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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 10, 2023 0:22:25 GMT
I started watching season 2 today, and I will begin posting my reviews again, either tomorrow or on Monday. I am pleased to report that I am already MUCH happier with the first few episodes I looked at.
One of the biggest problems I have with the earlier seasons is that Margaret seems written in a schizophrenic manner That sounds promising about Season 2. I really have been quite mortified by some components of this first season. Did I even watch these DVD sets I bought and threw into storage? I honestly can't recall. I only remember being thankful I could turn off the laugh track - apparently much more annoying than alcoholism, sexism and racism to me at the time. I appreciate that this exercise keeps me alert on my watch for What are we doing today that we are going to regret tomorrow? Yes, you don't know what you don't know. And I doubt anyone sat down at the Season 1 writing table with great intent to cause harm or create distasteful story lines. But I don't know that Leave it To Beaver or The Partridge Family left me feeling so uncomfortable. I'm not sure we can just simply dismiss this as that's the way it was back then - can we? We can hope as a whole we are making some advancements. It does often feel however that we are just going around in large irregular circles like the ones made by those lost in the woods. I am starting to agree with those who say Larry Linville is in the most difficult position of all the cast members. I don't think he had one decent, progressive or touching story line in Season 1.
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 10, 2023 2:30:18 GMT
Before we leave Season 1 it is interesting to look at what might have been.... The complete book of M*A*S*H says 75 actors read for the parts of Hawkeye & Trapper but it doesn't go into any detail. From tidbits gathered here and there... - Alan Alda didn't sign on to play until six hours before filming the pilot.
- Don Lane auditioned for the role of Hawkeye.
- Robert Klein was the original hope to play Trapper.
- Rene Auberjonois turned down the chance to reprise his role of Father Mulcahy from M*A*S*H (1970).
- Stella Stevens was originally offered the role of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, but turned it down, because she wanted to focus on her film career.
- McLean Stevenson originally auditioned for the role of Hawkeye, but was convinced by producers to take the role of Lieutenant Colonel Blake instead.
- Tom Skerritt was approached to reprise his role as Duke Forrest on this show, but he declined, because he felt a television version of the movie would be unsuccessful.
It was interesting to hear Loretta Swit talk about her MASH audition. She had been up for so many tv shows at this point she was feeling a bit frustrated. McLean Stevenson assured her this show was going to be a go and so she convinced her agent to NOT submit a reel of her work. She wanted to fail on her own merits. The comedy work she had done thus far wasn't great. She thought if she submitted her better dramatic work she might be passed over for a comedy part. There was no script to read when she auditioned. Which links back to that fabulous Pilot story... William Self and Gene Reynolds flew to London to sign up Gelbart. They worked wih Gelbart for a couple of weeks at night and then left him to write. Six weeks later Reynolds calls from California to see how the pilot script was coming along. "I just mailed it," Gelbart assured Reynolds. Then he sat down to write it.
I feel sorry for those lured away from other jobs to see their MASH roles disappear with no clear reason or attempt to develop them into something more. Lt. Dish is but one example...
Karen Philipp a.k.a. Karen Philipp-Proft (born September 7, 1945) is an American singer and actress. She first came to national prominence in 1968 when she was hired as one of the two female vocalists in the second iteration of Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66, debuting on their Top Ten best-selling album, "Fool on the Hill." She remained with Brasil '66 (and its successor group, Brasil '77) until 1972, when she left to play Lt. Dish in the first season of M*A*S*H.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 10, 2023 13:49:04 GMT
Before we leave Season 1 it is interesting to look at what might have been.... The complete book of M*A*S*H says 75 actors read for the parts of Hawkeye & Trapper but it doesn't go into any detail. From tidbits gathered here and there... - Alan Alda didn't sign on to play until six hours before filming the pilot.
- Don Lane auditioned for the role of Hawkeye.
- Robert Klein was the original hope to play Trapper.
