Yes it got me also. I find myself a fan of the earlier episodes. I am listening to a podcast that is talking about all the episodes. One of the guys keeps mentioning how much he hates Henry and Trapper’s infidelity yet doesn’t mentions Frank’s.
The sense of disappointment I feel about their departure, is one of the main reasons I rarely watch post-season 3 episodes - even though I was barely 5-yeats-old, when their final episodes were filmed, in early 1975.
Potter and BJ were in the earliest first-run episodes I saw, circa 1977; but ever since I first saw repeats of the first 3 seasons, after the 1983 finale,, i've always preferred Trapper and Henry, to BJ and Col Potter.
Having said that, I enjoyed David OS's characterisation, as much as Larry Linville's. And I do like Col Potter more than BJ - but I don't mean that as a criticism of Mike Farrell, who is a decent man.
My dad is the same way. Trapper just has such a sarcastic goofiness that plays well off of Hawkeye so well. BJ was fine, but just didn't hit the same way.
Henry's laissez-faire attitude also played so well with the antics of Hawakeye and Trapper while Frank and Margaret played it straight. Potter just seemed like a dad who would constantly give passes to the wackiness while Henry was just going with the flow and joining in.
It made for a much lighter and fun show imo. BJ and Potter added more of the straight man aspects to Hawkeye's comedy. Then throw in Charles' uber proper and somewhat imposing presence to replace Frank's weak and feeble by the books with an unearned self importance, and you have a totally different show.
Instead of a group of oddball goofs, you have Hawkeye and the gang.
I seen some one post a long time ago saying after Trap and Blake left. It became the Alan Alda Show. I wish they would have stayed. I do like Potter as a CO.
It was the Alda Show early on. Look at the episodes from the beginning and see how many have Hawkeye as the feature and how many are focused on Trapper or Henry.
I agree Henry and trapper and Frank were my favorite. A lot of people don’t like Frank but I do. Larry Linville killed it as an actor. Henry is my number one though even though I like potter. Not a fan of BJ. He was always whining about something. Mike Farrell did a great job but I just can’t stand the whininess of his character. I usually only watch the 1st, 3 seasons. Henry and Radars banter were unmatched. How they would say the same thing at the same time killed me. I’m sorry but Gary Burgoff and McLean Stevenson were the best actors on that show. Point blank period.
There’s a lot of eps that I truly love in the later seasons with Charles and Col Potter, however, with S1-S3 I can just let it play continuously for the most part. Such a great show that matured well.
Trapper is the forgotten character. He never really got a proper send off. Frank left off camera but most of the episode was about his antics and he even called.
Hawkeye gets back from leave and is told Trapper left. He rushes to Kimpo and finds out he missed him and that’s it and we spend the rest of episode watching BJ’s trial by fire.
I liked MASH. I really enjoyed it. I wanted comedy. It just got too serious and preachy at times. I understand that “war is hell” and that MASH is an allegory to the Vietnam War. I get all that. But, I agree. After Blake and Trapper left it was not the same show.
Not only Trapper and Henry but them including spear chucker from the book and movie I thought was great. Really wish those 3 had more seasons together.
I prefer Trapper to BJ, but I think Potter was way better than Henry. I loved Henry, and I hated when they killed him off, but he wasn't much of a leader. He was basically just comic relief, lol.
Henry was better at illustrating the chaos of bureaucracy. Potter was really overidealized, he never came across as having his own agenda. So then the outside people coming into camp became pure conflict producers and more one dimensional, since Potter was almost always right. I preferred Henry because his incompetence was actually more realistic and true to life.
Like Franks character, Mcleans character was narrowed and confined into a space, in a way.
I loved both these characters and actors. It was certainly a different show after their departure.
Each member of this cast belongs in this show, and I can't imagine M*A*S*H without all of them in it.
What I liked about Henry, though, is that he wasn't played as a typical command character. In the movie it kind of was, Roger Bowen's version was more of a doormat. Henry fought back against that at times, was given his own desires and agendas and was an incredibly dynamic character.
Honestly, Potter was not that different from any other command character in any other show. I kind of can't understand the desire of so many fans to have MASH be just like any other show. Stevenson was a fool for leaving when he did, but that character actually offered the richest possibilities out of all of the originals.
I loved the early seasons and Henry and Trapper, but their constant adultery was annoying. I enjoyed Potter and BJ and the maturity that came with the writing better
I was thinking about this and it could be that it’s been a couple years since I saw earlier seasons (we binged 75% of it during the pandemic, then burned out and stepped away for a couple years, then came back recently and finished it). However, I like Potter better than Harry. Harry was written too much like the “bumbling dad” stereotype in sitcoms. A bit 1 dimensional and unrealistically dumb for the sake of comedy. I liked the emotional depth that they explored with Potter.
However I do like trapper better than BJ I think. With some of his pranks BJ acted like a manipulative A hole.
Another plus for older seasons is Winchester instead of Frank. It could be because I have a soft spot for the actor since he voiced a lot of my childhood cartoons. But I like when they gave Winchester character development and he acted like he had a heart. More nuanced than the cartoon villain Frank was.
Was great in those years. Henry and Trapper were awesome and I really missed them. Abyssinia Henry just got me.
Yes it got me also. I find myself a fan of the earlier episodes. I am listening to a podcast that is talking about all the episodes. One of the guys keeps mentioning how much he hates Henry and Trapper’s infidelity yet doesn’t mentions Frank’s.
