Customer Reviews

M*A*S*H - Season Eight (Collector's Edition)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Season eight was the final year for Radar. His personal life was just taking too much time. It was also harder and harder to explain why he was not on the show anymore. This season had many good episodes, like every other season, to me. Many spoilers here, but it seems that everyone knows the episodes well enough.

Too Many Cooks. - Hawkeye and B.J walk into the mess tent to talk to Klinger about issues at the camp. Klinger puts food in their faces, and they smell it, then taste it. Surprisingly, for M*A*S*H food it's good. Turns out a clumsy soldier is an excellent cook. Potter, though, is having serious issues. He's very angry and snapping at anyone who happens to get close to him. He puts an end to the good food, accusing Hawkeye of tricking him and lying.

Are You Now, Margaret? - A congressional aid belies his reasons for being there when he accuses her of being a commie. The main cast work to free her from his grip.

Goodbye Radar (Part I)- Two parter that sees Radar returning from R&R to find that there is no generator. No light, no suction means serious problems for everyone. Potter heads into the swamp to tell the swamprats that Radar's Uncle Ed died. This is after Radar couldn't find a generator anywhere. This episode ends in Radar's office with Potter, B.J, and Hawkeye consoling Radar after a phone call home. He gets his orders from Potter to sign hardship discharge papers. Radar is going home.

Goodbye Radar (Part II) - No generator means Radar feels guilty and decides to stay. He feels that if he leaves that the camp would fall apart. Potter says that he's not thinking with his head. Hawkeye is far more blunt telling him to go home. Klinger gets a generator which convinces Radar that it's time to go home. The planned party is ruined by incoming wounded. This is the last episode in which we get to see Klinger in dresses as his main costume, though he occasionally wears them.

Period of Adjustment - Klinger can't get the hang of being company clerk. B.J meanwhile get a letter from Peg. His daughter, Erin, calls Radar Daddy! B.J just can't get over it, decks Hawkeye, wrecks the still, and storms out of the Swamp. Everyone is angry with Klinger for not being able to get the job done, especially Margaret who's short on nurses. B.J and Klinger both decide that it's high time to get drunk to drown their issues. Rosie throws them out of her bar when they start throwing darts and nearly hit a Marine. Mulcahy, sitting in the Messtent helps Potter realize that Klinger might just need time. Potter and Margaret find B.J and Klinger in his office, drunk. Margaret finds Hawkeye, who goes to B.J, who's nearly passed out on the floor. Hawkeye consoles B.J who realizes that any soldier could've been called Daddy. It just happened to be Radar. Klinger helps the swamp rats rebuild the still.

Mr. and Mrs. Who? - Charles comes back from R&R extremely hung-over after a conference in Tokyo. He can't remember anything. Klinger comes in to tell him that a "Mrs. Chuck Winchester III" has called and is coming. He feels a sense of dread coming over him. Turns out the marriage is a sham, done by a bartender! Charles kept saying "will someone marry us before it's too late. Meanwhile the camp is fighting a deadly fever that is slowly killing patients in Post-Op, and they're at a loss at what to do. In the end the Winchester get a sham divorce from Dr. J.B Honeydo (BJ), and they get a hold of the fever and celebrate with the patient who got it first and was the worst of the sick patients.

Life Line - A very unique show, and a first for television. The entire show is encapsulated in nearly a half hour of real time, except the last two minutes. A chopper brings in a wounded patient who's missing part of his aorta. Hawkeye uses a pocket knife to get to the heart and spends the next nearly 20 minutes keeping the aorta closed with his finger. B.J, meanwhile, is working on getting part of an aorta from a patient who's brain dead, but his body is still fighting. Almost entirely filmed in Pre-op and O.R, aside from a few moments on the bus, chopper, and post-op. No laugh track, and no humor at all. The friend of the patient that is brain dead is rather angry at B.J for waiting for him to die. B.J says that he stopped being a person when the grenade hit his head. Mulcahy helps the guy realize that what he's doing is the ultimate sacrifice and he's saving another life. Very serious and very good episode.

