Some of the events that take place at the 4077th between the New Years of 1951 and 1952 are seen via a series of vignettes.
Attention all personnel! The following tropes can be found at the 4077th over the course of a year:
- Berserk Button: Igor manages to press Mulcahy's but good, all by creaming the corn that Mulcahy had been lovingly growing for months, just waiting to be able to eat it on the cob.Mulcahy:(just barely holding back anger) My corn! You creamed it!! You... you ninny!
- The Determinator: Hawkeye and B.J. are determined to make their own kidney machine so they can avoid the risk of having patients with belly wounds die while being shipped to 11th Evac Hospital, the only hospital with an artificial kidney machine. Margaret is also determined to finish her knitting project, even though it goes from being a pot holder to a scarf to a sweater, eventually becoming a blanket.
- Formula-Breaking Episode: We're not just shown random events, but random events condensing an entire year in the life of the 4077th into one episode.
- Funny Background Event: When the Giants win the pennant, Father Mulcahy can be seen planting a Big Damn Kiss on Margaret in the chow hall.
- Historical Domain Character: Bobby Thomson
and the "Shot Heard Round the World", of course, but also, Hawkeye mentions Dr. Willem Kolff, who invented the artificial kidney machine (though he had done so in 1945). - Meaningful Echo: At the beginning of the episode, which takes place on New Year's Day of 1951, Col. Potter tells the camp, "Here's to the new year. May she be a damned sight better than the old one, and may we all be home before she's over." in an optimistic tone. He says the same thing at the end of the episode, which is New Year's Day of 1952, in a more broken, resigned, tone.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Father Mulcahy grows corn in his garden so the camp can have corn-on-the-cob for their Fourth of July picnic - only to find out, to his anger, Igor has made creamed corn from it instead.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: From A Man for All Seasons.
- Series Continuity Error: This episode takes place from New Year's 1951 until New Year's 1952. However, the episode "Welcome to Korea" explicitly established that Potter arrived at the 4077th on September 19, 1952, well after the time frame of this episode, with Winchester arriving at an even later (though undisclosed) date.
- Tempting Fate: The National League pennant race is full of this - the Side Bet Klinger and Col. Potter have about the race (Klinger is picking the Dodgers, while Potter picks his hometown team the St. Louis Cardinals) has Col. Potter predicting the Dodgers will fold by July 4th. When they don't, Charles gets involved in the bet, and predicts the Dodgers will hold fast against the Giants, especially when they're up 13 1/2 games over them in August.
- Waxing Lyrical: When Charles gets upset at B.J. and Hawkeye listening to the song "Ragg Mopp" on their new radio, Hawkeye responds, "Hey, Daddy-o, you don't dig our 'raddy-o', get off our patio!"note
