After being handed a hefty bar tab at the Officers' Club, Hawkeye vows to give up alcohol for a week. Unfortunately, the ensuing personality changes from detoxing leave his colleagues almost as irritable as he is. Meanwhile, Charles receives a letter informing him that his sister Honoria is engaged...to an Italian.
Attention, all personnel! Along with alcohol, Captain Pierce will abstain from the following tropes for one week:
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Inverted, as all of Hawkeye's annoying qualities (the sanctimony, self-righteousness, loudness, being an Attention Whore) get magnified when he's sober and everyone gets sick of him.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Sick of his bunkmates' talking well-into the night, B.J. finally shouts this at a sloshed Charles for dictating a letter to Honoria.
- Brick Joke: The tag has Hawkeye and Charles observe the North Korean POW sleep and quietly discuss things. All of a sudden, in the next bed, a sleep-deprived B.J. sits up.B.J.: Isn't there anyplace in this camp I can go to get a decent night's sleep?!
- Comically Missing the Point: After Father Mulcahy "accidentally" drops his tray on Charles's foot for insulting the Irish, Charles can only ask, "Why is everyone so testy?"
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Charles's bigotry against Italians gets called out several times. In his mind, the only reprieve to the situation is saying that at least his sister isn't marrying an Irishman, in front of Father Mulcahy!
- A Father to His Men: In the face of a grenade, Potter calmly orders anyone in the O.R. who doesn't need to be there to leave now for their own safety.
- Foreshadowing: This episode in particular foreshadows the rejection Klinger and his wife Soon-Lee will face from Klinger's family in the Aftershow AfterMASH due to her Korean heritage.
- Heel Realization: After finding out that Honoria's fiance's family was the one who called off the wedding over religious differences and having a near-death scare in the OR, Charles sends her a telegram to apologize for his initial attitude towards her engagement.
- Hypocrite: When the wedding is called off over religious differences, Charles is initially rather dismissive of the groom's family for this lack of tolerance, despite him going on at length about objecting his sister marrying an Italian.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Ultimately averted. After nearly being killed by a grenade in the operating room, Hawkeye files into the Officers' Club and orders a drink with a day left on his pledge. Margaret and BJ encourage him finish out his dry week, while Potter understands, saying anyone would need a stiff one after that. Hawkeye admits that he needs a drink, pauses in realization of what he just said, then leaves, saying "I'll be back when I want it, not when I need it".
- Oh, Crap!: Hawkeye when he sees the North Korean POW has a grenade.
- Only Sane Man: While everyone does get sick of Hawkeye and Charles, it's B.J. who actually has to live with both. He quickly has it up to his mustache with the both of them.
- Precision F-Strike: From Mulcahey, of all people, during the search for the grenade pin.Mulcahey: "Move your damn foot, you're standing on it!"
- Race Against the Clock: Hawkeye manages to keep the grenade from going off, struggling with the North Korean POW the entire time. Due to equipment being damaged during the struggle, though, they can't simply put the guy under. Hawkeye and everyone else has to find a way to keep the North Korean POW docile long enough for Klinger to go get an ether mask.
- Running Gag: Someone replying "Boston, Massachusetts?" every time Charles mentions Boston.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Between Hawkeye's magnified annoying qualities and Charles ranting about his sister wanting to marry an Italian, B.J. is irritated up to his mustache and just wants some sleep. When they won't shut up, Beej storms outside to find a quiet place to sleep.
- Stealth Pun: Winchester's bigotted comments cause Mulcahey to get his Irish up.
- Suicide Attack: The North Korean POW sneaks a live grenade into the OR with the intent of suicide-bombing the 4077th. Luckily Father Mulcahey finds the pin while Hawkeye fights to keep the POW from setting off the bomb and they save the camp.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Hawkeye gets a lot of grief for his increasingly bad attitude, with Margaret the only one being understanding. When he accuses her of wanting him to fail at his dry week, she shouts at him for being an ungrateful jerk and storms out. Potter tells Hawkeye that she is absolutely right.
- You Know I'm Black, Right?: As Mulcahy tries to placate Winchester over being upset his sister's engagement, only for Winchester to piss him off by saying "At least she's not marrying an Irishman." Earlier, he ends up angering Klinger as well.Winchester: How would you feel if your sister was marrying a swarthy, dark-haired olive picker?Klinger: She did! And for your information, Major, so did my mother and my grandmother not to mention the future Mrs. Max Klinger, whoever she is!