Dear Uncle Absul - Klinger writes home and tells of of hunting with Charles, where Klinger chases a bird he shot. Unfortunately it hits a land mine. Margaret has serious foot locker issues. Klinger tells her that it has to be damaged in battle for the military to replace it. After finding that someone broke in and stole personal items from her foot locker Margaret borrows Charles' gun to shoot her footlocker, drops it at Klinger's feet and demands a replacement. Potter has Klinger sit on Sophie, for a self portrait. Mulcahy works on a war ditty all through this episode. Meanwhile, B.J and Hawkeye are trying to figure out which one of them is funnier. Klinger says both, repeats all of the above. "All you guys do is run around and tell jokes all day. What so funny about that." Klinger then says it's no wonder he didn't get the section-8 Everyone here is crazy.

Stars and Stripes - Stars and Stripes, the military paper, wants to run a story on a patient that Charles and B.J collaborated on. Charles tries to take all the credit, and they each write their own paper. Scully comes in to visit Margaret, and she realizes that it won't work when he disrespects her. Hawkeye feels left out, with the other swamp rats griping and Scully with Margaret. Potter brings the two doctors together to realize that they weren't the only ones that saved the patients life, and they title the article "From the 4077th, etal.

Bottle Fatigue - One of my favorite episodes. Hawkeye, who built the still, goes on the wagon after a large bar tab. He becomes even more annoying, getting everyone's ire. Charles, meanwhile, goes on a rampage when he finds his sister is getting married. He writes numerous letters, all scathing and offensive. Seems that she's become engaged to someone who's not good enough for the Winchester Pedigree. Charles gets Klinger and Mulcahy mad at him. He also ires Potter when saying he wants to stop the marriage because the groom-to-be is Italian. Later, Hawkeye is prepping a Korean patient. He pulls out a grenade and pulls the pin, which falls to the ground. Mulcahy, crawling on the ground, finds the pin and the grenade is pacified. Hawkeye walks into the Officer's Club with Margaret, B.J, Potter, and Klinger. He refuses the drink he ordered. "I'll be back for this when I want it, not when I need it." Meanwhile, Charles sends a telegram to Boston. "Dear sister. An incredibly profound experience has served to intensify the significance of your last letter. It made me realize with keen awareness how precious is life and the loved ones with whom we share it. You are about to recieve several boorish letters which I deeply regret sending." He admits that it was out of narrowness of mind, and distance. He says he wished that he could be there for her. Both characters were changed by this episode, both in a good way. After this one Charles' ego shrinks, and Hawkeye drinks a lot less, and takes the nurses more seriously.

Morale Victory - Potter get rather angry at the constant complaints from B.J and Hawkeye about the camp, it's food, movies, and everything else under his command. He decides to make them morale officers. They work hard on getting everyone's spirit up, and fail. Charles, meanwhile, is depressed when he finds that the soldier whose leg he saved, is upset by a permanent hand injury. Turns out he's a concert pianist. With Mulcahy's prompting, Charles helps the injured pianist realize that while his hand my be silence his talent isn't. He could write music, teach piano, or become a conductor. The patient realizes Charles is right when he finds that he can still play, even with just his left hand. B.J and Hawkeye come to the rescue with a crab barbeque.

Dreams - After a very long session of O.R sleep only adds to everyone's dismay and frustration. Margaret finds love, only to lose him to war. Charles can't operate without grand-standing, and a patient dies. Klinger gets back to Toledo, only to find the O.R in Packo's, with him on a table. Hawkeye looses both his arms, and his helpless to help a Korean child. Potter is a child again, until Klinger wakes him. and B.J's dance with Peg is interrupted by O.R. Very poinient issue that touched upon nightmares of war intruding into sleep and happy thoughts.

