Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts.
“Some 38th Parallels” (#91, 4×19)
Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, January 20th, 1976
Written by Regier & Markowitz
Directed by Burt Metcalfe
Capsule Summary: Frank wants to sell the 4077th’s trash, Hawkeye has problems of a personal nature and Radar befriends one of B.J.’s patients after helping to save his life.
All three of the story lines in this episode, two of which are connected, could be considered the A story. I suppose one could time the episode and see which story gets the most air time. For no particular reason, I’m going to call Frank’s garbage auction story the A story.
I don’t doubt that the military has strict rules about dealing with garbage. I would be surprised to learn there are actually regulations that allow it to be auctioned off. Wanting to do so was pure Frank, though, as was the zeal and glee with which he pursued the venture.
I can understand why Hawkeye and B.J. were so upset about Coner’s callous indifference to losing so many soldiers and his lack of concern over Phelan’s death. But the colonel was charged with retrieving the bodies of soldiers killed in action. That’s a pretty important job and apparently did it quite well. He just got a lot of additional soldiers killed doing it.
We don’t see any repercussions but Colonel Coner had to be pretty upset after having all that garbage dumped on him. Perhaps he was even injured by falling tongue depressors or became entangled in stretched-out nurses’ bras. There’s no way Hawkeye could have avoided punishment.
The helicopter carrying Hawkeye’s trash was obviously filmed outdoors. But the trash actually being dropped on Coner was filmed on indoor sound stage.
I’m calling Radar’s quick friendship with Phelan, and his disbelief and anguish at Phelan’s death, the B story. It works as a counterpoint to Frank’s funny garbage story line. We never learn exactly what happened to Phelan. He seemed to be doing well and thus his death comes abruptly and without
explanation to viewers, just as it did to Radar.
That leaves Hawkeye’s impotence as the C story. Also a serious story line, it feels both out of place and unnecessary in this episode. Had it been left out, Hawkeye could have been given more to do involving the garbage auction or he could have been drawn into Radar’s story line. But that may have robbed viewers of some nice interaction between Radar and B.J.
This episode marks the sixth and final appearance of Lynnette Mettey. She had a recurring role in three Season One episodes as Lt. Nancy Griffin and then made one appearance in Seasons Two through Four, each time as a new character.
I think my favorite piece of dialogue from this episode comes at the end of the garbage conversation in Colonel Potter’s office:
Potter: “Burns, what are you leading up to?”
Frank: “Sir, it’s un-American to get nothing for nothing. Now I propose we auction our garbage off to local contractors. Let it go to the highest bidder.”
Potter: “That’s ridiculous.”
Frank: “As per Pentagon directive, uh, N/R/358/9-8.”
Radar: “The Trashy Substances Act, sir.”
Potter: “Really? Burns, some men are born to greatness. Others have garbage thrust upon them. You’ve got it.”
Frank: “I won’t let you down, sir.
Potter: “There’s no way you can.”
Frank refers to the late Colonel Blake, who apparently said Frank was the best rubbish officer the 4077th ever had.
Margaret does not appear in this episode but she is mentioned briefly when he explains that the Margaret confiscated all the best parts of the Jane Russell puzzle.
There’s a very brief scene in which Klinger and Kellye are seen getting ready for a date.
I may be missing something really obvious but I’ve always wondered exactly what the title is supposed to refer to. The 38th parallel, of course, was the pre-Korean War boundary between North and South Korea. Within the context of the episode, however, what are the parallels?
I read a synopsis on another site that explained it as well as any I guess. We have three different subplots developing in a parallel manner – meaning that they do not intersect – and yet at the end, the problem that Frank experiences in his story (the garbage being stolen instead of sold) – ends up being the solution to Hawkeye’s other problem (i.e. the needless deaths – as outlined by Radar’s story – having stressed him to the point of impotence) – which is “cured” upon his release of stress – by the release of the garbage on the officer’s head. So – it may be convoluted, but it kind of “sings” – as in Provo’s Privy (stolen from “The Green Berets”)
This episode does nothing for me, I tend to skip over it.
Where is all the garbage?
From a kitchen serving roughly 200 people would be the uneaten food dumped from people’s trays, remains of drinks, the leftover and unused food from the kitchen, the “gunk” from sinks and grease traps and grills …left to ripen for a few days into a putrid, partially liquified, mass surrounded by swarms of flies. (Something I’m certain no actor would want dumped on them.)