- Rene Auberjonois turned down the chance to reprise his role of Father Mulcahy from M*A*S*H (1970).
- Stella Stevens was originally offered the role of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, but turned it down, because she wanted to focus on her film career.
- McLean Stevenson originally auditioned for the role of Hawkeye, but was convinced by producers to take the role of Lieutenant Colonel Blake instead.
- Tom Skerritt was approached to reprise his role as Duke Forrest on this show, but he declined, because he felt a television version of the movie would be unsuccessful.
It was interesting to hear Loretta Swit talk about her MASH audition. She had been up for so many tv shows at this point she was feeling a bit frustrated. McLean Stevenson assured her this show was going to be a go and so she convinced her agent to NOT submit a reel of her work. She wanted to fail on her own merits. The comedy work she had done thus far wasn't great. She thought if she submitted her better dramatic work she might be passed over for a comedy part. There was no script to read when she auditioned. Which links back to that fabulous Pilot story... William Self and Gene Reynolds flew to London to sign up Gelbart. They worked wih Gelbart for a couple of weeks at night and then left him to write. Six weeks later Reynolds calls from California to see how the pilot script was coming along. "I just mailed it," Gelbart assured Reynolds. Then he sat down to write it. I can see why Stella Stevens turned it down, since her film career was still pretty hot in the early 70s. But by the 80s, her career in movies was on the skids and she was taking roles on daytime soaps. If she had done M*A*S*H, she would have been set for life.
I had read somewhere that Wayne Rogers initially auditioned for Hawkeye, but felt he was wrong for it. Instead he wanted the role of Trapper since Trapper was a more cheerful happy go lucky type, which suited Rogers' own personality better. Of course, it is interesting to think that the older version of the character would be played later in the decade by Pernell Roberts on the show Trapper John M.D.
Incidentally, when Rogers bailed at the end of season 3, 20th Century Fox Television tried to sue him to get him to stay on the show. But it seems that his original contract was never finalized because he refused to sign off on a morals clause. Thus, he was able to walk away from the series without any consequences. I find it interesting that these actors were playing very immoral characters on screen, yet off camera they were expected to be squeaky clean and uphold specific moral values.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 10, 2023 13:49:54 GMT
025 Divided We Stand
The one where the unit may be broken up
This is the first episode of the second season of M*A*S*H. It was a bit surprising to realize that Larry Gelbart wrote this episode, because I felt it had some inconsistencies. First, the previous episode at the end of season one had Henry worried about his wife back home going into labor without him. He seemed to be considerate of his wife and focused on the separation their marriage is enduring. Larry Gelbart co-wrote that episode.
But here we are in the very next story with Henry kissing another woman, multiple times, who obviously spent the night with him. I guess Henry has already forgotten about his wife and newborn son. So much for him being a family man!
Also, it is said that General Clayton (Herb Voland) is deciding whether to break up the unit. He is supposedly worried about the pressures they are all under, which he iterates to a psychiatrist (Anthony Holland) whom he is sending to the camp to observe, then report back.
In past episodes from the previous season, Clayton took special pride in the 4077th. He seemed to have utmost confidence in their abilities to do well in a nearly impossible situation. So it seems out of character for him to suddenly have these concerns about the men and women under Henry’s command.
Of course, all of this gives Gelbart an excuse to put the main and recurring characters under the microscope, and for us to re-examine them. In some ways, this might have worked better as a pilot episode, to help the audience become familiar with the individual characters in a single introductory episode, and set up the themes and weekly stories. But at this point, the 25th episode of the series, the audience should already be well-versed about various M*A*S*H personnel and their antics.