April Fools - Easily one my favorite episodes. B.J offers Charles a can of pralines, which turns out to be a prank. Springs jump out. Margaret gets dead fish in her pocket. Potter says its' still March. The rest figure the more they get in, the better. Potter says O.K, but you won't get me. He walks away with a fake tail attached to his jacket. Potter gets a note from Klinger that a rather intense Colonel Tucker is coming to visit. Tucker drives into camp and finds B.J, Hawkeye, Charles and Margaret in a pillow fight in front of the swamp. Seems that the Swamp rats took away Margaret's tent, leaving her bed, table, and all exposed. Klinger's in a dress uniform, and offers the Colonel exactly what he wants. Klinger, suddenly, is the perfect soldier. Tucker drives everyone nuts, and then threatens to court martial Hawkeye, Charles, B.J and Margaret for their attitudes toward him. Tucker then walks into Klinger's office only to find Klinger dressed as Cleopatra. Potter comes in to find Tucker consoling Klinger, who suddenly thinks he's going home. the rest of the main cast think that they're in serious trouble. Hawkeye convinces B.J, Charles and Margaret to "Go out in a Blaze of Glory!". Tucker has what seems to be a stroke in the Officer's club, after a crude joke. Tucker is on the ground and says "Pierce" several times. After kneeling down Tucker says "April Fool!" His visit was a very conniving joke that Potter set up with Tucker.

Great episode. Potter got them all real real well. No-one had any idea that it was all a big joke.

MASH was one of the few shows in television history that stayed strong throughout it's long run. 11 years. Every year had great episodes. Season eight is certainly no exception to that.

I grew up watching M*A*S*H, from season one I found the entire series to age very well, even in 2005. What I'm finding as the series has cycled around again via the daily repeats on the Hallmark Channel, is that as the series moved along and through various cast changes, the characters matured and the show evolved from being closer to slapstick in its first couple seasons to a much more family atmosphere that felt a lot more real. Not to take anything away from Henry Blake, trapper John or Frank Burns...those characters and shows were sheer comic genius and there's been nothing like them before or since...but I found BJ Hunnicutt and Colonel Potter to be more down-to-earth and more believable characters with real emotions and I felt like we got to know the characters better in the later years (even Winchester showed a side of himself towards the end that no one would have expected when he first came on board). Gary Burghoff left during season eight for the same reasons that Larry Linville did after the fifth year...he simply felt he had done all he could with Radar's character. The cast changes didn't change things for me even the slightest in my enjoyment of the show...facts of life for an ensemble like "M*A*S*H" or "ER" where people come, people go and the characters adapt. Season eight of this series brought some very touching and some very funny moments to what will always be in my mind one of the best half-hours on television for years to come.

Hey Cpl.K... it's true that this series is set during the Korean War... no one can dispute that, but it is fathomable that much of the anti-war satire in the show was aimed specifically at the Vietnam war - which seems logical considering the times that the show was aired.

I guess either you hate MASH or you love it. It seems that not many people are "in-between" when it comes to war issues. But I have to say, aside from missing Radar... I find MASH to just keep getting better as the show progresses. By season eight, the characters are well set in their roles and their interaction with each other, is not merely slapstick, as it was in the earlier seasons, but more emotional and family like. They even play jokes on each other with good-humor and love. In the earlier days practical jokes were usually played to get even with Frank or Hot-Lips... but now even Margaret gets in on the shenanigans, and we see that they are all just people trying to keep their heads on straight through some very difficult times (to say the least).

I can't wait to have the entire series on DVD... as you can probably tell, I just love a good sense of humor. This series has it and more... because it expresses humor within some pretty bleak circumstances.

Keep your eye out for episode: "Period of Adjustment" Where Klinger, the new "Clumpity Kirk" makes his first attempt to fill Radar's shoes.

:)

Louie

I can't wait to own this entire series on DVD. One of the best features on these DVDs in my opinion is the ability to turn off the obnoxious laugh track. As any M.A.S.H. fan knows, the producers eventually wanted no laugh track on the show, however, they were forced by network execs to go to a "chuckle track" instead.(With a slighty quieter, but still obnoxious laughter. The network execs said that the public at large wouldn't know when to laugh and when not to.)I also sometimes enjoy turning the subtitles option on. Some lines of Winchesters in particular can get quite sophisticated in verbage. The picture and sound quality make old VHS tapes and the like almost painful to watch or listen to.

This series, perhaps better than any show before or since then, weaved a tapestry of comedy and drama, with complete and total seamless precision. Once you own the entire series, you can to watch them all in order, so as to watch the growth of the show and characters over 11 years. Slowly changing from a comedy, then to a comedy-drama, then arguably to a drama-comedy.

