#in my 'the nurses is the only episode of mash' era

[majorbaby]

hawkeye, radar and BJ are adorable in "The Nurses" and i think what i like about them so much in it is it's low-stakes for them + it's fun to watch them hang out and be annoying. it's little glimpse of this show if hawkeye + trapper/BJ weren't at the center of all the drama all the time and i like it.

this time it also occurred to me that hawkeye ought to have figured that quarantining mr. guy in margaret's tent would reasonably lead to her bunking with the nurses and margaret even asks 'why not put him in mulcahy's tent' indeed, why not, hawkguy?

[wellntruly]

M*A*S*H - Viewguide, S3

Are you interested in the long-running anti-war situation tragicomedy M*A*S*H (1972-1983), but there are simply so many asterisks and so many episodes?

Well I can’t help you with the asterisks, but nor can I help myself: I started watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, and bringing back for you my viewing selections, chosen for The Qualities.

— — —

You should have seen me at Movie Madness pulling out the drawer for “TV: 1970s” and finding this complete stack of covers for all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H. Lost in the saaauuce.

But, amazing news: not only did I make the surprising discovery that what's on Hulu is clearly a restored and remastered version of the far crunchier material on the DVDs, but also that I DEEPLY prefer the original laugh track! It turns out, the laughter is the score. They’d cut to it like music. Without that melody it was built around everything felt so off, so eerily quiet.

Incidentally, over the recent holiday weekend I sang all of 1.75 non-chorus lines of ‘Suicide Is Painless’ in the kitchen and my dad just said, “MASH.” We then talked about all our faves while playing solitaire and drinking maple whiskey sours by the woodstove. Cannot believe I’m getting such a fond memory with my father from M*A*S*H but I’m not sure why, that seems right.

Here are my own suggested favorites from the third season, the last of an era!!! /weeping

M*A*S*H - Season 3 Recommended sequence

3x02 ‘Rainbow Bridge’ - It is amazing that the first episode of this season that aired was the first episode of this season that aired, as everything about the second episode, ‘Rainbow Bridge’, feels like the premiere of the third season of a service comedy (slowly turning dramedy). The 4077th get a message from the Chinese that they have nine wounded American GIs that need more medical help than they can offer, and give their coordinates 50 miles behind the line. “Could be a trap, Trap.” GREAT STUFF. And hey, Season 3? Someone’s upgraded the photography department! She’s moving, folks (the camera). They also keep cutting to Loudon Wainwright perched above the camp with his guitar singing some absurd song about Tokyo like every third scene transition. Why? Couldn’t tell ya. Except to repeat the first line.

3x03 ‘Officer of the Day’ - Henry’s away and Frank makes Hawkeye be Officer of the Day. I love that when he’s backed into a management position, Captain Pierce is actually rather good at it. Tired and clever and humane. It’s gonna sound odd, but he’s almost Lawful, just his code is nothing Army regulation, simply Do The Least Harm. He is a stickler on that. Also contains the best visual punchline I've seen yet. Simply burst out laughing.

3x04 'Iron Guts Kelly' - Margaret kills a general and is like, who would help me hide this body, and doesn’t even have to think about it. Cordially, [throwing a pillow in the face of me of the past] YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHAT YOU HAD, YOU DOSED UP LUNATIC.

3x05 ‘O.R.’ - Ha ha I COULD EAT MY OWN HAND.

100% in surgery, zero laugh track, which does forever prove The Power of Editing (!) as it runs so beautifully, no weird stilted silence like when you take it out later, and also I’m changed as a person. 10/10 I am gnawing.

3x06 'Springtime' - Update ‘Springtime’ an essential episode as writer & actor Mary Kay Place’s literal-literal self-insert M*A*S*H script in which she plays a hot nurse in glasses getting seduced by Radar O’Reilly. I am….obsessed with her. Also Klinger gets married!!!

3x08 ‘Life With Father’ - This one is ultimately a lil' silly sure, but I think I’m powerless to resist Radar, Father Mulcahy, and this young Korean mom moving Heaven & Earth to get a rabbi on the radio to walk them through performing a bris for her Jewish-Korean infant son. And that’s the A-plot, the B-plot is Hawkeye and Trapper are trying to complete a Hidden Picture to win a pony.

