M*A*S*Hy thoughts.
Every time I go to jumptheshark.com, my brain gets very fucked up and I start questioning the very nature of my existance. Well, no, maybe I'm going too far. Let me rephrase that.
First of all, jts.com is the greatest site in the world. Let me just get that straight. IT IS THE GREATEST SITE IN THE WORLD, hands down. I owe it a major fucking debt of gratitude because if not for jts.com and all the people who posted their opinions of my beloved M*A*S*H, I probably would have never been able to watch it again after that little early June mental thing where if I even thought about Frank I'd start bawling and every LJ entry was me whining about how the show has made me into a basket case. JTS made me realize something about the show, and while I don't know exactly what, reading all the opinions about it, whether I agreed or not, and realizing also that I knew more about the show after a month than some people knew after 20 some years... I dunno, but it changed everything. After that, I stopped screaming through every episode. I stopped forcing myself not to think about it. I (for the most part) stopped dreaming about watching the show and waking up in a cold sweat because of it. It was like a miracle, and I'll never forget it.
Okay, that said, THAT SITE NEVER CEASES TO SCREW WITH MY HEAD!! It makes me realize that nothing grand can last forever and how different my opinion on M*A*S*H is from so many other peoples. Of course, you guys know how much I love Charles and Klinger, and how much I even love the post-Radar episodes, and how I want to boink the brains out of the final season, I love it so much (even though it sometimes fucks up canon and often times makes no sense!). You guys know that I love the "dramedy" aspect of the show, that I want a show that makes me think and has human characters that like each other. You guys know I have very little tolerance for the Trapper-era episodes, and even though I can think of a few that were grand as hell, Trapper annoys the hell out of me and I'd rather have a cast that doesn't severely dislike each other. You guys know that I've heard that Alan Alda tentacle-raped the show and I think it's bullshit. If I need someone to spout war-induced angst in a fic, 9 times out of 10 it's gonna be Hawkeye, and guess what? I LIKE Hawkeye's liberal preachiness, because even though he can annoy the pants off me, if Hawkeye's whining about the horrors of war, most likely Charles is there and Klinger's company clerk, and M*A*S*H angst kicks serious ass besides.
Well, with those opinions the way they are, I'm like... so in the minority it's not even funny. While I know JTS is far from the majority of M*A*S*H fans, it astounded me how many people said that the show's unwatchable... even after Henry leaves. I may not AGREE, but I can see where people would say the quality of the show dips after Radar's departure. But it's not even that so much, it's that there are hundreds of people who say, "If you see Mike Farrell in the credits, RUN." Or, "If you see BJ with a moustache in the credits, RUN." And there are even people who say "If 'Hotlips' is 'Margaret', RUN."
Allow me to... I dunno... post my opinions on the major "shark-jumping" moments in M*A*S*H. Just for fun.
Shark Jumper #1: "Day One". Yep, a fair number of people say M*A*S*H the TV show should never have been, for various reasons. Some say it should never have been because the movie was sheer perfection and could never have been topped. Some say that TV wouldn't allow for the sort of content that made the movie good. I can't say dick about this because I've never seen the movie. Waste of typing, I guess.
#2: "Double-Slap". Henry's plane goes down and Trapper goes home. To a good many M*A*S*H fans, it signaled the end of the black comedy era of the show and the beginning of the dramedy era of the show. To as many fans, it signaled the end of what they consider watchable. Me? I have nothing against Henry. I've only seen him in a few episodes, but he wasn't a bad guy at all. McLean Stevenson made a huge mistake and I do believe the writers had some malice towards him in mind when they shot him down, and we as a TV-obsessed people gained a valuable new catch-phrase to use when watching TV. ("Tasha Yar was McLean Stevensoned.") I have to say I do prefer Potter without a doubt, and Henry would have been completely out of place in the later episodes unless he had a complete personality overhaul, which could have been disastrous.