Trivia note: this episode marked the first of Kellye Nakahura’s 169 episodes as Nurse Kellye Yamato.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 11, 2023 13:58:14 GMT
026 5 O’Clock Charlie
The one where a North Korean pilot flies over the camp
The idea for this episode is inspired by real-life incidents where enemy pilots would harass U.S. military bases by flying over them at night. In this case, a North Korean pilot is flying over the 4077th at 5 o’clock each day. But typically, the enemy pilots would do their flyovers in the middle of the night, to disrupt the sleep patterns of military personnel.
Reported incidents of this occurred during the Guadalcanal campaign of WWII, involving Japanese flyers. These annoying harassers would be nicknamed Bedcheck Charlies or Washing Machine Charlies, because the noise of their engines disrupting sleep sounded like washing machines.
Since the writers are trying to milk comedy from this situation, emphasis is put on the fact that the North Korean pilot is not hitting his target. However, the goal may not necessarily have been to hit a target, but to just drop grenades or other small bombs to cause disruptions. In addition, the writing of the episode tries to get comedy from the fact that Frank wants an anti-aircraft gun to shoot at the overhead Charlie, and General Clayton (Herb Voland) must assess whether this is actually needed.
When Clayton’s jeep is blown up, he agrees to give the camp an anti-aircraft gun. But of course, Hawkeye and Trapper who seem to be pacifists at heart, oppose Frank’s new military toy. So they use it to blow up an ammo dump that is perceived as the target, thus eliminating the need for any more Charlies to show up. Of course, this is highly unrealistic, since the Charlies would have still continued to harass the camps.
In reality, the army had to commission a group of night raiders that attacked and probably shot down the disruptive Charlies so that personnel on these bases could sleep. Also, the U.S. military would take the extra step of bombing nearby airfields that the Charlies would land on, to discourage them from these maneuvers. Of course, M*A*S*H writers don’t include that, because that would make the U.S. military seem intelligent, and the goal of this series, in its most ardent anti-war stance, is to undermine and criticize U.S. military operations.
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 12, 2023 5:12:09 GMT
There were a lot of changes in MASH in the second year. First of all, the CBS network switched our time slot to Saturday nights, right after All in the Family. We could have repaired flat tires in that time slot and gotten a good rating.
We wrote the first episode as a sort of second pilot to introduce all the new viewers to the characters. Since we barely broke 50 in the first year there were a lot of people out there who didn't know who we were. That new show was sort of our own training film. - Larry Gelbart, Creator/Writer
025 Divided We Stand September 15, 1973
The show is no longer floating free from historical anchors. This episode opens with General Clayton providing a detailed debrief on what the world is facing replete with map. American military presence in Korea is unlike any in our nations history, fighting side by side with 17 other UN forces - a very unique situation. More and more we're forced to used green troops. Green troops have a way of turning hospitals into standing room only.
MASH may or may not be crumbling under this pressure and so a psychiatric investigation into the stability of the unit is initiated.
This episode is the perfect trifecta of medical/military/madcap with a beautiful 3 piece story arc. Act I we witness the unit functioning extremely well in the OR just before the psychiatrist arrives. Act II is filled with madcap laughs as insanity bubbles up even with all sworn to hide it. Act III we are back in the OR with a medical unit so together the psychiatrist is the only one unable to handle the pressure.
Baby it's cold outside note: I do worry about episodes where personnel are bundled up for no apparent reason linked to the plot. Gelbart mentioned that when the actors/crew became overly demanding he would purposefully punish them by writing an episode that would have them overly dressed for pretend cold but in actual fact would have them shooting in extreme heat. Everyone here in 025 is bundled up beyond the beyond in what appears to be a green & lush hazy warm spell.
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 12, 2023 17:04:36 GMT
026 5 O’Clock Charlie September 22, 1973
The story of the plane & pilots(s) used in this episode(s) is quite interesting:
A Ryan PT-22 painted with North Korean markings was used for Charlie's plane. The plane used was owned by Don Burkett, who kept the plane in a hangar at Long Beach Airport. The production team painted over the plane's orange and white starburst pattern with special paint to resemble the North Korean markings. Burkett himself actually flew the plane from the rear seat, as the pilot who was assigned to do the flying had never flown a plane of this type before (Burkett can be seen hunched over in the back seat during some shots). Enough film was taken during the one day of flying they were able to piece together two episodes (The character of 5 O'Clock Charlie returns in Season 3).
