Lieutenant Watson was a nurse who made two credited appearances in Season 2 of the M*A*S*H TV series, "Hot Lips and Empty Arms" and "Officers Only". Two other uncredited appearances in "Dear Dad... Three" and "The Incubator" are also described in this article because there is some continuity in the character. The part of Lieutenant Watson was the second credited role for actress Sheila Lauritsen who is also one of the five nurses in the opening sequence shown running towards the chopper pad. Prior to this, Lauritsen had played the role of Lieutenant Hardy.
About Nurse Watson[]
In an uncredited appearance in "Dear Dad...Three", Henry tries to chat up the nurse played by Sheila Lauritsen during the happy hour scene towards the end of the episode. He says, "Look, I'm your commanding officer. I can promote you in the field, or we can go back to my place." Henry's interest in this blonde nurse continues in "Officers Only" where he finally succeeds. This continuity makes it plausible to treat all the appearances of Lauritsen in between as belonging to the same character.
In the next, also uncredited, appearance in "The Incubator", Lauritsen's blonde nurse character flirts with Trapper when he turns up in Post-Op trying to disguise his hangover behind a pair of aviator sunglasses.
Two episodes later, in "Hot Lips and Empty Arms" the nurse, now credited as Watson, is helping Frank and Hawkeye in the O.R. Now it is Hawkeye's turn to chat her up. He asks her what she is doing after the operation, but this leads to Margaret (who is in a bad mood) reminding them sternly that the O.R. is not a cocktail lounge. She comes over and reprimands Watson for not keeping an accurate count of the lap sponges. Watson says she counted ten but Margaret can only see nine in the bucket. Watson is sure there is none in the patient. Margaret looks around and finally spots the missing sponge on the floor. She tells Watson to be more careful the next time as they might have had to open up the patient again.
In "Officers Only", the next episode, Henry comes out of O.R. into the scrub room with Watson and tries to carry on where he left on a few episodes ago. He says that she did good work and "How about if I pick you up about 8:00, your tent?" "And then?" she asks. "About 8:15, my tent," he replies. But this doesn't work as she leaves saying, "Doctor, you're naughty." Henry chases after her but is intercepted by Hawkeye and Trapper who are trying to get his support to open the Officers' Club to all enlisted personnel.
Henry does succeed finally. He is shown dancing cheek to cheek with Watson in the Officers' Club as the episode ends. But by the next episode, Henry would have found someone else ... in Tokyo....
Gallery[]
