I could have danced all night, but didnt??

What an episode to miss!

Without refreshing my memory by watching the episode, I recall that this episode centered on a production at the 510th of My Fair Lady, and that the episode itself was a musical, using songs from MFL, and perhaps songs that were based on songs in MFL.

SPOILERS!

Those who haven’t seen the episode, and who want to preserve its narrative surprises, should stop reading now.

The story involves Sarge Pepper’s proposal to Major Garreau, her acceptance, and their marriage the next day (!). Another salient point of the episode is that it marks the moment in the series at which McMurphy and Dr. Richard came closest to getting together romantically; in fact, he proposed to her, and she accepted, but the plans fell apart after an untimely telephone call from Beth Ann (by this time, his ex-wife).

What an episode to miss!

A most wonderful scene in this episode is the one in which Sarge Pepper tells McMurphy of his plans for proposing to the Major. He starts out by saying that either Lyla will love it, or she will want to puke, and he wants McMurphy to tell him honestly what her own reaction is. He lays it all out, right down to the smoking of Cuban cigars after the proposal, and asks McMurphy what she thinks. McMurphy smiles at Sarge and says, “She won’t puke.”

What an episode to miss!

I watched this again a few months ago, after having seen it on The History Channel in 2001. In 2001, I had never seen My Fair Lady, and the various songs were merely vaguely familiar to me as non-specific showtunes. By last summer, I had watched the My Fair Lady feature film on DVD, and watching this episode again turned up all sorts of delights in the ways that the songs were repurposed to the needs of this episode.