In my mind, Margaret before Korea, before Major Houlihan, was a lot like early seasons Hawkeye. Popular, used to being the center of attention, used to people liking and listening to her. Very good at fitting in.
Then came the 4077, and everything she thought she knew, everything she used to be, was just thrown out the window. Nothing was like her father had told her it would be. She didn't fit in, she wasn't in the it-group anymore. Her only possible ally was the married camp loser, who she could project images on, images of bravery, dedication and patriotism. If she squinted her eyes and pretended really, really hard, she could sort of, almost but not really, see her father in Frank, she could make him the embodiment of the army.
When you think of Margaret as the ex-partygirl used to fitting in, her complete obsession with her brand new fiancé (yuck, Donald) is so easy to understand too. She has a real man all of a sudden, isn't running around with a married nerd anymore. Some of the nurses must have fiancés too, Margaret is just like them, maybe something can really change between them now, maybe she will finally be allowed into their clique.
But it doesn't happen.
And later, there she is - the ex-party girl, choking back tears, because the nurses still aren't inviting her into the group she is supposed to fit into. Unable to change anything about herself, because how can she do that without turning soft, and thus letting her father down.
Oh, the inner life of Margaret, how I enjoy digging around in there.
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
origamiaround
