M*A*S*H: A War for All Seasons

M*A*S*H: A War for All Seasons
CBS
December 29, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
B-

This Wilcox & Mumford story deserves some sort of retcon award.  Not only does it cover all of one year in one episode, but the year it chooses is 1951.  That means everything that happened in the first eight seasons and perhaps some of this one had to have taken place in six months or less of 1950!  Margaret's marriage.  Klinger's marriage.  The departures of Henry, Trapper, Frank, and Radar (and Spearchucker, Ugly John, etc.).  All the births for Korean women impregnated by American GIs.  Potter's arrival in 1952.  Various political and pop-cultural events.  Even if this was set in 1952, it would be implausible, but less so.  Anyway, various threads run through the year, including literally with Margaret's pot-holder that she knits into a blanket, with probably Hawkeye and BJ's invention of a kidney machine the most interesting.  Note that Father Mulcahy kisses Margaret when everyone's happy about the Dodgers winning the World Series and thus meaning Winchester has to pay out a lot of cash; the kiss is a bit below her mouth but surprisingly enthusiastic, making me wonder if it was improvised.

Laurie Bates (again a nameless Nurse in the credits, although Hawkeye does call her Laurie), Roy Goldman (this time the Snapshooting Corpsman), Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky), and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.  This is the 200th episode and thus the 200th for Alda.  No other of my shows will reach this milestone.