3x09 ‘Alcoholics Unanimous’ - I wasn’t going to include both alcoholism episodes, but this is such a good Margaret ep I couldn’t kick it out of bed. Loretta Swit is just so, so funny in this one. I was losing it. Even our impossible miscreants are like lol hang out with us! Favorite drunken scene yet, for sure for sure for sure for sure.

3x11 ‘Adam’s Rib’ - The fact that my dad spontaneously quoted a line from this episode to me, and not even one I would have thought particularly memorable, should alone earn it a spot on any recommendation list. But I too still find myself recalling multiple moments from this one. 'Adam's Rib'—it's gotta be on here!

3x13 ‘Mad Dogs and Servicemen’ - Oh you know I’m here for an episode where in the first minutes Trapper is going, “Frank, that’s straight out of World War I, no one thinks ‘shellshock’ anymore!” Tragically we don’t actually get to see psychiatrist Sidney Freedman, their one-time comedic antagonist turned professional pal and poker buddy (I love this...so much), but I did send a plot synopsis to my own pal Jen, doctor of psychology and practicing therapist, for the psych eval, and her full report is pending but the abstract indicates that hey, Sid’s c. 1950s therapy for their phantom paralysis case (currently probably called a conversion disorder) might be a plausible approach! Remains to be seen if it would be strictly necessary for Hawkeye to have to role-play as Betsy Tough Love to this kid and feel chewed up about it, but it does make for good TV.

3x15 'Bombed' - Everyone’s emotions are running VERY high in this episode, which just straight up opens with the camp being bombed all to hell. With ‘O.R.’ and ‘Aid Station’ as well this season, this fellow dramatic one ended up just missing the first edition of this list, but it’s important to be able to admit when you were wrong. Margaret & Trapper trapped in the supply shed…the bombs are not the only thing shaking me.

3x17 ‘The Consultant’ - This episode rules so, so hard. Love a sneaky cautionary taaaale! Definitely a far finer crafted story than ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, but we’re including both for their various other appealing elements. Such as, here: a sublimely absurd interlude to a British camp where everyone is like “..Quite,” heavy bombardment, a scene with the trio in incredible swimming get-ups for the water tank pool Henry has made, tensely breathtaking surgery, and just a steady course of Alan Alda being rampantly bisexual in front of, across, and at one point directly to his own real life father. You love to can't believe you're seeing it.

3x18 ‘House Arrest’ - This one is sheer chaos and with an ending I don’t care for much, but the primary plot is Hawkeye & Trapper have possibly never been more dating. Really some peak absurd & precious ne'er-do-well pair behavior, and I just can’t keep this one from you, not here, not now..(!) I also quite like the bit with Radar & Klinger, and ultimately Hawkeye, having a moment of critical self-reflection on his own teasing. Damn Frank storyline, get out of here! Just give us more of the gang watching the new Gene Tierney picture.

3x19 ‘Aid Station’ - Literally cheered at the end of a Margaret monologue in this, a stand-out even before she and Hawkeye and Klinger are in the midst of actual hell together at the front, and work so hard & desperately and get so dear. Not to bandy about the term mutual respect, but Hawkeye bandies about the term mutual respect. Haha, [softly] help. Meanwhile, Trapper & Radar :’) & Henry :’) Second of two episodes this season, both of which I have very much included, where Colonel Blake has to make the decision to send some of his people to the front where they very much might die, and his heart just won’t rest until they’re back, which is always *primo.* Henryyy..!

This episode is M*A*S*H being funny and harrowing and sincere and really, really aware of humor as a way to try to shore against the loss of people you care about all in 25 minutes, which is why, in probably an even more dramatic move than any episode I’ve skipped yet: this is my Season 3 finale for you. This does goodbyes in wartime best this season, goofy, glorious, gutting, the whole cocktail. The ingredients are there in ‘Check-up’ and ‘Abyssinia, Henry’, but they haven’t been balanced in the shaker by as steady a hand as the ones that crafted ‘Aid Station’.

