Fabula
Object
Object

Blanket covering Walter Hufnagle's body

A plain, neutral-toned blanket, roughly draped over the prone body of Walter Hufnagle at the Korean War Memorial. Thin and rumpled rather than ceremonial, it conceals the corpse until an officer peels it back to reveal the face and then replaces it. The fabric sits against the donated coat and is treated as both concealment and a marker of unattended death, prompting characters' moral responses and the subsequent identification and burial effort.
3 appearances

Purpose

To cover and conceal a deceased person—shielding the body from view and the elements and providing a minimal, improvised layer of privacy or protection at a public scene.

Significance

Functions as a physical signifier of neglect and civic failure: the blanket's crude draping anonymizes the veteran until Toby recognizes his donated coat, turning an indifferent scene into a personal moral summons that propels Toby to demand dignity and proper honors.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments
S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
The Coat, the Card, and a Dead Marine

A blanket covers the deceased's body, initially concealing identity; the officer pulls it back to reveal the face and later replaces it. It functions as a literal and symbolic shroud, mediating exposure and the community's brief encounter with mortality.

Before: Draped over the body on the memorial bench, concealing the deceased.
After: Replaced over the body by the officer after inspection while the scene awaits removal.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
Toby Finds His Donated Coat on a Dead Marine

A pale blanket initially conceals the deceased body; the officer pulls it back to reveal the man's face and later replaces it. It operates narratively as a physical veil that, when lifted, forces the characters (and audience) to confront death and anonymity.

Before: Draped over the prone body on the bench, obscuring identity.
After: Briefly pulled back to show the face and then drawn again to re‑cover the body while the officer awaits removal.
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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo
Insisting on Dignity: Toby Confronts Indifference at the Memorial

The blanket covers and conceals the deceased, both protecting and anonymizing him until the officer reveals the face. It functions as a physical barrier that marks the body as unattended and frames the discovery, then is replaced to restore the body's concealment after inspection.

Before: Draped over the prone body on the memorial bench, obscuring identity.
After: Replaced over the body after the officer and Toby inspect it, remaining on the bench until ambulance removal.
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