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Now What?

About a week ago, I posted the rating for Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, the very last episode of M*A*S*H. Throughout the rating process I received a handful of asks wondering what I was planning to do once I’d rated all the episodes, and now I think it’s time to let you all know my plans for the blog.

Firstly, I’m thinking of somehow compiling all the ratings into something a little more wieldy. This blog started as a self-indulgent way to pick an episode to watch, after all, and tumblr is not known for being particularly searchable. To that end, I am hoping to make a masterpost with links so that the blog is easier to navigate and/or copy and paste all the ratings into a work on AO3 (which would be linked on this blog).

I am also considering writing up a break-down of the ratings, either in addition to or somehow incorporated into the above masterlist. This would involve sorting the episodes by what ratings they got for each category rather than simply chronologically by season. It is possible I may decide to only list the highest rated episodes for each season, depending on whether this project is separate from the masterpost or not.

These projects will likely take a while to put together, but in the meantime I’d love to hear your thoughts.

#not a rating

[mash-rated]

S11E16 "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”

Synopsis: Sidney helps Hawkeye work through some trauma at an institution in order to send him back to the 4077th in time for the end of the war, meanwhile BJ gets orders to go home that are later rescinded and Klinger realizes he’s too in love with Soon-Lee to let her go looking for her parents alone

Rating:

Jokes: 5/5

Seriousness: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Queer subtext: 5/5

Margaret's characterization: 5/5

My thoughts: there are way too many things that I want to say about this “episode” (which is really a movie), so I’ll be putting my real-time (aka unedited) reactions under a read more if anyone is interested. But suffice it to say that this is the best sendoff M*A*S*H could have even if it leaves us still wanting more. I suppose I’ll have to track down After M*A*S*H now, though I’ve heard it’s not as good

I love how you can tell everyone loves Hawkeye so much even though this phonecall is painful to listen to

A peace talks announcement this early in this episode is clearly a fakeout

Klinger is so adorable when he's in love

I forgot about Charles' musician friends!

Where did BJ get the motorcycle? Is it the one that the reporter broke? The story is unclear

Poor Sydney looks equally as tired as Hawkeye

Oh boy here we go

Wait, not there quite yet

BJ, honey, you're not going home yet

Father Mulcahy my beloved

I forgot that he damaged his hearing doing something heroic

Chickens… oh no. Now here we go

Why do they keep cutting away from Hawkeye? 

Oh yeah I forgot BJ visits Hawkeye

He can't tell him he's going home...

Wait did Hawkeye just reference the movie where gaslighting gets its name from? 

"There might be something we wanted to say to each other before we left" 😭😭😭

Oh fuck the chicken is back

This scene breaks me every time

Damn they sent Hawkeye back to work way too quickly

(And Sydney's explanation is BS)

"I've gotta leave a note for Hawkeye" 😭😭😭😭😭

Oh Charles just admit you care about BJ

Colonel Potter you wily, sentimental bastard

Is Charles actually trained in conducting or is he just a pretentious ass? 

Why are they dragging up old arguments between Charles and Margaret? 

Oh god oh fuck Hawkeye just found out BJ left him the same way Trapper did

There goes Klinger again, having one of the biggest character arcs in the entire show

Colonel Potter trying to explain to Sophie that he cant take her home is absolutely devastating

Oh shit yeah the wild fire, I forgot that's why they bug out

It's scenes like the bug out when I realize how much of the camp we never see

BJ MY BELOVED

Boys, kiss and make up already, the bitterness is killing me

Klinger and Soon-Lee really are a beautiful femme for femme couple (not my joke but it bears repeating) 

Is that Margaret in a Hawaiian shirt? My gay heart can't take it

Oh Hawkeye...the reminder that BJ has a domestic life to go back to must be part of his fear of kids 

The war is over! You know, the 3 year war that lasted 11 years

But it's not over for the doctors or the wounded

The return to the burned out camp is so sad

Sydney helping out in OR warms my heart though

"There's nothing here I'm gonna miss... except you" FELLAS

Oh fuck one of Charles' musician friends

Scratch that, all of his musician friends

"What good is a deaf priest?...Are you [god] deaf too?" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

And there it is, the ceasefire is official. But again, the doctors' work goes on for awhile longer

Nurse Kellye my beloved

Hawkeye indirectly calling Portland a big city is the most Maine thing I've ever heard and also hilarious

KLINGER YOU BEAUTIFUL HUMAN

I love how he went from trying anything and everything to get out of Korea to staying after everyone else goes home

Why are Colonel Potter's goodbyes always the hardest to watch? 

