This is a tight episode that establishes some important recurring aspects of the series, namely the black market and idiocy, absurdity, and inefficiency of military bureaucracy and regulation. It is supremely ironic that Hawkeye and Trapper must scam to save lives; they must lie to the army in order to do the job the army expects and pays them to do--or at least, to do it well. Here is a further development on the theme established in the pilot, that the priority of these surgeons is saving lives, not merely ticking off boxes and following orders--doing things “the army way.” The episode provides a snapshot of how impossibly broken and corrupt the system they find themselves in is: black market and army both, each making the doctors’ jobs impossible, squeezing them from both sides.
The show never misses a chance to lampoon the brass: General Hammond won’t provide the hospital with more hydrocortisone, which will presumably save lives, because they’ve already received the allotted supply. Never mind if it was stolen; the box has been ticked off. And the General has more important things to do than talk to a lowly Lt. Colonel pleading for life-saving medicine; he has a meeting with MacArthur. Self-obsession, self-aggrandizement, and absurdly misplaced priorities are the hallmarks of the military and every antagonist on the show.
Crucially, the answer the characters provide to the problem of rampant theft is not stricter regulation and harsher discipline. If you can’t get rid of it, work with it. The solution to theft and the black market is: theft and the black market.
Charlie, the black market boss Hawkeye and Trapper go to see, is a stark contrast to General Hammond in many ways. First of all, check out his sweater and silk scarf. He looks relaxed and approachable. And the guy clearly cares about appearances, a fact Hawkeye picks up on and uses to his advantage. “For Charlie Lee, nothing but the best,” Charlie says with a winning smile and Midwestern accent. He’s personable, enjoys the finer things in life, and comes across as reasonable. No, he won’t help Hawk and Trap out of the goodness of his heart; he’s not running a charity. But he has real, concrete reasons for turning them down, unlike Hammond, who refused on empty, abstract principle. And when Hawkeye makes an offer that appeals to his vanity, he can’t refuse.
It’s also worth pointing out that Charlie and Hammond--who is simply the Brass of the Week--aren’t so different at their cores. There are plenty of instances over the course of the series wherein military men are shown to be equally susceptible to self-serving plans, even if they go against regulation. While not the focus of this episode, the hypocrisy of the brass and their “do as I say not as I do” attitude is often put in the spotlight. In this respect, the biggest difference between Charlie and Hammond is simply that Charlie never pretends to be anything he isn’t. The criminal world is like a fun house mirror to the military; it reflects back its human flaws, but wears them proudly on its sleeve.
You all know how it turns out; Henry’s oak desk, introduced as nothing but a gag about Henry’s own self-obsession, becomes the linchpin of the caper, the leverage that will allow Hawkweye and Trapper to get the hydrocortisone. Of course, stealing from one man overly concerned with appearances to give to another is presented as a morally correct action. Stealing from the rich, to give to the rich, and get what they need for the poor. Hawk and Trap are the Robin Hoods of the 4077. And while Henry is far more sympathetic and likable than either Hammond or Charlie, his fate is narratively sealed in his opening scene when he appears far more concerned with his shiny new toy than with the doctors’ dilemma. For the sake of ethics, he’s got to be taken down a peg.
(Seriously, Henry, why are you looking at your desk like that? While rubbing it and talking about solidity and strength?)
Other thoughts:
This episode was especially egregious with the use of “humorous” music cues and stingers: for instance, the “boing” sound when they open the back of the truck to find it empty. I assumed moments like that might be made slightly less awkward by a laugh track, but I checked and that’s a moment without the canned laughs!
I don’t think we ever hear again that weird “funky” version of Suicide is Painless that plays at the end as the helicopter flies off with the desk. Thank goodness.
Biggest laugh: Frank and Margaret’s exchange in Henry’s office in the dark while Hawkeye and Trapper hide behind the desk. Frank’s idea of seduction is truly something else. “Us, you, me... meeting like this... the way the flashlight catches your hair.” Cringe humor before cringe humor was a thing.
Parting thoughts: Overall, a solid follow up to the pilot. In fact, “To Market, to Market” is a classic caper that I was surprised came so early in the series, considering how that final gag of the helicopter flying off with Henry’s desk has stuck in my mind.
