Margaret is giving herself a home permanent when a group of wounded arrive, forcing her into the cold air with wet hair. Among the wounded is Lt. Curtis Collins, whose heroics on the battlefield are relayed to Col. Potter by one of his men. Meanwhile, when chided for the smell of her perm treatment, Margaret explains that she is attending a lecture in two days by noted ER surgeon Dr. Steven Chesler, whom Charles ridicules as a quack with good publicity. However, the next morning, Margaret is horrified to discover she can hardly speak, and a reluctant Charles is dragged into examining her, diagnosing her with severe laryngitis. He suggests she speak as little as possible before her trip to Seoul.
That same morning, Major General Addison Collins, Lt. Collins' father, arrives to visit his recovering son, during which the younger Collins is audibly short of breath. Hawkeye, his doctor, tells the general that it may be post-operative pneumonia, but it is potentially a sign of a fat embolism, and although he says the lieutenant is probably out of danger, "probably" is not enough to allay the general's concerns, and he sets up a trailer in the camp to plan a major offensive while staying close to his son.
Margaret receives a call from Dr. Chesler, which Charles has to take for her to act as her voice; the visiting doctor has had to cancel his lecture, but can meet Margaret if she can get to Seoul the next morning. However, with no improvement in her laryngitis, Margaret asks Charles to send Chesler a telegram cancelling their meeting. The next day, she is stunned when Chesler turns up in person, explaining that he could hardly refuse "her" invitation, even if it was Charles' voice on the phone... inadvertently revealing to Margaret that Charles organised the meeting for her after seeing how much it meant to her.
Sadly, Lt. Collins' story ends more tragically as the fat embolism makes its way into his lungs and suffocates him. Hawkeye is forced to be the Bearer of Bad News to General Collins, who tells Hawkeye that it was Curtis' idea to join the Army, not his, and that although he recognises that the soldiers who die by the numbers under his command are always mourned by someone back home, he had previously been able to think of them as other men's sons. He and Hawkeye share a toast "to all men's sons" before the general has to go back to planning an offensive he knows will result in more deaths.
In The Tag, a grateful Margaret kisses a stunned Charles on the lips for his role in arranging her meeting with Dr. Chesler.
Attention, all personnel! Major General Collins has requested the following tropes:
- Bearer of Bad News: Hawkeye, who is no stranger to losing patients in war, has the unfortunate task of telling a father face-to-face that his son has died.
- The Chains of Commanding: Discussed by General Collins who is painfully aware that every soldier who dies under his command is someone else's loved one.General Collins: In this room they're pins. When they die out there... you can't feel the pain in here. When enough of them die... you just remove a pin. So many wars, campaigns, battles. Not enough time to give names to the dead. They just die by the numbers. I always knew that somewhere for every number... there was somebody to cry. But I never heard the crying in this room. They were always other men's sons.
- Downer Ending: Curtis dies from a sudden fat embolism and Hawkeye has the unfortunate task of telling General Collins, who is devastated at losing his only son. After sharing a moment together talking about Curtis and the true cost of war, Hawkeye and General Collins share a somber drink together toasting to every man's son lost in war. Just as Hawkeye leaves, he overhears General Collins who, although saddened at losing his son, is bound by duty and responsibility to continue issuing orders that will inevitably lead to more soldiers like his son killed.
- Father to His Men: Lieutenant Curtis Collins, who was (fatally) wounded taking out an enemy bunker to save his men.Hawkeye: Curt was in a lot of pain, but the only thing that concerned him was his men. They thought he was pretty special too.
- Foreshadowing: When General Collins is visiting his son over breakfast, Lt. Collins deliriously mumbles, "Thanks for the wagon, Jimmy." This is our first sign that his condition is far more serious than his father realises.
- Lost Voice Plot: Margaret's storyline focuses on her coping with a laryngitis attack.
- Mood Whiplash: In the episode's final act, after the heartwarming scene of Margaret finally meeting Dr. Chesler thanks to Charles making arrangements behind her back as a special favour to her, we cut to Post-Op and Kellye telling a patient that his temperature is back to normal... seconds before Lt. Collins starts gasping and choking as the fat embolism enters his lungs, followed by Hawkeye delivering the bad news to General Collins.
- Outliving One's Offspring: General Collins is devastated that his only son Curtis has died.
- Pet the Dog: Compared to his earlier Deadpan Snarker interactions with Glory Hound high-ranking officers in previous episodes, Hawkeye is gentler and sympathetic with General Collins, who is devastated at the news of his son's death.Hawkeye: I barely knew your son. You kneel over a kid for a few seconds in the compound, and, uh... if there's time, you read a dog tag and call him by name. But there are too many to really remember. But sometimes the special ones stick out. Curt was in a lot of pain, but the only thing that concerned him was his men. They thought he was pretty special too.General Collins: Thanks. I guess the only thing you didn't like about him... was his father.Hawkeye: No, let's... let's just say... that we... we see things differently.
- Trivially Obvious: When Margaret wakes Charles up to take her phone call from Dr. Chesler, Charles is spectacularly unimpressed by the man at the other end of the phone, opening with "Dr. Chesler! Well! This is indeed a... phone call."
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: General Collins believes this is what got his son killed.General Collins: You may find this hard to believe, Pierce, but I never pushed Curt to make a career of the army. It's a tough, tough life. But he wanted to be like his old man. And I guess, when a boy sees the uniform with all its brass and ribbons, he... he doesn't see the dirt and blood that line it. And I'm sure he felt the way to make me proud was to do as I did, only better. And that's what got him killed.
