Howitzer "Al" Houlihan comes to the camp. He is now retired military and has take a civilian job. Even though he stops to see his daughter, he treats her in the coldest of ways. She has been on cloud nine (though she is driving everyone nuts), an can't please the guy. There is also incredible tension because he is really annoyed at the way Pierce and Hunnicutt are dressed. He is in their faces (one of the interesting things that comes across over and over is the fact the Hawkeye and B.J. couldn't put away their confrontational garb for a day or so out of respect for Margaret). Still, he seems to be full of anger about life in general. Anyway, there is more to his problem than meets the eye. It takes some intervention from Potter to get to the bottom of things.
3 Reviews
P*O*P*S
safenoe11 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In this episode, which debuted 40 years ago, we meet Margaret's father who is a retired colonel. There's an undercurrent of tension in the visit, and Margaret becomes despondent at the way Pops is acting. He stays in the V.I.P.'s tent, so good use of the apostraphe for sure.
Art La Fleur plays a military policeman who appears at the end and absolves Hawkeye and Co from illegally rustling up beef from a general.
Art La Fleur plays a military policeman who appears at the end and absolves Hawkeye and Co from illegally rustling up beef from a general.
A Father's Love
ramsfan2 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Margaret anxiously awaits the arrival of her father, retired Colonel "Howitzer Al" Houlihan who is now paying the 4077th a visit as a civilian military advisor. The elder Houlihan appears cold and unfeeling, paying no heed to his daughter's earnest attempts at impressing her father. His mood worsens as he observes the frivolity of Pierce and Honicutt. When he sees them in non-military garb at the camp watering hole, he regards their irreverence as a mockery of the Army and storms off, leading to a face-to-face with Col. Potter, who's concerned with Al's mood and the impact it's had on his daughter. Potter's intervention reveals the reasons for the elder Houlihan's discontent and forces him to take stock of himself.
The episode is a good one, bolstered by the performances of veteran character actor Andrew Duggan and Loretta Swit. Margaret's reaction when her father expresses his pride in her while swallowing his own is a touching scene, showing us how important a father's validation is to his child, even into adulthood.
A light-hearted side plot involves the 4077th pilfering a stock of beef from Supply. Solid 9th season episode.
The episode is a good one, bolstered by the performances of veteran character actor Andrew Duggan and Loretta Swit. Margaret's reaction when her father expresses his pride in her while swallowing his own is a touching scene, showing us how important a father's validation is to his child, even into adulthood.
A light-hearted side plot involves the 4077th pilfering a stock of beef from Supply. Solid 9th season episode.
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