MAS*H
Summary
run for eleven seasons and catapulting Alan Alda into stardom , the hit TV show , MASH , has some of the most rewatchable sequence of any telecasting series . base on the 1970 cinema asterisk Donald Sutherland , MASHpremiered just two years by and by in 1972 and has survive the original movie in terms of bequest and notoriety . This is becausethe serial was dedicate to tackling relevant societal issues and was n’t afraid to merge chemical element of dramainto its comedic format . The writing and centering of sure instalment have been hailed as some of the great in tv set history .
Though it ’s set during the Korean War , MASHconsistently commented on the Vietnam War and the experiences of soldier post overseas .
While there are someharsh realities of rewatchingMASHover fifty twelvemonth afterwards , the majority of the series keep up well under scrutiny . The strong anti - war messages are rife even in the show ’s earliest episode . Though it ’s set during the Korean War , MASHconsistently commented on the Vietnam War and the experience of soldier sent overseas . This field of study matter was grave and require earnestly , but that did n’t finish the show from having fun with its premiseand finding plenty of humor in even the darkest moments .
MASH is one of the most groundbreaking ceremony show ever . While it maintained its quality throughout its tally , some of its seasons were better than others .
10Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
The episode that started it all is a bit different from the remainder of the show . However , the episode successfully reintroduced the level to audience and put the tint for the remainder of the series . All thebest TV pilot episodeshave the difficult job of immersing the TV audience in the account and make them worry about the characters while deliver much - needed exhibition about how the fictitious world works . ForMASH , this came well , asthere was already a cultural shorthand about living through wartime .
It ’s hugely nostalgic to rewatch the buffer ofMASH , as it ’s obvious looking back that the creator had something special on their hands . The chemistry between the histrion is unbelievable , and the writing is quick - witted . These are two elements that would fall to define the series . Returning to the pilot light might seem inconsequent as there are more pivotal episodes later in the show . However , it fall in vital insight into the privileged workings of the narration and serve as a reminder of how far the serial would comemany age later .
9Our Finest Hour (Parts 1 & 2)
Season 7, Episodes 4 & 5
The clipping show might be a sitcom trope that ’s satirized and poked play at today , but whenMASHseason 7 was airing , using the cartridge clip show was standard practice and a lot of fun for audiences . put aside modern - day despite for formulaic episode , " Our Finest Hour , " came at the perfect time , asMASHhad change a lot since it begin , but was keenly aware of how much it owe to actors in the first few seasons . Many actors exitedMASHbefore the finale , but the serial never forgot them , as shown in the episode .
Told through the frame floor of a reporter interviewing the characters , the episode is a two - parter that aired back - to - back in an hr - long slot .
" Our Finest Hour " is theoneMASHepisode with the entire casting , as it harkens back to episode before in the series . Told through the form story of a newsperson interviewing the character , the installment is a two - parter that aired back - to - back in an hour - long slot . The shot that take place in the present twenty-four hours are shot in pitch-black and snowy , while the clips from elderly episodes are shown in their original color . Getting to revisit all the cast and characters who fostered the show from the beginning is emotional for the actorsand viewers alike .
Image by Yeider Chacon
8Welcome To Korea
Season 4, Episodes 1& 2
Alda ’s Hawkeye was the heart and soul ofMASH , butfor the first three seasons , there was no Hawkeye without Trapper(Wayne Rogers ) . As hilarious partners in crime and best friends , they pulled pranks together and brave out the storm of war as invariant associate . When both Rogers and McLean Stevenson need to exit the show at the remnant of time of year 3 , big change were in the air , and the series had to germinate to find Hawkeye a companion and deal with the loss of their loss leader , Henry ( Stevenson ) .
All of this culminated in the season 4 premiere , " Welcome to Korea , " when two of the well character of the serial were introduced . B.J. Hunnicutt ( Mike Farrell ) would become Hawkeye ’s new allyand Sherman T. Potter ( Harry Morgan ) would take over bid of the 4077 . Though they came afterward , Hunnicutt and Potter were invaluable for the majority of the serial publication , and it ’s in this episode that they make their mark . time of year 4 is the ending of an era in many ways , but it signals the necessary change that cementMASHas a hit .
7The Joker Is Wild
Season 11, Episode 4
B.J. and Hawkeye get into the ultimate prank war as the member of the 4077 attempt to go about their everyday business , though they are thwarted at every turn .
The best - rememberedMASHepisodes have gone down in account because they take on the trials and visitation of war , butMASHunderstood that the only way to last a state of war is to find moments of joy within the devastation . AsMASHwas winding down in its terminal season,“The Joker Is Wild " furnish the kind of virginal fun and hijinks that got the audiences laughingalong with the character . B.J. and Hawkeye get into the ultimate japery war as the members of the 4077 seek to go about their day-to-day business , though they are thwarted at every turning .
The prank episode is somethingMASHdoes well and did several times across the seasons , but " The Joker Is Wild " was the last and function as a testimonial to all that came before . In the episode , Hawkeye is targeted by B.J. who desire to turn up himself as just as upright a prankster as the repose of the unit , and the ill-famed Trapper . It ’s fun to see Hawkeye with the tables grow on him sleeping with one middle unresolved because he ’s terrified of the biggest prank of all .
MASH is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.*
6Life Time
Season 8, Episode 11
In " Life Time , " a ticking clock becomes much more than a metaphor when a timer appear in the bottom corner of the filmdom and illustrates the time it takes to save a life history . stock split - second conclusion are made andthe value of life-time is weighed in front of the audience as twenty transactions reckon down in genuine clock time to save a adult male ’s life . As one of the most mellow - stakes and nervus - wracking episode of the series , " Life Time " forces the audience to question what they would do if put in the same impossible situation .
