Season 7, Episode 2: Peace On Us
Special Guest Star: Gabrielle Fortier
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Margaret as a redhead? Va-va-voom!
Great to have the show back weekly. Once you break it down, this had to be the first episode of the season on paper until they moved them around. Even the end is reminiscent of the season 2 opener reintroducing the cast by name. Fun discussion.
The scene between Hawkeye and Margaret is the highlight of the episode for me. It says so much about the characters, and what they’ve come to mean to each other. Hawkeye is rightfully pissed about the changes to the points system, and stuck on that point while Margaret is venting about her own issues. But the moment he realizes how bad her marriage has gotten, he puts his tantrum on hold just to be there for her. And by the time he goes off to the peace conference, he’s just as angry (if not more angry) for her situation as he is for his own, and uses it as extra fuel to do what he does.
And I also loved the scene between Margaret and Potter. Obviously he doesn’t know quite what to say at first, leading to the funny exchange where she takes offense to everything he says, but eventually comes up with the perfect words to get through to her, and show the love and respect he has for her.
Two very touching, human moments in an otherwise fun episode, albeit one that stretches believability a bit far, even for this show. I’ve definitely come enjoy it for what it is, even if it isn’t my favorite (and I did like the previous episode more).
All right for zillionth time it’s been over 40 years and I think Netflix would love it Donald needs an origin story! He’s not the normal grade of scumbag!
This really is a great episode.
I love Margaret’s and Colonel Potter’s relationship so much, there is such a strong bond between them of friendship, professional respect and compassion. And I love that they can get annoyed at each other too, sometimes he gives an order she doesn’t like and she shows that, and he knows when he needs to put his foot down with her. And like here – he knows when she truly needs his full attention. It’s just lovely to see how close they grow over the seasons.
The scene with Margaret and Hawkeye out in the compound is such a great one, I always love watching Loretta Swit and Alan Alda together, they always bring out the best in each other as actors. Love that Margaret is by this point able to admit that something is wrong, we have seen her deny her feelings so many times. “Nothing happened, nothing’s wrong, I don’t feel a thing.” It’s so heartbreaking too how she just turns her head away and starts to cry, it’s so raw and painful, and just unfiltered.
And Margaret really does look great with the red hair, it’s so funny how Colonel Potter looks like a Leprechaun, Charles looks like a clown, and she looks like a supermodel. I bet Donald made her feel less like a woman and more like a thing he could just treat as he wanted, so this must have felt like a wonderful “revenge-look” 🙂 She is also wearing some very 70s looking pants, and I find that very charming.
And Donald, oh my god, vilket stolpskott, as we say in Sweden. What an absolute loser. I wonder if he had something to gain from not actually talking to Margaret and filing for a divorce himself. Maybe he thought he’d gain sympathy if she was the one who made the decision. “Oh, poor me, my cruel horrible wife divorced me”. Maybe that would get him sympathy from Darlene…
Loved listening to this discussion!
Allow me to shed a little bit of light on what I believe Margret’s mindset is in this episode. Margret, as an officer, probably puts a lot of weight on oaths, which is what marriage vows essentially are. Even though the breakup of her marriage is not her fault at all, she probably feels betrayed more that she couldn’t do everything in her power to try and save it, thus not fulfilling her oath. She probably would have called Donald or gone to see him if he was still accessible, but his transfer put him out of reach and, essentially, cut off all ties.
As someone who, as of this writing, has been divorced less than 6 months and who takes Oaths very seriously (it’s a religious thing), I think I know from where I speak. I did everything possible to save my marriage, counseling and a trial separation included. Only after all of that was exhaust, and with no movement from my now ex-wife, did I make the decision that divorce was the final option. I can see Margret wanting to go through all of those steps as well, and feeling even more hurt and cheated when even that was taken away from her. A military woman, obsessed with SOP, being told that she had to skip steps in a procedure? I can see that driving her crazy.
Expect more on this topic when Episode 19 for this season drops. 😉
This is in my bottom ten of episodes from seasons 1 to 8. I don’t include seasons 9 to 11 because there are so few episodes in that three year period that are good that a list made for all 11 seasons would be dominated by this period.
