10 Harsh Truths About Watching ‘M*A*S*H’ Today
M*A*S*H was so usually thought of forward of its time throughout its run from 1972-1983. The present adopted a solid of characters stationed at an American M*A*S*H unit throughout the Korean War. Throughout its run, the collection dealt with many tough topics, like racism, homophobia and sexism within the navy, PTSD and substance use problems, and the general devastating results of warfare. While the collection was a comedy, it by no means shied away from showcasing these tough topics in a manner that was usually revolutionary for its time.
While a lot of M*A*S*H holds up in a contemporary context, there are sadly parts of the collection that have been problematic even when the collection was on the air. For instance, there was a notable lack of Korean illustration all through the collection, regardless that it was set in Korea. Additionally, there was a noticeable lack of variety even supposing many POC served within the American navy, together with the Korean War. These points have been evident in real-time, and have been generally even addressed by the collection itself.
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10 The Laugh Track Undercut the Serious Moments on the Series
Even Though it Was the Norm on the Time
In the early days of M*A*S*H, the collection relied closely on the chortle monitor because it featured primarily comedic tales. However, because the collection continued, the chortle monitor was used much less and fewer. M*A*S*H by no means used the chortle monitor in any scenes that have been set within the working room, even when jokes have been being made. Eventually, the collection moved away from utilizing the chortle monitor in any respect in the direction of the top of its run because it dealt with extra critical storylines.
While many comedies from the identical period as M*A*S*H and past used chortle monitor recurrently, it was notably misplaced on this collection. While there have been loads of comedic moments, the comedy was usually of a darker nature contemplating the truth that M*A*S*H was set throughout a warfare. The elimination of the chortle monitor earlier within the collection might have made M*A*S*H much more noteworthy than it will definitely turned as it will have set a precedent.
9 Timeline Issues Were Often Glaringly Obvious
It Didn’t Help That the Series Exceeded the Runtime of the Korean War
In M*A*S*H‘s early seasons, timelines and continuity have been pretty straightforward to observe. However, because the collection itself ran longer than the precise Korean War, the collection’ timeline turned progressively messier. While this usually wasn’t a problem when it got here to the precise tales that have been featured on M*A*S*H, at a sure level, it turned a distraction. Small continuity indicators, like calendars with the month and yr or references to battles that passed off throughout the Korean War, finally meant little or no within the context of the collection’ total timeline.
In specific, M*A*S*H Season 9, Episode 6, “A War for All Seasons”, threw a curveball when it got here to the timeline of the collection. While this episode was modern and well-regarded as a result of it passed off over a complete yr, it fully disrupts any semblance of continuity that the collection had established up thus far. Because of this, it’s tough to completely admire the truth that M*A*S*H truly passed off throughout a three-year warfare that was so harmful in such a brief period of time.
8 The Series Was Often Riddled With Sexist Portrayals of Women
There Were Many Female Characters That Deserved the Spotlight
M*A*S*H established itself as a male-centric collection from the start. While this is smart on a logistical degree since most individuals preventing the Korean War have been males, it is necessary to keep in mind that many ladies have been additionally concerned within the Korean War, as members of the navy and as civilians. Throughout the collection, ladies have been usually handled as intercourse objects for his or her male friends. Male characters often didn’t take “no” for a solution and jokes about sexual assault have been jarringly widespread.
The collection’ sexism was sadly illustrated via one in all its protagonists, Major Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit). While she finally had probably the most character improvement of all the feminine characters featured within the collection, she is demeaned and dismissed regardless of her rank within the early seasons. Margaret’s improvement in later seasons arguably illustrates the truth that the powers that be realized that the ladies on the present wanted to be proven in a extra three-dimensional manner.
7 Alcohol Use Disorder is Treated Flippantly
Many Characters Self-Medicated With Alcohol
Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) assemble a selfmade gin distillery of their tent close to the start of the collection. This is a supply of humor all through the collection, and B.J. (Mike Farrell) merely stepped into Trapper’s footwear to maintain the makeshift distillery up and working. Throughout the collection, many different characters use alcohol, usually to extra, whereas spending countless hours on the unit the place nothing occurs between moments of chaos.
While M*A*S*H ultimately options storylines emphasizing the seriousness of alcohol use dysfunction, there have been few to no penalties ever proven. These storylines hardly ever reckoned with how unsettling it was to have surgeons consuming so persistently whereas needing to be on name in a warfare zone. In the later seasons, there have been characters, together with Helen (Gail Strickland), a good friend of Margaret’s who needed to reckon with the consequences of alcohol use dysfunction. Hawkeye additionally needed to look at his personal alcohol use ultimately.
6 Marital Infidelity is Joked About and Normalized
Trapper John, Henry Blake, and Frank Burns Were the Top Offenders
The married males of M*A*S*H have been usually overtly dishonest on their wives within the early seasons. Trapper John made no secret of the truth that he slept with many nurses regardless of having a spouse within the United States. Frank Burns (Lary Linville) was married however was overtly in a relationship with Margaret throughout the early seasons. Even Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), the 4077’s first beloved chief, overtly cheated on his spouse with nurses as nicely. None of those males ever significantly reckoned with the potential penalties of their actions.
