Season 7 (1978-79) of M*A*S*H is loaded with excellent episodes. Perhaps the most obvious change is Hunnicutt's mustache. Since this season has so many highlights, I'm going to review it in its entirety in three separate posts, beginning with today's discussion of Disc 1 of this collection.
Ep. #7.1-- "Commander Pierce" (9/18/78)-- When Col. Potter has to go away for a few days, he decides to appoint Dr. Winchester as temporary C.O. After Charles turns down the offer, Potter then asks Hawkeye to take the position. Commander Pierce quickly learns that it's lonely at the top, and his "subordinates" take full advantage of Hawk's flippant attitude toward authority. For example, B.J. goes AWOL in order to help a soldier's wounded buddy, and Klinger devises his craziest schemes for getting a Section 8 ever. To complicate matters, Winchester is ailing and is being an even bigger big, spoiled baby than he already is. Overall, this is an excellent season premier.
Ep. #7.2-- "Peace on Us"(9/25/78)-- This ranks right up there as one my all-time fave M*A*S*H eps. Hawkeye crashes the peace talks, which have been going on for way too long, and speaks his mind to negotiators. At B.J.'s request, the 4077th throws that "moronic fruitcake (Winchester's words)" a big party for Hawkeye's bravery and willingness to stand up for what is right. (Honestly, I would do the same thing if I were in Hawk's shoes.) A wonderful subplot is Margaret's announcement of her impending divorce, which she refers to as the "best thing that ever happened to me."
Ep. #7.3-- "Lil" (10/2/78)-- A dignitary named Col. Lillian Rayburn, who is around Col. Potter's age, visits the 4077th, and Radar suspects that there is something going on between the two. In one scene, Lil and Margaret have a very interesting discussion about being female in a male-dominated world.
Ep. #7.4 & #7.5-- "Our Finest Hour, Parts 1 & 2" (10/9/78)-- (Note: This is actually a two-part episode, and the installments can be viewed either together or separately. Personally, I feel it's much more meaningful and impactful when viewed as one episode.) War correspodent Clete Roberts returns for a second interview with 4077th personnel. (Roberts' first visit occurred in the Season 4 finale, "The Interview.") This time, we get to hear Margaret's point of view, as well as the opinions of Maj. Winchester. And Charles certainly has strong opinions of his bunkmates! This is essentially a "clip show," with snippets from previous seasons, including 1-3 (which I really don't care for) with Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) and the now-deceased Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson). As is the original interview, this episode is filmed partially in black-and-white.
Ep. #7.6-- "The Billfold Syndrome" (10/16/78)-- Dr. Sidney Freedman returns to the 4077th once again to help a young medic with a case of memory loss. Allan Arbus' Freedman is probably my favorite non-regular M*A*S*H character.
Ep. #7.7-- "None Like It Hot" (10/23/78)-- In order to combat the sweltering 100+-degree Korean summer heat, Hawkeye and B.J. purchase a mail-order rubber bathtub from Abercrombie & Fitch. Soon, everyone wants to use the tub, which causes a lot of problems. It's pretty dang funny to see grown men-- Army officers, no less-- behaving like immature little boys over a bathtub. This episode provides viewers with a little comic relief amid a lot of seriousness.
Ep. #7.8-- "They Call the Wind Korea" (10/30/78)-- Charles decides that he can't take it anymore when strong winds interrupt the transfer of incoming wounded. Thus, he decides to abscond to Seoul for a little R&R. This plan sounds fine and dandy in theory, but things go awry when Charles' self-appointed chauffeur for this excursion turns out to be none other than Klinger. As you can imagine, this is one wacky half-hour.
Ep. #7.9-- "Major Ego" (11/6/78)-- Charles saves a patient's life with open-heart massage during surgery, and the positive attention not surprisingly goes to his head. Maj. Windbag promptly calls Stars & Stripes so that the newspaper can run an article about his heroic exploits. Charles' newfound fame rankles Hawkeye-- whom, interestingly enough, "Front-Page Charlie" considers arrogant and boastful-- and the two doctors get into a rather funny battle of egos.
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