For Smash get M*A*S*H

I just finished watching the MASH season finale 'Goodbye, Farewell And Amen'.

For people at the time, it was the end of once a week for eleven years. For me, it's not quite so long. I started watching MASH about a year or so ago.

I remember though some years ago, watching an episode of The West Wing and seeing a name flash up. I thought "huh, that's the guy from MASH, right?" It wasn't actually, it was Adam Arkin... but funnily enough, didn't Alan Alda turn up a few seasons later? When I saw Alan Alda in WW, I didn't really quite understand the significance of this man playing a Republican. Now, of course, I do know... and I know even more why that particular Republican was so centrist (dare I say, liberal?)

So you might remember last year that Springtime was a bit weird for me. My Granddad had just died and I was getting used to being here on my own. This meant, amongst other things, having absolute control over what was on TV. Paramount Comedy 2 were, at this point, showing MASH at 7pm every night, two episodes a night until 8pm, when I would switch to Top Gear on UKTV G2 (later Dave) until 8.30 when I'd switch to More4 for The Daily Show.

Then during a conversation about something else with my best friend Natasha, the subject came up. She was already a big fan of MASH and had been reading Alan Alda's autobiography. This led to me buying DVDs on Amazon Marketplace and Play.Com.

When I switched TV packages to save money, the only channel I wished I hadn't lost was Paramount Comedy 2 because of MASH and later The Kenny Everett Television Show. I was massively relieved when HMV put the price of MASH dvd sets from £35 to £15... because it made it affordable.

15 x 11 is quite a chunk of change, after all. I realised I'd have to buy these things slowly... it might've been cheaper to buy the Complete set, but I only realised I wanted this after I owned several seasons already, of course.

I'm getting bogged down in pointless detail.

I really love MASH. Really. Even when it was collapsing under the weight of its own self-importance, or suffocating under its liberal credentials, or almost losing the comedy in its desire to be worthy, it was always good TV.

Awhile back, I made a remark on this blog that Radar leaving is the point the show jumped the shark. I still stand by that remark, but I am also surprised at how enjoyable the last few seasons turned out to be. It's not the laugh out loud stuff back when Trapper John & Frank Burns were around, but it was still excellent television. Like The West Wing, MASH at its worst was still far superior to any other show at its best.

Frank Burns leaving did seem to herald the era of 'less funny, more worthy' but I really liked how Winchester never really did soften... that he remained the same Boston snob he always was. So many TV shows end up softening characters, making them more likeable... but MASH never did with Burns or Winchester.

So it did with Houlihan, but I think we always liked her to begin with... possibly?

Anyway... I've come to the end. I've seen that last, long episode which apparently still holds the ratings record in America. And I suppose it even deserves it - this is how a finale should be done, Friends people! It occasionally got held up with the nonsense of being a finale, but was largely a very sad farewell. When Hawkeye remembers what the chicken actually was... I think I actually yelped. Tears sprung to my eyes...

I have all the DVDs, of course. I do... but it won't ever be the same. I have nothing more to discover from these characters. Over the last year or so they've been my almost constant companions, and I shall miss them. I can always go back to watch DVDs, but I will be forever in the realms of re-runs, just like everyone who watched it the first time.

Interestingly, my dad, whose memory is not exactly fantastic, remembered all sorts of detail from watching MASH at the time, and it wasn't a huge deal for him even then.

I know if I weren't a mealy-mouthed bleeding heart liberal commie I'd probably not have enjoyed it as much. There are some things I can hardly bear - that bloody episode where it's all from the POV of the injured soldier - but it's small things. Even the fact that the series lasted eleven years compared to the war lasting three - what the hell's wrong with that? Years don't last twenty four hours, do they, which is essentially what a season is. Sure, the fact that the cast visibly aged (and Loretta Swit's hair visibly lightened) over the years is a bit annoying - but less annoying than Angel putting on lots of weight during the Angel series when he's supposed to be the unchanging undead.

Hell, it's less annoying than Angel's idiotic Rat Pack imitation.

Anyway, it won't be the same anymore. Just as I stopped watching Porridge everyday, and The West Wing every day and Friends every day, the time for MASH will pass. I'll come back to it, but it won't ever be the same.

It's fictional, and it's old and it's pathetic on my part I'm sure, but I feel like I just said goodbye to a bunch of really good friends.

So, £165 and about 130 hours later.... we say a fond and bittersweet farewell to Ouijongbou, cesspool of the Asian theatre.

