Monday February 28, 1983
1116
Hawkeye is sent to a mental hospital; a freak accident causes Father Mulcahy to lose his hearing; Margaret worries about her post-war plans; Charles runs across a band of Chinese musicians; BJ is sent home, much to Hawkeye's dismay; Klinger decides to stay in Korea to marry Soon-Lee; a ceasefire is declared, ending the war.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)A great ending to a great show hide show
Hawkeye cracking up, The 4077th bugging out, Charles teaching chinese POW Bach, Sydney gluing Hawkeye together and making him face his ultimate fear. This is an episode with food for thought. It shows the gruesomeness of war, but also the hope and the will to survive even madness and death. The episode also teaches us that home is where the heart is. Something that Klinger learns when he chooses to stay in Korea after finding his true soulmate. And even if you leave a place, you never leave that place all together.. Some of it remains with you, as some of you remains in it..
Disappointing (Yes, disappointing) hide show
First off, let me just say that M*A*S*H is one of my favorite shows and you can often catch me wathcing those two-hour marathons every day on the Hallmark Channel. But there's one episode I rarely watch and it's "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen". I know it's blasphemy among most fans to consider this series finale to be anything less than perfect, but I find it little more than a pandering rehash of ideas better explored in other episodes. What really kills it for me is the overdose of irony. Back in season three, "Abyssinia Henry" used irony for devastating effect. After that, the show used it over and over again. Margaret's getting married? Here comes the wounded. Radar's farewell party? Here comes the wounded. In this episode, we have Maragaret ditching the army, Klinger staying in Korea, and Charles' love of music destroyed. Admittedly, Charles' tragic story is extremely touching and provides the strongest (and, oddly enough, the funniest) subplot, but it's still part of the problem. However, I don't find any irony in Hawkeye's breakdown. After all, Sidney Freedman had already made two visits with Hawkeye in "Hawk's Nightmare" and "Bless You Hawkeye". And in "Heal Thyself", when the temporary surgeon goes insane, Hawkeye admits that the temp's then-apparent strength of mind scares him. He knows he could be next, so it wasn't any big surprise to find him locked up. And when he got out, I hated the bit with the tank. First of all, that's exactly the kind of behavior one would expect from the always impulsive Hawkeye. For Potter to question his sanity is appaling, especially if you remember that the colonel actually requested a tank to act as a "watchdog" in "Hey Doc". The only reason I rate "GF&A" a 7 rather than a 2 is because even with all its faults, you can't deny the effort put into this by the cast. They buy into into the emotional hokum, so we accept it, no matter how contrived. I also give props to the final shot. In itself, a great finish to a magnificent series. Too bad most of what preceded it was hackwork.
Remarkable, but not perfect. hide show
This is the touchstone with which the quality of other finales is measured, and it is a remarkable show, but not a perfect one. MASH was a success because it had wonderful characters, great comedy and its satire made some good points. There is plenty to laugh at in this episode. But what makes it so special is the way the relationship between the characters struck the viewer with such power. Rarely have you empathized so much with the emotions the characters went through as they said goodbye to a horrible situation, and to each other. The emotions felt real, for which we should applaud the actors' talents. Potter's goodbye to Klinger stands out as a good example.
The writers didn't always take the easy way out. Charles Winchester's apparent coldness and ingratitude make sense, and bring tension to the story, but would have been avoided by lesser writers.
At the heart of the episode there is of course the relationship between B.J. and Hawkeye. The idea of B.J. leaving during Hawkeye's absence, without saying goodbye, brought the show back to the reality of military life. These things happen; relationships that seem meant for life are more fleeting that expected, and it's hard for people to accept that.
My only problem with the episode is the first half hour. Hawkeye's breakdown was not necessary. As an example of the horrors of war it seemed over the top. (Winchester's experiences with the Chinese musicians achieved the same goal a lot better.) Worse, it weakened a character who, for eleven seasons, had stood up to army and the war. It felt as if the war won in the end.
A Great episode I had tears in my eyes when the episode was over the best show ever written . hide show
I think this episode was sad because the father lost his hearing and hackeye went insane it was a sad episode but i am glad klinger decided to stay with his wife in korea the war is over but nothing will ever be the same agin i will miss mash it was a good show now life will begin anew for the mash unit with klinger getting married , margret divorceing her husband bj holding his girls agin and Potter seeing his wife mildred but hackeye wont be the same agin the war cracked his mind and he still screams at night from the terrors of war .
It was so sad at the end. The part where they all said goodbye was so sad to watch because they knew eachother for gosh who knows how long and now they have to say goodbye to eachother for good. hide show
I liked the part when Charles's private latrine was mowed down and Potter told him he had to use the ravine latrine like everyone else. It was so funny to see his facial expression. It was like, "You've got to be kidding me." Then Charles met the five Chinese musicians on his way back from the latrine and it was so funny when he brought them back to the camp in his bathrobe. I also like the part at the very end when Margaret is getting ready to leave and Hawkeye kisses her and Charles, BJ, and Potter look away.
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