Temporary Duty was the 22nd episode of Season 6 of the M*A*S*H TV series, also the 144th overall series episode. The episode, which was written by Larry Balmagia, was directed by Burt Metcalfe and was originally aired on CBS-TV on February 13, 1978.
Plot synopsis[]
In a temporary personnel exchange, Hawkeye and Nurse Bigelow are sent to the 8063rd. B.J. and Charles have to put up with Hawkeye's replacement while the temporary nurse reconnects with Margaret, who is an old friend.
Full plot summary[]
A temporary staff exchange sends Hawkeye and Nurse Bigelow to the 8063rd for a week, while another surgeon and nurse from their camp come to the 4077th.
Winchester is initially overjoyed at Hawkeye's being away for a week, and is in such a good mood that he even tolerates Radar's homespun homilies. But then the two temporary replacements arrive in camp: Captain Roy DuPree, a surgeon; and Captain Lorraine Anderson, a nurse. Lorraine asks about Margaret, who is an old friend whom she hasn't seen in three years. Margaret lets Lorraine stay with her in her tent while DuPree bunks in the Swamp with B.J. and Charles, who both quickly get a closer look at the kind of guy DuPree is.
DuPree is a 1944 graduate from the University of Arkansas, and he is also a full-fledged Southern "good ol' boy". Charles chides DuPree's mawkish sense of humor and boorish personality, but DuPree overlooks it saying he still likes Charles, though he wrongly guesses that he went to Yale, which Charles aggressively corrects. DuPree is looking forward to all the fun the three of them are going to have together, but wounded arrive, and it's time to go to work.
In the OR, Potter is having difficulty with a patient, and DuPree, in between his own patients, assists a grateful Potter, who is impressed with DuPree's handiwork and likes his Southern style. Meanwhile, Charles invites Lorraine over to observe him working on another patient. But Margaret raises an eyebrow when Charles and Lorraine start flirting with one another during surgery and admonishes Lorraine to keep the dialogue professional in OR. After surgery, Margaret reprimands Lorraine again, and as Lorraine walks away, she comments on how Margaret has changed.
Later in the Mess Tent, Lorraine is regaling Charles, B.J., and Father Mulcahy with a funny story from their nursing school days, and Margaret leaves in disgust (this part is usually cut out of syndicated airings). DuPree arrives (also cut from syndication is a brief scene of DuPree laughing at Klinger, much to Klinger's aggravation) and joins them, prompting Charles and Lorraine to leave. After remarking on how good the food is compared to the 8063rd, DuPree talks to B.J. about plans to add some decorations to the Swamp. When B.J. reminds him his stay is only temporary, DuPree says that he intends to make a permanent change to the 4077th, which B.J. is inwardly not looking forward to. DuPree then brags about how much of a party animal he is, while B.J. remarks on how the camp also likes their peace and quiet. DuPree, despite B.J.'s protesting, turns to Mulcahy saying he should ease up on the soldiers, mentioning that he believes in "a little religion", but also believes in "a lot of good, clean, dirty fun". His words don't sit very well with Mulcahy, but he still forgives him and excuses himself from the table. When Potter enters the Mess Tent, DuPree catches up to him and makes his request to be reassigned to the 4077th. To B.J.'s dismay, Potter, who has taken a liking to DuPree, says he'll put it through as soon as he can.
In the Swamp, B.J. and Charles are lamenting about the probability of DuPree's permanent residence with them, with Charles remarking "It'll be like living in a prairie purgatory". Just moments later, DuPree returns, drunk as a skunk from Rosie's Bar. When B.J. picks up DuPree and is clumsily carrying him piggyback style to his cot, DuPree mentions that growing up he used to ride his dad's ponies back home. Charles, doing some quick thinking, asks B.J. who's turn it was to take Sophie for a walk. Quickly picking up on Charles' train of thought, B.J. plays along and says it's his turn. When they mention Sophie is a horse, the "camp mascot", DuPree begs them to let him take her for a ride, and they cautiously agree, telling him Sophie's stable is right behind the motor pool. DuPree eagerly takes off, and B.J. delights in Charles' sneakiness and asks where he learned to be so underhanded; he replies he learned it from watching him and Hawkeye, and they both happily venture out from the Swamp to watch DuPree make a fool of himself.