Based on a Richard Hooker novel of the same name, MASH was released in 1970 as a full-length feature film by 20th Century Fox before experiencing widespread success as a groundbreaking television sitcom in the Fall of 1972. The show's brilliant integration of drama and comedy made it one of the most celebrated shows in TV history, culminating in an eleven year prime time series stint. The 1983 series finale of MASH made history as the program with the single largest audience in television history, beating out several SuperBowls and the fabled "Who Shot J.R." episode of Dallas. With the proliferation of new television mediums, it's a record likely to never be broken...

The sitcom is set in South Korea during American involvement in the Korea War (with M*A*S*H standing for "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital"). Buffered from the front lines by a mountain range and a minefield, the men and women of MASH were tasked with patching up wounded American soldiers. Unique to its genre, the cast of MASH was unusually large. Surgeons Dr. Benjamin Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) play the roles of excellent doctors who enjoy women and booze, while Dr. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Nurse Practitioner Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit) play foil to the two men's shenanigans (due to a contract dispute, Rogers' character was later replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt - played by Mike Farrell). The character of Frank Burns was also later replaced by Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)...

Corporal Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) provides comic relief with his early attempts to procure a discharge by dressing in women's clothing, and Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) adds flavor to a diverse cast of characters. Also rounding out the cast are Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Walter "Radar" O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)...

The MASH (Season 8) DVD features a number of hilarious episodes including the season premiere "Too Many Cooks" in which Private Paul Conway boosts the morale of the MASH unit by whipping up gourmet meals in the mess hall. Only Colonel Potter, beset by his own personal problems, fails to enjoy the new atmosphere... Other notable episodes from Season 8 include "Private Finance" in which a South Korean mother misinterprets Klinger's true intentions toward her daughter when he offers her financial aid, and "Stars and Stripes" in which conflict comes between B.J. and Charles when they're tasked with writing an article on patient they recently saved...

Below is a list of episodes included on the MASH (Season 8) DVD:

Episode 170 (Too Many Cooks)
Episode 171 (Are You Now, Margaret?)
Episode 172 (Guerilla My Dreams)
Episode 173 (Good-Bye Radar: Part 1)
Episode 174 (Good-Bye Radar: Part 2)
Episode 175 (Period of Adjustment)
Episode 176 (Nurse Doctor)
Episode 177 (Private Finance)
Episode 178 (Mr. and Mrs. Who?)
Episode 179 (The Yalu Brick Road)
Episode 180 (Life Time)
Episode 181 (Dear Uncle Abdul)
Episode 182 (Captain's Outrageous)
Episode 183 (Stars and Stripes)
Episode 184 (Yessir, That's Our Baby)
Episode 185 (Bottle Fatigue)
Episode 186 (Heal Thyself)
Episode 187 (Old Soldiers)
Episode 188 (Morale Victory)
Episode 189 (Lend a Hand)
Episode 190 (Goodbye, Cruel World)
Episode 191 (Dreams)
Episode 192 (War Co-Respondent)
Episode 193 (Back Pay)
Episode 194 (April Fools)

The DVD Report

After the creative upswing in Seasons 6 and 7, "M*A*S*H" gradually runs out of steam with Radar's departure and Klinger's disastrous promotion to company clerk. The 1979-80 season includes the last truly memorable episodes: "Good-Bye Radar," "Period of Adjustment," "Life Time," "Old Soldiers," "Morale Victory" and "Dreams." Unfortunately, the once-spontaneous humor now seems forced while the stories become increasingly repetitive (with "Dear Uncle Abdul," "Bottle Fatigue," "Back Pay" and "War Co-Respondent" among the offenders). Three painfully contrived episodes - "Nurse Doctor," "Are You Now, Margaret?" and "Lend a Hand" - are best avoided. Despite its popularity, the 4077th remained on duty a few seasons too long.

Contrary to William Smith's review, this set is well worth it. 25 episodes? The great thing is that all of the episodes have been retored to their original running length. The earlier seasons were 3-4minutes longer (Per episode) than what you'll see in re-runs. In a 24 episode season, that's about an hour and a half. Sure, you don't get Surround Sound, etc, but the shows were never broadcast in Surround. If you want to see these shows like you would have if you were sitting in front of the TV in the late 70's, then pick this up!

Also, there is a separate version of the MASH series available at certain retailers. Each disc of the season is available for separate purchase. Those versions should not be confused with these, the COLLECTOR'S EDITIONS.

