Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Season four of MASH had it rough. Two of its major actors left the series after season three.
Wayne Rodgers (who played Trapper John), was tired of Alan Alda's Hawkeye character getting all the spotlight. I read that Wayne made a deal with the creators of the show, during the first season, that this wouldn't happen, but it did.
McLean Stevenson (who played Col. Blake), wanted to quit the show for various rumored reasons. After his character got his discharge in the final episode of season three, his character was killed off, on his way home, over the Sea of Japan.

In this box set, season four, we are introduced to two new characters, who stayed with the show until the end. First, there's Trapper's replacement: BJ Hunnicut. A married man, who stays true to his wife, back home. That was heavily emphasized, different than Trapper. BJ sure had some corny humor.
Then there's Col. Blake's replacement: Col. Sherman Potter (played by Harry Morgan). Harry Morgan appeared in a season three episode, as a different charactor. That of a crazy general...it's been said that because of that role, he was asked to play Col. Potter.

Due to some trouble back home, Gary Burghoff who plays Radar, wasn't in as many episodes than before. This family problem continued, until finally, he quit the show at the beginning of season eight.

There are some great episodes in this box set. "The Late Captain Pierce", where Hawkeye's dad is notified that he's dead, when he hasn't. "The Bus", where the characters are on a bus ride, and get lost, and the bus stalls. "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler", where a wounded man claims that he's Jesus Christ. "The Interview", where a TV reporter interviews the characters at the MASH 4077th. This episode is fimed in black and white.

I'm so glad that Fox has been good enough to release this great series on DVD, and that they have done such an excellent job. The picture quality on these DVDs far outshines the syndicated reruns on TV, and the full 25-minute-plus cuts of the shows haven't been seen in ages. As with the other box sets, the menus and functionality of the disc are very nice. I would however like to see a "play all" button so you don't have to click through as many menus to see all the shows.

As far as the actual content of the shows goes, I enjoy this period in the series more than the earlier seasons. Contrary to what some other fans think, the addition of Mike Farrell and Harry Morgan improved the show and made it a little more real and less lighthearted. Eventually these new characters really grow on you and become like old friends. The cast changes definitely move the show in a more comedy-drama direction, which I feel is part of what made this show so great, and so different from other sitcoms. A couple of great unconventional episodes are included in this season set, including "Hawkeye" which is essentially a 25-minute monologue by Alan Alda, and "The Interview" which is an all black-and-white documentary-style episode that again breaks the rules of what a sitcom is "supposed" to be like. Great writing, strong characters, top-notch acting talent. What more could we ask of this show?

I can't wait to buy season 5 in December. Now I hope Fox will lavish this same high-quality treatment on more great classic sitcoms like "The Bob Newhart Show" and "The Odd Couple", the rights to which I believe they also own.

I have been a frequent buyer of MASH on DVD. Especially since there is the option of watching the episodes without that hideous canned laugh track. Season four was a turning point, yes, but I was suprised that no reviewer on Amazon mentioned that you can still view the episodes without the laugh track. I'm sure that Fox will continue to release the seasons on DVD that way. For the record, it's irrelevant to buy these on video because there is no sans-laugh track option so why bother putting them out on tape. NO ONE will buy them on tape.

Season Four of M*A*S*H will always be remembered as the big transitional season, with two major character changes as well as the slow push from "Comedy with stabs of drama", to "Drama with stabs of comedy".

Obviously not everyone enjoyed the changes. Some fell in love with the early seasons of M*A*S*H for their comical hyjinx and laugh out loud lunacy. But the actors and filmmakers were constantly testing the boundaries, going for a much more dramatic and/or realistic interpretation of what life at a M*A*S*H station was really like with early episodes such as "Sometimes You Hear The Bullet", "Dr. Pierce And Mr. Hyde", "O.R.", and of course the very memorable "Abyssinia, Henry". They realized the positive impact these episodes were having on their audience and would continue to push the envelope with each future season.

