Just this second episode of this series as I have begun going through McHale's Navy again. The first episode established how Ensign Parker came to be with the group. This was the first "regular" episode, showing the hi-jinks of the crew.
We begin with a snippet showing Gruber apparently overcoming a Japanese soldier who attacked him, only to see it was the crew's private POW Fuji, acting for a home movie Gruber was having filmed to send back home. Here we establish that Gruber is concerned that his family and friends back in Brooklyn will think he didn't do anything during the war. This plays into a large part of the plot.
McHale is called to the base at Taratupa, to receive orders for a mission to seek a submarine in the area. Meanwhile, Gruber returns Captain Binghamton's laundry and receives pay from a grateful captain, who wonders how he does such a good job. Reluctantly, he decides to give Gruber his dress white uniform for a rush job of cleaning.
Gruber returns to McHale's island without the skipper-by plan-and he and others are soon ordered out on a drill by acting Commander Charles Parker. They go through the drill, then we see how Gruber gets the laundry done. They load it along with soap and bleach into a barrel with small holes, then drop it attached to a chain behind the PT 73 as it sails along.
Next thing you know, that Japanese sub has spotted the 73 and they send a torpedo toward it. They maneuver the 73 out of the way, barely, but the torpedo hits that drum barrel blowing up the captain's laundry, and causing a slight wound to Gruber's left index finger. Gruber is delighted, figuring he is now due a Purple Heart Award for being wounded in battle.
When McHale returns, he learns about what happened and orders Gruber to keep quiet about his "wound" because of the manner in which he was injured-while doing laundry. But Parker tells him he already submitted paperwork to Binghamton. Before they can do any more, McHale learns he and Mr. Parker have been summoned to the captain's office.
The captain has heard that McHale's boat has engaged the enemy and congratulates him for sinking the sub. McHale is able to leave without revealing the truth, and now seeks to get his crew to really sink the sub before it does more damage.
On a night mission, through cleverness, this mission is accomplished, and the captain even says he will approve the Purple Heart for Gruber. The funniest scene comes at the end when McHale lets the captain see what happened to his special dress uniform.
It is in this episode that we learn that "Tinker" Bell works with the PT 73's engines below the deck, and that joining him below deck is the radioman Willy. Gruber and Happy (Happy not yet called by his nickname, or any name) work on the deck and, among other duties, are in charge of dropping depth charges off the side of the ship. Christy spends most of his time steering the boat, standing beside Parker and McHale.
We also meet Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter, who is greeted by a friendly McHale as "Hi ya Carpy, how are you?" His role is un-established, but I note he wasn't on the opening episode.
Most series take a while establishing the characters before they move into their best episodes. This series is no exception. This episode does a lot to establish the general nature of the way things will go and gets us to distinguish the different crew members. For a second episode, it was tremendous. Overall, I think it deserves an 8.
We begin with a snippet showing Gruber apparently overcoming a Japanese soldier who attacked him, only to see it was the crew's private POW Fuji, acting for a home movie Gruber was having filmed to send back home. Here we establish that Gruber is concerned that his family and friends back in Brooklyn will think he didn't do anything during the war. This plays into a large part of the plot.
McHale is called to the base at Taratupa, to receive orders for a mission to seek a submarine in the area. Meanwhile, Gruber returns Captain Binghamton's laundry and receives pay from a grateful captain, who wonders how he does such a good job. Reluctantly, he decides to give Gruber his dress white uniform for a rush job of cleaning.
Gruber returns to McHale's island without the skipper-by plan-and he and others are soon ordered out on a drill by acting Commander Charles Parker. They go through the drill, then we see how Gruber gets the laundry done. They load it along with soap and bleach into a barrel with small holes, then drop it attached to a chain behind the PT 73 as it sails along.
Next thing you know, that Japanese sub has spotted the 73 and they send a torpedo toward it. They maneuver the 73 out of the way, barely, but the torpedo hits that drum barrel blowing up the captain's laundry, and causing a slight wound to Gruber's left index finger. Gruber is delighted, figuring he is now due a Purple Heart Award for being wounded in battle.
When McHale returns, he learns about what happened and orders Gruber to keep quiet about his "wound" because of the manner in which he was injured-while doing laundry. But Parker tells him he already submitted paperwork to Binghamton. Before they can do any more, McHale learns he and Mr. Parker have been summoned to the captain's office.
The captain has heard that McHale's boat has engaged the enemy and congratulates him for sinking the sub. McHale is able to leave without revealing the truth, and now seeks to get his crew to really sink the sub before it does more damage.
On a night mission, through cleverness, this mission is accomplished, and the captain even says he will approve the Purple Heart for Gruber. The funniest scene comes at the end when McHale lets the captain see what happened to his special dress uniform.
It is in this episode that we learn that "Tinker" Bell works with the PT 73's engines below the deck, and that joining him below deck is the radioman Willy. Gruber and Happy (Happy not yet called by his nickname, or any name) work on the deck and, among other duties, are in charge of dropping depth charges off the side of the ship. Christy spends most of his time steering the boat, standing beside Parker and McHale.
We also meet Lieutenant Elroy Carpenter, who is greeted by a friendly McHale as "Hi ya Carpy, how are you?" His role is un-established, but I note he wasn't on the opening episode.
Most series take a while establishing the characters before they move into their best episodes. This series is no exception. This episode does a lot to establish the general nature of the way things will go and gets us to distinguish the different crew members. For a second episode, it was tremendous. Overall, I think it deserves an 8.
