Comedy focus
Although I get bigger laughs from the first couple of seasons, many of the stories are absolutely ridiculous from a realism perspective. In this particular episode, I think the writers were simply doing whatever it took to get to the scene in the mess tent where Hawkeye got to use the Sherlock Holmes character and the pretend use of the material that stains hands to reveal the true perpetrator.
To be fair, the beginning seasons were a time of figuring out what was needed to make a go of the series so a BUNCH of characters were jettisoned, particularly after the first season, Ho Jon being one of them. The focus on simply getting laughs regardless the cost was eventually turned down, too.
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