This noise nuisance story line makes you realize that even though this MASH unit is I believe just 3 miles from the front, we never hear any noise of war. It is pretty quiet here day in and day out. It might be as simple as a time and money saving choice by the producers - clearly they are money conscious as demonstrated with the double take on the plane footage.
We learn of more odd military strategy when General Clayton explains that storing ammunition within hospital grounds keeps it safe from the enemy. Hospitals were/are targets but perhaps the majority of leaders maintain(ed) this ethical standard. It was an interesting touch like the proper naming of many surgical instruments in the OR scene.
Trapper gives us an impressive Douglas MacArthur impersonation.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 13, 2023 13:44:45 GMT
027 Radar’s Report
The one where Radar writes about what’s going on
In two episodes that aired during the show’s first season, Hawkeye wrote home to his father to describe goings on at the 4077th M*A*S*H. Now, it is Radar’s turn to write about what’s happening. Obviously, the writers liked the gimmick of having a character chronicle things that were occurring. As I have said before, these types of episodes are fairly easy to construct, because they can be less linear in nature. Usually we have a series of vignettes playing out, while one character is chronicling the action with voice-over narration. We see a variety of random situations that include all the major and recurring characters.
Here, the episode begins with Radar typing a weekly activity report and personnel record. Never mind the fact that he’s never been shown to do this before, and we are already 27 weeks into the show’s storylines. As Radar types, we learn this reporting period covers October 17th through October 21st, 1951. Incidentally, if you google ‘what day of the week was October 17, 1951’ you will find out that it was a Wednesday, meaning Radar is writing about activities from Wednesday to Sunday. Not sure why he’s not including Monday and Tuesday.
The first vignette involves an incident that occurred on the 17th in the O.R. involving a Chinese communist soldier (Derick Shimatsu). We see Hawkeye operating, assisted by a Lieutenant Erika Johnson (Joan Van Ark). Right away, Hawkeye makes a sexist remark that we are supposed to find funny and that women in the audience are not supposed to mind.
At the same time Frank objects to having to save the lives of communists. Father Mulcahy is around, trying to facilitate peace. The well-meaning priest believes that the word ’bungchow’ means peace and friendship, which he keeps repeating. But as Radar informs us, it really means ‘your daughter’s pregnancy brings much joy to our village.’
The communist soldier is not interested in any gesture of peace. He hops off the table, grabs a knife and starts brandishing it. There are some good reaction shots in this scene, showing the panic, especially when the soldier destroys a vat of blood then slices at Erika’s arm. Eventually he is subdued when Klinger comes in. The soldier cuts the strap off Klinger’s bra, and an outraged Klinger aims his rifle, causing the man to drop the knife. Truly a great scene that deftly blends the horror of war with medical drama and comedy.
After this tense incident is over, we see Hawkeye’s attempts at romancing Erika, but he backs off when he realizes she wears a ring. Later he learns she is not actually married and doesn’t believe in getting married (a possible jab at feminists). Meanwhile, Frank and Margaret feel Klinger is a menace to the morale and discipline of the camp, and they want Henry to get rid of him. Of course, Klinger would be happy to get a section eight discharge. Though Henry doesn’t have any specific problem with Klinger, he is forced to bring in a psychiatrist to evaluate him.
In the next part of the story we have comments from Radar’s report about Friday October 19th. He says the number of incoming wounded has decreased. The Chinese guy is making a post-op recovery, while Trapper is worried about the patient he was operating on when the Chinese guy went berserk. We also learn that Erika is still involved with Hawkeye. And a major named Milton Freedman shows up at the camp to meet with Klinger.