As for Trapper, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I'll mention it again. That man annoys the hell out of me. I seriously can not stand him. If he'd hung around, I think he might have killed the show. I seriously do. Imagine if he'd had to go through the angstiness of the later seasons. What the hell would he have done? I can honestly see Hawkeye and him getting sent to Levenworth or something in a multiple-parter, and maybe Frank would be in charge and they'd get a bunch of other surgeons while Henry and Radar tried to get Hawk and Trap back, and Frank would be responsible for a horriffic accident in OR and.. I don't know. Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers would probably get in some legendary brawl over the whole thing. Alan Alda and Hawkeye needed someone more docile to balance each other out... and if Alan Alda was going to do his liberal creative consultant stuff anyway and basically take over the show, it's better that he had Mike Farrell who shared his agenda.
So, what do I think about their departure? Henry's death=sad, but ultimately better for the show. Trapper leaving?= Probably saved the show and Wayne Rogers' sanity.
#3: Believe it or not, "Mulcahy and Klinger: Top Billing." Yes, there are people who say seeing "too much" Mulcahy and Klinger made the show jump. It's mostly when Klinger becomes company clerk, but some folks also say that just when their names appeared on the credits is enough and a sign of the show going downhill. I totally disagree, of course; both are valuable characters and the credits just look too weird just ending at Gary Burghoff.
#4: "Hello, Margaret." Margaret becoming a liberated woman. Margaret leaving Frank. Margaret becoming "Margaret". Mrs. Major Margaret Houlihan Penobscott. I can actually see where people are coming from when they say this changed the show. It most definitely did, and the episode where Margaret and her nurses get closer is definitely a turning point. For the worse? Depends. Margaret's later seasons independance is great. She doesn't need to resort to screwing everything in sight to further herself, and she gets so much confidence and so much to live for. Sure, it reeks of feminism, but I have to smile every time I see Margaret hold that glass up and say, "Here's to me." Not to mention her talk with Colonel Lil and Klinger about the joys of being an army woman. She's got so much to be proud of, and as a fellow woman, I love seeing her come into herself.
Of course, there is one con, and that is the fact that she couldn't become her own woman without leaving Frank out in the cold. That was completely awful to watch, and she was just needlessly cruel to someone she cared about. Just because she was feeling good about herself, that is no damn reason to be such a bitch to him, and CERTAINLY no reason to applaud his humilation. Sure Frank was on his way out, but his send-off was already sad and frustrating enough without the newly-married and miserable Margaret joining Hawkeye and BJ in making an ass of him. Grr. That's just a fucking tragedy of the highest order, possibly even worse than Henry leaving. Henry was loved by all and the cast wept for him. Frank was hated by all and everyone cheered his departure.
Which brings us to...
#5: "Cheers, Ferret Face." Frank was a tragic case. For one brief, shining moment in the episode where Margaret gets engaged, I saw a completely alternate future for M*A*S*H. One in which there was no accosting of the general's wife in a public bath. One in which there was no Lt. Colonel Frank Marion Burns at a veteran's hospital in Indiana. One in which Major Charles Emerson Winchester stayed at Tokyo General and never heard of the 4077th. One in which Frank actually gained self-respect, moved on the same way Margaret did, stayed at the 4077th and maybe actually became a competent physician. One in which Hawkeye and BJ found themselves looking at him and wondering "What the fuck happened to Ferret Face?" and Potter had to admit that he's certainly changed. I saw all of this as Frank uttered one pivotal line, "I don't know, Margaret. A little youth might be nice for a change." The writers made the conscious choice to have him speak this line, which made Margaret storm off in shock and anger, and Hawkeye and BJ widen their eyes in something that looked almost like respect.
And then...
The same old Frank being Frank, with one difference. Now, instead of just Hawkeye and BJ being asses to him, he had Margaret ALSO being an ass to him. And what happened? Larry Linville realized that nothing was ever going to become of his character, and he bowed out. Do I think that's unfair? Fuck yes, and as much as I absolutely LOVE Charles, I will maintain until the day I die that that was unfair, and even though he got a promotion and a cushy job, I seriously think that was too little too late. He never got a damn bit of respect, and that's all he really fucking wanted.
