M*A*S*H Season 4 - Cover art, date, and specs (1 Viewer)

[Sven Lorenz]

Phase One (Season 1 - 3) :
Hawkeye, Trapper, Henry, Frank, Margaret, Radar, Klinger, Mulcahy

Phase Two: (Season 4 + 5)
Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Frank, Margaret, Radar, Klinger, Mulcahy

Phase Three (Season 6 - Season 8 Episode 5):
Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Charles, Margaret, Radar, Klinger, Mulcahy

Phase Four(Season 8 Episode 6 - End):
Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Charles, Margaret, Klinger, Mulcahy

 

[Randy Korstick]

Charles is the only character I did not care for. I may bow out of this series after season 6 or 7. The show also started to get "too preachy" and "too humorless" at around season 9. But that is a ways off. I'm looking forward to Seasons 4 and 5 bring em on

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Charles is the only character I did not care for.

Interesting. Did you care for Frank?

Personally I don’t care for Frank and Charles on the contrary is likable to me. My perfect ensemble would be
Phase Three (Season 6 - Season 8 Episode 5):
Hawkeye, B.J., Col. Potter, Charles, Margaret, Radar, Klinger, Mulcahy

 

[David Lambert]

Sven pretty much nailed the phases I would have said.

The difference 'twixt Frank and Charles was that Charles had some redeeming qualities, not the least of which he actually had some skill as a surgeon.

The tone of the show's changes can be linked best to Radar and Hot Lips. As Blake left, Radar changed for Potter. As Frank left, Margaret changed and a lot of the "cutesy" stuff dropped off. When Radar left, Everybody got rather serious and the thing was barely a comedy anymore.

Someone at the time coined the term "dramady". By the time MASH left the air, it was MUCH more a dramady than a comedy. I see Scrubs go up and down this road quite a bit. Fortunately, at least so far the slope is not too slippery and they always find their way back to the comedy. Yet, last week's episode of Scrubs ended on a rather serious note about loneliness, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

MASH is responsible for that. They somehow forged a way to make you laugh and cry all at the same time. Don't believe me? Watch the Season 3 episode "O.R."

 

[Coressel]

I hadn't seen "O.R." in years and had forgotten most of it. Then I watched the DVD of it just a couple of week's ago and was really blown away!

In rediscovering this show on DVD, uncut and faux-giggle free, it has occured to me that the first 3 or 4 seasons really hit the perfect combination of drama and comedy. I do have a lot of respect for how the show evolved over the years, but I think one problem with the later seasons is not that they got too serious or preachy, but that it just isn't very funny. What humor is in the later episodes seems forced or tired-out to me.

I loved the transitional episodes throughout the run and thought Charles was a good choice for Frank's replacement. But really it seems to me that Radar's final episode makes for a better finale to the series than "Goodbye, Farwell, Amen, and Enough is Enough..."

:star:

 

[Randy Korstick]

Quote:
....Interesting. Did you care for Frank?


Yes he was one of my favorite characters and I always felt the show lost something when he left at least lost alot of its humor. I always found the funniest moments in Mash to be Hawkeye and Trapper/B.J.'s battles with Frank. I do like the transition of Frank to Charles in Season 6. So I'm definately in through Season 6 of this series and I will evaluate my enjoyment of the series on a season by season basis after that to see if I stop buying them.

 

[Sven Lorenz]

I like Phase 4 the best.
My favorite episodes are the more serious ones.
Fox should really increase the speed of releasing the sets - some of the later episodes are becoming more and more relevant to current affairs.

END COMMENT REMOVED BY OWNER - REPOST ANY FURTHER
POLITICAL STATEMENTS LIKE THIS AND YOU WILL BE REMOVED

 

[John_Berger]

I do like the transition of Frank to Charles in Season 6.

That was really funny, and Frank's "news" as he talks to Hawkeye on the phone is just the icing on the cake.

Those first few episodes with Charles trying to adjust are great, but the end of the first episode with the snake in the bed and Charles' final statement (and associated smirk) is just priceless.