Interestingly, Milton Freedman the shrink is played by Allan Arbus in the first of his twelve appearances on the show. The next time he appears, the character’s first name will be changed to Sidney. After examining Klinger, Freedman determines that Klinger is a transvestite and homosexual. Knowing this isn’t actually true, Klinger cannot go along with getting a section eight on these terms.
The episode’s next dramatic situation occurs when Trapper’s patient dies unexpectedly, and he tries to deal with the fact that the Chinese soldier lived and is doing well. In a moment of tremendous personal conflict, he considers killing the Chinese guy. But this is prevented when Hawkeye comes upon the scene and tells him ‘that’s not what we are about.’ The reactions on Wayne Rogers’ face are excellent. As I have said before, I think Rogers was better at drama than he was at comedy, and a scene like this is pure gold. In fact, the whole episode is gold. One of the best.
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 15, 2023 3:09:51 GMT
027 Radar’s Report September 29th, 1973
It is amazing how much content is packed into each episode. As I watch them I don't feel they are rushed or overly crammed but when I try to type up my thoughts I realize just how tight they are with the script, acting and directing.
For me the most interesting or memorable part of this episode is Joan Van Arc. I had forgotten what a breath of fresh air she is and a very appealing actress. Reading over the story of her life is fascinating. She is much more than her thirteen years on Knots Landing. The Joan of Arc bit seems a bit odd but I guess it's possible:
At age 15 as a student reporter, Van Ark met and interviewed actress Julie Harris, who recommended that Van Ark apply to the Yale School of Drama, which Harris had attended in her early twenties. Van Ark followed in Harris' footsteps and went to Yale Drama on a scholarship. Van Ark was one of the few acceptees to attend the Yale graduate program without first having earned an undergraduate degree. Van Ark was also reportedly the only female student on campus at the time.
On February 1, 1966, Van Ark married news reporter John Marshall, who later became a correspondent for two decades at KNBC-TV and won both an Emmy and a Golden Mike Award. Van Ark and Marshall were high school sweethearts in Boulder, Colorado, and wed in Trier, Germany, where Marshall was stationed at the time in the Armed Forces Television Service. For their honeymoon, they took a European tour of places made famous by her namesake, Joan of Arc.
Musically speaking...I loved opera being sung in the operating room, the music box version of Suicide is Painless with Radar & his bear and the nice little nod to Casablanca with As Time Goes By.
Trivia Tidbit The P.A. announcement about the generator heard when Hawkeye and Erika are in her tent wasn’t part of the script. According to Larry Gelbart it had to be added during post-production because there was a problem processing the film for that scene.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 15, 2023 14:57:59 GMT
027 Radar’s Report September 29th, 1973
Musically speaking...I loved opera being sung in the operating room, the music box version of Suicide is Painless with Radar & his bear and the nice little nod to Casablanca with As Time Goes By. Interestingly, the penultimate episode of M*A*S*H is called 'As Time Goes By' and it was actually filmed last, after the five-part finale had been completed.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 16, 2023 14:16:59 GMT
028 For the Good of the Outfit
The one where Hawkeye tries to right a wrong
This is another one of those preachy episodes, in which the producers’ leftwing political views shape the story that plays out on screen. In this case, the U.S. military establishment is the big bad villain, no surprise there, and Hawkeye is the hero, again no surprise there.
It all starts when Hawkeye and Trapper realize that casualties from a nearby village have been the result of army maneuvers. They want the U.S. government to compensate the survivors of the village, and they launch an investigation into the matter. First, while this may be admirable, I don’t really think medics who barely can get enough sleep each night, would have the time and energy to pursue such a matter. It would certainly cut into what little free time they have with the nurses.
Plus it would probably take months to go through all the red tape, and we have had many stories already that play up military bureaucracy. This episode makes it seem like this is all done in a rather short period of time, since Hawkeye is having his dad back in Maine apply pressure on the army through a senator they know.