#6: "The Alan Alda Show". This is around the time that many once-loyal fans stopped viewing the show. Mr. Alda suddenly had a good deal of creative control, and coincedentally after Frank left and Charles joined the cast, the plots began getting more serious. Suddenly we had someone who was a match for Hawk and BJ, and the plots couldn't center as much around the hijinks of Hawk and Beej vs Margaret and whoever. So, instead of going overboard making the characters have feuds, external factors began meaning more and more to the cast, and a bunch of shit started going down. I think this is great. The characters began to grow. How is this in any way bad?
#7: "Will they or won't they?". Margaret's marriage is in trouble. Hawkeye's being himself. They're trapped in an abandoned building. Shelling all over the fucking place. They do it. Does it forever change the show? Not really, it just shuts up H/M shippers who think they'd be so great together. I think it's possibly the most squicky no-no episode ever filmed, but it needed to be done. And no, it didn't make the show jump because they didn't STAY a couple. It proved how horrible a couple they make, and they get home and go back to their normal lives. Now, it COULD have destroyed the show if they'd STAYED together, because.. uh... eww. But as it is, it's just one of those little occasions you look back on and say, "Uh-huh. Moving right along..."
#8: "Don't touch the 'stache." BJ's moustache. A simple facial hair growth, but countless people blame it for everything from gas prices going up to... well, M*A*S*H jtsing. How can something as superficial as how Mike Farrell chooses to groom ruin a TV show? Hell if I know. And just to prove how big a deal it is to me and those of my ilk, I happened to mention the facial hair to my ma the other day, who responded in all sincerity, "Didn't he always have one?" Yep. To be fair, people argue that it's totally unmilitary. But it was also 1978 and at least he didn't wear his hair like Barry Gibb. THAT could have been enough to kill the show right on the spot. "Hey Hawk, I'm Stayin' Alive!"
#9: "My baby's all grown up!" Radar leaving. Big ass change to the show. I will admit that he was an irreplaceable part of the cast, and I never saw it get to the point where it became logical that he leave. Frank, sure. But Radar kinda just... one day he was the same ole Radar and the next day he was standing tall and had a bitter expression on his face and an irritated snarl to his voice. It literally happened overnight, and I have no idea how. I probably missed some episodes in the interim (I think the cave episode was before his final episode, but I might be wrong) and that's why I can't say what happened exactly. I love Klinger so damn much and I'm so proud of him when he grows into an indespensible person, and I guess for whatever reason Radar did have to leave. Yes, he did take some of the last remnants of the "old" M*A*S*H with him when he left, and it did change a whole lot. But I still maintain that there are some DAMN good episodes after he leaves.
#10: "Too damn much Lebanese sausage!". Yep, here we go. Radar's gone, and Klinger's out of drag. I loved Klinger in drag. His personality did change after Radar left, but I don't think for the worse. You see, he GREW, dammit. He MATURED. But he's still immature, and he does still do some damn funny shit. Difference is, HE DOES STUFF FOR OTHER PEOPLE, TOO. It's not all about him. According to an episode I didn't see but Ma told me about, he actually becomes rather selfless, which is CUTE AS HELL OMFG. I mean, come on. THE MARGARET'S BIRTHDAY BRAN MUFFIN THING. You can not tell me that's not adorable and still SO in character. He's still lovable and naive, but most of the anger and bitterness is gone. And you know what? I don't give a fucking damn if he's overexposed, which he's really not. I could look at him all fucking day. So there. ;D
#11: "Abyssinia, Rational Thought." Too much Hawkeye going apeshit spoils the broth. This is possibly the only M*A*S*H possible JTS I agree with. Yes, dammit, Hawkeye does have too many breakdowns. Give someone ELSE a breakdown. Oh... well, actually, he did. Charles had one, too. That was nice.
And the final one...
#12: "Goodbye, goddammit." A few tongue-in-cheek souls say it was all downhill after "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." Not that I can say or anything, but I hear "AfterM*A*S*H" was pretty abysmal. Like to see an episode or two, however.