For Smash get M*A*S*H

I just finished watching the MASH season finale 'Goodbye, Farewell And Amen'.

For people at the time, it was the end of once a week for eleven years. For me, it's not quite so long. I started watching MASH about a year or so ago.

I remember though some years ago, watching an episode of The West Wing and seeing a name flash up. I thought "huh, that's the guy from MASH, right?" It wasn't actually, it was Adam Arkin... but funnily enough, didn't Alan Alda turn up a few seasons later? When I saw Alan Alda in WW, I didn't really quite understand the significance of this man playing a Republican. Now, of course, I do know... and I know even more why that particular Republican was so centrist (dare I say, liberal?)

So you might remember last year that Springtime was a bit weird for me. My Granddad had just died and I was getting used to being here on my own. This meant, amongst other things, having absolute control over what was on TV. Paramount Comedy 2 were, at this point, showing MASH at 7pm every night, two episodes a night until 8pm, when I would switch to Top Gear on UKTV G2 (later Dave) until 8.30 when I'd switch to More4 for The Daily Show.

Then during a conversation about something else with my best friend Natasha, the subject came up. She was already a big fan of MASH and had been reading Alan Alda's autobiography. This led to me buying DVDs on Amazon Marketplace and Play.Com.

When I switched TV packages to save money, the only channel I wished I hadn't lost was Paramount Comedy 2 because of MASH and later The Kenny Everett Television Show. I was massively relieved when HMV put the price of MASH dvd sets from £35 to £15... because it made it affordable.

15 x 11 is quite a chunk of change, after all. I realised I'd have to buy these things slowly... it might've been cheaper to buy the Complete set, but I only realised I wanted this after I owned several seasons already, of course.

I'm getting bogged down in pointless detail.

I really love MASH. Really. Even when it was collapsing under the weight of its own self-importance, or suffocating under its liberal credentials, or almost losing the comedy in its desire to be worthy, it was always good TV.

Awhile back, I made a remark on this blog that Radar leaving is the point the show jumped the shark. I still stand by that remark, but I am also surprised at how enjoyable the last few seasons turned out to be. It's not the laugh out loud stuff back when Trapper John & Frank Burns were around, but it was still excellent television. Like The West Wing, MASH at its worst was still far superior to any other show at its best.

Frank Burns leaving did seem to herald the era of 'less funny, more worthy' but I really liked how Winchester never really did soften... that he remained the same Boston snob he always was. So many TV shows end up softening characters, making them more likeable... but MASH never did with Burns or Winchester.

So it did with Houlihan, but I think we always liked her to begin with... possibly?

Anyway... I've come to the end. I've seen that last, long episode which apparently still holds the ratings record in America. And I suppose it even deserves it - this is how a finale should be done, Friends people! It occasionally got held up with the nonsense of being a finale, but was largely a very sad farewell. When Hawkeye remembers what the chicken actually was... I think I actually yelped. Tears sprung to my eyes...

I have all the DVDs, of course. I do... but it won't ever be the same. I have nothing more to discover from these characters. Over the last year or so they've been my almost constant companions, and I shall miss them. I can always go back to watch DVDs, but I will be forever in the realms of re-runs, just like everyone who watched it the first time.

Interestingly, my dad, whose memory is not exactly fantastic, remembered all sorts of detail from watching MASH at the time, and it wasn't a huge deal for him even then.

I know if I weren't a mealy-mouthed bleeding heart liberal commie I'd probably not have enjoyed it as much. There are some things I can hardly bear - that bloody episode where it's all from the POV of the injured soldier - but it's small things. Even the fact that the series lasted eleven years compared to the war lasting three - what the hell's wrong with that? Years don't last twenty four hours, do they, which is essentially what a season is. Sure, the fact that the cast visibly aged (and Loretta Swit's hair visibly lightened) over the years is a bit annoying - but less annoying than Angel putting on lots of weight during the Angel series when he's supposed to be the unchanging undead.

Hell, it's less annoying than Angel's idiotic Rat Pack imitation.

Anyway, it won't be the same anymore. Just as I stopped watching Porridge everyday, and The West Wing every day and Friends every day, the time for MASH will pass. I'll come back to it, but it won't ever be the same.

It's fictional, and it's old and it's pathetic on my part I'm sure, but I feel like I just said goodbye to a bunch of really good friends.

So, £165 and about 130 hours later.... we say a fond and bittersweet farewell to Ouijongbou, cesspool of the Asian theatre.