And you’ll learn what happened in the actual season finale at the beginning of Season 4, and as you should: just a few careful sentences with a pit beneath them, and in a moment when the loss has gotten even ❤️ worse.

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • To be continued

#M*A*S*H hours

[seefasters]

Hello again! Anon who started watching mash cus of ur regina spektor amv. currently midway thru season 5. Margaret's development is so satisying to watch :'>). Shes currently in her hating on frank burns era, which is just so fucking good after seasons of being w him. And shes starting to loosen up w the nurses and stuff which i am soooo here for<3. Shocked that i love radar as much as i do. That bit where he cries seeing footage of his family made *me* cry. BJ hunnicut has already replaced trapper in my heart (srry trap). I dig the outwardly cleancut and easygoing vibe in tandem with his internal mischeviousness and stress. Love that hawkeyes starting to crack up a bit also. Other notes: a lot of the racial and sexual politics are pretty dodgy, but also its a lot more progressive than i thought it would be, wrt to margaret and some of the asian side characters as well as its antiamerican exceptionalism stuff (though nothing can wash the taste of that moose episode out of my mouth. No fucking excuse for that shit.) And its rlly good with the klinger stuff to, i was shocked at that. also as a jewish person i was rlly pleasantly surprised to see how the show interacts with jewishness and jewish characters, tho i suppose i shouldnt be surprised given that the showrunner was jewish. Father mulcahy is such an appealing, inclusive presence and i like how respectful and enthusiastic he is with all religions. That bit w/ the bris rlly got me too :,>).And hawkeye uses so much yiddish in his dialogue, his name and the way he navigates the world seems very gentile but his vibe tells me he hung out with jewish folks a lot growing up or in college if hes using those terms all the time. Having a lot of fun with this series and im so curious how its gonna develop in future. Thanks for introducing me to the series, im rlly digging it!

OMG ANON i really didnt expect to see you here again this is so lovely <333 i'm glad youre enjoying the show and i'm so happy we have another beejgirl (gender neutral) in our ranks

and yeah the treatment of women and margaret's development specifically gets only better from here on out imo, esp once loretta swit got involved. i can't wait for you to see "inga" lmao. and margaret in her frank hater era is so fun. some ppl say they feel bad for frank but tbh fuck him

yea the moose episode is absolutely the peak of mash's white saviourism and cultural insensitivity. its..... confused to say the least. they do get a bit better as the show goes along (as in, start using actual korean words and cultural elements lol) but overall it still aged poorly. i think the best they ever did was in "in love and war" so look forward to that

a lot of ppl hc hawkeye as jewish! i'm not jewish myself so i can't say anything for or against that but there's a bunch of really good posts on jewish hawkeye in the mash tag if u ever want to read them after ur done

again, i'm sooo glad youre enjoying the show and the characters <33 its so nice to see someone new discovering mash

i can't wait for u to meet charles lol. very curious to see what your thoughts on him will be

[bowtiesnmusicals]

Here is my recap of the Boys vs Girls (Vitamin D) episode of the podcast.

This episode was very fun to shoot and very very memorable.

This was the start of the infamous glee mash-up.

The cast was starting to feel the effects of a show growing in popularity every week.

The cast got back from Australia and got picked up for a full season of 22 episodes.

The started filming the back 9 when they got back from Australia.

By Halloween of 2009 the cast backed up Amber singing the National Anthem at the World Series. They met Joe Biden.

In early 2010 they were on Oprah and performed at the White House.

The machine really started rolling in early 2010.

in late 2009 tabloids started writing crazy stories and fake things were being written about the cast in other publications.

They need to ask Adam Anders about the mash-ups. Whose idea was it?

They recap the episode and talk about each storyline.

The expectations for the boys was low.

They guys knew the girls would be amazing.

They loved Sue's journal.

This was the first time the glee kids got to work with Jessalyn (Terri).

We love continuity errors. They pointed out Sue says she doesn't have a uterus in this episode. Spoiler alert...Sue gets pregnant a few seasons later.