Both Hawkeye and B.J. are faced with vivid and impossible choices as they run together to save one patient but must do so by waiting for a brain - dead man to die . Watching the episode while knowing the upshot does n’t transfer how thrilling and devastating every choice isand how real it feels as each minute passes . Using the clock on the screen is a apt way to pass on with the audience , and maintains the stakes decades later .
5Yankee Doodle Doctor
Season 1, Episode 6
For audiences that ca n’t get enough of the Hawkeye and Trapper dynamic , " Yankee Doodle Doctor " is the perfect episode , especially look at how political it is for time of year 1 . Additionally , for those who believeHawkeye ’s bestMASHpartner was B.J. not Trapper , this sequence makes a case for how critical Hawkeye and Trapper ’s connection was at the show ’s beginning . The episode pays protection to the Marx Brothers in a brilliant spoof while offering a withering bill of indictment of military propaganda . " Yankee Doodle Doctor " shows the audience that Hawkeye will never posture back and do something he disagrees with .
After Hawkeye and Trapper discover that the " documentary film " they ’re take to asterisk in is nigh propaganda , they make a film of their own and style themselves after Groucho and Harpo Marx .
After Hawkeye and Trapper discover that the " documentary film " they ’re ask to star in is well-nigh propaganda , they make a film of their own and style themselves after Groucho and Harpo Marx . This results in uproarious remakes of Marx Brothers high jinx in the operating room , and is a bully reference for fans of the classic Marx Brothers comedy . Even though the episode is only the 6th in the serial , Hawkeye makes a poignant delivery about the price of warfare , setting up deeper explorations in late season .
4Dear Sigmund
Season 5, Episode 8
The recurring character , Sidney Freedman ( Allan Arbus ) , is an army head-shrinker who pops up now and again throughout the show to provide genial valuation for affected role and doctors alike . However , in " Dear Sigmund , " the table are turned on Sidney when he write a letter to the famous , and deceased , founder of psychoanalysis , Sigmund Freud . Written and orchestrate by Alda , " Dear Sigmund " experimented with tonal juxtaposition , as Sidney journies to the 4077th to bring around from the last of one of his patient .
There are few episodes that so dead encapsulate the beautiful balance thatMASHstrikes , but " Dear Sigmund " is one of them . Combining childlike humor and wonder with the realities of loss , the story hold the leap of dealing with notion of depression in Sidney before idiot box was openly grappling with discussions of mental health . Despite the weight of its narration , " Dear Sigmund " include some of the funny moment of the show , and hold up up well when compared to contemporary television set about similar topics .
3Goodbye, Farewell And Amen
Season 11, Episode 16
Watching " Goodbye , Farewell and Amen " is bittersweet , to say the least , but it ’s the kind of heartache that feel expert decades later .
The closing curtain of a TV has the top executive to ensure its seniority or be the final nail in the coffin that keep it from being remembered for yr to come . fortunately , MASHnever had a trouble enter out how to say goodbyeto its interview . All of the histrion ' departure across the serial publication machinate the author and creators to make the most satisfying ending possible and avoid the error they made in the past times . see " Goodbye , Farewell and Amen " is bittersweet , to say the least , but it ’s the kind of heartache that feels good decade later .
Clocking in at two and a half hours long at its premiere , " Goodbye , Farewell and Amen " starts with Hawkeye experiencing PTSD after find the death of a child and culminates in the end of the warfare and the characters finally being sent home . It ’s fabulously aroused look on the quality say their farewells and wrap up up the few loose ends of the series . As the show beam for many more years than the factual Korean War , see the character get by with their desire to go home and uncertainty about life as a civilian never gets quondam .
MASH had some in high spirits - visibility actor going throughout its 11 - season run , but rather of hurting it , this is the reason it survive for so long .
2O.R.
Season 3, Episode 5
MASHwas unlike other piece of media about the military because it pore on the experiences of Doctor near to the front phone line of battle . A large part of each person ’s enactment is their medical expertise and experience , particularly Hawkeye , who is considered one of the most salient surgeon in the unit of measurement . “O.R. " is the first instalment that takes place almost solely in the operating roomas a revolving door of patient flows through the outpost , labor each theatrical role to their physical and emotional brinks .
The insistence on Hawkeye and the other doctors is felt acutely throughout the episode , allow the hearing into the high - stake world of the show , without full devolving into a aesculapian drama . Season 3 was a turn tip for the show , as more episode start to promote the edge of whatMASHwas subject of . Later , Hawkeye will be challenge as a doctor more and more , but " O.R. " plants the seeds of his deeper battle brilliantly .
1Point Of View
Season 7, Episode 10
MASHplayed with mannikin and storytelling formatting long before other video shows of the same type were doing it , and this was never more apparent than in episodes like " period of View . " In the episode , the photographic camera takes on the perspective of a patient being treated by Hawkeye and the other doctors in the 4077th unit of measurement . Using unique television camera movements and filming , it ’s a vulnerable episode for the actor , as they can interact direct with the tv camera , and are aware of its regard , since it ’s a stand - in for an actual person .
From being wounded in battle to being see off by the crew , the intimacy of the characters and setting are ferment upside down through the eyes of a scared and wounded soldier .
It ’s a shift for the serial , as the patients are always important to the doctors , but their experiences have n’t been fully capture until this moment . From being wound in conflict to being ascertain off by the crew , the familiarity of the lineament and mise en scene are turned upside down through the eyes of a scared and hurt soldier . After seven seasons , audiences might have believed they bed everything about the people on the show , but"Point of View " turn up over and over upon rewatch that there will always be parts of the character they blot out from others and themselves .
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MAS*H is a drama - drollery serial set during the Korean War , centre on the life of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenge of wartime medical serving with humor and resiliency .