So, that said... do I think M*A*S*H ever jumped? It came close at times, and it did a few real dumbass things, sure... but I love the fucking show, and nothing's gonna change that. But you knew that already, right?? ^_~
First of all, jts.com is the greatest site in the world. Let me just get that straight. IT IS THE GREATEST SITE IN THE WORLD, hands down. I owe it a major fucking debt of gratitude because if not for jts.com and all the people who posted their opinions of my beloved M*A*S*H, I probably would have never been able to watch it again after that little early June mental thing where if I even thought about Frank I'd start bawling and every LJ entry was me whining about how the show has made me into a basket case. JTS made me realize something about the show, and while I don't know exactly what, reading all the opinions about it, whether I agreed or not, and realizing also that I knew more about the show after a month than some people knew after 20 some years... I dunno, but it changed everything. After that, I stopped screaming through every episode. I stopped forcing myself not to think about it. I (for the most part) stopped dreaming about watching the show and waking up in a cold sweat because of it. It was like a miracle, and I'll never forget it.
Okay, that said, THAT SITE NEVER CEASES TO SCREW WITH MY HEAD!! It makes me realize that nothing grand can last forever and how different my opinion on M*A*S*H is from so many other peoples. Of course, you guys know how much I love Charles and Klinger, and how much I even love the post-Radar episodes, and how I want to boink the brains out of the final season, I love it so much (even though it sometimes fucks up canon and often times makes no sense!). You guys know that I love the "dramedy" aspect of the show, that I want a show that makes me think and has human characters that like each other. You guys know I have very little tolerance for the Trapper-era episodes, and even though I can think of a few that were grand as hell, Trapper annoys the hell out of me and I'd rather have a cast that doesn't severely dislike each other. You guys know that I've heard that Alan Alda tentacle-raped the show and I think it's bullshit. If I need someone to spout war-induced angst in a fic, 9 times out of 10 it's gonna be Hawkeye, and guess what? I LIKE Hawkeye's liberal preachiness, because even though he can annoy the pants off me, if Hawkeye's whining about the horrors of war, most likely Charles is there and Klinger's company clerk, and M*A*S*H angst kicks serious ass besides.
Well, with those opinions the way they are, I'm like... so in the minority it's not even funny. While I know JTS is far from the majority of M*A*S*H fans, it astounded me how many people said that the show's unwatchable... even after Henry leaves. I may not AGREE, but I can see where people would say the quality of the show dips after Radar's departure. But it's not even that so much, it's that there are hundreds of people who say, "If you see Mike Farrell in the credits, RUN." Or, "If you see BJ with a moustache in the credits, RUN." And there are even people who say "If 'Hotlips' is 'Margaret', RUN."
Allow me to... I dunno... post my opinions on the major "shark-jumping" moments in M*A*S*H. Just for fun.
Shark Jumper #1: "Day One". Yep, a fair number of people say M*A*S*H the TV show should never have been, for various reasons. Some say it should never have been because the movie was sheer perfection and could never have been topped. Some say that TV wouldn't allow for the sort of content that made the movie good. I can't say dick about this because I've never seen the movie. Waste of typing, I guess.
#2: "Double-Slap". Henry's plane goes down and Trapper goes home. To a good many M*A*S*H fans, it signaled the end of the black comedy era of the show and the beginning of the dramedy era of the show. To as many fans, it signaled the end of what they consider watchable. Me? I have nothing against Henry. I've only seen him in a few episodes, but he wasn't a bad guy at all. McLean Stevenson made a huge mistake and I do believe the writers had some malice towards him in mind when they shot him down, and we as a TV-obsessed people gained a valuable new catch-phrase to use when watching TV. ("Tasha Yar was McLean Stevensoned.") I have to say I do prefer Potter without a doubt, and Henry would have been completely out of place in the later episodes unless he had a complete personality overhaul, which could have been disastrous.