But what we see suspended in a net below the helicopter is nothing like that – no pieces falling out, no disgusting fluids dripping, no flies; but a sizeable mass that would easily fill the interior of a jeep, cover its occupants, and spatter the surrounding ground (and probably cause a few choice comments about Hawkeye from whoever had to clean up the mess)..
And what we see actually land on the general appears to be no more than a trashcan full of wilted lettuce.
I’ve seen this episode a hundred times, and I just noticed a very subtle joke right after this exchange:
Frank: “I won’t let you down, sir.
Potter: “There’s no way you can.”
Then Potter nudges Radar playfully and Radar says, “Congratulations, Major.” Frank gets this goofy grin on his face as he walks out of the office.
Hilarious!
Anyone else catch Klinger and Kelleye going on a date? Maybe that subplot was cut for syndication, but it’s right when Radar finds out about Phelan. He even brings her flowers.
I saw that…I always though Klinger and Kellye had a thing…they were a cute couple.
Her and Radar also seemed to have a little thing with them too.
I remember TV GUIDE’s listing for this episode mentioning 4 distinct subplots. Maybe the Klinger/Kellye date was the 4th. I just saw this on MeTV and barely remember just the flowers for Kellye.
Will be watching this tonight.
Thanks for highlighting the following quote, it’s one of my favourites from the entire series — Frank: “I won’t let you down, sir.” Potter: “There’s no way you can.”
I thought Radar’s subplot was interesting, but weirdly unresolved. If they had canned the Hawkeye story like you said, they maybe could have given Radar’s traumatic experience more time to round out. The last shot of the episode is of him looking mortified. There’s something to be said for a grim ending, but it didn’t feel right as the final image.
I guess what bothers me about the colonel (didn’t he play the doctor in Little House in the Prairie?) is how casual he is about his men. He was more concerned with numbers than the lives of the men under him. He didn’t even know Phelan’s name!
Also love the scene with Burns and Potter in the office.
Yes, the colonel was played by Kevin Hagen, who also played Doc Baker on Little House on the Prairie.
He also appears in ‘Peace On Us’ as the MP who follows Hawkeye back to the 4077 after his stunt at the peace talks and ends up joining in the “red party”.
No mention of Margaret Houlihan in this or the Novocaine Mutiny episode I think both she and Frank were on the outs and that she was to come back engaged to Donald Penobscot
L also thought the mention of Hawkeye’s problem of a personal nature was not necessary
and I am personally sick of that
Nope. She didn’t get engaged to Donald Penobscott until the following season,season 5. This episode is in season 4.
Loretta Swit missed about the last 5 produced episodes of Season 4 because she was going to appear in the play “Same Time Next Year” with rehearsals starting around Nov. 1975. She also missed “The Interview”, “Hawkeye” (The whole cast but Alan Alda missed that one.), “The Novocaine Mutiny”, “The More I See You”, and appeared very little in “Der Tag” (Margaret was in Tokyo most of the time, driving Frank nuts. Her few scenes were probably filmed in an earlier week.) “Deluge”, which appeared near the end of the season & included Margaret, was filmed a bit earlier than these others.
“the colonel was charged with retrieving the bodies of soldiers killed in action. That’s a pretty important job and apparently did it quite well. He just got a lot of additional soldiers killed doing it.” – I may just be being incredibly naive about these things but…isn’t getting a relatively high number of soldiers injured and killed for the sake of retrieving dead bodies the very definition of NOT doing the job of retrieving bodies well? Especially since we’re given to believe via Hawkeye and BJ’s comments on the matter that this is not a one-time thing but instead something of a cycle that the colonel is perpetuating – some soldiers die, he sends out more than is necessary out to retrieve the bodies, more soldiers die, he sends out more than is necessary to retrieve them, rinse and repeat ad nauseam. Bottom line, I can absolutely understand why Hawkeye and BJ have an issue with this guy on principle and his cavalier attitude regarding the fates of those under his command when he finally shows up doesn’t help his case in the slightest.
I enjoy the setup, garbage drop and reactions afterwards (Including Colonel Potter’s “I didn’t see it, but I loved it.”)
It’s only Season 4, but we can already see a lot of the sanctimonious sermonizing — and pathos overwhelming any laughs — that will become par for the course over the last third of the series.
This episode is not essential, except in the context of exhibiting the type of series that M*A*S*H would become in the post-Frank Burns and post-Radar seasons.