The Name That Episode game is played Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players can participate as often as they like. An archive of past rounds can be found here. Today’s image can be found below. Can you name the episode it’s from? Feel free to post guesses in the comments section. As always, the winner gets bragging rights.

And the Winner Is: chuckles, who correctly identified “Major Ego.”

Name That Episode

The Name That Episode game is played Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players can participate as often as they like. An archive of past rounds can be found here. Today’s image can be found below. Can you name the episode it’s from? Feel free to post guesses in the comments section. As always, the winner gets bragging rights.

And the Winner Is: Mrs. Frank Burns, who correctly identified “George.”

Name That Episode

The Name That Episode game is played Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players can participate as often as they like. An archive of past rounds can be found here. Today’s image can be found below. Can you name the episode it’s from? Feel free to post guesses in the comments section. As always, the winner gets bragging rights.

And the Winner Is: Eric, who correctly identified “The Novocaine Mutiny.”

Name That Episode

Bryan e-mailed me a few days ago with an interesting, if somewhat morbid, question:

While the episode guide is very helpful I’m still trying to find an episode in the series where a character either talks about or commits suicide. With a theme song like “Suicide is Painless” you’d think there would be more mention of it! The film had a rather large scene but I’m finding it hard to nail down one from the series. In “End Run”, Billy Tyler briefly mentions wanting to die if he loses his leg, but I can’t find any others.

Please let me know if something comes to mind. I’d love to know.

In addition to “End Run,” I’ve come up with three other episodes in which someone mentions, considers or actually tries to commit suicide:

• “The Chosen People” (Season 2, Episode 43)
  An overworked and overwrought Henry asks Sam Pak (played by Pat Morita) what the Korean word for suicide is. According to Pak, “that’s the Japanese. We don’t do that shtick.”

• “End Run” (Season 5, Episode 113)
  Billy Tyler (played by Henry Brown), a football player, contemplates suicide after losing his leg and asks for pills. Hawkeye talks to him but it is Radar who ultimately convinces him that life is still worth living even with only one leg.

• “The Smell of Music” (Season 6, Episode 135)
  Saunders (played by Jordan Clarke) has been wounded in the face and feels nobody will ever want to look at him again, especially his girl back home. So he tries to kill himself, first by overdosing on sleeping pills and then by inhaling an anesthetic (perhaps nitrous oxide). Colonel Potter uses a particularly harsh brand of reverse psychology that forces Saunders to come to realize he doesn’t want to die.

• “Goodbye, Cruel World” (Season 8, Episode 190)
  Sgt. Yee (played by Clyde Kusatsu) tries to commit suicide by slashing his wrists after learning that he’ll be sent home due to being wounded. Sidney Freedman is called in and determines that Sgt. Yee feels guilty for fighting an Asian enemy. He hypnotizes Sgt. Yee so that whenever he feels guilty he’ll twitch his hand rather than try to end his life.

Can anyone think of other episodes in which suicide plays a role?

Here’s the summary for the fourth and final M*A*S*H “spec” script, courtesy of Eric. For more information about unfilmed/unproduced scripts for the series see this post.

Peace is Hell
November 1, 1981
First Draft
Daryl G. Nickens – WGAw
31 Pages

The episode opens with everyone listening to a baseball game over the P.A. and Potter and Klinger are listening in Potter’s office. Klinger is dishing on the latest rumor the war could be over by the All Star Break. Despite the fact there is a ceasefire, Potter is skeptical.

In the O.R., the nurses refuse to clean because of the ceasefire, but Margaret is not letting them get off easy.

Back in Potter’s office, Mulcahey discusses the fact that the 4077th needs something to do and he suggests a softball game. Potter thinks it is a great idea!

In the Swamp, Klinger is trying to persuade Charles to play the game, but he, naturally, thinks it is beneath him to “chase a small white ball around a hot dusty field.” Klinger persuades Charles to play by insinuating that Charles is embarrassed by his lack of skills with the game. Charles signs up.

Klinger goes after Hawkeye who is discussing his plans with a nurse, but strikes out. He follows the nurse back to the O.R. where she should be working. Klinger follows, desperate to find people for the softball game. Margaret is angered by Hawkeye’s presence and kicks him out.

Hawkeye goes to Potter, who is behind the main building practicing his pitch, to complain. Hawkeye complains about Margaret, but Potter does not see a problem with her making the nurses prepare the O.R. for casualties, despite the ceasefire. Potter assures Hawkeye he will handle the situation if it gets out of hand

Potter goes to the O.R. to find Margaret, in dress uniform, inspecting the nurses, who are also in Class As. Potter tells Margaret she is getting out of hand!! She is stubborn, but Potter dismisses the nurses and suggests they have a little R & R. He turns to Margaret and suggests she take some time off too and suggests they all play ball.

Margaret shouts “Play Ball” and the game begins. She is umpire with Potter pitching. Mulcahey pitches for the opposing team. Game plays out and when Charles comes to bat, Klinger (catcher) gives him a hard time. To Klinger’s surprise, he hits a home run!! Klinger bats later and hits a long one, but is beat to the plate. He argues with Margaret, but to no avail. Margaret calls BJ on strike three and he too argues and Potter breaks them up. Potter winds up to deliver the next pitch, but is hurt and unable to throw the ball. Margaret assists Potter and his sore shoulder off the field, but Klinger points out that she has to ump and she tells him to do it.

On the sideline Margaret explains to Potter why she has been such a bad mood. She does not want the war to end because she does not know what she will do. The Army is her life, but with the war coming to an end she is afraid of being alone. Potter confesses that there are times when he is home with Mildred that he constantly thinks of those he has served with and “for an old war-horse peace is hell.”

Once more, a big thank you to Eric for this summary.