The scene with Finn storming in and being high off his ass on Sudafed was soooo good. It was so much fun to shoot the scenes when they were basically speed.

Cory was very underrated in his comedic prowess.

This episode was a perfect balance of kids and adult storylines.

Why were their cheerios in the scene with the glee kids getting the Sudafed in the nurses office?

This is the first time there weren't any solos. There were only group numbers.

The first time it was split into boys and girls.

Kevin has a terrible gag reflex and was trying not to vomit each take when he played the guitar and had the weird tube thing in his mouth.

Both mash-ups are great.

Good mash-up of song genre and eras. One current song and one older song.

Kevin felt like Kurt when he wanted to go with the girls. He wanted to do the girls numbers.

Kevin was worried about doing his part in the mash-off. Adam Anders had to do a bit of post work on Kevin's part.

Kevin started to throw little shout outs to friends starting in this episode.

This is the first time the entire wall with the dry erase board was taken out for filming.

This episode was nominated for Best Comedy Series Episode at the 2010 Prism Awards.

None could keep it together in the scene where Mr. Shue and Terrri get in trouble.

Iqbal had trouble saying methamphetamines.

The scene was a massive giggle fest.

It was hard to keep it together to get a shot of the scene where they weren't laughing.

Matt and Jessalyn are good at keeping a straight face so you know its bad when they couldn't keep it together.

They guys did great having everyone act differently all hopped up on vitamin d.

Heather and Jenna decided they were going to get crazy when they did the girls mash-up number.

Jenna gave herself whiplash during the girls number.

Heather and Jenna had 5 redbulls and a 5 hour energy shot. They also put icy hot on their back and they felt like their backs were on fire.

Jenna couldn't move her neck the next day.

The director of Spring Awakening visited the set the day the girls did their mash-up.

Around this time Lin Manuel Miranda visited the set. Matt would have Broadway friends visit the set. Kevin and Jenna don't remember meeting Lin.

A fan said this episode reminds them of the Saved By The Bell episode where Jessie takes caffeine pills.

Everyone is put into uncomfortable situations by Sue in this episode.

The end of this episode foreshadows the hallways scene between Emma and Will at the end of the season.

More irresponsible choices by the adults at Mckinley.

Sue becomes co-director of the New Directions

This was the first time the glee kids got to work with Jane.

This was the first time Jane was involved in a choir room scene.

By this point filming had become formulaic and the director for this episode shook things up. She tried new things.

She asked Kevin what he thought was important when filming the music numbers.

Dance needs to be covered wider.

There needs to be a balance between close shots and wide shots.

Everyone was still figuring things out.

By the end of the series things became more formulaic again.

It was fun but a bit jarring to have directors come in and switch things up.

Glee was an expensive show to shoot.

We got to see Howard Bamboo again in this episode. He is one of Jenna and Kevin's favorites.

Howard wouldn't have been able to get the Sudafed today because its locked up.

There is a weird continuity error with Terri wearing a pink shirt and it changes to a blue shirt in the scene where she is talking with Quinn.

Tartie Takes:

Cringe Moment: Emma/Ken proposal

Worst Dance Move: no bad dance moves...Jenna being injured

Best Song: Kevin- 50/50 on boys and girls mash-up songs. Jenna- the boys.

Amber in this episode was wild. She was the ringleader of the girls.

Best Line: Sue's entire journal.

Best Performance by a Prop: Kevin's mouth organ thing he used when playing guitar, Sue's journal

Shit We Found On Tiktok:

Trent Warble (Dominic Barnes) was going to Dalton and McKinley at the same time. There are clips of Dom in classes at McKinley. (I think the same thing can be said about Riker Lynch.)

Kevin texted Ryan and he said that Vitamin D was not inspired by Saved By The Bell. It was inspired by Ryan's love and addiction to Claritin D during allergy season.

Their was a water tank under the big stage they filmed on. The stage had been used to film the Ten Commandments. Ryan said it was moldy.

The mash-ups were Ryan's idea.

There are no bloopers because Ryan doesn't like to release bloopers for his shows out of respect for the actors.

No recaps during the holidays.