As for Trapper, I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I'll mention it again. That man annoys the hell out of me. I seriously can not stand him. If he'd hung around, I think he might have killed the show. I seriously do. Imagine if he'd had to go through the angstiness of the later seasons. What the hell would he have done? I can honestly see Hawkeye and him getting sent to Levenworth or something in a multiple-parter, and maybe Frank would be in charge and they'd get a bunch of other surgeons while Henry and Radar tried to get Hawk and Trap back, and Frank would be responsible for a horriffic accident in OR and.. I don't know. Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers would probably get in some legendary brawl over the whole thing. Alan Alda and Hawkeye needed someone more docile to balance each other out... and if Alan Alda was going to do his liberal creative consultant stuff anyway and basically take over the show, it's better that he had Mike Farrell who shared his agenda.
So, what do I think about their departure? Henry's death=sad, but ultimately better for the show. Trapper leaving?= Probably saved the show and Wayne Rogers' sanity.
#3: Believe it or not, "Mulcahy and Klinger: Top Billing." Yes, there are people who say seeing "too much" Mulcahy and Klinger made the show jump. It's mostly when Klinger becomes company clerk, but some folks also say that just when their names appeared on the credits is enough and a sign of the show going downhill. I totally disagree, of course; both are valuable characters and the credits just look too weird just ending at Gary Burghoff.
#4: "Hello, Margaret." Margaret becoming a liberated woman. Margaret leaving Frank. Margaret becoming "Margaret". Mrs. Major Margaret Houlihan Penobscott. I can actually see where people are coming from when they say this changed the show. It most definitely did, and the episode where Margaret and her nurses get closer is definitely a turning point. For the worse? Depends. Margaret's later seasons independance is great. She doesn't need to resort to screwing everything in sight to further herself, and she gets so much confidence and so much to live for. Sure, it reeks of feminism, but I have to smile every time I see Margaret hold that glass up and say, "Here's to me." Not to mention her talk with Colonel Lil and Klinger about the joys of being an army woman. She's got so much to be proud of, and as a fellow woman, I love seeing her come into herself.
Of course, there is one con, and that is the fact that she couldn't become her own woman without leaving Frank out in the cold. That was completely awful to watch, and she was just needlessly cruel to someone she cared about. Just because she was feeling good about herself, that is no damn reason to be such a bitch to him, and CERTAINLY no reason to applaud his humilation. Sure Frank was on his way out, but his send-off was already sad and frustrating enough without the newly-married and miserable Margaret joining Hawkeye and BJ in making an ass of him. Grr. That's just a fucking tragedy of the highest order, possibly even worse than Henry leaving. Henry was loved by all and the cast wept for him. Frank was hated by all and everyone cheered his departure.
Which brings us to...
#5: "Cheers, Ferret Face." Frank was a tragic case. For one brief, shining moment in the episode where Margaret gets engaged, I saw a completely alternate future for M*A*S*H. One in which there was no accosting of the general's wife in a public bath. One in which there was no Lt. Colonel Frank Marion Burns at a veteran's hospital in Indiana. One in which Major Charles Emerson Winchester stayed at Tokyo General and never heard of the 4077th. One in which Frank actually gained self-respect, moved on the same way Margaret did, stayed at the 4077th and maybe actually became a competent physician. One in which Hawkeye and BJ found themselves looking at him and wondering "What the fuck happened to Ferret Face?" and Potter had to admit that he's certainly changed. I saw all of this as Frank uttered one pivotal line, "I don't know, Margaret. A little youth might be nice for a change." The writers made the conscious choice to have him speak this line, which made Margaret storm off in shock and anger, and Hawkeye and BJ widen their eyes in something that looked almost like respect.
And then...
The same old Frank being Frank, with one difference. Now, instead of just Hawkeye and BJ being asses to him, he had Margaret ALSO being an ass to him. And what happened? Larry Linville realized that nothing was ever going to become of his character, and he bowed out. Do I think that's unfair? Fuck yes, and as much as I absolutely LOVE Charles, I will maintain until the day I die that that was unfair, and even though he got a promotion and a cushy job, I seriously think that was too little too late. He never got a damn bit of respect, and that's all he really fucking wanted.
