M*A*S*H: Abyssinia, Henry

M*A*S*H: Abyssinia, Henry
CBS
March 18, 1975
Dramedy
DVD
B+

This Greenbaum & Fritzell episode, directed by Gelbart, is arguably the most remembered episode of the series, and certainly one of the all-time season-closers.  It also wraps up the first phase of M*A*S*H.  But before we get to that, including the literally killer scene, which most of the cast didn't know about till it was shot, I want to talk about the episode as an episode, as well as Henry Blake as a character.

There are some funny and/or touching scenes here, as everyone prepares for Blake's departure, in a different way than when it seemed like Trapper was going to go home.  Everyone reacts in character, like Margaret and Frank looking forward to Frank taking command, and Hawkeye and Trapper knowing they're going to miss their buddy but still being happy for him.  Henry and Radar have some father-and-son-like moments, including talking about their fathers, and Burghoff's acting is just wonderful throughout the episode.  By the way, Henry's son is already playing the trombone, so either he wasn't born during the war, or he's a Mozart-level musical genius.  It is 1952, which would be plausible after two-and-a-half years on the air, and no one knew that there would be eight seasons left.

I'm not crazy about Blake as a person (as I've mentioned in other posts), but I think Stevenson does well with the role, especially in this episode, where he has to play so many emotions.  His lackadaisical "command" fits Hawkeye and Trapper's attitude and gives Frank and Margaret something to play off of, as well as someone for Radar to benignly manipulate.  I can believe that all of them, even the two antagonistic majors, will miss him.

Years later, MAD Magazine would joke that Col. Blake was destroyed by a bomb, i.e. Hello Larry.  There were actually several failed series for Stevenson, but somehow this fits the bumbling image of Henry.  I like that this ignoble man has a hero's death.  (Well, to the extent that dying in a plane crash is heroic.)  It actually makes an important point about war, and about life, that a death can be tragic even if the life, as represented in the pre-closing-credits montage, is comic.  As such, that scene and this episode are an important demarcation line, separating the Blake-in-nominal-charge first three seasons from the next phase of the show.  Henry has a line in this episode where he says he wishes they were all going home with him.  Rogers would very soon leave the show as well, as would Linville a couple years later.  Those that would remain would undergo many changes.

As for Season Three, it's been another crazy ride, with episodes ranging from F+ to B+s like this one, all averaging out to B-, like usual.  Do I think that the show will improve without Henry?  Maybe, but the main problems are sexism and inconsistent characterization and plotting.  The show needs a major overhaul of writers after three years, either a whole new batch or at least retraining for the existing ones (especially the over-praised Gelbart, who's not a bad director though).  It's frustrating, because the show can be quite good at times and then dip in quality a week or two later.  (The writers here also wrote the F+.)  I'm sorry to keep comparing it to BNS, but that show does what it does so well and got no Emmy nominations.  It is an interesting ride here at the 4077th though and I am curious to see where it takes me in the remaining year or so of the war.

Gwen Farrell (now Nurse Gwen), Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) all appear in this episode.  This is the 700th program I've reviewed.