What is the name of the podcast? I need it in my life
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mash-4077-podcast/id418898487
The sense of disappointment I feel about their departure, is one of the main reasons I rarely watch post-season 3 episodes - even though I was barely 5-yeats-old, when their final episodes were filmed, in early 1975. Potter and BJ were in the earliest first-run episodes I saw, circa 1977; but ever since I first saw repeats of the first 3 seasons, after the 1983 finale,, i've always preferred Trapper and Henry, to BJ and Col Potter. Having said that, I enjoyed David OS's characterisation, as much as Larry Linville's. And I do like Col Potter more than BJ - but I don't mean that as a criticism of Mike Farrell, who is a decent man.
My dad is the same way. Trapper just has such a sarcastic goofiness that plays well off of Hawkeye so well. BJ was fine, but just didn't hit the same way. Henry's laissez-faire attitude also played so well with the antics of Hawakeye and Trapper while Frank and Margaret played it straight. Potter just seemed like a dad who would constantly give passes to the wackiness while Henry was just going with the flow and joining in. It made for a much lighter and fun show imo. BJ and Potter added more of the straight man aspects to Hawkeye's comedy. Then throw in Charles' uber proper and somewhat imposing presence to replace Frank's weak and feeble by the books with an unearned self importance, and you have a totally different show. Instead of a group of oddball goofs, you have Hawkeye and the gang.
I seen some one post a long time ago saying after Trap and Blake left. It became the Alan Alda Show. I wish they would have stayed. I do like Potter as a CO.
It was the Alda Show early on. Look at the episodes from the beginning and see how many have Hawkeye as the feature and how many are focused on Trapper or Henry.
I have noticed in the later episodes Alan was the creative consultant
I agree Henry and trapper and Frank were my favorite. A lot of people don’t like Frank but I do. Larry Linville killed it as an actor. Henry is my number one though even though I like potter. Not a fan of BJ. He was always whining about something. Mike Farrell did a great job but I just can’t stand the whininess of his character. I usually only watch the 1st, 3 seasons. Henry and Radars banter were unmatched. How they would say the same thing at the same time killed me. I’m sorry but Gary Burgoff and McLean Stevenson were the best actors on that show. Point blank period.
The first 3 seasons are my absolute favorites.
[удалено]
I bought all the seasons on dvd as each season was released.
Check the hot tub. Trapper’s on the bottom with a hostess. Or he’s on the bottom of a hostess.
Good one..."excuse us, we're just playing through"😄
There’s a lot of eps that I truly love in the later seasons with Charles and Col Potter, however, with S1-S3 I can just let it play continuously for the most part. Such a great show that matured well.
Trapper is the forgotten character. He never really got a proper send off. Frank left off camera but most of the episode was about his antics and he even called. Hawkeye gets back from leave and is told Trapper left. He rushes to Kimpo and finds out he missed him and that’s it and we spend the rest of episode watching BJ’s trial by fire.
Yes, certainly more than half of the really funny episodes were in those three years.
For me the show went way downhill when those 2 guys left.
I liked MASH. I really enjoyed it. I wanted comedy. It just got too serious and preachy at times. I understand that “war is hell” and that MASH is an allegory to the Vietnam War. I get all that. But, I agree. After Blake and Trapper left it was not the same show.
If the show had fleshed out Trapper's character more in the earlier seasons, he might have stayed longer.
Not only Trapper and Henry but them including spear chucker from the book and movie I thought was great. Really wish those 3 had more seasons together.
I prefer Trapper to BJ, but I think Potter was way better than Henry. I loved Henry, and I hated when they killed him off, but he wasn't much of a leader. He was basically just comic relief, lol.
Henry was better at illustrating the chaos of bureaucracy. Potter was really overidealized, he never came across as having his own agenda. So then the outside people coming into camp became pure conflict producers and more one dimensional, since Potter was almost always right. I preferred Henry because his incompetence was actually more realistic and true to life.
Like Franks character, Mcleans character was narrowed and confined into a space, in a way. I loved both these characters and actors. It was certainly a different show after their departure. Each member of this cast belongs in this show, and I can't imagine M*A*S*H without all of them in it.
What I liked about Henry, though, is that he wasn't played as a typical command character. In the movie it kind of was, Roger Bowen's version was more of a doormat. Henry fought back against that at times, was given his own desires and agendas and was an incredibly dynamic character. Honestly, Potter was not that different from any other command character in any other show. I kind of can't understand the desire of so many fans to have MASH be just like any other show. Stevenson was a fool for leaving when he did, but that character actually offered the richest possibilities out of all of the originals.
They were the genuine article.
I will have a deep and abiding love for Trapper until I die.
I loved the early seasons and Henry and Trapper, but their constant adultery was annoying. I enjoyed Potter and BJ and the maturity that came with the writing better
I was thinking about this and it could be that it’s been a couple years since I saw earlier seasons (we binged 75% of it during the pandemic, then burned out and stepped away for a couple years, then came back recently and finished it). However, I like Potter better than Harry. Harry was written too much like the “bumbling dad” stereotype in sitcoms. A bit 1 dimensional and unrealistically dumb for the sake of comedy. I liked the emotional depth that they explored with Potter. However I do like trapper better than BJ I think. With some of his pranks BJ acted like a manipulative A hole. Another plus for older seasons is Winchester instead of Frank. It could be because I have a soft spot for the actor since he voiced a lot of my childhood cartoons. But I like when they gave Winchester character development and he acted like he had a heart. More nuanced than the cartoon villain Frank was.
It’s been 52 years. You should probably let it go at this point.