#6: "The Alan Alda Show". This is around the time that many once-loyal fans stopped viewing the show. Mr. Alda suddenly had a good deal of creative control, and coincedentally after Frank left and Charles joined the cast, the plots began getting more serious. Suddenly we had someone who was a match for Hawk and BJ, and the plots couldn't center as much around the hijinks of Hawk and Beej vs Margaret and whoever. So, instead of going overboard making the characters have feuds, external factors began meaning more and more to the cast, and a bunch of shit started going down. I think this is great. The characters began to grow. How is this in any way bad?
#7: "Will they or won't they?". Margaret's marriage is in trouble. Hawkeye's being himself. They're trapped in an abandoned building. Shelling all over the fucking place. They do it. Does it forever change the show? Not really, it just shuts up H/M shippers who think they'd be so great together. I think it's possibly the most squicky no-no episode ever filmed, but it needed to be done. And no, it didn't make the show jump because they didn't STAY a couple. It proved how horrible a couple they make, and they get home and go back to their normal lives. Now, it COULD have destroyed the show if they'd STAYED together, because.. uh... eww. But as it is, it's just one of those little occasions you look back on and say, "Uh-huh. Moving right along..."
#8: "Don't touch the 'stache." BJ's moustache. A simple facial hair growth, but countless people blame it for everything from gas prices going up to... well, M*A*S*H jtsing. How can something as superficial as how Mike Farrell chooses to groom ruin a TV show? Hell if I know. And just to prove how big a deal it is to me and those of my ilk, I happened to mention the facial hair to my ma the other day, who responded in all sincerity, "Didn't he always have one?" Yep. To be fair, people argue that it's totally unmilitary. But it was also 1978 and at least he didn't wear his hair like Barry Gibb. THAT could have been enough to kill the show right on the spot. "Hey Hawk, I'm Stayin' Alive!"
#9: "My baby's all grown up!" Radar leaving. Big ass change to the show. I will admit that he was an irreplaceable part of the cast, and I never saw it get to the point where it became logical that he leave. Frank, sure. But Radar kinda just... one day he was the same ole Radar and the next day he was standing tall and had a bitter expression on his face and an irritated snarl to his voice. It literally happened overnight, and I have no idea how. I probably missed some episodes in the interim (I think the cave episode was before his final episode, but I might be wrong) and that's why I can't say what happened exactly. I love Klinger so damn much and I'm so proud of him when he grows into an indespensible person, and I guess for whatever reason Radar did have to leave. Yes, he did take some of the last remnants of the "old" M*A*S*H with him when he left, and it did change a whole lot. But I still maintain that there are some DAMN good episodes after he leaves.
#10: "Too damn much Lebanese sausage!". Yep, here we go. Radar's gone, and Klinger's out of drag. I loved Klinger in drag. His personality did change after Radar left, but I don't think for the worse. You see, he GREW, dammit. He MATURED. But he's still immature, and he does still do some damn funny shit. Difference is, HE DOES STUFF FOR OTHER PEOPLE, TOO. It's not all about him. According to an episode I didn't see but Ma told me about, he actually becomes rather selfless, which is CUTE AS HELL OMFG. I mean, come on. THE MARGARET'S BIRTHDAY BRAN MUFFIN THING. You can not tell me that's not adorable and still SO in character. He's still lovable and naive, but most of the anger and bitterness is gone. And you know what? I don't give a fucking damn if he's overexposed, which he's really not. I could look at him all fucking day. So there. ;D
#11: "Abyssinia, Rational Thought." Too much Hawkeye going apeshit spoils the broth. This is possibly the only M*A*S*H possible JTS I agree with. Yes, dammit, Hawkeye does have too many breakdowns. Give someone ELSE a breakdown. Oh... well, actually, he did. Charles had one, too. That was nice.
And the final one...
#12: "Goodbye, goddammit." A few tongue-in-cheek souls say it was all downhill after "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen." Not that I can say or anything, but I hear "AfterM*A*S*H" was pretty abysmal. Like to see an episode or two, however.
So, that said... do I think M*A*S*H ever jumped? It came close at times, and it did a few real dumbass things, sure... but I love the fucking show, and nothing's gonna change that. But you knew that already, right?? ^_~