MAS*H
One of the worstMASHepisodes assay to force the drama so much that it block the show is also supposed to be funny . fan of this fabled sitcom are divided on how it evolved . MASHran for 11 seasonsin aggregate , and there were some big tonic variety in that prison term . It transition from being a wild sitcom with an anti - war message into a sometimes deathly serious dramedy . The very best junket were able-bodied to balance these tonus , thoughMASH’sbest instalment " The Interview"is also borderline muzzle free .
It finally issue forth down to personal preference , butMASH’svarious actor exitsand its willingness to try out stay fresh the show a hit for over a decade . Of course , it also run for over 250 episode , stand for it had to brave some dud outings . Alda ’s least - favorite episode from season 1 , for case , involved a dizzy treasure Richard Morris Hunt system . The season 4 episode " Hawkeye " is highly divisive too , since Alda ’s title character is the only plaster cast member to come along and never shuts up the whole time .
“Fallen Idol” Is The Worst MASH Episode Directed By Alan Alda
This season 6 episode got the famous MASH dramedy balance all wrong
The final season apart , Meshed to crank out over 20 episode per time of year . Even with the best of intention , some of those are bound to be underwhelming or force a premise because they ’re run dry of good estimate . Alan Alda himself save and directedMASH’s"Fallen Idol " , which is one of season 6 ’s worstoutings . This is n’t down to the playing or that the concept is too farfetched , but rather because it pull in most of the form weirdly disputative just to make the assumption workplace .
… thisMASHepisode see to it Hawkeye and Radar resolve their remainder by the death , but it feel like the only room this secret plan works is because it call for everyone to act out of fiber .
" Fallen Idol " open with Radar being offend after Hawkeye encourages him to take some R&R. The guilt - stricken surgeon later drinks to excessiveness , to the point that he ’s unable to do surgery the next morning . Once Radar hears this , he becomes oddly judgmental and rebuke him , with a furious Hawkeye then yelling at him . While thisMASHepisode sees the two resolve their differences by the ending , it feels like the only way this plot whole caboodle is because it necessitate everyone to act as out of quality .
Alan Alda ’s least favorite episode of MASH comes from season 1 , and its quality underlines why the classic situation comedy came so close to being canceled .
Radar and Potter ( Harry Morgan ) are weirdly critical and ego - righteous towards Hawkeye , in ways they never usually would be . It ’s also odd that the uptight Charles ( David Ogden Stiers ) would push Hawkeye to perform surgery , even though he ’s absolutely cognizant he ’s still drunkand thus should n’t be anywhere near a scalpel . Naturally , B.J. ( Mike Farrell ) is the only tranquil voice , but it ’s still a plot where everybody experience they must be yelling at Hawkeye at all time , who in play gets extremely agitated at being yelled at .
Alan Alda Directed 32 Episodes Of MASH
Hawkeye was a big creative voice on MASH
WhenMASHbegan , it was mean as a two - hander between Hawkeye and Wayne Roger ’s Trapper , just like in Robert Altman ’s 1970 film . It shortly became clear Alda was the show ’s breakout star , with Rogers leaving after time of year 3 because he feel his function being lessened . Alda would also become a cardinal originative spokesperson behind the scenes , helping to mold stories and the cosmopolitan centering of the show . Alda maneuver 32 episode ofMASHtoo , include divisive ones like " Dreams . "
MASH ’s protagonists might be flawed but they ’re not dumb either , so the drama at the heart of " Fallen Idol " ring false because of how they ’re portrayed .
He also helmed some great sequence , like the literally haunting " folly of the Living - Concerns of the Dead , " where the ghost of a drained soldier walk around encampment . It ’s easy to see what Alda saw in " Fallen Idol , " but it was come near from the untimely slant . If anything , the focus should have been on Hawkeye ’s inebriation and how it affects his performance in surgery , with the theatrical role stimulate to reckon with his dependence .
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alternatively , it is a unusual morality tale that sacrifices humor for unearned pathos . If one graphic symbol involved work like a grown - up , there would n’t be any conflict at all . MASH’sprotagonists might be blemished but they ’re not speechless either , so the drama at the eye of " Fallen Idol " ring false because of how they ’re portray .
Wayne Rogers later on front his own aesculapian sitcomHouse Calls , which run for three seasons .
“Fallen Idol” Underlines Why MASH’s Comedy & Drama Balance Was So Tricky
Dramedy is no laughing matter
The shock death of Henry Blake in season 3 help transform the show . This was one of the first time a major eccentric had died on a television show , and audiences just were n’t prepared for it . Now , this season 3 finale was n’t the first timeMASHhad mixed laughs with tragedy , but it was the most strong . From season 4 onward , it would balance the light with the darkness , where the witty gags could give elbow room to heartbreak within seconds .
EveryMASHMovie & Series To Feature Radar
Release Year
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MASH(Movie )
1970
MASH(TV Series )
1972 - 1983
AfterMASH
1983 - 1985
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WALTE*R(TV Pilot )
1984
" Fallen Idol " is an exercise of how hardMASH’sdramedy formula could be to nail down . There are jokes in there , but everything feels so heavily - handed that they never land . The dramatic side does n’t work either , because again , Alda is pushing a chronicle that just does n’t work , and it makes Hawkeye and Radar look childish and petty . If anything , this time of year 6 episode highlights what a miracle the show was , since its success pace was typically so high-pitched .
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Cast
MAS*H is a drama - comedy series go down during the Korean War , concentrate on on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenge of wartime aesculapian Robert William Service with temper and resilience .
