Recap / M*A*S*H S10 E21: That Darn Kid

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Klinger buys a goat from a Korean peddler to give the camp fresh milk. Unfortunately, that backfires on Hawkeye, who is payroll officer, when the goat eats most of the money he's supposed to pay the camp, and Major Van Zandt (John P. Ryan), the CID officer sent to investigate, doesn't believe Hawkeye when he explains about the goat. Meanwhile, Charles also gets affected when he borrows money from Rizzo to buy a vase from that peddler, only to find out (a) Rizzo charges 100 percent interest, and (b) the vase isn't all that valuable.

Attention all personnel! Sgt. Rizzo is willing to loan you the following tropes as long as you pay him back with interest:

• Arbitrary Skepticism: A rare non-supernatural example - when Col. Potter is trying to convince Van Zandt Hawkeye is telling the truth about the goat eating the money, he asks Van Zandt what would have happened if the money was burned in a fire. Van Zandt concedes he'd be more likely to believe that story, but also points out other members of the camp would be able to corroborate that story, and he's willing to bet no one is able to corroborate Hawkeye's story (unfortunately for Hawkeye, he's right).
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: When Hawkeye makes a plea to the rest of the camp over the PA to come forward if they can confirm his story that the goat ate the money, Rizzo comes in. Hawkeye is delighted, until Rizzo reveals he knows nothing about the goat (though he likes goats, as he fondly remembers taking his son to pet one) - he's there to loan Hawkeye money so he can bribe Van Zandt.
• Batman Gambit: Col. Potter, with the help of Hawkeye and Klinger, arrange for the goat to eat the report Van Zandt is writing for General Detweiler, his commanding officer, on the theory Van Zandt will be more willing to exonerate Hawkeye if both of them have to tell the same story about the goat. Van Zandt doesn't like it, but goes along.
• Call-Back:
  • Hawkeye is upset about having to be payroll officer, which makes sense given what almost happened to him last time he was payroll officer.
  • Igor tells Charles the only thing left to drink in the officer's club is Grape Nehi, which no one drank except Radar. Charles resignedly tells Igor to serve it to him in a brandy glass.
• Extreme Omni-Goat: Klinger's goat eats the payroll money. When Van Zandt doesn't believe the story, Hawkeye and Potter arrange for the goat to eat Van Zandt's report so he'll have to concede that it is at least possible.
• Here We Go Again!: In The Tag, when the camp finally has the payroll money replaced, Charles finally has enough money to pay Rizzo off the original loan plus all the interest, leaving him with nothing - so Rizzo asks Charles if he wants to borrow money again.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Rizzo behaves like a Loan Shark throughout the episode, even wanting to charge Father Mulcahy 75 percent interest on any loan he gives for the Korean orphans, but when Hawkeye angrily turns down his offer of bribe money (see Bait-and-Switch Comment above) because he's innocent, Rizzo points out "prisons are full of honest men".
• Not Actually the Ultimate Question: When Hawkeye finds out Rizzo isn't there to help him (see Bait-and-Switch Comment above), he asks Rizzo what he's doing there:
  Rizzo: Fighting for democracy.
  Hawkeye: No, in this room!
  Rizzo: Oh.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Downplayed with Van Zandt - he doesn't believe Hawkeye's story, but he is willing to investigate it.
• Shaped Like Itself: When Charles gets his supplemental pay and runs into Rizzo, he pays him the amount owed (50 dollars), but Rizzo isn't finished with him yet:
  Rizzo: You still owe me the original 50. Unless you got it today, I'll see you tomorrow for another $50 interest. Now ain't that interestin'?