I love this episode, and it is nicely played and executed, and probably close to a high point for the first season of the series. But let's give credit where it's due.
The story is derived from a 1928 novella by Yuri Tynyanov, based on a tale that was passed along from various sources across the 19th century -- the novella was filmed in 1932 under the title LIEUTENANT KIJE (also released as "The Tsar Wants to Sleep"), which included a very famous original score by Prokofiev, that has long outlived the recognition of the original movie (and was, in fact, re-purposed into the scoring of Alec Guinness film THE HORSE'S MOUTH and also Woody Allen's LOVE AND DEATH).
In the Tynyanov story, set during the short reign of Tsar Paul I, the monarch is awakened by noise from the cavorting of one of his officers with a lady-in-waiting to the court, and demands to know who is responsible. In order to shield the offender from the wrath of the tsar, the disturbance is blamed by the lady-in-waiting (whose shouts awakened the tsar) on a "Lieutenant Kije," who doesn't actually exist. But this being the 19th century military (Russian or anywhere else), no one wants to look foolish by admitting (especially to a subordinate) that they don't know this "Lieutenant Kije," and so the explanation is accepted -- "Kije" is ordered flogged and exiled, but there is no "Kije," of course. But the tsar changes his mind, and order "Kije" reinstated -- so now he has been created in the thinking of the tsar and takes on an existence administratively, and the officers have to keep coming up with diversions and other explanations for why "Kije" isn't present at this or that moment -- and neither their superiors nor their subordinates want to look foolish, and they go along with it. Meanwhile the "lieutenant's" reputation grows, along with his exploits. Finally, the tsar insists on having "Kije" serve him as part of his personal guard, and there seems to be no way around admitting the ruse.
And so it is announced -- that Kije died in battle, an honorable soldier to the end. And is buried with full military honors, mourned by the tsar and the entire court.
As Father Mulcahy once observed to Colonel Potter, when you've got good material, you can't miss. LOL.
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