After Robert Altman’s very successful 1970 film MASH, an adaptation of Richard Hooker’s novel of the same name, intrigue began to build in the possibility of turning the franchise into a television series. At the time it was considered a big risk to turn a successful movie into a television show, as they usually received both poor ratings and critical reception. However, the episodic nature of both the movie and novel demonstrated great potential in being stretched out into longer stories, creating a strong possibility of great success. It was with this in mind that MASH (or MAS*H) the TV series was created. After a rough start, it quickly picked up ground, becoming one of the most popular shows of the decade. Its series finale, “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen”, is the most viewed finale in American history, with a whopping 111 million people tuning in. The event was so impactful that it even made its way as a reference in the new Adult Swim program Smiling Friends.
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The series follows the exploits of Chief Surgeon Captain Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, an army doctor in charge of operating injured soldiers. Throughout his many idiosyncratic traits, Hawkeye runs a very loose and relaxed unit, and while he still has to answer to a commanding officer it is quite clear from his behavior that he is running the camp in the shadows, commanding a great deal of respect and admiration from its members due in large part to his charisma and rational composure during times of conflict. The dynamic causes a long litany of comedy plot points.
’50s Nostalgia
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In order to understand MASH’s success, it is important to understand the American climate surrounding the show. The movie came out in 1970, a year signaling a new decade and counter-culture, one attempting to exorcise the demons from the hippie revolution that came to bug many Americans for its free-for-all style of living. It was also caught up in a nostalgia buzz, one that began to look at the ’50s in a more familiar sense. It was a specific part of the ’70s to make these throwback observations, almost as if the entire cultural zeitgeist was riddled with these ideas. Shows like Happy Days and movies like The Godfather and The Last Picture Show are indicative of this interest, all succinctly commenting on the matter through their own interpretations of what that era represented. MASH was particularly interested in American’s attitude towards war, having already come off the most destructive conflicts in human history a few years prior. You can see a more accustomed and tired version of the same spirit of the ’40s, only more rugged and cynical. Hawkeye is meant to represent this cynicism, having developed a pessimistic and downright paradoxical view of humanity.
The Brutal Reality of War
Another form MASH stood out is its realistic depiction of the emotional toll war brings towards its protagonists. Each character has a unique way of dealing with these horrors. Seeing the war through Hawkeye’s lenses, we begin to see most of his behavior acts as a coping mechanism for the brutality of what he has to witness every day. His life is a constant state of taking care of the wounded, and forgetting all about it the very moment he leaves his shift in order to remain sane, repeated for every week of every year, until being called upon to return home. While his methods are cooling off are most certainly frowned upon in this day and age, it offers us a glimpse into the mind of someone who has been provocatively broken by the whole process. It is through his devotion to righteousness that he is able to connect with the audience, and our entire view of the compound is further enhanced by his voice.
No better example of the brutality the show was capable of can be found in the now-legendary season 3 finale, which featured the departure of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake; after a very emotional farewell; it was revealed at the very last minute that his plane was shot down by enemy fire, leaving no survivors. The moment sent shock waves around the viewing public, who after a brief process of denial came to accept Blake’s fate as the show itself, letting the audience know that behind the facade of laughter is a hollow and rough world.
Nihilistic Comedy
Despite doing its best to hide the undertones surrounding the series, airing in the ’70s and all, the tolling effects of war are wonderfully explored using witty humor and absurd circumstances as a cover for all the morbid realities it exposes. The term that was applied at the time of the show’s creation was dramedy, a combination of the words drama and comedy. It perfectly describes how the show dealt with matters of delicate features, from the rough shape of the people they treated, to the uncomfortable news of more warfare and injured. Their depiction is a stark contrast to the downright ironical satire most shows treated these matters at the time, being played with an almost comedic tone of voice.
The change in style brought a new discussion about the contrasts between comedy and drama and how they’re used in art. Its success made it almost guaranteed that more shows will take on this approach. Shows like Scrubs, Chuck, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer use these tropes MASH pioneered twenty years earlier, blurring the line and forcing the viewers to comment on their moments of seriousness. What makes MASH stand apart from these others is that none ever managed to perfectly blend comedy and drama.
Through the combination of the previously mentioned elements, MASH is able to craft a powerful social commentary regarding human nature and its culture of rationality. The show demonstrates how it’s our very own behavior that dictates the escalation of the war. Yet it stunningly demonstrates how every character deals with the situation through their own means. The depiction serves as a commentary on the wit and prowess of the human trait of faith and perseverance. No matter how grim things may get, our characters maintain a positive and defiant attitude towards their condition, showing us that this is the inherent way most people find a way to deal with similar situations, as if saying “you can’t help but laugh at the cosmic joke inscribed to us all”. This is the very spirit guiding MASH, and it is one of powerful universal understanding, showing us, the viewers, the way to salvation, one laugh at a time.