They added a bit at the end acknowledging the passing of tWitch (Steven Boss).

[leonardcohenofficial]

Which era-appropriate actors should have guest starred on mash and what kind of character/story lines should they have had (also I feel like this is something you have already answered before, but if you haven't, same question but for Columbo killers)

we all know that robert culp and mike farrell could have done each other's performances on MASH and columbo but here are some additional thoughts

columbo: i would have liked to see ben gazzara in a villain role; he's part of the extended columboverse in that he directed "a friend in deed" but i think that it would have been cool to see him on screen / i think that rene auberjonois does sinister well when given the opportunity and it would be cool to see him slightly more against type as a columbo murderer / carol burnett should guest star in everything and i have no idea what type of job her columbo villain would have but her and peter falk would be an incredible duo

MASH: i can see natalie wood as a nurse who's brought in to consult with the 4077th that margaret is very jealous of but also desperately trying to impress, only to find out in the second act that natalie wood is trying equally as hard to impress her and then they become hash tag girl best friends / in the MASH that exists in my brain we deserved a war co-respondent but gay episode and i could see either martin sheen or michael sarrazin in an aggie role / i have no idea what role specifically i'd want to see her in but ruth buzzi is hysterical and i could see her giving alan alda a run for his money in the earlier seasons when it comes to physical comedy

[always-la-belle-epoque]

hi what is mash and why do you love it so much because i need to know if i need to love it too thanks

Hello, anon! It took a bit because I wanted to put time into my answers, so here you are! 

What Is M*A*S*H: 

M*A*S*H is a tv show about doctors/nurses stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) unit on the frontlines of the Korean War. The show focuses on the medical staff as they desperately try to save the lives of young soldiers. Many of the doctors are draftees and they are faced with trying to cope with the horror of a war they want no part of and that is the absolute antithesis to their professional calling. They fight against death every day, struggle against military bureaucracy, and try to keep their sanity. Often that deep stress is released in humor, practical jokes, and wildly unmilitary antics, but the true costs and realities of war are never treated lightly. I’ve never seen another show that can make me laugh so hard and then turn on a dime to make me cry just as deeply a second later. The show is a beautiful examination of human nature, heart, found family, loss, helplessness, despair, exhaustion, humanity, and hope,. 

M*A*S*H ran for 11 years, from 1972-1983 and the finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, is still the most-watched television broadcast in history (the NYC sewer nearly faced collapse because people would all flush the toilet at the same time during commercials, and the streets were totally empty of cars as over half the country, 150+ mil people, watched the finale live together all at the same time. Can you imagine?!). Plus, it’s been in continuous syndication for 45 years which is impressive. M*A*S*H is for all generations, it resonates far beyond the era in which it was made, or which it was made about.

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (in general):

I don’t think there is another show out there in the history of the world that has written such narratively wonderful, deeply moving character arcs. I don’t know if there’s another show out there where the characters grow so much from their relationships with one another. Or a show that depicts masculinity in such a healthy, tender way. It is normal on M*A*S*H for male characters to: Cry. Hug. Tuck each other in. Hold hands. Perform emotional labor. Actively listen. Dance together. Sleep with teddy bears (and not have it be a joke). Admit they were wrong. Change and grow from being wrong. Etc, etc. 

And while Major Margaret Houlihan is the only female lead, her character arc is the most beautiful of any character I have ever watched or read. The show doesn’t start out particularly feminist, but it definitely ends that way (both male and female characters evolve here and it’s wonderful). And if more tv shows had characters half as complex as Margaret Houlihan, tv would be a whole lot more interesting, and women would be a whole lot farther along toward equality, imo. 

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (the personal): 

I was 15 or 16 when I started watching M*A*S*H. I was going through a very dark time in my home life. But my Mom would usually have M*A*S*H on while making dinner or just after. It was their weird time of day where it seemed like a truce between us. Sometimes I’d even sit all 5’8 of my gangly teenage body on her lap and we’d just watch like that with her arms around me (which given that things were darkly terrible the rest of the time it was like being a small kid again in a way I really needed). We’d talk about the characters. We’d talk about the stories. We both loved Margaret Houlihan (it’s interesting that Margaret has the most valuable traits I learned from my Mom - things I like most about her and am grateful she taught me despite all the bad stuff). 

