Season 2

Summary

Every day at 5 o'clock someone tries and fails to bomb the MASH unit. It has become a huge source of entertainment, so Frank decides to try and kill him with a gun.

Thoughts

YAS QUEEEN!!! RRAGGHGHHG! 5 O'Clock Charlie is a classic! Yahoo!!! Very fun! Except for the part where Frank is racist, but also he's a villain and that is considered a vilainous trait! Which is great!

Summary

Radar writes a report going over the recent events in camp. Sidney Freedman (except he's called Milton in this one) gives Klinger a psych eval. Trapper thinks about killing someone. Hawkeye has sex.

Thoughts

Another winner! High drama! High comedy! Trapper thinks about murder! And there's not a word spoken in the scene! And it's crazy! SIDNEY FREEDMAN except he's called milton but it's SIDNEY BABY!!!

Summary

After the US puts a civilian village under fire, Hawkeye and Trapper try to hold the army accountable. Frank helps?? Good for him.

Thoughts

Honestly, this episode is another standard MASH episode. It almost feels like it's trying to show the audience why the army is bad. Because the army is bad in this one. But unlike in later seasons, Hawkeye and Trapper actually win! They more or less get what they set out to do accomplished! Not bad!

Summary

Hawkeye, after three days straight of surgery, has a hard time getting to sleep. He sends the president a telegram and destroys a latrine.

Thoughts

Oh my god the soppiest saddest. Hawkeye Pierce miserably singing a christmas carol. Hawkeye Pierce pleading helicopter pilots to stop flying out to collect casualties. Hawkeye Pierce hopelessly asking Frank BURNS why the war is on. If Klinger had been the one to enact this plot, it would be played for straight comedy, but because it's Hawkeye it is miserable. 10/10. War is hell.

Summary

A young korean boy called Kim is lost. The unit takes care of him for a little while.

Thoughts

Oh Kim. This is the first episode where Trapper really gets to shine as a character who cares about something in a positive way, and not in a murder a man way. First episode where Margaret really really gets to have sympathy and play for the good side. Frank stays evil. Louise MacIntyre pulls through in the best way. First camp takes care of a kid episode!

Summary

Hawkeye and Trapper help a US Soldier and a Korean civilian get married. Hawkeye gets incedibly turned off.

Thoughts

In this sitcom, we stan interracial marriage. There are future episodes that delve into the practice of US Soldiers impregnating Korean women and ditching, but this one's sweet because it's early seasons. The guy wants to stay with his wife and child, Hawkeye and Trapper help make it happen. Frank Burns eats worms. Margaret might too? And Hawkeye's hot date turns out to be racist, so he drops her immediately. And what's nice about this? It's that she says it as a small comment first, one that he could have worked himself around to ignoring or dismissing, and instead he comes to a full stop, confirms that she means what she's saying, and gets the hell out of there, telling her exactly why. This is the best scenario for a MASH episode that is saying no to racism. Congrats.

Summary

Henry gets court-martialed. Radar does his best. Hawkeye and Trapper help him out. Klinger saves the day.

Thoughts

Classic easter egg episode with being able to clearly read the prescription Trapper writes out for Klinger to carry out. Henry and Radar have some lovely scenes. Radar knowing he's in trouble, but not really understanding why or what he needs to say to get out of trouble. That nurse lady kicks ass. Great episode. OH! And Klinger's fluffy pink slippers! :)

Summary

Hawkeye writes home about making someone not racist anymore. Most importantly, Henry gets to watch a movie his family made for him.

Thoughts

So the gang solves racism by putting a guy in brown face to make him think he is becoming black. They also at one point bring him a lunch of fried chicken and watermelon. The only black nurse puts him in his place when he snaps at her, and then Hawkeye and Trapper inform the guy about Dr. Charles R. Drew, who, yes, helped refine the process of separating blood from plasma and was a black doctor and is responsible for countless lives being saved, but also was not refused a spot in a hospital bed due to being black, though that was, and still is, a popular misconception. The guy does stop being racist, apparently, because he gives Ginger, the black nurse, a salute before he leaves, and it really warms Hawkeye's heart.

So the problem is that the power of brown face solved racism. Which is only possible due to the unspoken premise that this guy just doesn't realize he's not inherently better than anyone due to his skin color? And once he is forced to "really think about it" he realizes racism is bad. Anyways. I don't like watching this episode.