So many things put me off in this episode. You mentioned the fact that rotation points did not apply In this situation but they wrote it as if it did. Margaret is super irritating throughout, even at the “Red Skelton” party.
But the topper for me is the ludicrousness of the section where Hawkeye goes AWOL. What kind of sentry guard is going to let someone pass without proper credentials? And that goes double for the guards at the tent where the peace talks are going on. What did Hawkeye actually accomplish? Nothing. Even Potter’s speech about Hawkeye’s trip didn’t make any sense. Is this the most effective way to tell the army you’re “tired and you want to go home”? In front of a group where half don’t even understand English?
And the party? So in the time it took Hawkeye to drive the approximately 60 miles from Panmunjom the folks at MASH finished surgery, dyed everyones’ clothes and hair, dried the clothing, decorated the swamp and stocked the swamp with refreshments for the party? I know with scripted programs you’re supposed to suspend reality for a little bit but this was cartoonish.
Oh well there are many good episodes coming up in season 7.
Great episode with great discussion all the way around!
Much like I have to ignore the passage of time in MASH, I also have to ignore spatial distances.
Tell me … where were these peace talks held? I can’t imagine that they were any where near the front. How many hours drive away from the 4077th and the front were they happening? Did Hawkeye have to fill up the jeep’s gas tank? Was he gone for hours? A day? I just can’t wrap my head around him driving there and back again in any reasonable amount of time.
And this only irks me more in this episode happening right after Hawkeye yelled at BJ for driving a short distance to the front and missing out on a batch of casualties. Hawkeye had to have been gone much much longer. The same arguments he threw at BJ last week could be thrown at him more vehemently here but instead he gets a party. Thankfully it seems no casualties came through while he was gone.
It is a fun and fine episode … but only when I throw out the concept of time and distance.
I tried to use Google maps to judge the driving distance between some of the major places in the M*A*S*H universe, but it wasn’t agreeing with my searches. But estimating the distances straight, I don’t think it was more than 20 miles from Uijeongbu to Gimpo or Panmunjom. So maybe an hour away in a jeep on dirt roads?
You also have to consider that your search results are based on modern estimates. It would have taken a lot longer using a Jeep in war time. Some roads would be restricted and there would also be convoys to wait for.
Such a great discussion on this episode. I hope Gabrielle comes back soon and keeps shooting up the ranks!
I’ve thought a little too much about why this episode wasn’t used as the season opener, and there’s one big factor. Margaret talking about the D word. Back in 1978, divorce was something people didn’t talk about, and rare to have in TV and movies. There was still a stigma about divorce at the time. Even Kramer vs Kramer doesn’t come out until 1979. Put that all together, and I can easily see network executives being uncomfortable with their most popular comedy opening with divorce mentioned, let alone encouraged. It’s another example of how MASH was ahead of its time.
I’m so glad you mentioned Margaret’s red hair, because as the Bard said, “hubba hubba!”
I had no idea it was a wig until I rechecked after listening to the podcast. Loretta Swit would look great in any hair color.
I can suspend my disbelief of Hawkeye getting all the way up to the peace talks for the things that he’s able to say. It’s the same for Colonel Potter during the “red” party scene at the end. It’s more of a mission statement for the show going forward.
My favorite line is from Major Winchester, who despite being so unhappy being at the 4077, doesn’t shy away from drinking with everyone.
Hawkeye: “Careful Curly, you’ll hate yourself in the morning.”
Winchester: “Oh, I do know.”
Plus drunk Winchester says something nice about Hawkeye! Truth medicine indeed.
Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought red was such an odd choice for the color Hawkeye would miss most! I know that’s seemingly addressed by Hawkeye when he says that by “red” he doesn’t mean “blood red”, but even still I would think red. along with olive drab, would be the last color he’d miss. That’s always bugged me, haha. (I mean…how about blue?!) I’ve also wondered how much the joke with MP having red hair had to do with it, as red would really be the only color that works. Oh well.
I have always assumed the color red was chosen because that is the contrast color to green. They are on opposite sides of the color wheel, and red stands out the most against a green background and all the green we are used to seeing. It simply pops more than blue would have, even though I also think Hawkeye would miss blue the most, having grown up close to the ocean. So am estethical choice more than a logical one.