Season Four gives way to many more serious storylines shown than any previous season. The opening double episode: "Welcome To Korea" welcomes us to Captain BJ Hunnicutt as Hawkeye tries in vein to reach Trapper before he is shipped stateside. I must admit, I wished there had been a bigger sendoff for Wayne Rogers as Trapper John McIntyre, but he refused to return for even one more episode to say goodbye properly, apparently due to feeling betrayed by the staff who seemed to turn everything into the Hawkeye Pierce show.

"O.R." was the very first (and only) episode without a laughtrack from Season Three. Season Four would have many more episodes without laughtracks, including "The Bus"(and enjoyable roadtrip outting), "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" (the famous episode of a bomber pilot who thinks he's Jesus Christ), and "The Interview".

"The Interview", which was shot in black & white to give it a documentary style, is about a news journalist who goes to the 4077 because of its 97% lifesaving success record and interviews the main characters (except for Margaret Houlihan). Some of the responses were scripted, while others were completely improvisational by the actors who even get to swear obscenities for the first time (but have them bleeped out). It's a very haunting and realistic episode with William Christopher giving one of the best speeches in M*A*S*H history. Arguably one of the Top 10 shows of the entire series.

Season Four marked the end of M*A*S*H for some...for others, a new beginning. For those of you who fell in love with the later seasons like I did, I'll see you at the Swamp for a nice dry martini (and future seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD).

M*A*S*H Season Four - It only gets better!

"When the doctors...cut into a patient...and it's cold, you know...the way it is now, today...steam rises from the body...and the doctor will - will warm himself over the open wound. Could anyone look on that and not feel changed?"

- William Christopher as Father Francis Mulcahy
M*A*S*H - Season 4 - Episode #96: "The Interview"

Season 4 of MASH marked two distinctive cast changes - Harry Morgan's Colonel Potter replaced MacLean Stevenson's Henry Blake, and Mike Ferrell's BJ Hunnicut replaced Wayne Rogers' Trapper John. It's notable that while most shows usually fall apart after one significant cast change, MASH suffered two in one season - and still went on for another seven years.

There's a wealth of strong material this season, and Morgan and Ferrell fit right in. It's nice to finally have an authority figure that can put Frank in his place, and BJ's more of an equal to Hawkeye than Trapper was. Plus, BJ provides a fresh audience viewpoint as he hasn't been in Korea as long as the others have. The change in cast is also accompanied by a slight change in tone, which is natural - MASH as a series matured every season, and season 4 is the natural extension of the more serious moments of season 3.

Not that there aren't any funny moments, because there's still several: the introductions of the new characters, Frank Burns in a runaway tank, and an entire episode in the wilderness with a broken bus. The "letters home" plot device is used thrice this season, with Potter, BJ, and Radar all reporting on the daily happenings around camp. Two other notable episodes include "Deluge," which is set to old news footage from the 1950's, and "The Interview," a black-and-white episode where the doctors are interviewed in documentary fashion. The only episode that really misses is "Hawkeye", where Hawkeye has to continually talk to himself to keep from losing consciousness. MASH works best as an ensemble piece, and listening to 25min of stand-up comedy from Alan Alda doesn't work so well.

A quality season that keeps MASH in its prime, even with cast changes. Highly recommended.

The success of the 1970 film "MASH", which was directed by Robert Altman, inspired the production of one of the most successful and longest running TV series of all time: "M*A*S*H". While most of the main characters from the original film were portrayed in the TV series, only one of the film's actors reprised his role for the TV series: Gary Burghoff. Like the film, the show was about the men and women working in a fictitious U.S. Army "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" (or MASH unit) known as the 4077th during the Korean War in the early 1950's.

At the beginning of the show's fourth season, two loved characters were no longer present: Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson, 1929-1996) and Capt. "Trapper John" McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), both of whom received orders to return home to the states; but Henry's plane was shot down and he was killed in the final third-season episode making it one of the most emotional and personal episodes of the entire series. The characters from the first three seasons who remained with the show into its fourth season included Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville, 1939-2000), Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit), Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda), Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher), Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff) and Cpl. Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr). Two new regular characters were then introduced at the beginning of the fourth season to replace Henry and Trapper: Col. Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan) and Capt. B.J. Hunnicut (Mike Farrell), both of which remained with the show for its remaining 8 seasons.