The other thing that occurs to me is how the entire village has not been wiped out. So when the army responds it will help rebuild the village and repair damage caused by recent raids, this seems like a fair compromise.
I think Jerry Mayer, the writer of this episode, is trying to use a plot point about victimized South Korean villagers as a metaphor for the U.S. government’s need to compensate native Americans for what they lost during westward expansion. And on top of this, the story is suggesting a conspiracy, but I guess that’s to be expected from an episode made during the Nixon-Watergate era.
The comic subplot involves Margaret and Frank. They believe that when General Clayton looks into these matters, he and the top brass are getting ready to bestow a commendation on Frank. Yeah, these two don’t seem to be playing with a full deck. Comedy bits like these, though amusing, seem to undermine the credibility of these characters, especially Margaret whom one expects to be a lot more intelligent than this nonsense.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 17, 2023 14:23:05 GMT
029 Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde
The one where Hawkeye is sleep deprived
This was the second episode that Alan Alda wrote for the show, though he shares a collaborating credit with Robert Klane. Episodes like this help make Hawkeye a more prominent character, because Alda never seems to write stories that make Trapper the main focus. I wonder what would have happened if Wayne Rogers had started writing episodes and didn’t quit at the end of the third season, frustrated with how Trapper was becoming a supporting player to Hawkeye. But that’s another issue. (Note: Rogers did write two episodes of his subsequent series, House Calls, in 1981 and 1982.)
The basic story for this one involves Hawkeye’s need for sleep. A nonstop flow of incoming wounded means he and the others are performing more hours of meatballs surgery than they would like. The lack of sleep is affecting Hawkeye psychologically, and he’s becoming moodier than usual. Hence the title’s allusion to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
In his frustration, Hawkeye decides to go after the person or persons responsible for the war. This is because he needs someone to blame for his ongoing insomnia. In terms of a narrative concept, this is a funny scenario. Imagine if we could blame big brother or some government bigwigs for our inability to get a much-needed rest each night. It’s amusing to see Hawkeye take the situation personally and for him to go so far as to have Radar help send a letter to Truman about his concerns.
The fallout from this is predictable, in terms of M*A*S*H comedy. Hawkeye’s crusade causes a domino effect in the military hierarchy, which involves General Clayton (Herb Voland) contacting Henry to straighten out the matter and basically get Hawkeye under control. Or at least help him catch a few Z’s before the next set of wounded arrive. Sweet dreams, Hawkeye!
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 18, 2023 2:59:04 GMT
028 For the Good of the Outfit October 6, 1973
This episode deals with civilian casualties of war - an issue rarely discussed even to this date. Tales of war and remembrance almost exclusively examine the military cost of a conflict. I didn't really understand what happened in Tai-Dong, was it accidental or deliberate? Missing from the writing is a human point of contact either way - a victim from the village or a visit to the town so the viewer could have a clearer understanding of what has transpired. All we have are a few nameless non-speaking Korean patients in the OR for a minute or two at the very onset of the story. Even with the comedic twist of Frank and Margaret being the unlikely heroes of truth telling, we are left unsatisfied. We never learn what becomes of the second attempt to expose those responsible for the destruction of Tai-Dong. The human cost of the war was catastrophic. In the first month of their operation alone, the Strategic Air Command groups dropped 4,000 tons of bombs. Besides high explosives, the bombers used napalm. In retirement, Curtis LeMay described the devastation saying, "we eventually burned down every town in North Korea... and some in South Korea too. We even burned down [the South Korean city of] Pusan -- an accident, but we burned it down anyway." www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bomb-korean-war/
The Korean War was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. More than half of these–about 10 percent of Korea’s prewar population–were civilians. (This rate of civilian casualties was higher than World War II’s and the Vietnam War’s.) Almost 40,000 Americans died in action in Korea, and more than 100,000 were wounded.www.history.com/topics/asian-history/korean-war
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Apr 18, 2023 3:39:08 GMT
029 Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde October 13, 1973
This episode, dealing with the limits of the Hippocratic Oath, had me thinking again of Dr. Jillian Horton. Extreme fatigue and lack of sleep are common problems facing many medical professionals. Understaffing and lack of support, issues easily remedied in times of war and peace, speaks to our lack of respect for the profession.