Meanwhile, Lorraine returns to Margaret's tent only to find her belongings packed, with Margaret coldly mentioning that she thought Lorraine would prefer bunking with the other nurses. Before she leaves, Lorraine again remarks about how Margaret has changed, and hits a nerve when she points out that Margaret sounds like "one of those rigid, sour old nurses we used to make fun of". Margaret finally opens up about what's been bothering her: She resents that Lorraine is still as free and open as they both were in the past while Margaret is not. When asked why she changed, Margaret explains that one night she was partying it up; the next day, she found herself in Korea in charge of ten nurses. She felt that she had to toughen up to keep her nurses from going soft. Lorraine suggests that Margaret should let her hair down with her friends once in a while. But when Margaret says she has no friends in camp, Lorraine encourages Margaret to open up to her campmates, and let them know what she's always known, what a warm and caring person she truly is. Realizing Lorraine is right, Margaret gives her a hug.
Soon enough, DuPree is drunkenly riding Sophie bareback around the compound, and Potter, disturbed by the noise, comes out of his tent. When he sees DuPree on his horse, he angrily orders him to dismount (he promptly falls off), and then growls that he doesn't want to see DuPree in his camp again, adding, "In fact, this war ain't big enough for the two of us!"
The next morning, Lorraine and DuPree are ready to head back to the 8063rd. Lorraine gives Margaret another embrace, and Charles was hoping to drink a toast with Lorraine before she left, but she declines as she has to drive back with a badly hungover DuPree, who is lamenting about last night how he had no way of knowing Sophie belonged to Potter. After they leave, Margaret asks B.J. and Charles to join her in a cup of coffee in the Mess Tent. Initially confused, they agree, looking at each other in slight amazement as to her change.
That evening, Hawkeye and Bigelow return. Hawkeye complains that the surgeons and staff at the 8063rd hated him, thought that he was dull, and said that the 4077th "had gotten the better end of the deal." After a few moments of feigning with B.J. as if they regretted his return, Charles says to him, "Pierce, I never thought the day would come when I would admit this... but God, I missed you!" He and B.J. then tackle a very surprised Hawkeye with a big bear hug.
Recurring cast/Guest stars[]
Research Notes/Fun facts[]
- George Lindsey was known to TV fans for his portrayal of Goober Pyle (Gomer's cousin) on The Andy Griffith Show and its sequel series Mayberry R.F.D. After both shows left the airwaves, Lindsey (again as Goober) joined the cast of the syndicated country music show Hee Haw; he remained a member of the Hee Haw cast for 20 years (1972-1992).
- Roy DuPree graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1944; at least after his graduation he would have been subject to the draft for World War II 1944-1946; with at least 8 years service 1944-1952, his rank would have been a Major, not a Captain (this implies that DuPree was probably demoted at some point).
- In a brief shot of the Swamp background, when DuPree drunkenly comes in from Rosie's, a brief glimpse of the cupboard once used by Frank Burns to hold a picture of his mother now has a picture of US President Harry S. Truman, despite the fact that after December 1952, in "The Late Captain Pierce," the President is Dwight Eisenhower.
- What makes this a greater anomaly is the fact that President Truman was a Democrat. The cupboard is now being used by Winchester, who is a staunch, proud Republican.
- In the full, unedited episode, Winchester is shown nailing a Boston directional sign to the top of the iconic fingerpost sign that stands outside the Swamp. A possible anomaly exists, since we've seen a Boston sign at the bottom of the post in previous seasons, and the sign is gone by the time the series ends (and we don't see it leaving with Winchester).
- Also, Winchester's Boston sign is the only directional that's ever been on the post that did not have the mileage on it (for the record, Boston, MA is 6,782 mi from Uijeongbu, South Korea).
- DuPree repeatedly mispronounces B.J.'s name throughout the episode, calling him "J.B.", "J.J.", "B.G.", "J.G.", & "B.B." (he finally pronounces it correctly after stumbling in from Rosie's Bar).
- In this episode, Potter states the 8063rd's CO, a Colonel Wheatley, is nicknamed "Ol' White-Walls" - this contradicts "Souvenirs (TV series episode)" from Season 5. When Potter wants to beat the 8063rd's pole sitting record, he mentions his rivalry with their CO named Drake. It's possible the CO position changed hands between seasons, as the 4077th's CO changed during the show (the rivalry could have existed prior to Drake becoming CO - Col. Potter is shown throughout the show to have many long-term friends in the Army).
- This is the shortest appearance of Alan Alda in a M*A*S*H episode, as he only appears in 2 scenes: one at the very beginning and one at the very end. In total, Alda only appears for about 2 minutes in this episode.