As in the original 1970 film and the first three seasons of the TV series, "M*A*S*H" continued to demonstrate a lack of respect for the U.S. military by portraying many of its officers as being inept and incompetent. This was the formula used for Maj. Burns and the departed Lt. Col. Henry Blake, but whereas Lt. Col. Blake had a very likeable personality, Maj. Burns wanted to see a more disciplined command and was often quite a stool pigeon. Also, while being married and regarding himself as being a devout Christian, Maj. Burns maintained a romantic affair with Maj. Houlihan. (In the film, it was while Majors Burns & Houlihan were passionately kissing with the entire MASH unit listening to them that Maj. Houlihan earned the nickname "Hot Lips".) Captains Hawkeye Pierce and the departed Trapper John McIntyre were typically disrespectful of the Army, but were completely honest about themselves, which is probably the main reason why they despised the hypocritical Maj. Burns so much. B.J., who replaced Trapper, quickly became Hawkeye's new friend and shared many (but not all) of Hawkeye's views. As in the film, Maj. Houlihan was particularly attractive, but many weren't particularly friendly towards her because, like Maj. Burns, she wanted to see greater military discipline. This often set Majors Burns & Houlihan at odds with Hawkeye and B.J. Though Col. Potter was more regular Army and quite different from Henry Blake, he too was not particularly fond of Maj. Burns and developed close bonds with Hawkeye and B.J., and later with Margaret. A special bond also developed quickly between Col. Potter and the 4077th's lowly company clerk, Radar. As always, it was essentially up to Radar to help keep things running smoothly; but the MASH 4077th continued to have the best survival rate for any wounded soldiers treated there. Hawkeye was an especially gifted surgeon, as were B.J. and Col. Potter; while Maj. Burns had probably barely made it through medical school. Father Mulcahy was as polite and helpful as ever while Cpl. Klinger continued to wear women's clothes in an attempt to get a "Section 8", which would give him a discharge from the Army.

The fourth season of "M*A*S*H" that aired between 1975 and 1976 had the following 24 episodes:

1. "Welcome to Korea". With Frank in charge of the 4077th, Hawkeye returns after being in Tokyo for 3 days only to find that Trapper has been sent home. Desperate to say goodbye to him, Hawkeye takes Radar with him to the airfield; but misses Trapper by 5 minutes; but they find B.J. and stop to have a drink and arrive back at the 4077th drunk with B.J. calling Frank "ferret face".

2. "Change of Command". Frank's command of the 4077th is very short-lived with the arrival of Col. Potter. Frank then disappears for a few days.

3. "It Happened One Night". On a very cold night, the 4077th comes under attack from friendly artillery. Frank rips Margaret's tent apart looking for love letters that he had sent to her.

4. "The Late Captain Pierce". When Hawkeye's father is told that Hawkeye is dead, Hawkeye wants to return home.

5. "Hey, Doc". A tank is sent to the 4077th to scare off snipers.

6. "The Bus". When the bus that Radar, B.J., Col. Potter, Hawkeye & Frank are riding in while returning to the 4077th from a conference breaks down, they come across a North Korean soldier.

7. "Dear Mildred". While Col. Potter writes to his wife Mildred for their anniversary, Frank & Margaret have a wood carving made for him, but Radar brings him a horse.

8. "The Kids". The 4077th takes in orphans that were bombed out of their orphanage.

9. "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler". When a wounded soldier (Alan Fudge) claims to be Jesus Christ, Col. Flagg (Edward Winter, 1937-2001) and Dr. Sydney Freedman (Allan Arbus) have different opinions about him.

10. "Dear Peggy ". B.J. writes home to his wife Peg about Klinger's latest attempt to escape the Army, as well as one of Frank's goofs and a visiting hard-nosed chaplain (Ned Beatty).

11. "Of Moose and Men". While B.J. helps Sgt. Zale (Johnny Haymer, 1920-1989) with a "Dear John" letter, Frank looks for Korean saboteurs and Hawkeye battles with visiting Colonel Spiker (Tim O'Connor).

