Goodbye, Farewell, Amen
Feb. 15th, 2004 12:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ravenWaaah.
So. Most widely-watched piece of television in history. So much so that according to one of my books of useless information, there was a sudden surge of water into New York's water system immediately after because of all the people getting up to go to the toilet.
I watched Jonathan Creek first, which was full of surreal goings-on as usual, and then went up to my room and curled up in bed to watch it. I missed the first five minutes. First thing I saw was the characters on the beach, playing volleyball and jumping through the surf. It actually looked quite cheerful. Cut to Hawkeye, who is for some reason wearing a blue robe instead a red one. Pan back to see Sidney Freedman and a suspiciously grey environment. Of course I knew where they were - I've read enough spoilers for this episode - but it was something of a shock in any case. And I may as well mention that I am slightly in love with Hawkeye. In my two years of fandom and fic-writing and slash, have I ever implied this at all? I love Hawkeye, and I loved him particularly in this episode. In the institution, I loved the delicate balance between Hawkeye's familiar version of sanity and all-out hysteria, and I loved the way he let his story unfold bit by bit, juxtaposed with the drama at the 4077th.
I'd heard people say that for the last episode of a supposed comedy (it's on Paramount, for heaven's sake - Paramount Comedy Channel) GFA sure had a scarce sprinkling of laughs. But I'd beg to differ. It wasn't a laughfest by any means, but it had its moments, and I think the first one of these was Charles' expression, just after he's described his "summons" from his nether regions in excruciating detail, as the tank runs over the latrine. His ensuing trip to the "ravine latrine" also amused me. The fact he's lying down with his hands in the air when the Chinese unexpectedly serenade him seems appropriate on so many levels.
I liked the Chinese musicians, too. They were an ongoing poignant sequence, and it was a nice touch to hear the way they don't actually get any better, but Charles gets more and more into his role of conductor. The lack of conclusiveness to that thread of the story was good, too; life isn't conclusive and this programme prided itself on portraying reality.
Interestingly, there were a few moments where the message flashed up on the screen - "UK viewers only", or something like that. It's the bit where BJ gets his (later removed) travel orders, and says to Potter he's leaving. Potter says that's not fair, some people have been here longer than him, so BJ jumps up and asks if anyone minds. No-one does, of course, and then there's the explosion that deafens Mulcahy and the message on screen disappears. I wasn't quite sure what all that meant.
And then Hawkeye's revelation comes out. I knew exactly what it was in advance (got spoiled in school, of all places - Mr Wilson, running short of "ethical dilemmas" to throw at us, came out with "Say you had to be really quiet in wartime with a baby on a bus...") but even so, even so, it was... well, there aren't really words for it. I was reminded incongruously of Stargate, of all things. There's a season one episode called Fire and Water, in which Daniel has a similar revelation only by proxy. "Oh, my god, he killed her, he killed her!" Very similar words and identical inflection, and it reminded me. I think above all that sequence (talking about GFA again now) is memorable.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
purplerainbow and I were talking about it earlier: Paramount have been running a promotional bit for this all this week, and they've spliced together several sections of the episode, but the signature moment is just Hawkeye, caught looking up at the camera and crying. I remember thinking, you have absolutely no right to bill this as a comedy.
However, I did think that perhaps some of the episode was too crowded, too much going on. Mulcahy's deafness, for one thing; it's never completely sorted out and I couldn't help but wonder why it was included. Also, I wonder if BJ really should have agreed not to tell anyone; he's a doctor and surely this comes under withdrawing necessary treatment. Anyway, moving on...
The Chinese musicians, again. I really liked them. And I also liked BJ's return to the 4077th; it was just a nice, bittersweet moment. Actually, the entire episode was bittersweet from the word go; leaving, but leaving things behind. I can't help but wonder if Hawkeye's eventual crack-up wasn't foreshadowed right from the beginning. Sidney's first appearance (with a different first name) is because of Klinger, but Hawkeye's already had a couple of "episodes" by that point - there's the faked insanity to get some R 'n' R, then my absolute favourite episode, the one where he doesn't sleep for three days and tows the latrine to North Korea. Those are lightly dealt with, but later on he gets nightmares and sleepwalks (Hannah, Leigh, Jane and I all loved that episode) and then there's one where he won't stop sneezing, and even if he isn't the focus of the episode, there are so many where he's quietly going a bit nuts in the background.
