In a contrived plot where Hawkeye takes a separate RandR in Tokyo from fellow Swamp Rat, Trapper, Hawkeye returns back to the 4077 in a rickshaw. Frank and Hotlips are letting power go to their beady little heads, not realizing the Army never entrusts the command of 100+ Army souls to an officer with less than the rank of Lt. Colonel. Our Trapper is already gone (with the same ill wind that took Henry Blake) and America never gets to say a real farewell to Trapper John Francis Xavier McIntyre. The young replacement, whose file inspires hope in the small heart of Hotlips, is Captain B.J. Hunnicutt. Two months ago, he was doing his residency in Sausalito with his wife, Peggy, eight months pregnant in their Mill Valley home; a five week crash course at Fort Sam Houston was his prelude to the wilds of Hawkeye, Radar and Korea. Frank and Margaret wish they got their paws on BJ first but he was obviously always 100% Swamp Rat. Written by LA-Lawyer

It is 19 Sept 1952; the Army sends a full bird Colonel, Sherman Tecumseh Potter, veteran of WWI and WWII, to command the 4077. Potter finds Radar suntanning, with metal plates, the same way Henry Blake taught him. Frank runs away from home and Hotlips tries to hide it. The new Swamp Rats used Frank's old bed frame, added lights, made it into a bar; they named it in honor of Lt Colonel Henry Blake. Change in command is Frank's ticket back to The Swamp. Potter is a tough cookie; he orders Klinger to burn his bloomers and does not automatically believe in Radar's ESP. But he loves his wife, Mildred, and he loves his horses, (even though the only actual horseflesh he brought was his saddle). The guys worry about Potter's medical skills, but he is a pro; he even helps BJ through a rough patch without a second thought. The new Swamp Rats learn Potter is a champion drinker, singer of songs and all-around great guy, and they realize life at the 4077 might have possibilities. When Klinger ... Written by LA-Lawyer

It is a long night of nerve-wracking shelling and artillery. One of BJ's black patients is fading, which is not helping the 97.8% health rate enjoyed by the 4077. With B+ type blood, which, is neither rare nor common, BJ, Hawkeye and Margaret are all worried. Luckily, Klinger is B+ and his swarthy Lebanese carcass is conveniently located in the next bed. Radar is scared to death when he is asked to wake Colonel Potter, but the old guy jumps to attention. He calls strange officers as well as his own pals to get the shelling to stop. To take the sting out of working a night shift with Hawkeye, Hotlips writes a sweet love note to Frank: she watches in disbelief as he tears it up. Margaret always saves ALL of his notes... and this really gets Frank thinking. As Hawkeye, BJ and Margaret work into early morning, saving lives, a Ferret named Frank tears apart Hotlips' tent, trying to find his love letters to her. He hopes quick action now may save his future neck. His neck is not so lucky.... Written by LA-Lawyer

Klinger and BJ are mystified; Hawkeye's father called the 4077 in the middle of the night and asked for BJ. When a morgue attendant, Digger, tries to retrieve the body of one Capt. BF Pierce and shows the death certificate, things start making sense. Eisenhower is coming and all the lines are tied up; Hawkeye is going crazy over how his dad is taking the news. BJ tries to put a fun spin on it and hosts a wake for his buddy: not only is there a eulogy, but there is also rebuttal. But the death thing finally wears at Hawkeye and he plans to go home. Henry is dead and the casualties keep coming. Trapper went home; that did not even slow down the flow of wounded. But when the choppers sound, whether by rote or right, Hawkeye gets off Digger's bus and joins the land of the living. Once he speaks to his father, he is not as worried about his demise. Written by LA-Lawyer

