It’s been a long time since I cracked open my M*A*S*H DVDs. I purchased the entire series collection back when I was ambitious enough to think I could watch all 11 seasons in order. What I didn’t realize was that M*A*S*H is a very uneven show in terms of quality. Some eps are great, but some are pretty bad. This makes it kind of hard to watch everything, ya know?
Anyway, I recently went on a mini-marathon and watched 8 eps over the course of a single weekend. They were: “The Moose”, “Yankee Doodle Doctor”, “Bananas, Crackers, and Nuts”, “Cowboy”, “Henry, Please Come Home”, “I Hate a Mystery”, “Germ Warfare”, and “Dear Dad”.
None of these were particularly memorable, but the two I liked best were “Henry, Please Come Home” and “Dear Dad”. I enjoyed the first one because anytime Hawkeye and Trapper try to outwit Frank, it usually leads to a few laughs. The second one was interesting because we got to hear how Hawkeye described the camp to a total outsider (though I have to say, would he really have gone to the front lines to operate on someone without bringing any friggin’ medical equipment with him???).
The other eps were kind of lame, especially “Yankee Doodle Doctor” and “I Hate a Mystery”. Oh, well — even when the eps are bad, I can at least ponder other facets of the show, such as how those soldiers lived in tents all year round. Korean winters can get very COLD and uncomfortable, so I don’t envy the 4077th at all. I didn’t expect them to have insulated cabins with king-sized beds, down comforters, and Elkay sinks with gold-plated fixtures, but those flimsy tents must have been unbearable — especially for a surgical unit full of doctors unused to rough conditions.
At any rate, I can’t believe I haven’t even finished season one yet. It’s gonna take a couple more marathons to get through the last 12 eps here!!