Recap / M*A*S*H S2 E7: L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)

Hawkeye is trying to arrange a date with a nurse when he is asked by fellow MASHer, Phil Walker to help him get permission from the Army to marry a young Korean girl he has fallen in love and had a child with so they can go to the States as a family. The problem is that a lot of military minds frown upon interracial marriages or just assume the worst and think the non-American side is just engaging in marriage just to leave Korea and go to the States. Being the good guy that he is, Hawkeye puts up a fighting effort.

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Attention! The following tropes provide more than simple LIP service:

• Adaptational Nice Guy: A similar frame up to the movie, but Willis is a Straw Misogynist and this Hawkeye is plenty more liberal than his movie version.
• Alpha Bitch: The nurse Hawkeye is dating in this episode turns out to be one of these in regards to interracial marriages.
• Berserk Button: Frank, through Margaret, presses one of Henry's bigger ones; insulting his style of command.
  Henry: I'm expecting a CID man here momentarily. Then we can dispose of this Walker matter quick as a bunny.
  Margaret: Only Captain Pierce could get action that fast. Just another example of who's really running this outfit.
  Henry (stands up): That's pretty strong stuff, Frank.
  Margaret: It's true. You're nothing but a golf playing figurehead!
  Henry: Now you watch your language, Frank, or I might just have to punch her right in the mouth.
  Frank and Margaret flinch with Oh, Crap! expressions, realising they went too far
  • You'd think Frank would know by now not to mention his wife or marriage around Major Houlihan.
    Frank: Marriage is a very serious business. It requires careful thought and consideration. Both parties need time to think about it, to protect the sanctity of the institution. I know in my own case that only cool deliberation beforehand made my marriage a great union that will endure forever.
    Margaret: [miserably] Oh, Frank!
    Margaret leaves the office in tears. Frank has a guilty "I can't believe I said that" written all over his face
    Henry: Well, Frank, win a few, lose a few.
• By-the-Book Cop: Margaret once again displays her military strictness that often makes her an outsider.
  Margaret: The army has very clear-cut guidelines and procedures for marriage applications.
• Deadpan Snarker: Phil Walker comes into the Swamp, asking the doctors to check a patient waiting just outside.
  Hawkeye: Ah, I'd like to, Phil, but right now, I'm on drunk duty. Major Burns is the ranking medical officer here.
  Frank: And as such, I order you to see the patient.
  • Trapper has a date the same time as Hawkeye. The singular Casanova seeks to remind Trapper of his marriage.
    Hawkeye: I would remind you sir, you're a married man.
    Trapper: That's only an ugly rumour started by my wife.
  • Lieutenant Willis asks Hawkeye why Klinger is wearing a dress.
    Willis: What's that?
    Hawkeye: Corporal Klinger. He's bucking to get out.
    Willis: I wouldn't take him out for a fifty dollar bill. That's highly irregular.
    Hawkeye: Well, it's harmless.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Frank Burns has a low opinion of smoking. One can hardly blame him in this case; Trapper blew a puff of smoke right in his face.
• Fun with Acronyms: The title should say it all
  • There's also S.O.P. = Standard Operating Procedure
• Hollywood Law: Hawkeye parodies this by stating that in Hollywood movies, single women can't have babies.
• I'm a Doctor, Not a Placeholder: Margaret tries to point this out to Henry Blake about the 4077.
  Margaret: This is a hospital, not a marriage bureau.
• Jerkass: Lieutenant Willis
  Willis: Do you know why these young ladies wanna marry our guys? Huh? You think they're really crazy about us, right?
  Hawkeye: Gee, I don't know why anybody would marry an American to get away from poverty, dysentery and starvation?! You just can't please some people.
  Willis: You a Republican or a Democrat?
  Hawkeye: Who are you investigating?
• Kansas City Shuffle: Lieutenant Willis very intelligently calls the bluff on Hawkeye's frame job. Hawkeye and Trapper increase the persuasion level.
  Trapper: How can you be sure it didn't happen?
  Hawkeye: And if it did happen, we might send the pictures to your wife.
  Trapper: Or your commanding officer.
• The Last Straw: The usual full-length phrase is quoted by Frank.
  Frank: This. Is the last. Straw.
  Hawkeye: Remind me to order more straws.
  Frank: You've been reading my letter!
  Trapper: What letter?
• Late to the Realization: Henry tells Radar to deny Frank and Margaret's request to see him. They're already in the office.
  Henry: Permission denied. Tell them I'm busy.
  Radar coughs
  Henry: They're here, right?
  Radar: Yes sir.
• Noodle Incident: Henry tells Hawkeye about another soldier, Corporal Berlinger, who also wanted to marry a Korean girl. The investigation took a year and a half. Eventually, Berlinger did get married to the WAC that handled all the paperwork.
• Running Gag: The P.A. announcer made a promise that a specific film would be shown the following night. The gag? The film reels haven't arrived yet, so Henry has to make do with a couple of "Bonzo" films and a B-monster movie.
• Ship Tease: The opening scene brings out a lot of this when you notice just how many couples there are at Movie Night. Father Mulcahy certainly did.
• Skewed Priorities: Lieutenant Wills becomes more focused on drinking gin from the still than resolving the matter he had come to investigate.
• Spanner in the Works: Margaret Houlihan feels that Radar is putting too much effort into helping Hawkeye aid Phil Walker to the point that he has not been carrying out his duties in other matters. Oh, did I forget to mention she's doing it on Frank's behalf? With Frank standing right beside her?
  Henry: It's incredible. I mean, Frank, I never saw your lips move once. How do you do that?
• Title Drop: In two parts. Radar has to explain to Hawkeye what L.I.P. stands for.
  Hawkeye: LIPs?
  Radar: It's Army for the Natives. It stands for Local Indigenous Personnel.
  Hawkeye: Just leave it to the army to remind us nobody's human.
• Values Dissonance: The U.S. Army appears to take a negative attitude to their soldiers marrying Korean women. There is even one nurse who is irritatingly vocal about interracial marriages.
  • Values Resonance: Hawkeye will not stop until Phil Walker and Kim are allowed by the army to marry and go with their newborn baby to live in the States together. The nurse mentioned above is the one Hawkeye is currently dating and when she shows her true colours, he dumps her flat.
• Would Hit a Girl: Henry threatens to slug Houlihan right in the mouth for insulting how he runs the camp, which shocks both of them enough into dropping the matter.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: When Radar wants to see Henry, the colonel assumes it's about signing more paperwork.