Ah, the cleanliness of military war: one hand washes another. After 30 years, Sgt. Kimble is going home; his medical records must be fixed so he travels by boat and not by air: Kimble is bringing home tons of restaurant ware to open his own Korean cafe stateside. BJ and Hawkeye are each willing to live and let live, but Kimble's problem requires 3 doctors to sign the certification...and there is the matter of a stolen microscope which Kimble promised to replace. Frank refuses to sign. Intense sniper fire causes Potter to get help: the British 29th Brigade comes to the rescue. Lt. Chivers is a nice chap who needs help on the QT with an ingrown toenail; British COs are rabid about proper foot care...one frost toe, and Chivers could lose rank. Another visitor, Commander of Army 1st Cavalry Tank Brigade, Col. Griswold, also needs help on the QT. But his situation is no clapping matter and Griswold could lose his favorite little soldier without the proper medical care. Hotlips is turned ... Written by LA-Lawyer

The 38th Parallel Medical Conference: just an excuse for boozing one's brains out! Radar drives the 4077 bus back to camp with Potter and the 3 doctors and realizes they are lost. When they stop the bus, it will not start again. They have no food, water, communication, blankets or maps and it is nightfall; plus, Hawkeye is hung over. Frank is secretly hoarding chocolate and talking gibberish on one-half of a set of busted walkie-talkies. BJ suggests the guys tell fun stories when Radar goes to the latrine. He disappears for a long time and Potter, Hawkeye and BJ are worried. A wounded N. Korean soldier appears in the night; he throws off his gun belt and surrenders. The first night guard patrol is Frank's, but Radar catches him with his eyelids down...and chocolate bars flying. The next day, things look brighter: Radar determined they are not in enemy territory and he finally puts to use the fine art of blackmail carefully learned at the knees of his Uncles Trapper and Hawkeye. The N.... Written by LA-Lawyer

Radar is trying too hard. He has the same kind of ESP with Col. Potter that he enjoys with everyone else, but Radar thinks being around Potter is like staying with his aunt instead of his mother - he just cannot relax. Col. Potter writes home to Mildred to wish her Happy Anniversary: he, too, is having trouble relaxing. He is the new kid on the block and although he likes most of 4077, they all have their foibles. He finds Hotlips and Frank curious when they come to take his photo. A wild wounded horse is spotted by a chopper pilot; Radar insists BJ and Hawkeye help rescue the animal. In his letter to Mildred, Potter playfully gossips about Frank and Hotlips and gives tidbits about the others. Frank and Hotlips have commissioned a bust of Potter in wood for the Anniversary. Animal lover, Radar, determines to keep the horse. Henry used to allow him to keep pets; but, as BJ aptly points out, Potter is not Blake. Radar cannot hide a horse from an old cavalryman! At the unveiling of ... Written by LA-Lawyer

Potter thinks Hawkeye is a pip, as he has a comeback for everything. But Frank's Purple Heart (for an egg fragment in his eye) is no joke and Hawkeye does not find it funny. Civilian Nurse Meg Cratty (Ann Doran) and her orphans are being shelled; like Blake, Col. Potter is happy to extend the hospitality of the 4077 to Nurse Cratty, her kids and Sung Lee, a pregnant girl who stopped to see her in-laws. All tents (and most hearts) are opened as the kids are bedded down all over the camp. The pregnant Sung Lee stumbles in, shot by a sniper; BJ, fresh from residency, gets to do the Caesarian. Frank is obsessed with thievery; the featherweight Father has to wrestle him to scrub. When Frank finds his Purple Heart is missing, he suspects one of the kids. But, Hawkeye and BJ believe any baby who is shot in the rump on his own birthday is much more worthy and deserving of the honor. Margaret watches the entire ceremony, grinning from ear to ear. As Nurse Cratty and her brood leave, they are ... Written by LA-Lawyer

