Monday M*A*S*H Discussions offers fans the opportunity to offer their opinions on a wide variety of topics relating to M*A*S*H. Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. My hope is these discussion posts will continue to elicit comments in the weeks and months after they’re initially published. Have a suggestion about something you think might be worth discussing? Let me know and maybe it will become my next Monday M*A*S*H Discussion topic.
Ferret Face suggested today’s topic: How would Trapper and B.J. interact?
Two Men with Families, But Only One Family Man
Yes, it’s time once more to ponder how two characters who never met on M*A*S*H would interact if they served at the 4077th at the same time. Ferret Face suggested this topic but I decided to split it into multiple topics, each with a different paring. We’ve already discussed Colonel Blake and Charles, Trapper and Charles, Trapper and Colonel Potter, and Frank and Charles.
Today we’re discussing Trapper and B.J. They’re both skilled surgeons with families who enjoy the occasional practical joke and hate military bureaucracy. The one big difference between the two men? B.J. is devoted to his wife while Trapper is unfaithful to his.
I think the two men would be friends if they served together at the 4077th. B.J. wouldn’t approve of Trapper cheating on his wife, of course, and Trapper might find it hard to listen to B.J. talk about his family all the time. The two would bond over their many similarities while also teaming up against Frank and Charles.
Assuming both Trapper and B.J. were assigned to the 4077th at the same time as Hawkeye, it would be very interesting to see how an episode like “White Gold” or “Preventative Medicine” played out with three opinions in the mix.
Hit the comments with your thoughts.
I don’t see BJ’s interaction with Trapper being a whole lot different from his interaction with Hawkeye. Coming from such a family-oriented background, he’d probably take some issue with Trapper’s infidelities, but otherwise I can see them getting along well for the most part.
Assuming Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ are all there in The Swamp together at the same time, I can see a “Three Musketeers” dynamic developing not unlike the Hawkeye-Duke-Trapper trio of the book and movie.
Trapper and B.J would have gotten along well. Yes, B.J. may have taken issue with Trapper cheating on his wife however as B.J. had said once to Hawkeye it was none of his business what other people did. Both men loved their families, were dedicated doctors, compassionate, fair and even handed. They had a lot of similarities in their personalities which is why Hawk was friends with both men.
There’s nothing more I can add to the discussion, because everybody has already commented my thoughts on the matter: they’d have a professional respect for each other as surgeons, but Trapper would think B.J. is too much of an uptight square, and B.J. wouldn’t approve of Trapper’s infidelity.
No doubt that would be their impressions early on. But when Trapper saw how adept B.J. was at pranking Frank, Charles, etc., he’s warm up to him much more. And B.J. would cut Trapper at least a bit of slack on the infidelity when compared to Frank, who was all pious about things, unlike Trapper.
If anything, B.J. might judge Henry Blake harder, since he apparently cheated even before the war (revealed in “A Smattering of Intelligence”), though I’m sure he’s only throw witticisms at both men, and be far lass hard on them as he would on himself.
Sorry about the typos at the end. Wish I could edit after posting.
Hopefully there wouldn’t be any of the petty jealousy among the characters as there were in real life.