12. "Soldier of the Month". When Frank becomes very ill, he writes a will in which he leaves his belongings to his wife; except for his clothes, which he leaves to Margaret.

13. "The Gun". When a wounded colonel is treated at the 4077th & his valuable gun disappears, Hawkeye & B.J. suspect Frank took it.

14. "Mail Call, Again". When Frank gets a letter from his wife that she wants to divorce him, a phone call that he makes to her upsets Margaret.

15. "The Price of Tomato Juice". Radar enlists the help of Hawkeye & B.J. to get Col. Potter some tomato juice, but he's allergic to it.

16. "Dear Ma". Radar writes home about Hawkeye's camp foot inspection and Col. Potter getting hit with some shrapnel.

17. "Der Tag". Col. Potter encourages everyone to be nicer to Frank.

18. "Hawkeye". Hawkeye is injured in a jeep accident and finds refuge with a Korean family that doesn't speak English.

19. "Some 38th Parallels". Frank tries to sell the camp's garbage to local Koreans.

20. "The Novocaine Mutiny". After Frank puts Hawkeye on charges while Col. Potter is away, Hawkeye is brought before a court martial where several different versions of what happened are described.

21. "Smilin' Jack". A wounded chopper pilot (Robert Hogan) is determined to break another pilot's record for the number of wounded brought from the front lines.

22. "The More I See You". The camp is visited by a nurse who had a previous relationship with Hawkeye.

23. "Deluge". The 4077th must contend with a deluge of wounded, a fire and a rainstorm.

24. "The Interview". A visiting reporter, Clete Roberts as himself (1912-1984), visits the 4077th and interviews Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Radar, Frank, Father Mulcahy and Klinger.

Overall, I rate the fourth season of "M*A*S*H" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it. In its eleven years of production, "M*A*S*H" was one of the best TV shows of its day and remains one of the best TV shows of all time.

This year was the beginning of many changes on the show. Unlike most other shows I personally think that MASH got better. More in depth shows. More emphasis on the characters, their families, and their reactions to the war.

Hawkeye's cohort Trapper John left the show at the end of season 3. They had to write him out without him actually being there. B.J more than apply filled the role as Hawkeye's ally against the war.

Colonel Blake also left after season three. Colonel Potter(excellently played by Harry Morgan) was the total opposite of Henry Blake. Blake was an Illinois doctor who was put in charge of Mash. Potter was a veteran of both world wars, and a former cavalry man.

Welcome To Korea - Hawkeye returns from R&R&R&R. Frank is in charge. Hawkeye gives him a box, and says. "It's a McArthur doll. Wind him up and he returns from anywhere!" He heads straight for the showers and Radar informs him that Trapper left. Hawkeye, against Frank's orders, heads to Kimpo to try and catch Trapper. He runs a checkpoint, lies to an M.P, but still misses Trapper by 15 minutes. He does, however, get to meet Dr. B.J Honeycutt. Honeycutt is, like Potter to Blake, the total opposite of Trapper John McIntyre. He's a straight laced family man with a good sense of humor. They get involved in several surgical incidents on the way back to camp. They stop at Rosie's Bar. "We need to get him started on his ulcer" is the reason that Hawkeye gives. The first thing that B.J says upon reaching the 4077th is "How's it going Ferrett Face" to Frank. Hawkeye falls down grabbing onto Margaret.

Change Of Command -Mail Call Brings some great news. The 4077th is getting a new commander. Hawkeye and B.J are overjoyed until they find that the new guy is a regular army veteran who's not been in surgery for two years. When Potter arrives everyone is on pins and needles. Frank, having not gotten the command, is AWOL. After a night of surgery Hawkeye asks what time it is. B.J tells him and Potter says "I can use a belt!" B.J and Hawkeye smile, and invite Potter to the swamp for a few drinks from the still. Their earlier worries were without merit. Potter is fine.

