Deal Me Out

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"Deal Me Out" was the 37th episode of the M*A*S*H television series and the thirteenth of season two. The episode aired on December 8, 1973.

Plot[]

Captain Sam Pak (Pat Morita) and Dr. Sidney Freedman (Allan Arbus) arrive at the 4077th for a "conference," and are each greeted by Radar. Radar later informs Hawkeye, Trapper, and Henry that everyone is here for the conference and it's set to begin at 18:00. Radar also asks to borrow a jeep stating that he and some of the enlisted men were going out to a bar in the area. When 18:00 arrives, it turns out that the "conference" is actually a marathon poker game in the Swamp, with Henry Blake, Hawkeye, Trapper, and Klinger. The game is subject to several interruptions. Klinger brings sandwiches from the mess tent, to which he states that the selections are "ham, chicken, and something brown that just lays there."

Shortly afterwards, Radar comes into the Swamp looking a little worried. He pulls Henry away from the game and tells him that he accidentally may have run over a local Korean. Henry worries Radar stating that hitting a Korean national is a crime, and if he is found out, Radar could be arrested and jailed for a long time. Radar and Henry go and inspect the Korean, who is an elderly man. Radar attempts to apologize to him but he doesn't speak English. Henry isn't able to find anything wrong outright, but the elderly Korean appears to be laying stiff. While this is going on, a nurse offers one of the wounded soldiers, Private Carter (John Ritter), some food, which he rejects. Frank scolds the soldier about wasting food. Carter tells him that he refuses to go back to the front lines. Frank accuses him of goldbricking and threatens to send him back out to the front that night.

Later, a wounded soldier is brought into the hospital, but Frank Burns refuses to operate on him as he is an intelligence officer; and protocol dictates that a second such officer must be present before he can be anesthetized in case the first officer tells any secrets by accident while put under. Frank mentions this to everyone in the Swamp and that another CID officer is on the way and should be here "anytime." This does not sit well with Hawkeye and Trapper who decide to operate immediately due to the serious nature of the man's injuries. Frank warns them that in doing so, they are violating Army regulations, to which Hawkeye tells Frank "We promise to keep saluting all during the operation." CID officer Captain Halloran (Edward Winter) eventually arrives from headquarters, some time after surgery is over. He learns from Frank what had happened and the two go to the Swamp to arrest Hawkeye and Trapper for violating regulations. When Henry asks if they really did that, Hawkeye says they did, stating "He was bleeding, Henry. And Frank here, who studied medicine under General Rommel was too chicken to operate! He was afraid that under anesthesia, the Lieutenant might give away Harry Truman's hat size!" Hawkeye then assures Captain Halloran that no information was leaked during the operation and Trapper states that the Lieutenant will be "up and snooping in a week." Convinced, Halloran joins the conference, much to Frank's dismay.

Radar comes in and gives Henry an update on the elderly Korean man who is now fine, but he is threatening to report Radar to the MP's unless Radar gives him $50. Captain Pak is able to deduce that the elderly Korean man is a well known "professional accident victim" known as "Whiplash Hwang" who pretends to let vehicles bang into him and then he tries to extort units for whatever he can. Everybody in the Swamp chips in $10 and Radar thanks them and leaves. Suddenly, gunshots are heard ringing across the camp. Radar bolts back into the Swamp and reports that a patient "blew his cork." Sidney is called forward to help, but he refuses stating "I'm not going out there without a bullet proof couch!" The patient is Private Carter who Frank has continued to antagonize all night to the point where he has had enough. He finds Frank in the shower and holds Frank at gunpoint. The rest of the group from the Swamp shows up outside of the shower tent and Sidney tries to talk Carter down stating that Frank was a good man, a terrific doctor, and a great human being. Henry and Hawkeye comment on Sidney's description wondering if Fr. Mulcahy should be brought into this with Hawkeye stating "He can give the truth the last rights." Meanwhile, Trapper sneaks into the tent from behind and manages to subdue Carter. In the aftermath, Radar drives up in an ambulance but Whiplash Hwang once again pretends to get hit by him. Hawkeye and Trapper help him up and escort him back to Post Op stating "Come on, Whiplash. You've had a busy day."

Notes[]

Generally considered one of the best episodes of the series, "Deal Me Out" marks the first of Edward Winter's eight appearances on M*A*S*H. In all subsequent appearances, he portrayed Intelligence Officer Colonel Flagg. This first appearance—as Captain Halloran—is often cited by fans as the same character, with Halloran being one of Flagg's many aliases. In the fourth-season episode "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?", Flagg's and Dr. Freedman's conversation refers to a previous poker game that the two had attended.

In "What's Up, Doc?" it is Major Winchester who is taken hostage by an unstable patient, although Klinger soon trades places with Winchester.

Quotes[]

Klinger: Hi, sirs! Sandwiches from the Mess Tent!
Hawkeye: I hope everybody likes carrier pidgeon.
Klinger: There's ham, chicken, and something brown that just lays there.

Hawkeye: I wonder what the chances are of my getting the 5th Jack? Oh well, not to worry.
Sidney: Your five, and up five!
Klinger: That's mean!
Sidney: I'm gonna beat the pants off ya, lady!

Halloran: Pierce? McIntyre? You two are under arrest!
Henry: Woah! Hold the phone! I'm Col. Blake, here. Nobody arrests them without telling me the whys, the wherefores, or the reason thereofs!
Frank: They operated on a CID man without another CID man standing by!
Halloran: [Introduces himself] Captain Halloran.
Henry: Okay. Did you guys really do that?
Trapper: Henry, the guy could have died!
Hawkeye: He was bleeding, Henry! And Frank here, who studied medicine under General Rommel, was too chicken to operate! He was afraid that under anesthesia, the Lieutenant might give away Harry Truman's hat size!

External links[]

• "Deal Me Out" at IMDb