M*A*S*H Jill "xtingu" Knapp 7/2 '18

All seasons of MASH are now available on Hulu, so today we started binge-watching it.  Season 1 is where they are working out the kinks, and finally easing up on the blatant misogyny and tail-chasin'... though I guess it is a period piece. 

Either way, I love these characters so much, and Larry Gelbart is a script god. 

I am happier now that the Father Mulcahy I recognize and Klinger have arrived. 

The show holds up great now that we're half a season in, and it's a pleasure to watch. But you definitely have to get through the first few. Henry Blake is less of a dunderhead and more a dude; Frank and Houlihan aren't just meanies out to foil Hawkeye and Trapper, but are nuanced people.  

I feel like I'm with old friends. :)

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7/2 '18 18 Comments
god do I love that show.
Rabbit
It's soooo good!
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
I kind of like the post-Radar Klinger. He wasn't as madcap, in fact they abandoned the whole section 8 crossdressing thing completely once he became company clerk. It made him a more nuanced character.
Ray Conrad
We haven't gotten there yet, but now I'm curious. I hadn't noticed it in my youth... I just remember being sad when Radar wasn't on the show anymore.
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
Vince has the DVD set, and it has the option to remove the laugh track.
Lindsay Harris Friel
Matt and I discovered that we both always listen for the same guy on the laugh track... that same guy can be heard laughing on Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch, too. I'd bet a zillion bucks that you and Vince know the exact laughing guy we're talking about. :)
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
No, but now I want to listen for him!
Lindsay Harris Friel
Wow, this is like the Wilhelm Scream.
Anne Mollo
I've never heard that before! Gaaaaah! That is amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdbYsoEasio
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
I don't think it was any of the Star Wars clips in that youtube video, but there was a more recent movie (maybe TLJ?) that I actually caught it while in the theater and I almost shouted when I realized what it was.
Matt Lichtenwalner
I wish I were binging with you!
Anne Mollo
Come on down! :)

Or, we can make a date to binge-watch simultaneously. We'll synchronize episodes and we can talk about 'em here or elsewhere!
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
I guess what I really mean is, I wish I had the TIME to binge, and especially with you!

Right now I'm bingeing on the final season of 12 Monkeys. Not because it's good, but because I've seen the rest and feel as though I should take it to the end.
Anne Mollo
Damn you. I already have too many things on my binge list, but this is kinda a 'must add'. I mean, M*A*S*H is, like you described, a collection of old friends.

I've also recently listened to an interview with Alan Alda on one of my myriad podcasts and it just reminded me how much I've always liked the dude. I'll have to see if I can't find the episode and add a link...

Update: I think this was it: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/22/577433687/alan-alda-wants-us-to-have-better-conversations
Matt Lichtenwalner
I love Alan Alda. I also love Bill Hader's impression of Alan Alda.
When Saturday Night Live does their faux auditions (e.g., They pretend to play the screen tests of people auditioning for "Back to the Future" or Star Wars. So you'll have Bill Hader impersonating Alan Alda auditioning for Marty McFly or Han Solo. It's hilarious! -- like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azwKHqEkXEY)
Jill "xtingu" Knapp
Holy crap that's amazing. Love Bill Hader, and I hadn't seen some of his impersonations. So good.
Matt Lichtenwalner
Oh, that’s going to help me survive this holiday. Thank you!
Lindsay Harris Friel
It is a magical balm.
Jill "xtingu" Knapp