Trapper John, M.D.: Season 5
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Trapper John, M.D. Season 4.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
I Only Have Ice for You
Oct 2, 1983
A professional skater refuses treatment for a heart condition that could be fatal. Stanley and E.J. find out that they are going to be parents.
... And for Loyal and Devoted Service
Oct 9, 1983
The new acting board chairman tries to pressure Arnold Slocum into retirement only four months short of his pension.
May Divorce Be With You
Oct 23, 1983
Trapper's ex-wife starts a self-help group for the wives of doctors, and ends up with one of them on her doorstep. Stanley and E.J. may lose their baby.
What a Difference a Day Makes
Oct 30, 1983
Trapper gets called into the hospital on his birthday to deal with a possible epidemic. Stanley is finally able to track down the source of the problem, but that does not do much f
The Final Cut
Nov 6, 1983
Gonzo is not happy when Trapper passes on to him the job of proctoring three Cardio-Thoracic surgery residents, and things get worse when he learns that he is required to cut one o
Old Man Liver
Nov 13, 1983
A 119-year-old man, seemingly in good health, says that he has come to the hospital to die. He changes his mind after media attention makes him feel important again, but Trapper di
The Agony of D'Feet
Nov 20, 1983
As SFM fills with the casualties of the Bay City Marathon, E.J. Riverside goes into labour three weeks early. Stanley can't be found, because he has secretly decided to compete in
Mother Load (a.k.a.) If it Ain't Broke
Nov 27, 1983
Andrea finds out who her real mother is, and wants to meet her. Trapper's concern over the emotional state of a Greek patient brings out the good samaritan in Gonzo, who decides to
Fat Chance
Dec 4, 1983
Against his better judgement, Trapper agrees to staple the stomach of an obese woman. Gonzo goes to unusual lengths to save Andrea's dog.
Supernurse
Dec 11, 1983
Everyone is happy for Gloria when she earns her accreditation in Advanced Cardiac Life Support Care, except one doctor. He does not believe nurses should be doing this kind of work
Special Delivery
Jan 1, 1984
A nurse/midwife who spreads herself too thin threatens her career and two lives, and may bring Gloria down with her. Gonzo sets up a homey ""birthing centre"" at the hospital.
Play Your Hunch
Jan 8, 1984
Trapper's old friend, a former workaholic, turns up after years. Trapper is confused when he finds that the man has quit his job and seems intent on nothing but having fun. An E.S.
A Little Knife Music
Jan 15, 1984
When an eight-month-old baby is brought to the hospital with respiratory problems, x-rays show that the child is a dwarf.
Where There's a Will
Jan 29, 1984
A cancer patient who dies at the hospital leaves all his worldly wealth to Gonzo, who discovers that most of it was obtained illegally. Jackpot, Ernie and Gloria conspire to trick
Send in the Clowns
Feb 12, 1984
An elderly woman comes to visit with her husband, who died a year previously. A pediatrician has difficulty dealing with a young boy who has cancer.
This Gland is Your Gland
Mar 4, 1984
Gonzo is convinced that the paranoia of one of his patients has a physical cause. Slocum attempts to cut back on nursing costs by employing a robot nurse, who proves to be quite su
The Fred Connection
Mar 11, 1984
A patient at SFM who fancies himself a detective is determined to solve the mystery of missing medication, to the despair of the police working on the case.
The Jackpot Pays Off
Mar 18, 1984
For two years Jackpot has allowed an elderly friend to believe that $10 a month is paying for full medical insurance, but he runs into trouble when she becomes seriously ill and re
I Do, I Don't
Mar 25, 1984
Trapper questions Ernie's motives when she accepts a proposal from a long-time suitor only after she finds out that he is dying.
It's About Time
Apr 1, 1984
When his office ends up as a temporary storage dump for medical equipment from the WWI era, Trapper imagines how routine cases would have been treated at that time, and decides tha
Aunt Mildred is Watching You
May 6, 1984
An expert brought in by the board to increase hospital productivity only makes life more difficult as the staff deals with a doctor who performs unnecessary surgeries and a shy man