But I digress. Leigh's often mentioned the second where Klinger says, "Where's Vietnam?" She's right; that's the worst part of it. It seems almost cruel to put that in, a reminder that it wasn't the end, there was more to come, and if Hawkeye and the rest had been real people, they would have lived to see it. But it's just mentioned in passing here, part of Klinger's meanderings through OR. I liked his wedding. It's not the first one he's had, of course - I have to admit liking his other wedding, too - but this was sweet and made a good finish. It smacks of thematic cohesion, as Pedar would say; the other thing that was cohesive (and funny) was the second time a tank runs over the latrine. Latrines are just funny things.
And the end. The end. All the goodbyes were very appropriate, and I'd have to confess to having been disappointed if Hawkeye hadn't kissed Margaret. He always, always does, and the toe-tapping while they got on with it was a nice moment of humour in the midst of the hand-flapping sadness. I was never a Hawkeye/BJ slasher (still not) but Hawkeye saying he won't miss anything about the 4077th, "except you," was lovely and slashy and sweet.
And now, nothing remains to be said except "Goodbye", spelled out in pebbles, the "note" that Trapper never left. Because I'd been sitting in bed for so long, much longer than the customary half-hour every night at seven while I do homework at the stone table, I almost forgot it was actually M*A*S*H I was watching. But that's the bit I liked the most. Just Hawkeye in the chopper, smiling and sort-of crying, with "Goodbye" underneath him and the sky above, and Suicide is Painless, the full version, playing out to its usual (for once, appropriate) optimistic finish.
gamesiplay said, "Enjoy getting your heart ripped out."
And I did; I really did.
So. Most widely-watched piece of television in history. So much so that according to one of my books of useless information, there was a sudden surge of water into New York's water system immediately after because of all the people getting up to go to the toilet.
I watched Jonathan Creek first, which was full of surreal goings-on as usual, and then went up to my room and curled up in bed to watch it. I missed the first five minutes. First thing I saw was the characters on the beach, playing volleyball and jumping through the surf. It actually looked quite cheerful. Cut to Hawkeye, who is for some reason wearing a blue robe instead a red one. Pan back to see Sidney Freedman and a suspiciously grey environment. Of course I knew where they were - I've read enough spoilers for this episode - but it was something of a shock in any case. And I may as well mention that I am slightly in love with Hawkeye. In my two years of fandom and fic-writing and slash, have I ever implied this at all? I love Hawkeye, and I loved him particularly in this episode. In the institution, I loved the delicate balance between Hawkeye's familiar version of sanity and all-out hysteria, and I loved the way he let his story unfold bit by bit, juxtaposed with the drama at the 4077th.
I'd heard people say that for the last episode of a supposed comedy (it's on Paramount, for heaven's sake - Paramount Comedy Channel) GFA sure had a scarce sprinkling of laughs. But I'd beg to differ. It wasn't a laughfest by any means, but it had its moments, and I think the first one of these was Charles' expression, just after he's described his "summons" from his nether regions in excruciating detail, as the tank runs over the latrine. His ensuing trip to the "ravine latrine" also amused me. The fact he's lying down with his hands in the air when the Chinese unexpectedly serenade him seems appropriate on so many levels.
I liked the Chinese musicians, too. They were an ongoing poignant sequence, and it was a nice touch to hear the way they don't actually get any better, but Charles gets more and more into his role of conductor. The lack of conclusiveness to that thread of the story was good, too; life isn't conclusive and this programme prided itself on portraying reality.
Interestingly, there were a few moments where the message flashed up on the screen - "UK viewers only", or something like that. It's the bit where BJ gets his (later removed) travel orders, and says to Potter he's leaving. Potter says that's not fair, some people have been here longer than him, so BJ jumps up and asks if anyone minds. No-one does, of course, and then there's the explosion that deafens Mulcahy and the message on screen disappears. I wasn't quite sure what all that meant.