I hate goodbyes so much and there's so many to sit through

The Hawkeye/Margaret kiss is comphet in action and they deserved a much better scene since they've been through so much together

Babes this doesn't have to be the end for you

Hawkeye that's gay

BJ that's even gayer

But damn, he did leave a note

#M*A*S*H #M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #goodbye farewell and amen #sidney freedman #hawkeye pierce #bj hunnicutt #maxwell q klinger #soon-lee

[mash-rated]

S11E15 “As Time Goes By”

Synopsis: Margaret and Hawkeye argue over the types of things to include in a time capsule, Charles helps BJ get revenge on Rizzo for a mean prank, and Klinger and Father Mulcahy prove that a young Korean woman is not a sniper and try to help her find her parents

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 4/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 4/5

My thoughts: now this is a fitting last normal episode. I would of course be initially mad if this is where they had left it, but after a while it would make sense. The writers managed to cram a lot of stuff into one episode without it feeling too contrived, with the A, B, and C plots all fitting together nicely in a way that balanced laughs and seriousness. Plus our main cast gets to show off their characters’ best qualities along with callbacks to characters who left and even Klinger’s dresses. And I cannot ignore that Soon-Lee is a young Keiko O’brien from Star Trek (Rosalind Chao)

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #margaret houlihan #hawkeye pierce #charles emerson winchester III #bj hunnicutt #sargeant rizzo #maxwell q klinger #father mulcahy #soon-lee

[mash-rated]

S11E14 “Give and Take"

Synopsis: Charles trades his job as charity collection officer to Margaret for a favour, and the job changes hands more than any actual money does. A GI in post op learns that the enemy are humans just like him when his bed is next to a North Korean soldier who he shot for trying to steal his boots

Rating:

Jokes: 2/5

Seriousness: 3/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: on paper this should be the perfect M*A*S*H episode, with its shenanigans from the staff and a B plot that reminds you how awful war is, and this particular B plot is actually fairly good, but something about the A plot feels a bit hollow. For the second to last regular episode (and third to last episode ever) of the entire show it’s somewhat lackluster

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #charles emerson winchester III #margaret houlihan

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S11E13 "Friends and Enemies"

Synopsis: BJ is stuck in the Swamp for a few days because of an injured toe, and takes drastic action to prevent Charles from playing his records during that time but it ends up backfiring horribly on him. One of Colonel Potter’s friends since WW1 ends up at the 4077th after interfering in a battle he shouldn’t have been at, and Hawkeye sticks up for the wronged soldiers

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Queer subtext: 3/5

Margaret's characterization: 4/5

My thoughts: it’s tragic that Colonel Potter loses one of his oldest friends by saving his life

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #bj hunnicutt #charles emerson winchester III #colonel sherman potter #hawkeye pierce

[mash-rated]

S11E12 "Say No More”

Synopsis: a general visits his wounded son and is forced to confront the true horrors of war when his son dies in post op. Margaret contracts laryngitis right before a big medical conference where she was supposed to meet with a doctor she admires, so Charles helps her arrange alternate plans

Rating:

Jokes: 2/5

Seriousness: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 2/5

My thoughts: other than the tonal dissonance, this is one of the best episodes of the season so far. It does what M*A*S*H does best: it barely conceals a searing critique of the military industrial complex inside a medical comedy. It’s not much of a feel good episode, except for when Charles has a moment of genuine kindness, but it is a good episode. Honorable mention for Margaret’s atrocious perm

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #margaret houlihan #charles emerson winchester III

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S11E11 "Strange Bedfellows"

Synopsis: Colonel Potter finds out that his daughter’s husband cheated on her while in Tokyo and wonders if he should confront him about it or tell Evy. Hawkeye and BJ fight with Charles when he refuses to admit that he snores

Rating:

Jokes: 3/5

Seriousness: 3/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 3/5

Margaret's characterization: 2/5

My thoughts: not a very memorable episode, but I do love the implication that Father Mulcahy watches roller derby

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #colonel sherman potter #evy wilson nee potter #hawkeye pierce #bj hunnicutt #charles emerson winchester III #father mulcahy

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S11E10 “U.N. The Night and the Music”

Synopsis: three visitors arrive from the UN and interact with various members of the 4077th while BJ struggles with the fact that he told a patient he wouldn’t lose his leg and then was forced to amputate it anyway

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: Charles’ discussions with the British delegate were painful to sit through, but the payoff of the joke is oh so sweet. Also, Margaret’s romance with the Swedish delegate is perhaps the only good one they give her

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #bj hunnicutt #charles emerson winchester III #margaret houlihan

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S11E9 “Run for the Money”

Synopsis: Klinger thinks a sprinter who almost qualified for the Olympics is coming to the 4077th, so he bets that they have someone who can beat the 8063rd’s prize racer, but when it turns out to be false Father Mulcahy has to run the race instead. Charles takes exception to how a patient with a stutter is treated by his comrades and commanding officer. 