Even as exhaustion pushes Hawkeye's sanity to the brink, each time a new batch of wounded is flown in he disregards his own needs, and the orders from others for him to sleep, to attend to the sick and dying.
I have only once in my life gone without sleep to this extent and it was terrifying. To expect doctors on the frontlines of Korea or here at home to accept this as a regular part of their job isn't medically sound.
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Post by topbilled on Apr 18, 2023 13:55:06 GMT
030 Kim
The one where everyone wants to help a Korean boy
This is a well meaning episode that I’d like to rate higher. But certain inconsistencies prevent me from giving it a perfect score. First, I find it patently ridiculous they still have Klinger walking around wearing a dress, after the recent episode where a psychiatric evaluation was done on him, and he objected to being labeled a transvestite and homosexual after deciding he didn’t want a section 8 that way.
So what makes him think that by continuing to wear dresses and high heels this practice will still get him discharged? Especially if his earlier attempts had backfired? Wouldn’t he come up with a new tactic? By now, continuing this long-running gag no longer makes sense. Unless of course, Klinger does like dressing like a woman, which would mean he really is a transvestite and the shrink was correct, so he should have already had a discharge on these grounds!
The other thing that I find inconsistent is how they write Trapper. Usually Trapper is a fun loving carefree sort of guy. But in this episode, he is much more serious and concerned about the welfare of a little Korean boy. It is like he has suddenly developed a conscience, something other characters like Frank and Margaret still don’t exhibit.
When Trapper and Hawkeye treat the five year old Korean boy, Trapper talks about having a five year old daughter back home. In fact, he’s said to have two daughters, though the age of his other child is not given. In 1979, when Pernell Roberts started playing the role in the present-day medical drama Trapper John M.D. the character had two children, and one was a son named J.T. (played by Timothy Busfield in the later seasons).
So does this mean Trapper went on to have three children, if his son J.T. was born after the war? Or does it mean that there was a retcon in the second series, where Trapper having two daughters was changed to his having a girl and a boy? I guess I cannot blame that on the writers of M*A*S*H who are not exactly responsible for alterations that may have been made later in Trapper’s backstory on Trapper John M.D.
Oh another nitpick…the medics always complain about the food. But there’s a scene in the mess hall where we see the food clearly placed on their trays…and this ‘slop’ looks pretty darn good, like it probably came from the cafeteria frequented by the actors on the 20th Century Fox lot.
Back to the story, and what I do like about this episode. I think it’s great that we have a guest character everyone in the camp adores. It’s fun to see the grown-ups bond as they become ‘parents’ to young Kim. One delightful bit shows the boy sleeping with Radar, clutching Radar’s teddy bear.
Of course, we know Kim (Edgar Miller) won’t become a regular character, since the show’s producers don’t seem to want to have a regular Asian character or even a recurring one on this program (houseboy Ho-Jon disappeared after a single season).
Kim won’t really be adopted by Trapper, who would like to raise him as a son. In a way this type of story would have worked better if there had been a final goodbye episode for Trapper…where he met a kid like Kim, they bonded, he adopted the boy and took him home to the U.S. with him, to add to his American family.
Since this is not Trapper’s final episode and it would cramp Trapper’s style as a footloose and fancy free pal of Hawkeye’s to have him adopt a boy at this point in the show’s run, the kid has to turn out to not be an orphan like everyone thought. Ultimately the boy is reunited with his Korean family and we can move on to the next episode with no carryover from this story.
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