And then Hawkeye's revelation comes out. I knew exactly what it was in advance (got spoiled in school, of all places - Mr Wilson, running short of "ethical dilemmas" to throw at us, came out with "Say you had to be really quiet in wartime with a baby on a bus...") but even so, even so, it was... well, there aren't really words for it. I was reminded incongruously of Stargate, of all things. There's a season one episode called Fire and Water, in which Daniel has a similar revelation only by proxy. "Oh, my god, he killed her, he killed her!" Very similar words and identical inflection, and it reminded me. I think above all that sequence (talking about GFA again now) is memorable.
purplerainbow and I were talking about it earlier: Paramount have been running a promotional bit for this all this week, and they've spliced together several sections of the episode, but the signature moment is just Hawkeye, caught looking up at the camera and crying. I remember thinking, you have absolutely no right to bill this as a comedy. However, I did think that perhaps some of the episode was too crowded, too much going on. Mulcahy's deafness, for one thing; it's never completely sorted out and I couldn't help but wonder why it was included. Also, I wonder if BJ really should have agreed not to tell anyone; he's a doctor and surely this comes under withdrawing necessary treatment. Anyway, moving on...
The Chinese musicians, again. I really liked them. And I also liked BJ's return to the 4077th; it was just a nice, bittersweet moment. Actually, the entire episode was bittersweet from the word go; leaving, but leaving things behind. I can't help but wonder if Hawkeye's eventual crack-up wasn't foreshadowed right from the beginning. Sidney's first appearance (with a different first name) is because of Klinger, but Hawkeye's already had a couple of "episodes" by that point - there's the faked insanity to get some R 'n' R, then my absolute favourite episode, the one where he doesn't sleep for three days and tows the latrine to North Korea. Those are lightly dealt with, but later on he gets nightmares and sleepwalks (Hannah, Leigh, Jane and I all loved that episode) and then there's one where he won't stop sneezing, and even if he isn't the focus of the episode, there are so many where he's quietly going a bit nuts in the background.
But I digress. Leigh's often mentioned the second where Klinger says, "Where's Vietnam?" She's right; that's the worst part of it. It seems almost cruel to put that in, a reminder that it wasn't the end, there was more to come, and if Hawkeye and the rest had been real people, they would have lived to see it. But it's just mentioned in passing here, part of Klinger's meanderings through OR. I liked his wedding. It's not the first one he's had, of course - I have to admit liking his other wedding, too - but this was sweet and made a good finish. It smacks of thematic cohesion, as Pedar would say; the other thing that was cohesive (and funny) was the second time a tank runs over the latrine. Latrines are just funny things.
And the end. The end. All the goodbyes were very appropriate, and I'd have to confess to having been disappointed if Hawkeye hadn't kissed Margaret. He always, always does, and the toe-tapping while they got on with it was a nice moment of humour in the midst of the hand-flapping sadness. I was never a Hawkeye/BJ slasher (still not) but Hawkeye saying he won't miss anything about the 4077th, "except you," was lovely and slashy and sweet.
And now, nothing remains to be said except "Goodbye", spelled out in pebbles, the "note" that Trapper never left. Because I'd been sitting in bed for so long, much longer than the customary half-hour every night at seven while I do homework at the stone table, I almost forgot it was actually M*A*S*H I was watching. But that's the bit I liked the most. Just Hawkeye in the chopper, smiling and sort-of crying, with "Goodbye" underneath him and the sky above, and Suicide is Painless, the full version, playing out to its usual (for once, appropriate) optimistic finish.
gamesiplay said, "Enjoy getting your heart ripped out."And I did; I really did.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2004-02-14 05:09 pm (UTC)Um.
I was packing up my kitchen and my living room while I watched the finale. It was so weird. I was getting closure from my fantasy life and closure about my home at the same time.
Thanks for writing this. I wrote a bit (http://www.livejournal.com/community/mash_slash/30095.html) about it for
Re:
on 2004-02-15 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2004-02-14 06:55 pm (UTC)I've *read* so much about that episode, but I've never actually *seen* it. Thanks for sharing it through your eyes. :)
I heard that about NY's water system even before I knew what M*A*S*H was...
I love Radiohead. ;)
Re:
on 2004-02-15 01:38 pm (UTC)Re:
on 2004-02-15 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2004-02-14 10:39 pm (UTC)Mulcahy's deafness, for one thing; it's never completely sorted out and I couldn't help but wonder why it was included.