Incoming wounded include a Captain who identifies himself to Radar and the doctors as Jesus Christ. He does not appear to be bucking for a Section 8 and seems placid and harmless. Radar is particularly taken with the gentle Captain. But, naturally, Hotlips and Frank are offended; they think BJ and Hawkeye are up to something. Col. Potter dismisses them as snitches, so they call Crazy in Army, Col. Flagg. Flagg brings the dossier of the fallen Captain, Bombardier Pilot Arnold T. Chandler of the 428th Bomber Squadron, shot down after flying an inconsequential 57 bombing missions and earning all possible medals, honors and decorations. The doctors think Chandler has battle fatigue. Flagg thinks he has turned chicken and wants to turn up the heat. Potter is not Henry: he stands right up to the bullying Flagg, which makes Hawkeye smile. Hawkeye suggests Dr. Sidney Freedman; Potter and BJ are meeting the good, the bad and the ugly in this episode. Sidney thinks Chandler lost himself ... Written by LA-Lawyer

BJ writes home for the 3d time this week; Davis, a patient Frank gave up for dead, now has BJ to thank for his life. One of Father Mulcahy's superiors, Col. Maurice Holister, Divisional Chaplain, is coming to inspect him. The Swamp Rats enjoy Peg's first overseas package. BJ tells her how Hawkeye keeps the 4077 crew from going nuts. Hawkeye read in Life how Caltech students squeezed 15 people into a VW bug, so he organizes a similar foray inside a jeep, trying to beat the record. Even Hotlips participates in the merriment...but when Col. Holister drives up, he finds Father Mulcahy at the bottom of the pile. Col. Holister wants to turn mild-mannered Francis into Elmer Gantry. Potter wants to train Koreans to work in the wards; Frank is first to teach them some English. Later, Hawkeye gets to teach the VIP verbage. Holister forces Father, against his own better judgment, to write a letter to the family of an unstable patient. Luckily the young soldier pulls through and Fr. learns a ... Written by LA-Lawyer

Frank and Hawkeye race back to the 4077 after spending an entire night at the site of a bus meeting a land mine. Tired, cranky Hawkeye splashes dirt on an uppity Col. by accident. Sgt. Zale turns to BJ for marital advice when he receives a letter from his wife, Hillda, confessing to an infidelity. Colonel Spiker, who took such an instant dislike to Hawkeye, wants to go to the 121st Evac.; he refuses to have the able surgeon anywhere near him, but Col. Potter orders Hawkeye to operate. Frank is bomb-crazy and he harangues the locals who work at the 4077. Margaret finds Hawkeye sleeping in a cot next to his angry Colonel; she credits Hawkeye with doing his best work and for saving the Colonel's life. Potter repeats similar words to Col. Spiker. BJ learns another lesson about Korea: the moose tradition. When BJ finds Zale hoist by the petard of his own double standard, he urges Zale to sign a forgiving letter to his wife. Frank urges everyone to dig for hidden bombs. Written by LA-Lawyer

The rampant camp fever has the doctors stumped; HQ believes the fever is carried by rat-borne mites and fleas. Fr. Mulcahy is in Seoul, trying to dig up more info on the fever. HQ has also issued a directive regarding a contest, Soldier of the Month, to be judged by second in command. But Ferret Face is also Rat Officer; he is a busy boy. Frank totally misses the lack of renal output from the fever victims, disagrees with the idea of restricting fluid intake, as expected. (The disease, hemorrhagic fever, is more common sense medicine than anything else.) Frank comes down with the fever and is extremely sick; he cannot judge the contest. Klinger steals a peek at the test for Soldier of the Month. During the oral test, Klinger's calisthenics make boot camp look like standing at attention. Who will BJ and Hawkeye name as the Soldier of the Month? Frank makes a will...Margaret gets a last kick in the gut. Will Frank get any better ... and will that be an improvement? Written by LA-Lawyer

Radar has the toughest duties at the 4077. He has to disturb the officers' slumber if there is an emergency; Margaret is not all sweetness and light when she is wakened. It is Radar's responsibility to safeguard all valuables belonging to wounded patients. When the jeep of Col. Chaffey and his men is run off the road by a U.S. tank late one night, it is SOP for Radar to take Chaffey's vintage 1884 Colt .45 chrome revolver with bone grip and give him a receipt. Frank helps Radar store some rifles later that night and they both admire the beautiful old gun. Radar is the only one with keys to the gun cabinet and to the other bins where possessions are stored; he even showers with these keys. When the Colt .45 turns up missing, it is Radar who faces 15 years in the stockade. Radar says he will enter during infancy and leave during his adultery...Radar is so upset, he gets drunk on 1 beer. Everyone tries to help their pet Corporal; the camp is searched. Will the thief allow Radar to be ... Written by LA-Lawyer

