Aid Station (M*A*S*H)
| "Aid Station" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 3 Episode 19 (67th overall) |
| Directed by | William K. Jurgensen |
| Written by | Larry Gelbart, Simon Muntner |
| Original air date | February 11, 1975 |
"Aid Station" is the 19th episode of the third season of M*A*S*H. It was originally broadcast on February 11, 1975.[1]
Plot Overview
It's breakfast, supposedly, and everyone has something to say about the questionable food being served.
Henry calls an officer's meeting in order to address an emergency on the front lines. Some nearby aid stations received heavy shelling, and as a result some personnel were killed. The 4077th must send some stand-in staff, a surgeon, a nurse, and corpsman until replacements arrive. Margaret immediately volunteers while the surgeons avoid eye contact.
Thus, they draw sausages (instead of straws) to see who gets to go. It's Hawkeye, and the lucky corpsman (chosen by a random drawing) is Klinger, who, before leaving, tells Radar to whom each of his dresses should go in case Klinger doesn't make it back.
Margaret packs and gives Frank a stern warning not to touch any other nurse while she's gone.
In the Swamp, Hawkeye and Trapper share a goodbye of their own, ending with a toast to the Ritz Brothers.
After Margaret, Hawkeye, and Klinger leave camp in the jeep, they soon get a flat tire, and just as Hawkeye gets ready to fix it, Margaret stops him, pointing out that if anything happens to his hands (being a surgeon), everybody will be in trouble. So, she fixes it while Klinger keeps an eye out for snipers.
Upon arrival at the aid station, Hawkeye gets the place organized, and Klinger patches a call into Radar, but the call is cut short when exploding live shells land near the station. Back at camp, Radar signs off looking very distressed.
Hawkeye scrambles to save patients as best he can with limited supplies and only alcohol as a sterilizer. He relies heavily on Klinger and Margaret to give hands-on help with the patients. All the while, they are continuously shelled.
Back at the 4077th, the OR is chaotic, and Frank complains incessantly saying that these are terrible working conditions.
Meanwhile, Margaret, Klinger, and Pierce pull off some stress-filled teamwork, and Margaret even has to cut into a patient while Hawkeye finishes surgery at another table.
In the swamp, Trapper and Frank argue, just as Radar comes in wearing his changing robe and carrying his teddy bear. Trapper offers Radar Hawkeye's bunk, and Radar settles in. Frank is indignant that an enlisted man is sleeping in his tent. Henry comes in next, grabs himself a glass of gin, and sits down. Of course, Trapper and Henry gang up on Frank and get a in a few good jabs. Nevertheless, it seems that everyone but Frank is sick with worry over the three absent M*A*S*H-ers.
At the aid station, it's also bedtime, and Klinger is conked out on the ground. Margaret and Hawkeye exchange friendly words, and after he gets up to drape a blanket over Klinger, Hawkeye lays down beside Margaret. She is obviously scared, so he lays a little closer and offers to share his blanket.
In Henry's office the next day, Radar barges in and announces that Margaret, Hawkeye, and Klinger are all well and good, and on their way back.
At the same time, just outside the camp, the jeep rolls up with Hawkeye driving, and just before they drive into camp, Klinger replaces his combat helmet with a ladies blue lace cap.
In the swamp, Hawkeye explains that Margaret was pretty awesome out there, much to Trapper's disbelief. In Margaret's tent, Frank is more than a little miffed to hear that his favorite nurse and least favorite tentmate got along quite well at the aid station. And, of course, Klinger comes back to his tent only to see that Radar has given away nearly all of Klinger's dresses.
Later, in the mess tent, all of the officers sit around enjoying some coffee, and Frank complains even more about their terrible conditions. Margaret and Hawkeye's eyes meet in a moment of understanding, and the episode ends.[2]
Memorable Quotes
HAWKEYE: Must be rough up at the front, huh?
TRAPPER: It is in the movies.
HAWKEYE: There's a letter in my locker.
TRAPPER: Ok.
HAWKEYE: It's my will.
TRAPPER: Right.
HAWKEYE: I leave everything to the Benjamin Franklin Pierce Memorial Brothel.
TRAPPER: (laughs) I'll deliver it in person.[2]
MARGARET: (sighs) We did it.
HAWKEYE: (jokingly) My lips are sealed.
MARGARET: (pause) Do you suppose there are snipers out there?
HAWKEYE: If they're good union snipers, they are. (Shares blanket with Margaret) I want you to know that chivalry isn't dead, it's just been replaced by exhaustion.[2]
TRAPPER: How was the major?
HAWKEYE: Pretty damn good.
TRAPPER: You fink, start from the top!
HAWKEYE: Oh, no, nothing like that.
TRAPPER: Well, you sa--
HAWKEYE: She worked like a trooper, above and beyond the call. Boy, your mind is in the gutter.
TRAPPER: I can't help it. It's attached to my body. (both laugh) [2]
Cast
Alan Alda as Cpt. Hawkeye Pierce, Wayne Rogers as Cpt. Trapper John McIntyre, McLean Stevenson as Lt. Col. Henry Blake, Loretta Swit as Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, Larry Linville as Maj. Frank Burns, Gary Burghoff as Cpl. Radar O'Reilly, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy,and Jamie Farr as Maxwell Klinger.[1]