The Late Captain Pierce - Klinger wakes up B.J with a phone call from Hawkeye's father. All B.J can get from Hawkeye's father is "How and Why?" This leads to confusion, and Hawkeye stays in the office all night. That next morning, as Hawkeye is heading to the showers, a bus shows up. It's the morgue detail searching for a body. "I believe Corporal Klinger can assist you in this undertaking" is Hawkeye's responce. Turns out that the body is Pierce, who's been reported dead. Hawkeye finally gets a hold of his father after having a wake is his honor.

The Bus - The doctors, and Radar, are lost after the bus that they are in breaks down. Frnak, on a 2 way radio continuously talks into it, even though everyone tells him that it's mate is at the camp, miles away, way out range, and broken. Frank tries to talk to a fighter, thousands of feet up, moving very fast. A Korean gives up to them, Frank watches him gun at the ready. Eventually, after Frank gets some sleep, the Korean fixes the bus and they head back to camp.

Dear Mildred. Potter writes his wife for their 27th anniversay. He tells of how he's adjusting to life at the camp. Meanwhile, Radar talks to B.J and Hawkeye about how he can't get comfortable around Potter. They both assure Radar that Potter is O.K. their conversation is interupted by a chopper bringing mail. The pilot also says that there is a horse that he wants to put out of his misery. Radar, ever the animal lover, convinces Hawkeye and B.J to get the horse. They save the horse which turns out to be the anniversary gift that Radar gives to Potter. Potter an old Cavalry hand is overwhelmed. Potter slips in manure and Frank says that's gross. Potter however says "To me that's a tiptoe through the tulips.

Dear Peggy - B.J writes home, for the third time that week. "It's the only way I can keep my sanity" is his reason. He writes about Klinger's many attempts to escape, which include a huge raft, dressing up like an older Korean woman, and dressing like a bush. He also talks about the taskmaster chaplain that is visiting the camp, much to the dismay of Father Mulcahy.

Of Moose And Men - B.J writes a letter for Zale, and fixes his broken hand when he punches a stove. Hawkeye gets the ire of a colonel. Frank's paranoia is at an all time high. He thinks that someone is trying to blow up the camp. He checks his toothpaste for explosives. Classic Frank Burns.

Mail Call Again - Frank gets a letter saying that his wife wants a divorce because she knows about Margaret. He calls her and tells her that Houllihan is "an old war horse" and "an army mule with bossoms. Potter finds that he's going to be a grandfather and a pool is set up for guessing the day the child is born.

Der Tag - Margaret is on R&R which makes Frank impossible. To appease him Hawkeye and B.J treat him like a friend. He ends up at the front with a dog tag on his feet that Hawkeye and B.J put there. "Emotionally exhausted and Morally Bankrupt" is what is on the dog tag. Hawkeye and B.J are ordered by Potter to go up and get him. They end up in the middle of a huge push and B.J gets a rude introduction to an aid station.

Some 38th Parallels - Frank tries to sell the camp's garabage for profit. Hawkeye, going through some personaly issues, buys it all. A Colonel visit the camp. He's famous for sending troops in, no matter the cost, to retrieve bodies of American soldiers. He's proud of how he got all the bodies and kills "reds" even though he lost several other American soldires in doing so. Hawkeye has the garbage that he bought, dropped on this colonel.

The Novacaine Mutiny - An attempt to court-martial Hawkeye leads to two very different views of O.R, a poker game, which Frank banned, and a hunt for $300 that was lost in that poker game. "Gambling has been banned from this camp, therefore the money was stolen." Frank gets Radar to help him. He searches Mulcahy's tent, Klinger's dresses, of course the swamp, and Radar's belongings. He never finds if of course, but never accepts that it was lost in a poker game. After the guy overseeing the tribunal to see if charges are warranted says that Hawkeye won't face charges, frank asks him what he thinks of his medical skills. "If you hadn't been drafted as a doctor, I think you would have been assigned as a pastry chef. The end, which has been cut from many showings, is classic. Must see.

Two new members of MASH 4077th didn't change anything except for the role call. Some ways it got a heck of a lot better. I've always thought that the slapstick of the first three years got to be too old.