The daily mail brings its usual batch of good news and trauma. Colonel Potter finds out that he is about to become a grandfather and spends the day trying to find out whether or not his daughter-in-law has delivered his grandchild. Radar gets a home movie from his mom in Iowa, which causes Radar to shed a few tears. However, the most emotionally troubling mail is for Frank as his wife reveals that she found out about his affair with Margaret and informs him that she is filing for divorce. Written by Brian Washington Sargebri@att.net

Radar is always trying to take care of his CO: this time, it's tomato juice. BJ is the insect officer; Frank is procurement officer. Frank will order tomato juice if the guys get him a pair of nylons (for a nurse who performed well in OR). Klinger wants a pass for his last pair of nylons; Potter has to call Gen. Bradley Barker to arrange the pass as Seoul is crawling with VIPs. Gen. Brad wants Margaret to be his guest at a soiree in Seoul, causing Frank to see red and renege on his tomato juice deal with Radar. The guys have to cook up some plan to keep Frank's tomato in camp so Frank will sign for Potter's juice. Is there enough juice on Earth for Gen. Brad Barker to mistake Klinger for Margaret? Written by LA-Lawyer

This time, it is Radar writing home to his Ma. Radar is helping with company foot inspections (20,000 toes) and Potter gets a 100% rating. Radar compares Potter to the man he thinks his own father might have been, had he not died. Radar thinks his Ma would get a kick out of Klinger, too. Clean-cut BJ is a soft touch with an apple pie face and a big heart. Radar gets a guinea pig for a pet and he encounters a North Korean sniper with a Russian gun in the Mess tent. Col. Potter and Hotlips take off for Kha Doc to treat the old and sick. Mrs. Potter calls him just after he leaves; she had a premonition that something would happen to the Colonel. Radar thinks his Ma would really like crazy Hawkeye, who is so smart and a great doctor, but who often does things like gluing Frank's boots to two bedpans after having to amputate a soldier's leg. Margaret comes tearing into camp with an injured Colonel; Potter compliments her by comparing her with his Mildred, who he says is equally unruffled ... Written by LA-Lawyer

In a classic episode, Frank is lonesome and driving everyone insane. Margaret is in Tokyo at a nurses seminar and he feels absolutely friendless. Potter asks BJ and Hawkeye for a special favor: befriend old Ferret Face. Potter encourages the guys to invite Frank to drink and play poker with them; Frank gets snockered and pulls a heart flush in the very first hand. Frank is on a winning streak and he is a very giggly winner. At the 4077 club, Frank confides he has had his eye on Nurse Kellye for a long time; he asks her to dance and calls her a hotsie-totsie. Although Hawkeye and BJ manage to stumble back to the Swamp with Frank, they are both plastered. Then, Hawkeye gets a lightbulb; he writes a toe tag: emotionally exhausted and (BJ's contribution) morally bankrupt before they pass out cold. A fluke sends Frank to the front by way of an open door on an ambulance en route to the latrine. Since it was their prank, Potter makes the Swamp rats go pick up Frank. They get caught in a ... Written by LA-Lawyer

Hawkeye has a jeep accident trying to avoid hitting some Korean children. He thinks he sustained a contrecoup brain laceration which may result in concussion, so he keeps talking gibberish to keep himself awake. The only thing the Korean children's family understands is Oijongbu; communication is impossible. Hawkeye gets to do his very favorite activity: he pontificates to a captive audience. Written by LA-Lawyer