Rating:

Jokes: 3/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: once again the 4077th can only win a contest through cheating, which is still very funny but at this point not particularly original. I love Charles’ B story though, and how we get to hear Honoria speak for the first time

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #maxwell q klinger #father mulcahy #charles emerson winchester III #honoria winchester

[mash-rated]

S11E8 "The Moon is Not Blue"

Synopsis: a visiting general bans alcohol at the 4077th so Hawkeye and BJ try to get a popular racy movie delivered as substitute entertainment

Rating:

Jokes: 2/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: the only really memorable part of this episode is Hawkeye giving Klinger placebo pills to help him deal with the heat

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #hawkeye pierce #bj hunnicutt #maxwell q klinger

[mash-rated]

S11E7 “Settling Debts”

Synopsis: Mildred writes to Hawkeye to ask him to organize a surprise mortgage-burning party for Colonel Potter after she pays it off early

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 4/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: it’s been a while since I tossed out a “favourite”, but this one deserves it. The story really gives everyone a chance to shine and, apart from the vengeful sergeant subplot, it’s full of fluffy fun (at least by M*A*S*H standards)

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #mildred potter #hawkeye pierce #colonel sherman potter

[mash-rated]

S11E6 "Bombshells”

Synopsis: Hawkeye and Charles panic when the rumour they created (that Marilyn Monroe is visiting the 4077th) as a joke attracts serious attention. BJ searches in vain for a wounded soldier he had to leave behind when the chopper he was on drew fire

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Queer subtext: 3/5

Margaret's characterization: 2/5

My thoughts: it’s really hard to know which plot to focus on, because in isolation I love both the A and B stories from this episode for opposite reasons. The Marilyn bit is peak MASH comedy even though it draws on earlier tropes, while BJ's plot is a heartbreaking reminder of the show's main goal: to protest the horrors of war. Like a few other episodes I've talked about, this one deserves to be two separate ones where each plot can be explored in better detail.

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #hawkeye pierce #charles emerson winchester III #bj hunnicutt

[mash-rated]

S11E5 “Who Knew?”

Synopsis: one of the nurses dies in the minefield and Hawkeye volunteers to give her eulogy after discovering that he technically knew her best, since they went on a couple dates, but finds the lack of information about her frustrating and horrifically sad. Klinger tries to get Charles to invest in a toy business inspired by Korean children's games

Rating:

Jokes: 3/5

Seriousness: 4/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 2/5

Margaret's characterization: 2/5

My thoughts: while there's nothing funnier than Charles telling Klinger that the hula hoop will never catch on, it feels out of place in such a serious episode

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #hawkeye pierce #maxwell q klinger #charles emerson winchester III

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S11E4 “The Joker is Wild"

Synopsis: BJ initiates a 24 hour prank spree to prove he's a better prankster than Trapper and Hawkeye is determined (to the point of paranoia) that he won't be one of BJ's victims

Rating:

Jokes: 3/5

Seriousness: 2/5

Plot: 3/5

Queer subtext: 5/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: BJ why are you so jealous of Trapper . . . unless?

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #bj hunnicutt #trapper john mcintyre #hawkeye pierce

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S11E3 "Foreign Affairs"

Synopsis: Hawkeye and BJ deal with a military PR man who wants to make a North Korean pilot they treated into an (unwilling) turncoat and Charles falls for a French red cross worker until he's shocked by her views on marriage

Rating:

Jokes: 3/5

Seriousness: 3/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 4/5

Margaret's characterization: 2/5

My thoughts: literally every time Charles gets a romance storyline he seems more in love with the idea of being in love than with the actual love interest. It only furthers my headcanon that he’s queer

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #hawkeye pierce #bj hunnicutt #charles emerson winchester III

[mash-rated]

S11E2 "Trick or Treatment”

Synopsis: a Halloween party at Rosie's gets interrupted by a relentless onslaught of casualties, including a man who was mistakenly declared dead, and the medical staff tell ghost stories in the OR to pass the time

Rating:

Jokes: 4/5

Seriousness: 3/5

Plot: 2/5

Queer subtext: 3/5

Margaret's characterization: 3/5

My thoughts: not to sound like a boomer (especially because I'm arguably on the millenial/gen z cusp) but eventually Margaret's ghost story won't make sense to people because getting film developed at a drugstore isn't really a thing anymore

#M*A*S*H season 11 #mash rated #margaret houlihan