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 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere "Welcome to Korea" in which Trapper John McIntyre receives orders to ship home and is replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). Meanwhile, Pierce butts heads with temporary commanding officer Frank Burns as he attempts to say goodbye to Trapper John before he leaves (Pierce was on leave when the orders came in)... Other notable episodes from Season 4 include "The Late Captain Pierce" in which Pierce's father is mistakenly notified of his son's death, and "The Gun" in which a wounded colonel's collectable gun turns up missing (prompting Pierce and B.J. to hunt down the culprit)...

Below is a list of episodes included on the MASH (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 73 (Welcome to Korea)
Episode 74 (Change of Command)
Episode 75 (It Happened One Night)
Episode 76 (The Late Captain Pierce)
Episode 77 (Hey, Doc)
Episode 78 (The Bus)
Episode 79 (Dear Mildred)
Episode 80 (The Kids)
Episode 81 (Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler)
Episode 82 (Dear Peggy)
Episode 83 (Of Moose and Men)
Episode 84 (Soldier of the Month)
Episode 85 (The Gun)
Episode 86 (Mail Call, Again)
Episode 87 (The Price of Tomato Juice)
Episode 88 (Dear Ma)
Episode 89 (Der Tag)
Episode 90 (Hawkeye)
Episode 91 (Some 38th Parallels)
Episode 92 (The Novocaine Mutiny)
Episode 93 (Smilin' Jack)
Episode 94 (The More I See You)
Episode 95 (Deluge)
Episode 96 (The Interview)

The DVD Report

Once again, I am finding myself riveted to my TV to watch M*A*S*H. I felt that Season Two was the best, but Season Four matches it. Replacing McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers with Harry Morgan and Mike Farrell was a shot in the arm for the series. Harry Morgan has got to be one of the best actors I have seen! He can be funny as anything, be serious when he has to, or do the deadpan one-liner better than anyone. I always enjoyed his work more than Stevenson's. And Mike Farrell is a terrific character actor. He too is funny, but can lay on the serious acting superbly. Because of the changes in the show from Blake and Trapper to Potter and BJ, it helped executive producer Larry Gelbart do his best writing. The last episode in the set, "The Interview," is one of the best, if not the best, episodes of M*A*S*H. That happened to be Gelbart's last show. Then Burt Metcalfe took over as executive producer, and the tone of the show changed.

This DVD collection is a must-have for any fan of M*A*S*H! (I believe there is an Amazon special where you can get Seasons Two and Four as a package - the two best seasons of the show, in my opinion.)

Other than M*A*S*H, there's only one other show I can watch repeatedly, and still laugh outloud I (Frasier).

For the episodes themselves, M*A*S*H has never been better, more convenient, and funnier (thanks to long edited scenes rarely seen in syndicated TV)! It's almost like seeing it for the first time. I was surprised to notice that many episodes had close to five (5) minutes edited out in Syndication.

One allure of DVD's, in addition to the Sound and Picture Quality, are the "Extras". Other than the ability to take out the laugh tracks (Yes!), this has none. There are no cast interviews, no bloopers, no Director's/Producers/Writers Commentary, not even Cast Biographies. Even the insert is rather plan and has nothing extra to it. The episode description look as though they were written by some one who hadn't even watched the show. I was hoping for more when the DVD's came out. Like the book "Complete Book of M*A*S*H" was not complete in it's fullest sense by leaving out that which would have made it truly complete (the secondary story lines, etc.), this is not complete in the DVD's fullest sense...the extras we've all come to expect in them. In that respect I am disappointed. But I am not disappointed in having a whole season on only 3 DVD's! I am not disappointed in the quality of the sound and picture (much better than the Video's from Columbia House and the Broadcast versions).

This season introduces us to the series most significant new characters: Harry Morgan as Col. Sherman T. Potter (regular Army -- God help us all!!), and Mike Farrel as Cpt. BJ Honnicutt. While I enjoyed the first three seasons, personally, I like Potter much better than Blake, and BJ more so than Trapper, who had become rather boring (no fault of Wayne Rogers). So this season I think the show simply got much better, both in comedy and in Drama, something it mixed better than any show before or since.

My only other complaint is with their painfully slow release schedule of only two seasons per year. At this rate, it's going to be the end of 2006 before the whole series is available.