Colonel Coner (Kevin Hagen) is giving the 4077 too much business; BJ is livid, as all the Colonel cares about is his kill ratio. He will risk 10 live soldiers to retrieve one dead soldier. Give the locals a taste of our garbage; next they will want New Jersey; Frank has another bee in his bonnet - this time, about wasting waste. Frank wants to auction the 4077's trash. Col. Potter decides to thrust the greatness of garbage on Frank Burns. Radar saves the life of one of Coner's wounded soldiers, Private Gerald Phelan. Like the Chinese proverb, Radar not only begins to feel responsible for him, but he befriends the young man, as well. Hawkeye was unable to be able with the pretty Nurse Able (Lynette Mettey) and he is very upset; Hawkeye gets some advice from Colonel Potter about having hobbies and unwinding that have some unexpected results. Written by LA-Lawyer

On 11 October 1952, at the 4077 M*A*S*H did Captain B.F. Pierce commit mutiny and attempt to usurp lawful military authority, willfully attack commanding officer, Major Frank Burns, and illegally take command? At a pre-trial hearing preliminary to a Court Martial under Article 94 of the UCMJ, the tribunal must decide what happened when Colonel Potter briefly left the 4077 in the dubious command of Maj. Burns. Frank's mills grind slowly but exceedingly dumb, according to BJ. Can the same be said for those of the tribunal? Or will he know a top-flight surgeon from a pastry chef? Written by LA-Lawyer

When soldiers are hit in the field, they are taken to Battalion Aid Stations and other small first aid units before a chopper is sent to fly them to either M*A*S*H or Evac. hospitals. One of Korea's finest pilots, Lt. Smilin' Jack Mitchell, is an old friend of Potter and up for Pilot of the Year. Several months back, when Jack tangled with an Australian nurse, Potter patched Jack's scratch. The scratch failed to heal and Potter suspects diabetes. A young hero, Owens, is on his second Purple Heart; he worries he has a death wish because he keeps following orders and keeps going back to battle. Will Smilin' Jack beat the record and get Pilot of the Year? Will third time be the charm for the decorated hero? Written by LA-Lawyer

Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world... Lt. Carlye Walton had to walk into Hawkeye's. Carlye (Blythe Danner) is the one who got away; during Hawkeye's residency in Boston, the young nurse and resident lived together. Carlye left him because she knew how much Hawkeye loved medicine; she foolishly considered his passion for being a surgeon some sort of competition where there are winners and losers. BJ does not judge his pal but answers truthfully that he has never been tempted to cheat on Peggy. Col. Potter is recruiting art subjects; he does one in charcoal of Radar and another of Klinger as an Olympian. Written by LA-Lawyer

Newsreels, including one of the ultimate hero, Sir Winnie, praise the Americans and the combined UN efforts in Korea. Klinger tries to find logic in Army triplicate, looting wounded soldiers and sink scrubbing. But he sees hope when the doctors fill the sink with water and pull hot phosphorus from a soldier's leg with sulfa and copper sulfate. The Chinese enter the Korean war with 33 divisions or over 300,000 soldiers. As the fighting takes a clear turn for the worse, the newsreels show a carefree, dancing, America at play. Radar is on the scrounge for plasma, peering through his broken glasses as his tent leaks from the rain. Margaret charges into the men's shower, pleading that Potter not send her and her nurses away from increased fighting. Mrs. Aga Khan wants a hot dog; the surgeons are eating cold cuts and operating without gloves. An exhausted 4077 is awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for service above and beyond. Potter returns the favor when he charges in on Margaret's... Written by LA-Lawyer

It is a black and white episode; a male war correspondent, Clete Roberts, discusses the newest method of wartime medical care, the M*A*S*H model. He visits one of the five M*A*S*H units in Korea, the 4077, to interview the personnel. Roberts asks about the newest advances in treating casualties, morale, the families of the soldiers, their recreations in Korea, drinking, what they miss about home, the relationships that have blossomed into family, how they conquer boredom, etc. The interviewer weaves a tapestry from the commentary and off-hand remarks of the interviewees. Written by LA-Lawyer