.
• Refuge in Audacity: Frank hides his emergency stock of chocolates from the others all episode long. After Radar discovers it, he pretends that he only just remembered he has it and hands them out.
• Shout-Out: Hawkeye jokes that he came across a little girl in the woods.
  Hawkeye: I met a little girl with a basket for her grandma.
  B.J.: Wearing a red riding hood?
  Hawkeye: Actually, she was with seven little dwarfs.
  B.J.: She's in the wrong woods.
  Hawkeye: Or the wrong story.
  Colonel Potter: Are you finished, doctors?
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: Colonel Potter mentions that someone anonymously accused Radar of selling tickets to the hole in the nurses' showers. Hawkeye gives Frank a Death Glare.
  Frank: Well, it wasn't me.
  Colonel Potter: Why would I think it was you?
  Frank: Because I know people think that's just the kind of thing I might do.
  Colonel Potter: Well, why did you do it?
  Frank: Because I felt it was my duty.
  Colonel Potter: I thought you said you didn't do it.
  (Beat)
  Frank: I thought I did, too.
• Take That!: In-universe. Frank makes a sarcastic comment towards Potter's leadership and moans about what he would do if he were still in command.
  • B.J. quickly argues, recalling just how mediocre Frank's leadership was.
    B.J.: I spent a week with you in command, Frank. You lost me when you rigged the toilet seats to rise to attention.
• Throw the Dog a Bone:
  • Frank criticizes Hawkeye for his behaviour at a medical conference they have all just been to, labelling it as disgusting. B.J. then asks Frank what he thought of his behaviour.
    B.J.: What about me, Frank?
    Frank: You weren't so bad.
    B.J.: Really? I was trying to be disgusting too.
  • Frank, of all people, defends Radar from Hawkeye directing blame toward the corporal.
    B.J.: Radar's radar is jammed.
    Hawkeye: If it wasn't, would we be here?
    Frank: Oh, sure, Pierce. Blame it all on O'Reilly.
• Virgin-Shaming: As the officers are telling each other stories, Frank recounts his first encounter with a girl but disappoints the others by saying he turned her down because he wanted to wait until marriage. Hawkeye, B.J., and even Col. Potter are disappointed, with the latter calling Frank a "creep" under his breath.
• What the Hell, Hero?: B.J. sympathetically asks Frank what's on his mind at the start of the episode. Hawkeye groans loudly in response.
  Hawkeye: For God's sake, why?
  B.J.: Looked important. His forehead's all puckered up.
  Hawkeye: So are all my innards.
• Who's Watching the Store?: All four of the 4077's regular surgeons are away from camp for an extended time, as is the company clerk. Viewers may well wonder who's taking care of things in their absence.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Frank falsely believes the North Korean is pretending to surrender so he can initiate a kamikaze attack.
  Hawkeye: I think you may be right, Frank. I think what he's done is cut a gash in his leg, inserted a grenade, and disguised it in his own blood.
  Frank: Boy, are they clever.

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