M*A*S*H ultimately addressed this situation in later seasons by firming down storylines involving dishonest. Additionally, B.J. instantly feels regret when sleeping with a nurse who had lately been divorced in Season 5, Episode 6, “Hanky Panky”. While the episode revolves round B.J. feeling dangerous about his actions, he nonetheless is not proven to truly inform his spouse about his second of infidelity and face any actual penalties past his emotions. Overall, infidelity was handled as an inevitability of warfare fairly than a deliberate alternative.
5 The Series Was Extremely American-Centric
The Korean War Involved UN Member Nations
The Korean War concerned troopers from many countries converging onto the Korean Peninsula. While M*A*S*H featured the occasional look by a soldier from one other nation, many of the collection revolved round American characters completely. Even secondary characters are virtually all American. M*A*S*H‘s lack of tales that includes troopers from different nations positioned the members of the 4077 in a field as they solely had their very own experiences to depend on.
As a M*A*S*H unit, it will have made sense for the medical workers to come across troopers from all backgrounds. Medical items handled enemy combatants and allies alike. Therefore, it will have made far more sense for the members of the 4077 to no less than briefly work together with extra troopers from completely different nations. By not showcasing troopers from completely different nations, it was exhausting to reveal the members of the 4077, and viewers by extension, to completely different views concerning the warfare.
4 The Series Notably Lacked Diversity
There Was Only One POC within the Main Cast
M*A*S*H’s lack of variety in its major solid is clear from its early days. Capt. Oliver Harmon ‘Spearchucker’ Jones (Timothy Brown) was initially meant to be part of the internal swamp, earlier than the character was written off within the title of sustaining historic accuracy. Aside from Klinger (Jamie Farr), the principle solid featured solely white actors. The lack of POC in major roles is one thing that remained the identical all through the collection.
Even although many M*A*S*H episodes and storylines tackled racism, the collection by no means took the chance to showcase any POC as a outstanding member of the principle solid. While variety in tv could have been in its early days within the United States, many collection, like Good Times and The Jeffersons, already highlighted Black ensemble casts. Further again, Hogan’s Heroes featured a Black character, Sergeant James “Kinch” Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon) as a member of an ensemble solid that includes the United States Military.
3 M*A*S*H Did an Ineffective Job at Portraying Koreans Themselves
Despite the Fact the War was on Their Peninsula
While M*A*S*H passed off throughout the Korean War, it hardly ever featured tales about precise Koreans. While Korean civilians have been most impacted by the warfare of their residence, M*A*S*H featured few of their tales. The Koreans that have been featured all through the collection have been usually not Korean. Oftentimes, Koreans have been performed by Chinese or Japanese actors. Soon-Tek Oh and Phillip Ahn have been two notable exceptions. Both actors have been born in Korea and later immigrated to the United States, and each performed a number of roles in M*A*S*H.
The undeniable fact that Korean storylines have been hardly ever part of M*A*S*H made it attainable for characters to be constructed as charicatures of Korean folks. Many characters usually spoke in exaggerated accents and spoke the Korean language inaccurately. While it would not be correct to say that actors themselves deliberately portrayed Koreans disrespectfully, the shortage of effort to solid Korean actors stays evident. There have been alternatives for M*A*S*H to showcase simply how devastating the Korean War was for Koreans themselves.
2 Klinger’s Section 8 Gag Doesn’t Age Well
A Section 8 was Something Serious
One hallmark of M*A*S*H was Klinger persistently attempting to get himself discharged with a “Section 8”. Section 8 was a World War II-era United States Army regulation that was used to discharge servicemembers who have been declared mentally unfit for navy service. This kind of discharge was usually used towards members of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Throughout his tenure on M*A*S*H, Klinger usually dressed as a lady to realize his aim of being discharged on this manner.
While Klinger’s makes an attempt to get discharged from the military by sporting attire are nonetheless fairly humorous, it must be stated to be discharged beneath Section 8 usually carried penalties. People who have been discharged beneath a Section 8 might face penalties of their civilian lives. M*A*S*H doesn’t reckon with this chance. Eventually, Klinger stopped his makes an attempt to get discharged beneath this provision, so it’s attainable his character thought of these potential penalties off-screen.
1 The Portrayal of the Nursing Profession Ages Poorly
Nurses are Rarely Given Their Proper Respect
For the primary few seasons of M*A*S*H, nurses are proven to be little greater than decorations for the unit’s medical doctors and different male medical workers. It just isn’t till M*A*S*H discovered its stride that it started to discover the roles that nurses would realistically have taken on in a M*A*S*H unit throughout the Korean War. Aside from Margaret, there are only some nurses featured all through the collection who get an opportunity within the highlight. Because of this, nursing usually appears extremely straightforward in M*A*S*H, and sometimes includes little greater than standing round.
In the later seasons, M*A*S*H rectified this drawback by generally turning the highlight to the nurses. Whenever the nurses on M*A*S*H received an opportunity at character improvement, it was clear that not solely have been these ladies dynamic in their very own proper, however that they performed expert medical professionals. M*A*S*H ultimately showcased tales of nurses who had quite a lot of ambitions, and who confronted simply as a lot hazard as their male colleagues. Unfortunately, these tales have been too few and much between.