On the positive, this is the episode that features Henry Blake's home video, that is very very sweet. Also the second (but still not final) gay kiss. And typical hijinks from the crew.

This episode falls under the same umbrella for me as when Star Trek fixed native american genocide. It's naive, poorly-executed, and based on ignorant and harmful principles. The writers are well-intentioned, but it falls into the white-liberal fantasy of using your privilege and position of power in order to fix symptoms of a problem only if and when you are exposed to it, and if from that point on you do not see that specific problem again it means you've fixed it. Meanwhile, Oliver Jones was removed from the show without comment because "there were no black surgeons in Korea" which is factually untrue, which the writers knew at the start of the show. Anyways we're going to fix racism maybe a dozen more times, but this is one of the worst ones.

Summary

A sniper fires on camp.

Thoughts

And we're back! First heroic Hawkeye speech? Probably not. A very on the nose one though. Anyway, staple episode. Frank Burns eats Worms. Radar ASS! FIRST BARE ASS ON TELEVISION RADAR O'REILLY!!!!!

Summary

There's a horrible flu happening in camp! Oh no! Who will surgery? Margaret and Hawkeye perhaps?

Thoughts

Goofy silly times! Hawkeye takes it all very seriously (lying). Margaret gets some wonderful hints at character development. (see my essay on episode 14, Hot Lips and Empty Arms). Hawkeye gets pegged. Radar is there. Silly fun, for the most part.

Summary

Hawkeye and Trapper try to get an incubator for the unit.

Thoughts

Fun episode! I love all of the different varieties of army asshole we get to see in this show. In this episode alone we get like 5. Imagine having multiple different flavors of terrible person instead of just one! Fun! Radar saves the day!

Summary

Klinger, Hawkeye, Radar, Trapper, Sidney Freedman, Sam Pak, and Henry all play poker! Radar runs someone over in the middle of camp! Frank Burns eats worms!

Thoughts

WAAHAO! POKER! Klinger! Sam Pak! ALSO COLONEL FLAGG! Except his name is not Colonel Flagg, but that's not necessarily a character inconsistency. Anyways, Trapper bodies someone. Someone tries to kill Frank. Sidney Freedman my beloved? Sidney Freedman my beloved.

Summary

Margaret tries to transfer out, gets drunk, and then stays.

Thoughts

So what I think is interesting about early season margaret's character development is that they don't ever backtrack it in the traditional way of sitcoms. Most of the time with epsiodes like this one, Margaret will say something, or admit something, or be going through something awful or emotional, and someone will follow it up with "I never knew that." or "Why don't you act like that all of the time then?" and Margaret will say it's because I'm a woman in the army, or I have never really understood friendships, or I have daddy problems, or what have you.

In short, as a viewer you begin to understand her more and more as the show goes on. Even as she is being horrible (with exceptions) you have this understanding that she is fooling herself along with everyone else. She is, in effect, setting up a foolproof offense as her defense.

After Hot Lips and Empty Arms, when you see her in episodes where she is devoted and loving to Frank, it is understood that Margaret must be having a particularly bad time. When she is clearly using him as a tool to have her own voice and power utilized, you understand why she is so insistent, so upset, and STILL in the wrong.

You understand her motives, but are rooting for her to come around. Margaret gets to be evil with potential for good and deep sympathy for the obstacles inherent in her life and position. This means that Loretta Swit's preformances actually become more and more layered and nuanced as time goes on and more about her character is understood. The reality of Loretta Swit having to work twice as hard for every inch of Margaret's character development manifests itself in a slow, but certain, character arc as the show continues on. I would argue that Margaret is the only character who has this honor. Achieving permanent and lasting character development within a sitcom like this that doesn't bother to remember dates or presidents or seasons is no small achievement.

All of this to say, I fucking love this episode. Margaret applies for a transfer, which is passed through. She is convinced that she is happy about this, but also she keeps drinking. She tells off Frank (WAOOOO!!), tells Trapper he's sexy, tells Hawkeye to eat dirt. She gets uproariously drunk, then when casualties arrive, she insists on helping, sobers up, and stays. She returns to Frank by the end of the episode. Excellent episode.

(ALSO!!! THE FIRST FEMALE WRITTEN EPISODE OF THE SHOW!!!! THE SECOND EPISODE WRITTEN BY A WOMAN WILL NOT COME UNTIL SEASON 3 EPISODE 6!!!! WHICH BY THE WAY IS ANOTHER! BANGER!!!!!)

