BJ and Charles have been selected to write an article for the American College of Surgeons about a patient they operated on together, but their collaboration quickly breaks down into petty bickering. Meanwhile, Margaret's old flame Scully has come to pay a visit—but it turns out the two of them have very different ideas of romance.
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- Almighty Janitor: Scully claims to be this, saying that even though he's been busted down to private, he's still the man the soldiers follow on the battlefield—even the officers.
- Bittersweet Ending: For Margaret and Scully's subplot. They make up from their fight and end the episode on good terms, and Scully's got a better understanding of Margaret and maybe even of women in general. But he also decides that he and Margaret are too different to be compatible, much to her disappointment.
- Book Dumb: It's not hard to see why Hawkeye is able to beat Igor roundly at Scrabble, when the latter not only doesn't know what "theremin" means, he can't even spell "pig" correctly.
- Brick Joke: At one point in their arguing, Charles suggests to BJ that the latter's contribution to the operation was so minimal that the article should be credited to "Charles Emerson Winchester, et al." After getting roundly scolded by Potter, Charles and BJ agree that the article should be credited to the entire unit, "et al."
- Continuity Nod:
- When Margaret outlines her "minimum standard qualifications" for an ideal man, she mentions both Frank Burns and her ex-husband Donald Penobscot.
- Hawkeye says he wouldn't change himself for a woman he loved while attending medical school; presumably he's referring to Carlye from "The More I See You".
- Declining Promotion: Scully, who sees himself as a true soldier, mentions he's had opportunities to become an officer and turned them down, much to Margaret's horror.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Margaret is a little taken aback by Scully's open disdain for officers. Scully counters it by saying Margaret isn't a real officer, describing her rank as "just an honorary thing, so you can boss around a bunch of nurses." The conversation devolves from there.Margaret: You'll notice these leaves come in gold, not pink for girls or blue for boys!
- Distracted by the Sexy: As soon as Scully enters the mess tent, everyone else in the vicinity disappears as far as Margaret is concerned.BJ: Margaret, can I just ask you one simple question about the operation?Margaret: [smiling, in a dreamy voice] Of course. [walks away]
- Eating the Eye Candy: When Scully reenters Margaret's tent, the sight of her in Klinger's dress strikes him speechless. Unfortunately, it's not enough—for either of them.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Hawkeye makes a few jokes about being jealous when the news about BJ and Charles' article is announced, but starts leaning into this trope far more heavily when BJ's preoccupation with the article leaves him with less patience for Hawkeye's antics, to the point of storming out of the Swamp in a huff.
- Hypocritical Humor: Margaret is losing patience with Klinger's attempts at a makeover:Margaret: Klinger, I need a dress that shows I'm soft, alluring and demure. And if you don't help me, I'm gonna break your cheeks.
- Heel Realization: Both BJ and even Charles are humbled by Potter's What the Hell, Hero? speech described below.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Margaret ends up at the Officer's Club twice for this after both encounters with Scully go poorly.
- Manchild: Hawkeye's tendencies towards this are on full display here, from making a paper airplane in Potter's office (that the Colonel snatches away before he can throw it), to getting pissy when BJ is too busy working on his article to goof around with him, to trying to get an uninterested Father Mulcahy to go along with his gag of buying a jeep, to badgering Igor into playing Scrabble with him. It's only after he realizes Margaret is genuinely upset over Scully's departure that he settles down and lets himself be the (semi-)sober voice of wisdom.
- Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: Discussed in The Tag by Margaret and Hawkeye:Hawkeye: You know, maybe you and I are just too choosy. We're both waiting for a perfect fit in an off-the-rack world.Margaret: Sounds like a long wait.
- Not So Above It All: While nobody can claim to be surprised that Charles gives full reign to his ego when writing the article, the normally level-headed BJ quickly starts finding reasons to be peevish as well, even regarding a small thing as whose name goes first.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Margaret invokes this to try to make things up with Scully, with help from Klinger.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: BJ and Charles' attempt at collaboration very quickly devolves into this.BJ: I'm not gonna let "Dr. Did-little" rob me of the credit I deserve.Charles: One cannot rob an empty safe.
- Shout-Out:
- Hawkeye, absolutely gleeful at seeing BJ and Charles at odds:
Hawkeye:What's this? Trouble in paradise? Is Jeanette MacDonald stomping on Nelson Eddy's Mountie hat?- Also BJ's "Dr. Did-little" crack listed above.
- Stay in the Kitchen: Very much Scully's attitude towards women; he expects them to look pretty, serve him food and drink, and uh...you know. And seemingly little else.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Potter's had enough of BJ and Charles' squabbling, he gives them one of these, pointing out that a lot of other people were responsible for Howser's survival than just them.
- Word, Schmord!: When Klinger tries to reassure Margaret that the dress he's picked out for her just needs to be altered, she says, "Alter, schmalter."
