Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts.
“Out of Gas” (#156, 7×12)
Originally Broadcast: Monday, December 4th, 1978
Written by Tom Reeder
Directed by Mel Damski
Capsule Summary: The 4077th is in desperate need of sodium pentothal, forcing Father Mulcahy to turn to the black market.
If Father Mulcahy and Charles seeking out black marketeers to acquire sodium pentothal seems familiar, you’re probably thinking of “Tea and Empathy” from Season 6. In that episode, Father Mulcahy and Klinger track down stolen penicillin. The two are even shot at, just like Father Mulcahy and Charles in this episode. The plots may not be identical but they’re very similiar.
Curiously, there’s no mention of Father Mulcahy’s encounter with black marketeers in “Tea and Empathy.” He does tell Colonel Potter, Hawkeye, and Margaret that he sometimes deals with the black market to obtain supplies for orphans. M*A*S*H rarely worried about continuity between episodes.
Yet there is continuity in “Out of Gas”: Charles is forced to give up the polar suit his parents sent him in “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” earlier in Season 7. Sadly, although the pentothal is recovered, Charles has to leave the polar suit–and his uniform–behind.
Is it just me, or is the first half of the episode filled with scenes that aren’t necessary? The poker game at the beginning of the episode is amusing but doesn’t add much to the story. Neither does the lengthy scene in Potter’s office in which Zale reveals how he traded the pentothal to the 8063rd for plasma. It’s not until Father Mulcahy mentions the black market that the episode starts to get interesting.
Perhaps more could’ve been done with the 4077th using ether and local anesthetic during surgery. Yes, we see a nurse fumble while administrating ether, and Margaret accidentally breathes in ether and passes out, but these aren’t serious incidents. “Major Topper” during Season 6 dealt with a lack of painkillers for wounded in Post Op but I can’t recall another episode involving surgery without proper anesthetics.
Why is this episode called “Out of Gas”? Unless I’m mistaken, sodium pentothal (a brand name for sodium thiopental) is injected, not administered as a gas like nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas). For the record, ether (or diethyl ether) is a liquid and is indeed very flammable.
Margaret mentions two nurses by name during surgery. She asks Caldman to take over for her so she can show Carson how to administrate ether. Earlier, Carson told Charles she’d never used ether before. Despite the line of dialogue, the actress is uncredited.
Imagine how much paper work Colonel Potter and Radar had to fill out relating to the jeep Father Mulcahy and Charles abandoned to the black marketeers.
Are we really supposed to believe Goldman doesn’t know how to mop a floor?
Mulcahy didn’t deal with black marketeers directly in “Tea and Empathy,” the soldier who was seeing him for confession did, and told him where he stashed the stolen penicillin.
The poker game may have been unnecessary, but I don’t believe the scene with Potter and Margaret chewing out Zale was, mainly because it set up the crisis on why the 4077th was low on pentothal.
Charles trying to do business with the black marketeers in his usual Boston Bull manner was amusing, as was his taunting them as he and Mulcahy drove away – I used to like his Alamo-esque line, “Remember the Boston Tea Party!” Not quite as funny since Sarah Palin founded the Tea Party simply because she didn’t like Obama was President.
I’m sure Goldman knows how to mop, I’m assuming Margaret caught him when he was catching his second wind.
You’re right about Mulcahy and “Tea and Empathy.” Now I’m remembering how he learned about the black marketeers from a soldier.
The Zale scene isn’t entirely unnecessary, just too long.
The Zale scene with Potter and Margaret is hilarious! My favourite Zale scene ( not that there was many)because of what he blurts out – also Radar is unintentionally hilarious when he comes in and kind of zones out for a couple of secs till Potter startles him into action- overall great ensemble comedy based on each character ‘s previously established quirks.
My gripe with this episode involves Radar’s call to another unit about the pentothal. When Radar hears the name of the other unit’s CO, he remarks “Why do they send these kids?”. But, all in all, an enjoyable episode.
In all, three other units had possession of the pentothal in Zale’s explanation of why the 4077th didn’t get the needed supplies. Can anyone name the units that had, then traded, the pentothal for other necessary items?
Let’s see here.
Zale traded the pentothal to the 8063rd for some plasma. The 8063rd traded it to the 121st to get some penicillin. Then, they traded that to a South Korean unit for some vegetables.
I think this is the correct order.
I always felt bad for Charles losing that big coat in this episode, but then he was always pretty smug about it, and the way he tried to deal with the black marketeers was pretty arrogant and stupid. He tried to talk to them like they were some sophisticated prestigious business men instead of some low life criminals peddling stolen goods.
I actually thought Radar’s comment about sending kids was pretty funny because of all the jokes about him for the same reason. Despite being young, he’s gotten so good at what he does, that even people older than him seem inexperienced.
Is this the one where Charles is crying about his wine at the end?
Yes, this is the episode in question.
Charles: Have you ever seen such boors? Drinking red wine with stuffed capons.
Zale: Who do I answer?
Potter: Me, you yahoo!
All funny lines from an entertaining episode.
Indeed! Some hilarious back and forths between Potter, Zale, Houlihan and Radar too.
To answer your question about the title I assume it was because in the mid70s “Out of Gas” was a common sign on gas stations curtesy of the energy crisis and gas guzzling cars draining reserves.
Be that as it may the episode is during the Korean war and not during the mid seventies gas shortage.
Episode titles probably just played puns on a particular event or storyline that took place which could have been used had the situation been happening in the present time as well,given that during MASH’s run that episode titles we’re usually only known if they were shown on screen at the opening of the episode anyway,whereas this show didn’t do such other than at the beginning of the final episode.
The show being set in the Korean war makes no difference whatsoever. Requiem For A Lightweight, Carry On Hawkeye, Tea And Empathy, The Smell Of Music and None Like It Hot are all titles of episodes that directly reference pieces of media that either weren’t around at the time of the Korean war or else were around but were far more recognisable by the 1970s than they were at the time. And I’m sure there are probably other examples as well. As with any episode of TV, the titles are purely for the audience’s benefit and episode titles making puns or riffing on what’s popular when the episode in question is aired has been fairly standard practice since the medium was invented.
Actually, when Radar says, “Why do they send these kids?” he’s referring to the radio operator at the unit he’s calling, not to the CO. The “kid” had only been in Korea 2 hours.
There is a pretty bad error in this episode. When the Father brings up the idea of dealing with the black market, he says that the procedure is to drop off the trade items at a designated spot, then come back later for the pentothal. However, he and Charles drive right up to a group of black marketeers and attempt to negotiate face-to-face. Of course, the confrontation is much funnier than a drop-and-return would have been, so I can forgive it.
Overall, an entertaining episode.
The change of procedure with the black-marketeers was not a writing error,
it was demanded by Charles. He thought he could negotiate a better deal.
He was wrong.
The change of procedure with the black-marketeers was not a writing error,
it was demanded by Charles. He thought he could negotiate a better deal.
He was wrong.
There was an episode where they could not used curare.
You’re mixing episodes:
Charles gave curare to a patient in “The Light That Failed”, nearly killing him, when he was getting broken in.
They couldn’t use saline solution (Army orders) to cure Korean Hemorrhagic Fever in “Mr. and Mrs. Who?”
I don’t see why Charles would be hanging out of the open door of a truck taunting the Koreans while they were shooting at him. you would think he would be crouched down in the truck trying to avoid being hit.
For some reason the video for Out of Gas content was removed due to breach of terms of use
I wonder what that was all about