Sergeant Carter Dates a Pyle

Here in this episode we see Sgt. Carter at his worst. He's shallow, manipulative, dishonest, and downright creepy. He seems to operate on only one thing: unmitigated lust. That's what drives him. Gomer, on the other hand is just the opposite. He seems to have no lust at all, just a childlike desire for ice cream sodas and monster movies. The two polar opposites interacting is, of course, where the comedy comes from. And there is plenty of comedy in this episode.

Gomer tries to set his sergeant up with a blind date with his cousin. Carter struggles with accepting the date, at first extremely reluctant, but Corporal Boyle talks him into it. Carter's body is racked with lust and fear. Is she beautiful? Is she ugly? He thinks she will be ugly, but his lust makes him take the chance and he accepts the date. After that, while waiting for his date to show up, there is massive amounts of confusion that leaves Carter in a state of panic, literally running around hiding up in trees and inside foot lockers to avoid having to go through with the date. I thought USMC drill sergeants were supposed to be brave? Apparently blind dates are scarier than war.

Anyway, I don't want to give too much away, but this is a fun and funny episode that really has some wickedly funny moments. And, yes, Sgt. Carter is a shallow creep, but we love him anyway, for making us laugh.