My take on this (especially since I think I saw a quote from one of the writers on the subject) is that each character was supposed to leave with some sort of scar. It's arguable as to whether that idea was really developed: obviously Hawkeye cracks up, and Mulcahy is deafened, and Charles loses his music, but the rest aren't marked so visibly. I guess you have to look at it as a viewer of the entire canon; even if BJ, Potter, Klinger, etc., weren't overtly damaged in GFA, there was an accumulation of wounds throughout the show. Loss of innocence for Radar, BJ, and I would assert Klinger (I think his decision to stop crossdressing is fairly significant); loss of time for Potter; and so on. I agree, though, that if that was the message that was meant to be conveyed, it ought to have been more consistent.
The Chinese musicians kill me, and are the reason that "Quintet for Clarinet and Strings" is on my computer's list of most frequently played files.
The entirety of Hawkeye's stay in the hospital is heartwrenching, I think -- not just in the more obvious scenes like the revelation and the not-quite goodbye with BJ, but in minor scenes, like the part where the possibility of peace is announced and the entire room starts crying.
You're absolutely right, too, about how sometimes the whole trajectory of the show seems a lead-up to Hawkeye's crisis in GFA. It's funny that you mentioned those particular episodes in reference to that, because those are the episodes I usually quote to support the theory that Hawkeye was irreparably damaged. That's clear even early in the series, back when it was closer to a pure sitcom. The turning point seems to be "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet," where suddenly even the lighthearted ending segment can't quite counteract the darkness of what went before, but there are definitely hints of things beneath the surface in, say, "Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde" -- he has that mini-breakdown while dictating the telegram to Radar. And then "Hawk's Nightmare" and "Bless You, Hawkeye": YES. Strangely enough, those were the two episodes I had in mind when I was writing "Never Ask Why Build." Hawkeye has three major crises, each of which Sidney comes to treat, and they come in those two episodes and GFA. That's the way I look at it, anyway.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think I'm going to end up watching it tonight, now that I'm thinking about it; I was ready to sleep, but now I'm wired and the most appropriate thing to do is to grab my taped copy and head down to watch in the pitch-dark basement.
Re:
on 2004-02-14 10:41 pm (UTC)Re:
on 2004-02-15 01:37 pm (UTC)I never liked Charles. Oh, I know he was basically an okay guy under the pomposity, but I never liked him. And then this episode came and changed my mind. His loss of his music was just heartbreaking, especially as it came so close to the end of the war. And I'm also coming round to Mulcahy's deafness, as well. It's all so terribly sad, I can't cope... :)
Did you watch it last night? It was on again this afternoon and I was trying to make as many people as possible watch it...
Re:
on 2004-02-15 02:18 pm (UTC)It does. Watching that moment, I feel a little stirring of hope, which is something I generally feel is rather absent from the episode. I know that Hawkeye improves in the sense that he's able to go back into the O.R., and he gets his goodbye, and so on, but I think there are concerns that go unvoiced. In one of the later scenes with Sidney, Hawkeye makes that remark about how he thinks too fast and he's afraid of kids, and hey, that's not so bad. But for me, it's not comforting at all. There's more beneath the surface than that, and he's denying it. That's why I still can't quite imagine his ever truly taking back his life in the States. It doesn't fit. Too much has broken.
I've always had a sneaking fondness for Charles, but I still appreciate the sort of redemption he gets in GFA. It's definitely one of the saddest moments of the show.
I did indeed watch it last night, till four o'clock in the morning (right after I watched "Period of Adjustment," because apparently I'm an emotional masochist). I'd forgotten how hard it is, though I should have remembered when I got all jittery just reading your post. ;) It just seems so enormous that I can't really think while I'm watching that this is the end of M*A*S*H. It's just as you said: watching it, I sometimes forget what it really is, because after eleven seasons and that unshakable feeling that they're never going to get out of there... they suddenly do. It's abrupt; not in a bad way, not in a way that reflects badly on the writers, but in an effective way. How do you conclude something like that satisfactorily? You don't. GFA is incredible, but even GFA doesn't quite do away with that little shred of disbelief I feel when I see it, and I guess that's as it should be.
Shut up, Leigh. :)