"The Moose" is an episode of the television series M*A*S*H. It was the fifth episode broadcast and aired on October 15, 1972, and repeated May 27, 1973. It was written by Laurence Marks and directed by Hy Averback.
| "The Moose" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Hy Averback |
| Written by | Laurence Marks |
| Production code | J305 |
| Original air date | October 15, 1972 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Paul Jenkins Virginia Ann Lee, TV credit (Virginia Baker) | |
Guest cast is Paul Jenkins as Sergeant Baker, Virginia Ann Lee as Young-Hi, Timothy Brown as Spearchucker Jones, Craig Jue as Benny, Barbara Brownell as Lt. Jones, Patrick Adiarte as Ho-Jon.
Overview edit
Sergeant Baker stops by the 4077th with his "moose"; a teenage Korean girl named Young-Hi whom he bought. Obsessed with freeing the girl, Hawkeye wins her from Baker in a card game, but now Young-Hi thinks she belongs to Hawkeye.[1][2][3][4][5]
Baker agrees to trade Young-Hi for the debt he runs up. However, he explains to Young-Hi that she now belongs to Hawkeye, rather than that she is free, as was Pierce's intent. Pierce first attempts to get rid of Young-Hi by sending her on a truck to Seoul, but she gets off when the truck stops for gas and hitchhikes back to the 4077th.
Eventually Pierce, Jones and McIntyre decide to "demoosify" Young-Hi and teach her how to be a person who deserves to be well-treated and not subservient. They send for the head of Young-Hi's family and discover that he is Young-Hi's little brother Benny and that he immediately plans to sell her again. Initially, Young-Hi agrees with Benny out of loyalty to her family but then returns, having told Benny to "shove off".
In the end, Young-Hi is enrolled in convent school in Seoul. In the last scene of the episode, Pierce, McIntyre and Spearchucker Jones receive a letter from her.[1][2][3][4][5]
The term "moose" derives from the Japanese word for daughter, "musume", and refers to female servants of servicemen, who may be treated almost as slaves.
Notes edit
- ^ a b Wittebols, James H. (2003). "Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America". Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 161–166. ISBN 0-7864-1701-3. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ a b "Episode Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ a b "The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H". classicsitcoms.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ a b "M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)". digitallyobsessed.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ a b Reiss, David S. (1983). M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show.
External links edit
- "The Moose" at IMDb
