- The Army is starting a new MASH unit, and the surgeons and staff of the 4077th fear they will be split up and reassigned. So they act completely unprofessional, uncouth, and incompetent in front of an army rep hoping he will reconsider.
- A general Torgeson decides to send an observer to the 4077. Potter and Torgeson went to med school together, but Torgeson washed out and was assigned to Medical Administration. So, now Torgeson rugs at Potter every once a while in a hope that he unravels. Klinger tells Hawkeye who says that Torgeson is a MASHmaker. He sets up new MASH units for a living. And he will likely pick the best of the best for the new unit from the existing MASHs in operation.
The Army is starting a new MASH unit, and the surgeons and staff of the 4077th fear they will be split up and reassigned. The rumor is started by Klinger when he finds that HQ wont assign medical supplies (they have put a temp freeze on all re-supplies and wont say why) even though they have enough stocks to start a new MASH unit. The rumor spreads like wildfire. BJ and Hawkeye are afraid that one of them will be picked (hawkeye says he will be picked as chief surgeon for the new unit. BJ feels that he has an equally good chance of being picked chief surgeon for the new unit) and they will be separated. They are going to take somebody from the 4077th, So, They tell Winchester that a Major is coming to pick a personal physician for Gen Torgeson. Klinger knows that he is considered a 5 star scrounger and even Potter gave him a good efficiency report in his last appraisal. Margaret is worried that Potter will be picked as CO for the new unit, as Torgeson and Potter go way back. Houlihan decides that the unit has to convince Torgeson that Potter is the wrong man for the job.
So they act completely unprofessional, uncouth, and incompetent in front of an army rep Major Nathaniel Burnham (Nicholas Pryor) hoping he will reconsider. Mulcahy has the job of keeping Potter away from Burnham. He gets Potter to paint a portrait of him to keep him busy (he says the Philedelphia archdiocese wants to hang his portrait in the Preists hall of fame). Meanwhile Margaret takes Burnham on a tour, featuring Klinger in an evening dress and a commentary on how old (he only authorized the use of penicillin last month) and senile Potter is, with his many naps during the day. BJ and Hawkeye pretend to eat dog meat. They even get a 4077 private to be a fake wounded and perform totally unprofessionally in front of Burnham (The patient needs a bowl resection, but Hawkeye says he has a date. So, they decide to pack him for the night and do the surgery in the morning. Then they lose the patient between PreOp and OR). Winchester lays it thick on Burnham that he is a big boxing fan (as so is Torgeson).
Just when Burnham is about to leave, a fresh batch of real wounded come in and he is able to observe just how efficient and professional the 4077 is. Burham figures everything before this point was an elaborate show for his benefit. Burnham praises the officers and confirms that the army is setting up a new MASH, but also says that they would never break up the 4077. They want to copy what is working really well and have no intention of breaking up a well gelled crew.
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