One of the things I really love about this episode is how Potter’s speech at the end articulates their exhaustion and desire to go home. I have this theory (and I’m sure I’m not the first or only one) that part of what makes M*A*S*H work so well is that it’s a fish-out-of-water story for every character. Nobody is where they’re supposed to be, or want to be, and they’re there against their will. Potter and Houlihan are almost exceptions, though Margaret has said (in response to her hatred of the noise and brutality of war) that she loves the Army not war. And Potter, though he’s regular Army, and I think even asked for that post, has come close to leaving a couple of times, as the waste and destruction of war seem to be wearing on him. I think that’s why the two spin-offs didn’t seem to work as well (W*A*L*T*E*R had other problems), once they’re safely back in the states, a lot of the magic that comes from this crucible of being displaced and under pressure, is lost. Anyway, I think Potter expresses that so eloquently in that short speech. And as you pointed out, he sufficiently sobers up to deliver the line! 😀
Not a fan of this episode. How does he even know how to get to the peace talks place? And in the time it takes to get back they came up with the theme, got the mess tent decorated and got everyone dyed? And did Charles chug an entire bottle of cognac in an hour?
My other issue is that it made Margaret’s story a secondary plot where it clearly deserved better. We hadn’t heard much about Donald since Comrades in Arms. Maybe have a couple lines in the episodes before this indicating marital issues instead of this just coming out of the blue.
I’m going to leave this Danish dish here for some reason
Koldskål
2 Æggeblommer (ca. 2 spsk)
3 spsk Sukker
½ Vaniljestang – kornene heraf
2 spsk Friskpresset citronsaft
½ liter Kærnemælk
½ liter Tykmælk
2 egg yolks
3 tsp sugar
1/2 vanilla from a vanilla pod
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 liter buttermilk
1/2 liter soured milk
Wisk together yolks, sugar, vanilla until light in colour. Lightly stir in remainder and chill until cold
Eat like a cold soup. Commonly eaten with Kammerjunkere (sorta like vanilla wafers)
Apologies for my late response to the show.
On the Big Idea of Hawkeye gatecrashing the Peace Talks: There’s something about medics involving themselves in broader issues that have an impact on health. Here, its about stopping the war. Modern day equivalents could be doctors speaking out about climate change, or poverty. This theme does play into that element of Hawkeye’s primadonna-ish nature; where he’s so confident of his own abilities and convinced of his own rightness that he feels empowered to walk into a political conference and demand peace. I’m not convinced that Hawkeye has the requisite diplomatic skills to pull this off. I’ll say again what I think I’ve voiced on the show before; whilst he has qualities that make him a terrific lead character in a TV show, in real life, I don’t think Hawkeye would be a great person to work with.
On BJ’s Facial Hair: Surgeons (and indeed all Operating Theatre staff) now wear hoods rather than just caps in the OR, so BJ’s style statement would have a real life impact on how he dresses when he’s at work. Although – as Rob points out – he also wears blood encrusted scrubs in The Swamp, so perhaps infection control measures aren’t too stringently applied in Korea!
On Margaret’s plot line: What a shame this story has to play second-fiddle to Hawkeye’s antics. IMHO, Margaret / Loretta Switt deserves a full episode in the sun to explore the breakdown of her marriage.
On Gastritis: This is indeed an inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It can be related to alcohol abuse, but not necessarily. It can be worsened by fatty or spicy foods, hence the suggestion that a bland diet of boiled chicken & poached eggs might help. Buttermilk has been studied as a potential treatment for gastritis: Lactic acid and Lactobacilli in fermented milk products such as yoghurt or buttermilk inhibit the growth of a bacteria which can live in the stomach (called Helicobacter pylori). Lactic acid and Lactobacilli may prevent or suppress the production of ammonia which can inhibit the colonisation of Helicobacter. Intake of fermented milk products can also cause slower gastric emptying, and this will give more time for the local action of lactic acid and Lactobacilli on Helicobacter organisms in the stomach. Since the late 1980s’ there are very effective acid-suppressing medications which are now very cheap and in wide use, so gastritis really should not be too much of a problem these days.