An eternal question

[scarfman]

There's a late 1975 M*A*S*H episode with a scene in the mess tent, when Hot Lips and Frank come from the chow line to sit at a table where Hawkeye, B.J., and Potter are already sitting. This was the first year B.J. and Potter were on. As the two majors walk up B.J. gets to his feet, and Hot Lips notes unpleasantly that at least one of the three male officers are mannerly enough to rise when a woman approaches. B.J. rebuts it was just that his short were riding up. I've always wondered about this one.

Remember that B.J. was still the new kid on the block - he'd arrived a week before Potter did (that is, both out-text, in the episode before Potter did, and in-text, per a line of dialog of B.J.'s in The Bus) but Potter was a longtime veteran of assimilating into new army units. That may mean that B.J. still had civilian, civilized reflexes enough to rise for a woman as was still done socially in the 50s. And it may mean that, having it drawn attention to, he panicked and dismissed it because neither Hawkeye nor Potter did it (Hawkeye no doubt because he didn't like her, Potter perhaps only because they approached from behind him [if they did, I don't remember for sure]); which is to say, B.J. succumbed to a momentary bout of peer pressure, something one doesn't like to believe of one's role models. So, one of the things I'll go to my grave wondering is:

Were B.J.'s shorts really riding up?

Comments

[dave-iii.livejournal.com]

I can add more possibilities to mess with your head:

Assuming the time between arrival and this incident was fairly short (anywhere from a couple of weeks to just over a month seems right), this would still be plenty of time for Margaret to get under B.J.'s skin; Regular Army vs. Civilian in a soldier suit. He might have just been trying to bug her-- new kid-itis notwithstanding, this seems in character to me.

Another possibility comes from outside the show: It may have originally been written as a Hawkeye line but given to B.J. to maintain line quota. They were still, as I recall, deciding where to go with him (Wayne Rogers' complaints of Trapper being a second Hawkeye were probably still ringing in their ears) and may have been deciding how things worked.

And, after all is said and done, the possibility of it really being his shorts doesn't seem far fetched, either...

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

Maybe B.J., upon hearing her respond in a less-than-ladylike manner to his gentlemanliness, decided to snark right back at her. It wasn't necessarily peer pressure.

[moiange.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking he acted reflexively because he was definately the more mannerly, between himself and Hawkeye. But then when Margaret defaulted to wench mode, he pushed her buttons for the fun of it.

Seems to me that it all stays in character. BJ was always painted a little less sharp and sarcastic than Hawkeye, but he definately enjoys pushing people's buttons.

[dave-iii.livejournal.com]

And when it's Margaret and Frank, it's almost impossible not to push their buttons. They can't even walk into a room without inviting snide behavior.