By Charlotte Dekle

logline: The staff of an Army hospital in the Korean War find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.

Source: IMDb

There is something oddly respectable about M*A*S*H as an institution. It has the most-watched series finale in history and ran for 11 seasons. Whether or not you think MASH is funny, you understand that it is important. But luckily for me, M*A*S*H is funny. Some episodes do employ a laugh track, but that is because it was a semi-sitcom from the 1970s. But many episodes are devoid of canned laughter. War is not a fun situation to be in, so why would there be a studio audience. The precious moments where these doctors of the M*A*S*H 4077 Unit are not slicing and dicing; they are wining and dining the nurses. This would be a good place to put a disclaimer. Aspects of this show have not aged particularly well. Mainly its treatment of women and minority groups. I will address the character that has aged the poorest: Maxwell Klinger. I am addressing him so that you are not surprised when he shows up. Gender politics and treatment of the trans community was much less, shall we say, progressive during the Korean War when the show takes place than nowadays. Klinger is a man who loathes being in the army, so he dresses like a woman to try to get a psychiatric discharge on insanity. Klinger does not get the discharge that he desires but continues the act and makes me jealous of his wardrobe. But the schtick eventually gets abandoned in favor of him getting an actual storyline. But speaking of detesting the army, this show is gloriously anti-war. The lead of this show, Hawkeye Pierce (exquisitely played by Alan Alda), abhors the Korean War so much that he decides to point out the hypocrisy of it all. He takes a pacifist stance. He refuses to even touch a firearm, proclaiming “I’ll carry your books, I’ll carry a torch, I’ll carry a tune, I’ll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash-and-carry, carry me back to old Virginia, I’ll even hari-kari if you show me how but I will not carry a gun.” He also detests anyone who would be callous enough to send another individual into battle. The only character that is staunchly pro-war is Major Frank Burns. His beliefs are mocked tirelessly by his co-workers. Many topics approached in M*A*S*H are difficult ones to stomach. The doctors and nurses treat the wounded day in and day out, and the amount of wounded is seemingly never-ending. Occasionally there is a case where someone does not make it. Sometimes it is an old friend or just a child who did not sign up to be there. There are several episodes dedicated to the mental toll that war takes on medical practitioners. But if you think that M*A*S*H is just a dreary war drama, you would be wrong. There was one episode where Hawkeye was craving ribs, and the entire episode is a quest to procure them and have them sent to Korea from Chicago. But the majority of the time, the doctors drink martinis and seduce the nurses. Since the early seasons ran during the Vietnam War, the show had to walk the line of commenting on the Vietnam War while not openly coming out against it. Though as I said before, it takes a strong anti-war position. M*A*S*H was one of the first television shows to mix comedy with drama to brilliant effect, cementing itself as one of the greatest television shows of all time. You might be wondering, Charlotte, why are you writing a review about a tv show that has not been on the air for almost 40 years? I say to that, “If I had all the answers, I’d run for God.” Well, It also helps that the theme tune is catchy.

my favorite characters:

• Alan Alda playing Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce: I love Alan Alda. Now that I got that out of the way, this character is wonderful. He’s sarcastic, with a barrage of witty comebacks at the ready. The trait he likes to flaunt the most is his charm and his womanizer tendencies. There is no nurse that he hasn’t tried to woo yet, no matter how many times he fails. You must admire his tenacity. I am not a fan of workplace harassment and in the modern-day, Hawkeye would probably be reported to HR. But to match the weighty subject material, Alda also has some great acting moments. Like in the finale, where his mental health unravels to leave a man who has been tormented by war. A war he has spent 11 years protesting and trying to save people from the horrors of it. Also his impressions, *chefs kiss*

• Loretta Swit as Major Margaret “Hot Lips'' Houlihan: you read that right, her name is Hot Lips. But do not worry, the sexist nickname phases out later in the series. She is a strong woman, unchanging in her goal to become the best nurse in the 4077 Unit. Sadly she must endure constant harassment from the men of the outfit. But she uses her sex appeal and “hot lips” for her gain. She is the head nurse and is the primary disciplinarian at the M*A*S*H 4077. Loretta Swit, like the whole cast, is pitch-perfect as the strong and passionate Major Margaret Houlihan.

• Gary Burghoff as Radar O’Reilly: it’s like he has ESPN or something. That’s a reference to a different piece of art but Radar got his nickname from anticipating everybody’s needs. He mainly made it onto my favorite characters list because of his teddy bear, his steadfast devotion to his commanding officer, and he is just so dang cute.

this series is rated TV-PG. here’s why:

• Moderate Violence and Gore

• Drug and Alcohol Use

• Frightening and Intense Scenes

Favorite Part: In this section, I will just be stating some extra things I noticed. The Korean War lasted for 3 years but M*A*S*H ran for 11. They didn’t try to explain that blatant miscalculation. Some of the major players left after season three and I always like to think that this was because they wanted to stick to historical accuracy. When in reality it was probably because of contract disputes. Now I guess I’ll state some of my favorite episodes. Season 3 Episode 11: Adam’s Ribs. Season 1 Episode 17: Sometimes You Hear The Bullet. Season 11 Episode 16: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen. Season 2 Episode 22: George. Season 2 Episode 2: 5 O’Clock Charlie. That’s all I had to say. Just watch M*A*S*H.

where to watch:

IMDb: