(06x15) 137 - The Merchant of Korea

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Big Daddy O'Reilly
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(06x15) 137 - The Merchant of Korea

Post by Big Daddy O'Reilly »

This is both my second favorite heat wave episode, and my favorite all-night poker episode (yes, even moreso than "Deal Me Out" (2x13); it also perfectly illustrates what kind of character Charles is: he'll do one favor for you, then expect a dozen more from you in return - he lends money to B.J. for a down payment on property he and Peg want to build their dream house on, then suddenly, B.J. ends up becoming his own personal lacky, and soon does the same to Hawkeye when he pays off his tab in the Officer's Club.

One thing I wonder though: because of the pay foul up, Potter orders Radar to pool the money, and pay off the enlistedmen, because it's S.O.P... that doesn't quite make sense to me, wouldn't the officers get their pay and not the enlistedmen? The officers seem to always get treated better than the enlisted, not to mention, Potter made the remark a few episodes back that, "Rank has it's privileges"; it just seems to me it'd be the other way around, and that the officers would receive their pay, while the enlisted would have to do without... but then again, we wouldn't have the plot of B.J. (and Hawkeye) not being able to pay Charles back.
kkt
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Re: (06x15) 137 - The Merchant of Korea

Post by kkt »

I'm guessing that it's the military custom that enlisted get paid first, because 1. The enlisteds are more likely to be living hand to mouth, and the officers are likely to be able to get credit if they need a loan until the snafu gets fixed. 2. You could pay a lot of enlisteds for what just a few of the senior officers make. 3. Officers are supposed to be gentlemen/women, and it's noblesse oblige to pay the enlisteds first. 4. If you paid the officers before the enlisteds, the enlisteds might suddenly remember that the numbers are in their favor in case of mutiny.

But I would be interested in knowing if this is a real regulation, or just something the writers made up as a plot device.
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