Summary

Hawkeye and Trapper earn the entire unit an officer's club, which upsets the non-officers, since they are not allowed.

Thoughts

It's a fine episode! The establishment of the officer's club! Making this the second spot to drink in the show (so far). Silly conclusion.

Summary

Henry "falls in love" with a 20 year-old.

Thoughts

So it is painful to watch Henry fixate on this kid. AND EVERY CHARACTER IN THE SHOW AGREES!!!! AND WORKS TO MAKE HIM WAKE UP AND GROW UP!!!! AND THEN HE DOOOESSSS!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!! Radar saves the day. He's a sweetheart.

Hawkeye asserts a once again beautiful take that dating someone fresh out of high school when you have already graduated with a doctorate is bad! There are so many shows that are much more willing to assert the narrative that men cannot control themselves if they are horny or if women are "provocative," no matter what their moral convictions are. This show doesn't do that. Hawkeye never gives her a look like he wishes he lived in a world where they can date or whatever. Henry does. BUT! Any time Henry does, this is met with outrage and disgust that he would do some thing like this. And then Radar saves the day. And Henry wakes up. And it's great.

The reason this is two stars is because, though I love the perspectives and morals of this episode, I don't like watching Henry swoon over a 20 year old, and it's not necessary for the "canon" of the show. Meaning, besides Hawkeye's turning down of the twenty year old, and the conclusion of the episode, there aren't many lasting character revelations or development. It is sweet that Henry only needed a short phone call with his wife to wake up. Really. Also Radar!.

Summary

Hawkeye makes a series of elaborate trades and favors in order to try and get the hole in his boot fixed.

Thoughts

Fun episode! Trading episode. Classic. Similar to the LongJohn Flap, but this one is like watching someone build a house of cards whereas Long John feels ,ore like watching a mrable maze. That's coherent. Yeah. I'm coherent.

Summary

There's a guy who wants a nose job. Hawkeye and Trapper help him out. Frank Burns eats Worms.

Thoughts

It's fine! Not my favorite by any means, and honestly largely forgettable, but there's nothing actually wrong with it? Though that opinion is liable to change on the rewatch.

Summary

A Korean civilian with a baby claims that Radar is the father.

Thoughts

The beginning of Radar visiting local villages and picking up some Korean. Radar being sweet. There's also a family of farmers that tries to kick the MASH off their land which is incredibly charming. SAM PAK! And Hawkeye gets to be the older queer mentor to Radar for the first time! It's cute. It has the benefit of featuring multiple Korean characters without being overtly racist! Except Frank. But Frank Burns eats Worms so.

Summary

Hawkeye and Trapper dress up as gorillas. Frank has a hernia. The power goes out during surgery. A baby is born. Radar makes some stessful phone calls to get the shelling to stop.

Thoughts

FUN! DRAMA! FUNNY! DRAMATIC! RADAR MY BELOVED! Frank Burns Eats Worms.

Summary

Supply lines to the unit are cut, causing people to have sleepovers and get creative.

Thoughts

Wonderful sweet Father Mulcahy moment! The first one that's like, hey! this guy's staying! He's great! It is reminiscent of when the pandemic hit so be wary of that, but I love this episode. Very fun. Also!!! One of the first episodes where the cast has to pretend really hard like it's cold out!!! :DDDD

Summary

Frank tries to get someone discharged for being gay. It doesn't work.

Thoughts

A Very Special Episode. George is never actually explicitly said to be gay, but everyone acts as if he is. Also, this was almost the episode where FRANK was going to be canonized as gay before they changed their minds about it. Fascinating stuff. This is a staple episode To Me, but is relatively forgettable in the grand scheme of the show. Henry has a wonderful moment, so does Hawkeye. Frank Burns eats worms!

Summary

Radar hands out mail around camp. Frank makes investments. Trapper tries to leave. Hawkeye Pranks Frank. Margaret is a freak.

Thoughts

Iconic episode. Trapper speech of all time. KLINGER SCENE of all time, trying to get henry to think there was a death in the family. Very good. ten ten.

Summary

The arrival of several intelligence officers to camp cause some trouble.

Thoughts

COLONEL FLAGG WEEE OOO WEE OO!!! ALERT! He's had it with you fruitcakes. He's breaking his own bones. Trapper is there. Frnak Burns eats Worms.