75. It Happened One Night

September 26, 1975 (G-502)

Written by: Larry Gelbart and Simon Muntner; story by Gene Reynolds.
Directed by: Gene Reynolds
Guest Stars: Christopher Allport, as Abbot. Darren O'Connor, as Pvt. Jenkins.

Plot: It's a freezing cold night. Hawkeye is on Post-Op duty, with a shelling going on outside, one patient with internal bleeding and another with a case of nerves. When Hot Lips gives Burns a note about keeping him warm all night, he reads it and tears it up, which she is angry about. She has apparently kept everything of his, which gets him nervous. He searches her tent for his letters. Radar and Colonel Potter try to phone command to get the shelling stopped. Klinger and a new private, Jenkins, are on sentry duty when Jenkins accidentally shoots Klinger. After being assured that the injury won't get him sent home, Klinger tries dancing around in his underwear to catch pneumonia, which would definitely get him sent home but possibly dead. BJ has to operate on the patient with internal bleeding again, and needs B+ blood, which Klinger kindly donates. The shelling continues, and the nervy patient tries to attack Hawkeye, who eventually has to get Hot Lips to sedate him. Not long later, the shelling stops, but Hawkeye's can of 1943 surplus beans explodes. The next morning, BJ's patient is OK, and Hot Lips discovers Burns in her ransacked tent.

Glitches: Hawkeye is putting Klinger's bandage on from the left in one shot, and from the right in another.

Great Lines: Hot Lips, to Klinger: 'What is the matter with you?' Hawkeye: 'He's moulting.'
Colonel Potter, to Jenkins on sentry duty: 'Don't you want to know the password?' Jenkins: 'I already know it, sir.'
BJ: 'Klinger, how would you like a medal?' Klinger: 'Only for desertion.'

The Klinger Collection: A mink coat, for when he's on sentry duty. And not a huge amount of anything for when he's dancing around trying to catch pneumonia.

Notes: Klinger has B+ blood.

Comments: A strange mix between a 'horrors of war' episode and a 'piss-farting around at the 4077th' episode, it works strangely well. The scene where Klinger offers his blood to BJ's patient is just lovely. Most of this season so far has been dedicated to character rather than plot, and it really works well. Except in the case of Burns cos he hasn't got any character.

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