If you're a fan of M*A*S*H, you'll definitely enjoy the DVDs.

The positives ...

1) The video on most episodes is so clear and colorful, they appear to have a three dimensional depth. Much better than what you see on broadcast TV.

2) Interestingly enough, I haven't seen anyone mention that more than half of the episodes for each season have about two minutes of extra content that are usually edited out to fit the thirty minute time slot for TV stations. Some of the extra content comes in the form of extra scenes or extended scenes. So on most episodes you're seeing something that wasn't broadcast. The Hallmark Channel was showing this extra content for a while when they were allocating 35-40 minutes per episode. Unfortunately, they've fallen back to using 30 minutes time slots.

3) And for those complaining about there not being 5.1 surround sound, keep in mind these episodes were recorded in the early 70's and 80's when stereo wasn't even in use. That aside, the audio is noticeably cleaned up, so you shouldn't hear the hiss that is sometimes heard on broadcast TV.

The negatives ...

1) I haven't heard of any easter eggs on the M*A*S*H DVDs.

2) And based on the menu provided, there aren't any extra features.

3) One anomaly that is more of a nuisance than a real problem is that some of the episodes have the opening credits and opening scene linked together as Chapter 1. So if you want to skip the credits by pressinig the Next Chapter button, on some of the episodes you'll have to rewind the opening scene.

4) Also, the episodes are presented in full screen format instead of widescreen. Although the 16x9 format wasn't in use at the time of recording, it would have been nice if the episodes were presented in their original dimensions. You can see what I'm referring to if you watch an HDTV broadcast of M*A*S*H. The picture won't be widescreen, but the width of the camera shot is defintely wider than what you see in a full screen format. Perhaps this has to do with TV overscanning. What I'm referring should not be confused with those stations or TV's that stretch the picture to fit the width of the screen.

All in all, for a $30 price tag, this is a really good value.

...it'd probably be in season 8. Yes, every season since the departure of Henry and Trapper has been cited as a shark-jumping season, but for me if a shark jump has to happen, it'd be now. I still love MASH till the end, but this season is where the little changes along the way finally become pretty major changes.

And I'm not talking about Radar's departure either, which is definitely the main reason to own this set. After Wayne Rogers and Larry Linville practically vanished, it was nice for a cast member to get a proper send-off, and Radar's absence is felt within the season's storylines and the series. Incidentally, the notes in the insert booklet mention the network initially shot down the "goodbye episode" idea that Gary Burghoff wanted. Better this than the nasty internet rumour that Gary was coerced back by the network so the two-parter could air for the ratings sweeps.

There are more standouts this season: an episode with a real-time clock where the doctors rush to save a solider from paralysis, a hilarious episode where Hawkeye and BJ boost camp morale before everyone decides to "kill the cook," and a personal favourite of mine where a new surgeon covering for Potter and Winchester cracks under the stress. There's also the infamous "Dreams" episode, which is either a very introspective drama or pretentious melodrama depending on your tastes.

But like I mentioned before, season 8 has signs that MASH will never be the same. BJ's pink shirt and suspenders begin making more appearances, and coupled with the mustache he starts looking a geriatric old man in pink long johns. Margaret's hairstyle also changes for the worse, not to mention her complexion is altered by what looks like cosmetic surgery. More episodes are filmed indoors, as use of the ranch was becoming limited by this season. An appearance by Robert Alda as Dr. Borelli (whom I loved in season 3) has him more as Alan Alda's dad than the actual character. And Mike Ferrell writes and directs a pointless love letter to his character, where BJ falls for another woman (again) and resists her. At least there was drama in the previous version, where BJ actually slept with the woman.

In all, I do recommend this season, but there are definitely changes here that could be labeled "shark jumping." If you buy this set and can accept the differences, you'll be ready for the last three years of MASH(season 9 in dec??? geez....)

For all you so called MASH fans that thought the show started slipping around this time, obviously you didn't get the show. The show was always character driven thus it became more of a drama. If the show continued to be slapstick like in the first two seasons it would have become a cliche. So the characters became more real ; they even made Winchester more likeable. The creators of this show only quit after they couldn't find anything fresh unlike most other shows that rehashed their plots. So for this and all past and future MASH dvd releases, they all get five stars.