Soon I was racing home after school and jamming in a blank VHS so that I could record each ep. I’d cross reference between tv guide and IMDB to try to see if any eps that I hadn’t seen yet would be on so I could record them for my collection. I made an elaborate cataloging system because they weren’t shown in order! And some eps were shown only rarely!! (I’m only 28, it amazes me that this was how things were not that long ago lol). 

Anyway, the DVD box set came out and I saved up alllllll my $ for it. Thank goodness, because then I got sick and for a few years the M*A*S*H characters were the most consistent and truest friends I had. The show is deeply personal for me. I can watch it over, and over, and over. It makes me laugh, and weep, and cheer. It’s like having friends. Like having family. 

Should You Love M*A*S*H too?

I want you to love M*A*S*H. I want everyone to love M*A*S*H! And M*A*S*H holds up. It’s still radically progressive. It’s still - in this time where North Korea is a frequent headline, where we have a government we do not trust, in a world where we have been at war since 2001 - deeply relevant. 

Here’s the thing though: it was made in the 70s, about events in the 1950s, and this is 2019 tumblr-land. You’ve all read the roasts about lack of critical thinking skills on this website and ability to contextualize, and those posts are unfortunately not wrong. And the world has changed - and changed for even better than what was, at the time, truly radical! Even terms that were the liberal, pc term in the 70s have changed now and are not liberal or pc anymore which for the 2019 watcher might raise eyebrows. But the show is extremely pointed about calling out racism, homophobia, sexism, military fetishism, colonization, etc. I think maybe the only other show I can think of that goes so hard at dogged and relentless political call outs would be One Day at a Time. So I feel protective of M*A*S*H because in 50 years maybe we will look back at ODaaT and say yikes about certain things, though that feels crazy to say now. 

If you do want to watch, here’s my advice (pull down your pants and slide on the ice (sorry, omg M*A*S*H jokeee)): 

Do not start with S1. Start with S4, or S5 even. For one thing, there are some cast changes at the start of S4 so you get intro-ed to everyone again in “Welcome to Korea pt 1 & 2” and “Change of Command.”  It’s a really good starting point to see a lot of characters on the brink of change. Don’t get me wrong, I still really love S1-3 but the characters haven’t grown yet. I love going back because I know them so well, but if you’re just meeting them, I recommend getting to know them in the middle of their journey, watch them evolve, and then go back and see where they started. And I think Col. Potter/BJ really elevated the tone of the show.

Because M*A*S*H is an older tv show, most people who love M*A*S*H never watched the show in order because we could only watched it in syndication! And you don’t really need to watch in order! In fact, CBS had the final call for episode order so sometimes even the air order is different than the writing, filming, intended order. Also, because they had 11 years of content over a 3 years of war, the show itself isn’t chronological. Due to probability (there are just more Potter/BJ eps) I saw more S4+ eps when I was first watching the show so again that’s my newbie preference. Now that it’s on Hulu (and remastered OMG) it might be tempting to watch in order, but really do recommend skipping around or at least starting later in for sure. You’ll learn context as you go (recs below). Then once you get the characters and their arcs it’s suuuuper fascinating to watch in order. 

 Fight me: Is everyone bisexual on this show??! Yes, yes they are. This is where I go full 2019 tumblr-brain, lol, but looking back I think it’s one of the reasons I loved it before I understood myself. It’s gentle, tender, pretty wavy. Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce is, like, arguably canonically bi, like I even wonder if he was intentionally written/played that way on the dl. It’s pretty blatant?? And don’t even get me started on Margaret Houlihan. Godddddddd. 

 On that note, and maybe you will fall over, but Margaret and Hawkeye are my actual, #1, forever OTP. Which is weird for you, dear readers, I’m sure, as I run a v strict wlw blog and I’m very proud about that. But broken people who heal and change and grow because of the other is my tea, jam, and bread (”crackers and jam! too bad!” ;) ),  and so far the writing of other characters and relationships hasn’t a hope of even coming into the range of depth these characters have (obvs not just wlw ships, all other mlw ships are The Worst as well, we’re all doomed, why does tv suck). But anyway, I would take them over any ship any day of the week goombye (but also….shipping Margaret is kinda like….not the point of Margaret Houlihan). 

