# What was the best episode of McHale's Navy?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 14, 2016, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115 "2016-02-14T14:26:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/21 "2016-02-16T16:24:33Z")
The crew making Leadbottom think Parker, who is high on something, is perfectly normal. To the point of staging an air raid which Parker singlehandedly fends off.
Tim Conway at his funniest!
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/22 "2016-02-16T17:09:48Z")
My favorite is the one where Admiral Machina shows up at the end and forgives everyone’s (except Leadbottom’s) monkey-shines due to McHale and crew blowing up (accidentally) their 7414th Japanese sub.
(Where did the Japs find time to fight a war when they were building all those submarines?)
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### Author:  [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/23 "2016-02-16T17:31:58Z")
The episode where Ernest Borgnine has an abortion. Groundbreaking for its time, and it still holds up surprisingly well today.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/24 "2016-02-16T17:43:35Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> I wouldn’t say there was no character development. We gradually learned things about the different characters (Christy’s fiancee, Gruber’s background as a con man, McHale’s past with Molly, Parker’s family back home, and so on) as time went by, just as in real life.
The characters were fleshed out, and there was a little development over the course of the show, but they didn’t get bogged down in emotional story arcs, they just did each show for the laughs. The generic descriptions we see here and in other threads identify this type of show, you don’t need to know what’s happened in previous episodes to enjoy each one. There’s no great depth to these shows, but I’m sucker for that kind of simplicity.
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### Author:  [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/25 "2016-02-16T18:38:24Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> The episode where Ernest Borgnine has an abortion. Groundbreaking for its time, and it still holds up surprisingly well today.
That was a “very special episode,” wasn’t it?
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/26 "2016-02-16T20:18:24Z")
> [@NeonMadman](#):
>
> That was a “very special episode,” wasn’t it?
Yes, it was. I don’t know why Joe Flynn didn’t get an Emmy nod for that episode. He showed us a warmer, more caring side of Ol’ Leadbottom without violating the character as established.
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### Author:  [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/27 "2016-02-16T22:14:56Z")
Wasn’t there an episode where they convinced Lead Bottom that the war was over to get some kind of information out of him?
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### Author:  [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/28 "2016-02-16T22:28:05Z")
> [@P-man](#):
>
> Wasn’t there an episode where they convinced Lead Bottom that the war was over to get some kind of information out of him?
Something like that happened on _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _, too.
_“Der Krieg ist zu Ende! Der Krieg ist zu Ende!”_
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/29 "2016-02-17T00:04:34Z")
> [@P-man](#):
>
> Wasn’t there an episode where they convinced Lead Bottom that the war was over to get some kind of information out of him?
Actually, it seems there were two where they did something like that. I recall in both of them Gruber was wearing a zoot suit.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/30 "2016-02-17T01:14:23Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#):
>
> Actually, it seems there were two where they did something like that. I recall in both of them Gruber was wearing a zoot suit.
That’s probably the flash forward to the future I mentioned in another thread. Gruber, and maybe Tink meet up in NYC to see a Dodgers game in the 60s.
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### Author:  [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/31 "2016-02-17T01:23:25Z")
> [@terentii](#):
>
> Something like that happened on _ **Hogan’s Heroes** _, too.
>
> _“Der Krieg ist zu Ende! Der Krieg ist zu Ende!”_
"Hogan: “NOW I’m convinced”.
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### Author:  [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/32 "2016-02-17T01:28:10Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#):
>
> The episode where Ernest Borgnine has an abortion. Groundbreaking for its time, and it still holds up surprisingly well today.
Quentin and Maude really bonded in that one. Did you know it was blacked out in Peoria, IL?
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### Author:  [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)
#### Post date: [February 17, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-best-episode-of-mchales-navy/746115/33 "2016-02-17T01:43:15Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#):
>
> Actually, it seems there were two where they did something like that. I recall in both of them Gruber was wearing a zoot suit.
Was one of those where Mr. Parker became “Baby Face Parker”?
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