Margaret thinks she is pregnant and requests a test. Only one problem: it requires a female rabbit, and Radar is rather fond of the only one in camp. Meanwhile, one of B.J.'s patients is desperate to get home — even if taking hostages is necessary.
Attention, all personnel! Major Houlihan requires the following tropes for a pregnancy test:
- Animal Testing: Justified. They need a rabbit to conduct the pregnancy test. Radar convinces Hawkeye to give the rabbit a hysterectomy rather than euthanizing it to get the ovaries.
- Artistic License – Military: If Klinger were really 30, as is indicated by Potter's comments about his supposed 19 year-old child, he would have been old enough to be drafted into World War II, and would likely not have served in Korea.
- Babies Make Everything Better: Averted. Margaret is adamant that a pregnancy will not help her marital troubles with Donald.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: While Hawkeye, Potter, and Radar are discussing Margaret's potential pregnancy, Margret is seen downing a few glasses of vodka. Although the negative effects of alcohol consumption on a baby while pregnant was coming into the public consciousness at the time the episode was made, the series takes place in the '50s, before the link between alcohol and birth defects was understood.
- Epic Fail: Klinger attempts to score a hardship discharge by showing Potter photos of his supposed children. None of the nine children look like Klinger or each other, with one being nineteen (which Potter muses would mean Klinger would've had to have been 11 when the kid was born). Worse, at least half of the photos are family mementos that belong to others at the camp, including ones of B.J.'s daughter and Potter's own grandson.Potter: Klinger, this is the worst one yet.
- Friend to All Living Things: Radar pleads with Hawkeye to be careful with Fluffy, to the point of lying about letting the rabbit escape and wanting him to do formal surgery on her to remove the ovaries.
- Hope Spot: For Klinger, who thinks he's finally found a way home as Lt. Martinson's hostage, until the latter succumbs to his wounds and passes out.
- Hostage Situation: Lieutenant Martinson, B.J.'s patient, takes Winchester hostage, later exchanged for an eager Klinger.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Used subtly when Radar realizes that they have to kill his rabbit in order to do a pregnancy test on Margaret. While Radar loses it, a clearly exasperated Margaret grabs a bottle of liquor that Potter and Hawkeye had just been drinking from and pours herself a shot.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Martinson is a graduate of Yale, (briefly) impressing Harvard grad Charles.
- Killing for a Tissue Sample: To perform a pregnancy test, they need to examine the ovaries of a female rabbit. Ultimately averted, as to appease Radar they instead remove the ovaries surgically.
- Never My Fault: After Potter explains the many ways that his attempt at a hardship discharge is a bust, Klinger blames Radar for not giving him better photos.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Hawkeye realizes that something serious is bothering Margaret when she cracks down on Cooper over a simple mistake, saying that she's too much of a professional to overreact like that unless something is bothering her.
- Open Heart Dentistry: Hawkeye operates on a rabbit with Margaret's assistance and apparently Fluffy comes through just fine, despite Hawkeye admitting he's never done it before. Justified in that mammal surgery is pretty straightforward, they presumably called a vet for instructions on anesthesia dosages, and they had a fully stocked operating room to work with.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: From Bugs Bunny's well-known catchphrase.
- Pregnancy Scare: The main plot of the episode. In the end it turns out Margaret is just having gallbladder issues.
- Pregnancy Test Plot: Also the main plot.
- Right Behind Me: Margaret becomes victim of this. Fortunately for her, Potter doesn't mind.Margaret: What's keeping that old coot?Potter: The old coot's here.Margaret: Oh, Colonel...Potter: I know. It was said with affection.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Klinger volunteers to be a hostage for Martinson so that he can get home to Toledo...only for Martinson to pass out from blood loss through his shoulder injury.
- Take Me Instead: Invoked by Klinger. He hopes to be taken hostage all the way to Ohio.
- Take That!: Taken hostage by Martinson, Charles remarks he should've expected this from a Yale man.
- Who's Your Daddy?: A subtle hint at this is made:Potter: Did you tell Donald yet?Margaret: No.Potter: [beat] Should you?Margaret: [offended] Yes!