It’s worth noting that M*A*S*H has a character named Maxwell Klinger who wears a dress to try to get out of the army via a Section 8 (previously known as a “psycho”) discharge (remember lgbtq was still classified as a mental illness, smh). Obviously, this is potentially triggering. And, obviously, not okay in today’s world. To me the show does call out that it is the policies/laws/politics that are crazy, not Klinger. I think there are still some fairly modern ideas in his portrayal in that anyone who treats him like he is crazy, or is disrespectful, is very pointedly shown to be bigoted/an antagonist. Klinger is excellent at his job, brave, loyal, true, and that’s all anyone who is a protagonist cares about (and I do think they try to show to the extend they could during the time it aired that even if Klinger were not doing it for a discharge, they would respond the same way). Fwif, imo, Klinger isn’t played as a one note joke for wearing dresses, in fact, to an extent, he does wear them utterly sincerely. He loves, deeply loves, clothes and fashion because loving something gives him something to live for. It becomes his passion, not a gag. The gag is that Klinger will do anything to get out of the war through any available loophole he hears about (having an imaginary pet camel, eating 10 sausages in a single day, eating a jeep, trying to get into West Point aka join the military to get out of the military), etc. His comrades in arms treat him very sincerely and are very protective. Early on, a jeep comes in with wounded and Radar pulls Klinger away from the blood, “careful, you’ll get your dress dirty” in the most serious, sweet way. Col Potter is always very serious and sincere about telling Klinger when one of his dresses is a fav, and Klinger positively glows. When Klinger has to trade his dress collection to local women in exchange for shelter for the wounded during a bug out, Col. Potter, regular army in his 3rd war, tells Klinger (who is in tears) that it’s the finest act of bravery he has ever seen (and he means it). When Margaret desperately wants to look pretty and Klinger pulls out one of his best frocks and helps her dress in it - Margaret who grew up in combat boots wanting a crew cut - it’s pretty emotional (and I bawl when he gives her the wedding dress, goddd). As for Klinger himself, he’s one of my favorite characters. He has the biggest heart and I love him (and yes, I might feel differently if I had a different life experience than I do - that is why I’m flagging this as something that might not be for everyone, or might be trigger - because history already is triggering, and not everyone might be as moved by him as I am).

If you’re a 30 Rock fan you will know the star Alan Alda as Milton Greeen, Jack Donaghy’s father, and if you love Beauty and the Beast you will know that the actor who voiced Cogsworth is a major (lol pun) character in S6-11! But that’s all crazy to me because they are always M*A*S*H, first and forever, and always in my mind! I can’t believe they’re all in their 80s now, or that so many of them have passed.  :( They are truly my whole heart, my family, my home. 

If you do want to watch, recommend you start with the following eps (omg this list is long but it feels so short):

Welcome to Korea pt 1 + 2 (s4)

Change of Command (s4)

Aid Station (s3)

Death Takes a Holiday (s9)

Carry on, Hawkeye (s2)

Bug Out pt 1 + 2 (s5)

Dear Sigmund (s5)

Period of Adjustment (s8) *my first ep ever :,)

The Bus (s4)

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet (s1)

Tuttle (s1)

Crisis (s2)

O.R. (s3)

5 O'Clock Charlie (s2)

The Nurses (s5)

The Interview (s4)

Movie Tonight (s5)

Abyssinia, Henry (s3)

Hepatitis (s5)

Your Hit Parade (s6)

Peace on Us (s7)

Eye for a Tooth (s7)

Old Soldiers (s8)

Life Time (s8)

Stars and Stripes (s8)

Hey, Look Me Over (s11)

There’s a million more things I could say about the show. I feel like I haven’t summarized it justly. If anyone wants to chime in with why they love M*A*S*H, what your fav ep is, etc, please do :)