Cowboy
November 12, 1972
Written by Bob Klane
Directed by Don Weis
Guest Stars: Billy Green Bush, Alicia Bond, Rick Moses, Joe Corey
Synopsis: Casualties arrive on the chopper pad, courtesy of the Cowboy, a pilot, who gets out of the cockpit and immediately collapses.
Hawkeye operates on the Cowboy – he has a shoulder full of shrapnel, but Hawkeye thinks he will be fine.
In Post-Op later, Hawkeye talks to Cowboy, who asks if his injury is bad enough for him to be sent home, just for a little while, and Hawkeye says he will see what he can do. Cowboy also asks him if a letter for him has arrived, but as far as Hawkeye knows it hasn’t.
Meanwhile, Trapper is in a jeep with a nurse, trying to head off on a date, but Frank tries to stop him, since the jeep is army property and Trapper is technically stealing it. Henry arrives and, to Trapper’s surprise, backs Frank up and tells Trapper off for trying to take the jeep.
When Henry returns to his office, Hawkeye is waiting with Cowboy’s X-Ray, to suggest to Henry that they send him home for a little while. Henry says the injury is not bad enough, and isn’t persuaded by Hawkeye’s argument that he thinks Cowboy has an important reason for wanting to go home.
When Hawkeye gets back to the Swamp, Trapper is sulking over his ruined date, and they decide that Henry needs some relaxation to get him out of his recent bad mood. So Hawkeye and Ho-Jon take Henry golfing on the course they have hastily made up near the camp.
As they play, Henry really starts to unwind – until they are shot at. They dive into the bushes, wondering if it was a sniper, but it came from the direction of the camp. Puzzled, they decide to end the game there and go back to camp, with Henry even more stressed than he was to start with.
As Henry is going to bed that night, a jeep runs into his tent. Henry escapes, but he is shaken and angry and heads to the Swamp to accuse Trapper of trying to kill him, but Trapper protests his innocence, and Hawkeye backs him up.
Henry leaves, and Hawkeye and Trapper go to find him and make sure nothing else happens to him, but they are too late – as Hawkeye walks past the Officers’ Latrine it explodes – with Henry inside.
In Post-Op the next day, Father Mulcahy gives out the mail, and Cowboy is eager to get a letter from home, but his wife hasn’t written. He tells Hawkeye that he’s worried that she’s having an affair, and she hasn’t written for ages.
Everyone in the camp is paranoid and afraid to go near Henry, and Henry himself is at breaking point, so Hawkeye and Trapper suggest that he go to Seoul for a few days until whatever is going on has a chance to blow over.
Henry tells Frank what needs doing while he’s gone, and shows him where everything is in the office. He throws his keys onto the chair, which explodes.
By the time Henry is getting ready to leave, nobody wants to risk driving him, so Cowboy offers to take him in his chopper. Henry gratefully accepts.
As the two of them leave, Hawkeye and Trapper find gunpowder and other bomb-making equipment in Cowboy’s bag in Post-Op, and head over to Radar’s office to try to contact the chopper. As Trapper tries to get hold of Cowboy on the radio, Radar arrives with Cowboy’s letter from home. They tell Cowboy that it has arrived, but he doesn’t believe them, and tries to push Henry out of the chopper, angry that he wouldn’t let him go home and sort things out with his wife. They manage to convince him that his letter really has arrived, and read it out to him.
His wife explains in the letter that she has been tested by being tempted… and passed the test. She hasn’t been unfaithful and she loves him very much.
Filled with relief, Cowboy abandons his attempt to throw Henry out of the chopper and takes them both safely back to camp.
Review: Another episode where Margaret doesn't even appear! And a fairly dull episode generally. 4/10.
Romance Review: Trapper goes on a couple of dates. Yada yada. 2/10.
Back to Season One
Back to Episode Guide
Back Home
