Ep 2. Margaret's Engagement

Margaret's Engagement is the second episode of the fifth season of the American television series M*A*S*H. The show revolves around the lives of the staff members of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) stationed in South Korea during the Korean War.

The episode begins with the announcement of Major Margaret Houlihan's engagement to Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscott, a man she met during a medical conference in Tokyo. Margaret is thrilled with the news and shares it with the entire camp, who are all surprised to hear that their usually tough and independent head nurse is getting married.

While the rest of the camp is struggling to come to terms with Margaret's engagement to Colonel Penobscott, Hawkeye and Trapper are more interested in finding out why Margaret is marrying Colonel Penobscott, a man who is in his fifties and has been married twice before. They believe that Margaret is only marrying him because he is old, wealthy and has a high rank in the army.

When Penobscott arrives at the camp to officially announce his engagement to Margaret, he is welcomed with a lot of skepticism. Hawkeye and Trapper grill him with questions about his previous marriages, his finances and his intentions towards Margaret.

Meanwhile, Margaret is finding it hard to adjust to her new role as a fiancee. She is used to being in control and making decisions on her own, but now she feels like she has to consult with Penobscott about every little thing. She also struggles to get her fellow nurses to take her seriously as a married woman.

As the episode progresses, the camp throws a surprise engagement party for Margaret and Colonel Penobscott. However, when Colonel Blake surprises Margaret with a wedding dress, she realizes that she is not ready for marriage and breaks off the engagement.

Overall, Margaret's Engagement is a humorous and lighthearted episode that deals with the themes of love, marriage, and independence. It highlights the struggles women face when trying to balance their personal and professional lives, and the importance of standing up for oneself and making one's own decisions. The episode is a perfect example of the witty, intelligent and socially relevant storytelling that M*A*S*H is famous for.