Monster M*A*S*H
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Point of View was the 11th episode of Season 7 of M*A*S*H, also the 158th overall series episode. The episode, which was written by Ken Levine and David Isaaces, was directed by Charles S. Dubin. The episode originally aired on CBS-TV on November 20, 1978.

Synopsis[]

In this one-of-a-kind episode, viewers are given a look at a visit to the 4077th through a wounded soldier's eyes.

Full episode summary[]

Seen entirely from the point of view of a G.I. named Private Rich, we experience what Rich sees and hears as he is on patrol with his unit alongside his buddy, Private Ferguson. They are soon shelled, and Rich is one of the soldiers injured, hit in his neck by shrapnel from one of the mortars. One of the other soldiers catches up to Rich and yells for a medic. They bandage him up, tag him, and then load him on a chopper bound for the 4077th MASH. Upon landing, he is first met by B.J., then Radar and Klinger. As he's being transported to the hospital on the back of a Jeep, we see that Potter, for reasons yet unknown, is in a very angry mood.

In Pre-Op, Rich sees Ferguson lying nearby with a bad leg wound. Rich is then tended to by Hawkeye who, after a private talk with B.J., tells Rich he needs to do a tracheostomy so Rich can breathe easier, and then get the shrapnel out of his neck. While waiting for surgery, Rich is visited by Father Mulcahy, who gives him some spiritual reassurance. Rich soon undergoes an X-ray from Klinger, who rambles on about how the Army taught him how to use the machine, and then muses that he could use one back home to catch thieves who swallow watches and jewelry (this scene with Klinger is usually cut from syndicated airings). Rich is then brought into surgery, where Hawkeye tells him everything will be okay.

After surgery, Rich comes to in Post Op, where the soldier next to him, a Private Russell (who previously had been chatting up Margaret in Pre-Op) is talking up a storm. His mind still foggy from the anesthetic, he notices Hawkeye, Margaret, and Charles discussing Potter's rancid behavior. Charles smugly suggests senility, pointing out the symptoms: chronic irritability, self-absorption, difficulty relating to others, but Hawkeye remarks that Charles, not Potter, has those symptoms, and then points out that the madness of the war is capable of getting to Potter just like it does to everyone else (all of this is usually cut from syndicated airings). Hawkeye then looks over Rich's chart with some concern. He tries to see if Rich can talk, but he still cannot; Hawkeye says he needs to give it some more time.

The next morning, Rich gets a sponge bath from Margaret, who is gentle and discreet, and talks her way through it so that Rich barely realizes it's happening. Before he knows it, it's over. Potter then comes to visit; when Rich extends his hand for Potter to shake, he quickly figures out that Rich is from Texas, remarking on their friendliness saying, "I've never met a Texan here yet who didn't offer up his hand, no matter how many tubes were comin' out of his arm". He then just begins to tell Rich that he would have stopped by sooner except for having something on his mind the last few days. Before he can say anything more, he is interrupted by Klinger, who tells him that I Corps is on the phone with their bi-weekly paperwork snafu. After Potter leaves, Klinger wheels him to the Mess Tent, where he again overhears the doctors discussing Potter's strange behavior.

Later, as Rich is writing to his parents, Potter again stops by his bedside. The two are able to talk a little more, with Rich, via pencil and notepad, telling Potter that he is from San Antonio. After Potter snaps at Nurse Baker and sends her away, Rich asks if he is okay, and Potter opens up more about what's bugging him: his wedding anniversary was a few days ago, and every year on that day, he made it a point to call his wife Mildred no matter where he was or what he was doing, but this year, with his mind overwhelmed by the war and his duties, Potter "clean forgot". Rich jots down that Potter should call her, but Potter, on the verge of tears, is too ashamed. When Hawkeye arrives in Post Op, Potter quietly excuses himself, and then Rich jots down for Hawkeye what Potter told him.

Moments after Charles storms into Post Op to yell at Hawkeye for drawing dirty pictures in his personal diary, Rich begins gagging and coughing; Hawkeye and Charles take a closer look at Rich's airway which shows no improvement. Charles suggests he might have a fractured larynx, which didn't show up in the initial x-ray. Hawkeye decides Rich needs to be x-rayed again and wants Charles to help him on follow-up surgery in the OR.

Later, back in Post Op, Rich awakens with Hawkeye, Potter, and Charles nearby. Hawkeye asks Rich to say something, anything, and he whispers, raspily and haltingly, "Don't...know...what...to...say", which demonstrates to everyone's delight that the surgery was a success. Radar then comes in and tells Potter that Mildred is on the phone waiting to talk to him. Radar tells Potter that he explained everything to Mildred, and she understands that Potter hasn't had a chance to call her until now. Potter is deeply touched by Radar's gesture and finally softens up, promising to make it up to everyone. Hawkeye then mentions to Rich that he was a little worried about the tricky operation, but remembers that as they carried him into the OR, Rich gave him a look of confidence that helped him a lot; Rich responds with a raspy, "Thank you".

Later, boarding the EVAC bus, Rich finally begins his journey home. Hawkeye, B.J., and Potter wish him good luck and bid him farewell. Laying next to Rich on the bus is his buddy Ferguson, overjoyed that they made it and they're going home. Rich silently watches the 4077th recede in the distance, and the doctors wave goodbye one last time before walking off.

Research notes/Fun facts[]

  • Definitely a format-busting episode, this one is told entirely from the POV of the wounded soldier, whose face, of course, we never see. This idea had been tried a couple of times before in movies and TV, but never this successfully. (The 1947 private eye film Lady in the Lake uses the same concept, making for one weird movie.)
  • This is Season 7's example of an "Angry Potter" episode, a yearly event that began in Season 6.
  • Viewers get to see a ride in a chopper from Rich's point of view, including a different overhead view (compared to the opening credits) of the camp's layout and compound.
  • We get a close-up of the notepad Rich uses to communicate with the staff, which started out as a letter home, and the date he wrote says "9-12-51" - an anomaly, since Potter didn't arrive at the 4077th until September 1952.
  • A unique episode, in that the credits (both opening and closing) are shown in total silence (with the exception of the usual musical outro that starts with the cast listing).

Guest stars/Recurring cast[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

  1. Compare with the photo of Gallardo dressed as a medic on this website.
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