M*A*S*H: A Holy Mess

M*A*S*H: A Holy Mess
CBS
February 1, 1982
Dramedy
DVD
C

Pollock & Davis wrote this story that seems like it could be great, but it's saddled with a flawed premise, and stilted direction by Metcalfe.  As for the latter, I think the above still is a good example.  There are scenes where people stand and indeed talk stiffly, as if they're in a bad high school production of The Crucible.  (And I was in a so-so production of The Crucible in high school, so I can say that with some authority.)  M*A*S*H has increasingly become less life-life as the seasons pass, but it's really obvious in some parts here.

As for that flaw, a soldier has gone AWOL upon hearing news from someone back home that his wife, whom he hasn't seen in over a year, just had a baby.  Her letters have dropped no hints that anything was going on.  Yes, I can see why he'd be upset, but at no point does anyone suggest getting the wife on the phone, or even doubting the word of the "friend."  It's not like the letter included a picture of the baby or a birth announcement or something.  This guy may be flipping out just due to a malicious lie.  And even if it is true, get the wife on the phone!  The title, which is meant to be a pun on the philosophical/legal question of whether the mess tent can be regarded as a church that can provide sanctuary, turns out to be apt.  Oh, and there's a subplot about eggs that doesn't make much sense either.  (Serve the eggs from the kitchen doorway and let's move on.)  That said, it's always nice to see William Christopher get something meaty to work with.

Val Bisoglio (Sgt. Pernelli), Roy Goldman (as Roy Goldman), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), Shari Saba (Lt. Shari), Bill Snider (this time a GI), Leland Sun (this time an American GI rather than a Korean or Chinese soldier), and Dennis Troy (this time a GI) return.