Dealbreaker TV Characters

[Princeton]

While I prefer the early years of M*A*S*H over the later years, I do prefer Winchester over Burns. Frank Burns comes off as the kind of boss I would not want to have, or the kind of bossy employee who's not the boss but gets his way too much.

Would you rather have Henry as a boss? And I don't think Frank got his way that often.

 

[minor muppetz]

Would you rather have Henry as a boss? And I don't think Frank got his way that often.

I don't know. I tend to see the later (and not-so-good) episodes more often than the early (and much better) ones.

 

[D'Snowth]

M*A*S*H went through multiple different phases, rather than just "early" and "later" episodes/seasons. You've got Seasons 1-3, which were the Trapper/Henry/Frank seasons; Seasons 4 and 5, the B.J./Potter/Frank seasons; Seasons 6 and 7, the B.J./Potter/Charles seasons; and then Seasons 8-11 without Radar.

Personally, I found M*A*S*H got better with age. The first three seasons dealt with a lot of network meddling and scrutiny, which is why they were a lot sillier and light-hearted, since the network didn't want the show getting too dark or too gory - it was only after the show proved to be a hit did the network start backing off, giving the production staff more creative freedom, and as such, the humor was less wacky anti-war satire, and more sophisticated and character-based. Not to mention, they eventually found a better balance of comedy and drama to the point where one didn't overpower the other. Unfortunately, but the time we get to Season 8, then everything changed: the production staff was overhauled, new writers were brought in, the drama was heightened, and the comedy took a serious backseat - that's when I would say M*A*S*H jumped the shark.

IMHO, I would consider Seasons 1-3 to be really good, Seasons 4-7 great, and Seasons 8-11 terrible.

 

[fuzzygobo]

In the later seasons, Alan Alda had a larger role in writing and directing. In the end credits, he also became Creative Consultant.

Personally to me, who played a better character...
Almost a tie between Blake and Potter.
Winchester over Burns, by a slim margin.
But I definitely liked BJ over Trapper.
Trapper was Hawkeye’s partner-in-crime, but he cheated on his wife back home. BJ slipped once, and felt terribly guilty about it.

Among the cast, they loved the character of Radar, but hated Gary Burghoff. Radar might’ve had a tearful goodbye, but the cast were saying “Good riddance”.

 

[D'Snowth]

All of the married characters in the beginning cheated, but with Frank, his affair with Margaret provided a number of plot element, since it was always treated like a big joke; with Trapper and Henry, their extra-marital activities were treated more like they were just simply characteristics of theirs. B.J. was tempted a second time in a trainwreck of an episode that happened to be written and directed by Mike Farrell, hence why it feels so contrived and forced.

 

[Princeton]

It's funny that I mentioned Matbo earlier as a joke because he'd be hollering bloody murder if he saw how MASH has dominated this thread.
Ranking the seasons- I'd say the only good seasons were 1 thru 5 and 8.
Whoja like better?- Well, I think it's clear by now that I like Frank better than Charles. I like Trapper better than BJ because I can only remember two episodes where Trapper and Hawkeye had what I'd call a true fight. But at a certain point in the series I swear BJ and Hawkeye would get into a fight every episode. I like Potter better than Henry because he was much more qualified to be a CO. However, I'm sure my opinion of Henry would have changed had he remained on the series.
Another addition to my original list: Kate from ALF.

 

[D'Snowth]

I like Trapper better than BJ because I can only remember two episodes where Trapper and Hawkeye had what I'd call a true fight. But at a certain point in the series I swear BJ and Hawkeye would get into a fight every episode.

From my perspective, B.J. was a more rounded, fleshed-out character than Trapper. Considering Trapper and Hawkeye were intended to be interchangable leads from the beginning (unfortunately, didn't quite work out that way), their personalities were far too similar, and their collegiate capers got old after a while. With B.J., on the other hand, while I agree he and Hawkeye fought a lot more, that's what kept their friendship interesting: they balanced each other with their opposite personalities, but at the end of the day were still the best of friends - just like Ernie and Bert.

I like Potter better than Henry because he was much more qualified to be a CO. However, I'm sure my opinion of Henry would have changed had he remained on the series.

"Aid Station" from Season 3 is an example of how I think Henry could have evolved as a character if he stayed: he actually grew a backbone in that episode, and took his position as a commanding officer dead serious - it was a side of Henry we rarely saw, but I feel like had he continued down that path, he may have grown far more competent in his authority, and maybe, just maybe, Margaret and Frank may have grown to respect him a little more.

Otherwise, I like he and Potter equally for different reasons: Henry could definitely let his hair down and be one of the boys (he provided some of his funniest moments in his drunken stupor), whereas Potter, while seemingly stern and serious at first, proved to be very much a father figure to the rest of the camp - he wasn't laugh-out-loud funny like Henry, but his "Potterisms" and his otherwise dry and sardonic sense of humor was funny in its own way, much like Charles's "Boston Bull" could be.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Okay Snowthy- your pick: Clean-shaven BJ or with the cheesy mustache?

 

[D'Snowth]

Definitely clean-shaven. Some dudes can pull off a mustache, others can't . . . he couldn't.

 

[fuzzygobo]

There were times when modern trappings made their way in. During the mustache years, BJ’s hair got long enough to cover his ears.

And in the episode where they get the million tongue depressors, Hawkeye has a pair of Nikes on his feet.
BJ wore Converses often, but they were around in the 50s.

Not that they were dealbreaker characters (or their absence of), I did like the early episodes with Spearchucker and Ugly John.
Hawkeye and Trapper had no shortage of poker buddies.