Personally, I like what they did with Charles. Frank was just a major annoyance (no pun intended), but Charles at least showed his human side, most notably in the eposide where the concert pianist gets tendon damage in his hand and can no longer perform. Fantastic episode.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Yeah, by the time frank left they're carried the weasel as far as it'd go. I'm a big Charles fan.

 

[David Lambert]

Yeah, by the time frank left they're carried the weasel as far as it'd go.

Don't you mean the ferret?

 

[Jeff D Han]

Here's my 2 cents-

I think Frank became a worn out and tired character at
the end of the fifth season. It was time for a breath of fresh air- Charles. Frank was a buffoon in the O.R. and
Charles was skilled. Frank was an army clown and Charles
hated the army. Frank was disagreeable and Charles was
just plain arrogant. There was no more soap opera with
Margaret. The show changed quite a bit when Frank left.

I also think the show went straight downhill when Radar
left. Like others have said, the show stopped being
light and got preachy and overly serious.

I wish we could see some extras with these sets, like
commentary for some of the favorite episodes or
interviews with the cast, writers and directors.

 

[Matthew_V]

.

 

[RickER]

When Blake dies that was the end for me. I watched the show until the bitter end as a kid. As an adult i cant handle the preaching, and with not a laugh in sight. I see why some might enjoy it...i just like to laugh when i watch a comedy.

 

[Debbie E]

Three seasons on my shelf still wrapped. They were blind buys after hearing rave reviews. I'm afraid I won't like it :frowning:

 

[Tomoko Noguchi]

Here in Japan they used to show MASH on SkyPerfect. Now nothing. I love the whole 10 seasons. I'll buy them all.

 

[Spero D]

Season 5 is up for preorder as DVDSoon in December. Lets hope this one is correct

Spero D.

 

[David Lambert]

DVDSoon has the same 12/9/03 release date as Amazon does.

This means they are either both having the same correct date from the same sources, or one is just nabbing info from the other.

It's interesting to me that on the one hand, Amazon.CA (the Canadian version of Amazon) isn't listing that item yet, but that Canadian e-tailer DVDSoon is.

It's also interesting to me, on the other hand, that other future Fox TV releases that Amazon supposedly should not have posted yet are also now posted at DVDSoon with the same dates Amazon has: Futurama Vol 2, Family Guy Vol 2, NYPD Blue Season 2, Dark Angel Season 2...


Inconclusive evidence. I doubt this verifies that the dates are either right or wrong. We don't know what source either e-tailer is using for those dates.

I'm guessing, though, that they'll be correct in the long run. Just a gut feeling, I suppose.

 

[Coressel]

Debbie wrote:

Three seasons on my shelf still wrapped. They were blind buys after hearing rave reviews. I'm afraid I won't like it

While we may be complaining about cover art, lack of a "play all" button, etc., I am really not dissapointed in these DVDs. They are worth having, as I've said many times, just to finally be able to see M*A*S*H episodes restored and without the giggle-tracks. So play away!

 

[Coressel]

By the way, concerning the "play all" thing: I've actually been able to skip ahead to the next episode by hitting the skip button on my remote during the closing credits of the episode I'm watching. Strange but true. I have an old Toshiba 2108 from 1998.

 

[Debbie E]

Coressel said

While we may be complaining about cover art, lack of a "play all" button, etc., I am really not dissapointed in these DVDs. They are worth having, as I've said many times, just to finally be able to see M*A*S*H episodes restored and without the giggle-tracks. So play away!

I meant I had never seen a MASH episode in my life I always thought it was this boring Army show.

I saw my first two eps and a half yesterday night AND I LOVED THEM (saw ep 1 and 3 entirely because when I finished ep one I went down instead of right without paying attention to the numbers.

I love it love it love it I'm waiting for Friends Seasons 1 and 2 to arrive (Season 3 is on the shelf) so that I can finally see my first Friends ep

I'm in love with Alda and the other one And Frank had the most beautiful blue eyes. The series is AWESOME!