(11x13) 253 - Friends and Enemies

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Moe_Hawk
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Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 10:14 pm

(11x13) 253 - Friends and Enemies

Post by Moe_Hawk »

This is a solid episode late in the series, which to be honest I quite like in nearly every facet but it just has a few knit picking points that stop it from rating amongst the very best episodes. There's not really a scene that I don't like in it though, so it really is above average.

In a nutshell, this episodes has 2 key storylines. In the main plot, Potter is reunitied with his old friend Woody Cooke who was shot leading some soldiers to defend a ridge and whilst they're bonding and catching up on old times, it becomes evident to Sherm that Woody shouldn't have been there, wasn't meant to be in charge, and that he got a lot of people hurt.

The subplot consists of a floored BJ (with an ingrown toenail), playing Winchester and Margaret off against each other in a desperate attempt to get some respite from Charles' endless stream of classical records.

Whilst both storylines hold up well and are immensely enjoyable in different ways, it's actually the main plot that brings this episode down a notch with several character inconsistencies and odd points... and ultimately even though the BJ storyline is great (will get to that later), it's just not right the comedy storyline/characters steal the show over what should be a gripping drama.

I think the big problem here is that the character of Woody Cooke simply doesn't work well. It's hard to imagine that this guy and Potter are best friends. Where Sherman is wise, compassionate etc Woody comes across as quite foolhardy. He's arrogant, a bit ignorant, seems to have little regard for human life, keen to be amongst the action etc.
They have very little chemistry between them and really don't come across like old best friends. This is most evident in the climatic scene just prior to Potter confronting him about what he did, where Sherman says he just wants to talk. Woody sprouts a line... something like 'oh yeah we can talk, who knows when we'll ever get another chance to just and talk'. For a character that's such a jock... I doubt he's ever really had a serious conversation like that one before.

Doesn't work.

It's not like the previous time this happened to Potter in the Ping Pong episode where he had to get his friend taken off the frontline before he could get his combat infantry badge. In that episode, the bond was there; that other understood and could even appreciate why Potter made the call. When Woody storms out, well I don't really care. Harry Morgan's performance is fantastic as he really portrays Potter's internal conflict and turmoil but it's not enough to save the sequence.

Surprisingly this is one of the few episodes where Pierce comes up a bit short too. He's a very sensitive, lateral thinker Pierce; he more then has the capacity to realise how hard and confronting this would be for Potter. If the show were real, I believe the character would have had the sense to approach Sherman tactfully rather than full guns blazing assaulting Woody's character.
Again, it's not a big deal but it doesn't quite work.

There is something quite gratifying about seeing him get angry and give Hawkeye a spray though; he ain't no light touch :potter:

Heading over to the B-Storyline I have to say that I really like this version of BJ that we have; more emotional, confident and righteous than the Hunnicut of the first 5 seasons or so that he was in. His emergence out of Hawkeye's shadow really adds to the show in the final few seasons and is a big part of why IMO the last 3 seasons are lost to the best of the series... lot of good episodes and a lot of great BJ moments.

In this sequence, it's just great to see him scheme, chuckle and ultimately get his comeuppance.

Winchester is in full stride by this point in regards to mixing pompousness with arrogance and it's quite funny seeing him dig himself into the hole with Margaret, then realise his mistake and need to grovel... him giving Margaret the fan... oh so funny.

Hotlips herself holds up her end of the bargain and it actually always surprises me to see how funny Loretta Swit in her comedic moments. You have to love the show she puts on for Charles before lashing out at him.
It kind of bothers me though that the show really forcibly took us down the path of Margaret being a beacon of morality/calmness/logical etc when the character is so largely emotional and erratic. We have another example of this here in the OR when Kellye asks Margaret a medical question about an IV (IIRC) and she, w/o answering the question, brings the conversation back to her argument with Charles in the OR at the patient's expense.

None of these criticisms are major deals. None of them detract much from the episode... and whilst I like this one and watch it every time, it's just not quite up there
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