They hide but I still find them
Published: Mon, 08/03/20
I saw episodes of this series as a child when repeats were shown in the 1960s on UK TV. I am not quite sure if it was shown as children’s TV ( as many US series originally intended for adults were). Or if I watched it with my father. Either way one particular storyline has returned from my memory to haunt me, along with the Star Trek episode I wrote about in my last post. As I recall the plot, again I saw it over half a century ago, there is an inspection and Bilko comes close to being rumbled. It has been noticed for example that all the local cars are driving around on jeep tyres which have been sold to local civilians. So, it is decided to transfer Bilko to another base where he can be kept in line and the straight down the line sergeant he replaces can put things right in his old unit.
In fact, Bilko’s old comrades and commander are baffled by their new regime. In one scene the ineffectual commanding officer is told by the new motor pool NCO that his staff car is ready and waiting when he needs it. His telling response is. ‘I have a staff car?’
Meanwhile at his new unit Bilko is running riot with no one questioning anything the crafty manipulator says or does. The climax of the episode comes when Bilko manages to talk with his old commanding officer and begs to be taken back to his old unit. His complaint is that it is all too easy, whatever crooked scheme he comes up with, however outrageously he cheats at cards he just rakes in the money and no one even notices that he is ripping them off. At least at his old unit people would try and avoid being ripped off. His victims would hide, but Bilko would still find them and still get their money, but at least they tried. At the new unit it was just too easy and it was driving him crazy with boredom. At the resolution of the story Bilko is returned to his home unit and everyone is relieved that the status quo has been restored.
Okay, another silly story in a slick, but trivial black and white TV series? And yet it sticks with me all these years later. Bilko is the archetypal trickster figure from folklore and mythology. In this particular context he manifests as a motor pool Sargent but the theme is universal. Is the trickster there to exploit us? Or is his role to wake us up from our mindless sleepwalking and our innocent trust in authority? The character which raises the most interest in the Norse Mythology is usually Loki who is seen as the trickster who solves problems with guile and deceptions when everyone else is stuck. However, Loki also has the problem of not knowing when to stop and is eventually bound and tormented until he is released on the day of Ragnarok.
The limitation of the TV series as a narrative form is that at the end of each episode there has to be a reset ready for the next episode. There is little or no scope for character development within the classic TV series format. A real life Sargent Bilko would either end up in a military prison, or set up a defence contracting business and rip off the tax payer for billions. Winning crooked card games would not satisfy him for long.
You have probably already realised why I am bringing up this memory now. Something archetypal is going on in the world right now, the spirit of Bilko is alive, well, and seriously bored. When he gets bored he makes mischief and it really is no fun if we don’t at least make the effort to see through is machinations. Of course it is never easy to see what the trickster is really up to, but we should still make the effort.
regards
Graham
PS At the Rune Retreat in September we will look at how we can be manipulated if we do not understand the nature and source of knowledge. If you desire self-sovereignty then it is essential to recognise the trickster and be aware of manipulation. It really is not that hard. http://rr.stavcamp.org/