MASH: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

Over the years, there have been only two series finales that have had such impact upon me. One is "All Good Things", the final episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" which first aired in May 1994. The other, which is the subject of my review this week, is "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen", the epic series finale of "MASH", one of television's most successful and long-running comedy-dramas. When it first aired on February 25, 1983, the series finale garnered a then unheard-of viewership of over 106 million American households, a record that still stands to this day in the annals of TV history.

This would not have been possible had the cast and production crew of "MASH" agreed to one more season, provided that they would bring the series to an effective end like no other. While the actual Korean War (or police action, as it was often called) lasted only three years, and nearly everyone was glad to see it end, "MASH" ran for 11 seasons, and nobody wanted it to end. While some series lost their creative energy and originality over multiple seasons (and, in some cases, series - i.e., "Star Trek"), the crew of "MASH" were determined not to let the same thing happen to them, which resulted in the epic final episode.

In the summer of 1953, the Korean War is on its last legs, and both sides are hoping to get in as many final shots as possible before the eventual cease fire. At the 4077th, things were almost as chaotic. Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda, who directed and co-wrote the finale) had finally snapped and was committed to a mental hospital. BJ Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) finally received his discharge papers and was looking to head home. Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) was torn between her continued military service and a possible stateside civilian career. The ever-stodgy Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) found himself successfully apprehending four Korean prisoners of war while wearing his bathrobe, only to discover with them a shared appreciation for classical music, his only refuge from war. And Klinger (Jamie Farr), who for all the years of the series looked for every way possible to be discharged via Section 8, found himself in love and forced to make a crucial decision.

Everyone couldn't wait to go home, yet nobody wanted to leave the extended family of the 4077th. And once the final shots rang out, everyone was affected and in some cases scarred by the experience, forever changing them in the process. And we, the viewers, were equally affected and changed by this final episode, realizing that this would be the last time we would see them together like this. And who could forget that final kiss between Hawkeye and Margaret? It was like high school or college - in my case, quite literally, as "MASH" began when I started first grade and ended in my junior year of high school. And nothing that came afterwards - not a year-long marathon of nightly reruns during my freshman year of college, not syndication across different networks, not DVD, not even the ill-fated spinoff "After MASH" (which continued the adventures of Klinger, Colonel Potter [Harry Morgan], and Father Mulcahy [William Christopher] working together in a stateside VA hospital) or the rarely seen spinoff pilot "Walter" (with Gary Burghoff reprising his role of Radar O'Reilly as a police officer in peacetime Iowa), neither of which will probably appear on DVD any time soon - would ever match that feeling of the final episode or of "MASH" as a whole. And like the end of school, nothing was ever the same again.

Ironically, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" was the first episode of "MASH" issued on VHS in the mid 1980's from Fox Home Video. It would be seen three times on CBS in 1983 and would remain unseen until the 1990's in syndication, though in a slightly edited form with footage and dialog cut from one critical moment in the episode. After that, it would periodically appear in syndication until FX, and later Hallmark Channel, picked up the rerun rights to the series.

This marks the third time that "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" has appeared on DVD from Fox Home Video. Previously it was issued as part of the final season DVD set released this past year, as well as part of the massive 36-disc "Martinis and Medicine" complete series box set. Over the years fans had been extremely concerned at the lack of extras on each set, apart from the option of viewing each episode sans the canned laugh track. Fans were further concerned at the fact that extras finally appeared only in the box set, and that it seemed like a waste of $200 to shell out double-dipping the entire series just to get the extras. Fortunately, Fox Home Video heard the fans' concerns and, in a true show of respect, has reissued "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" on DVD, this time as a separate release complete with all of the extra features from the box set. This may mean double- or even triple-dipping on the final episode, but at least it's presented at a much more affordable price for those fans who had shelled out some $300 on the season sets.

The 120-minute DVD presentation of "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" is nothing short of incredible. It's presented in its original broadcast aspect ratio, with your choice of English or French mono sound and optional English or Spanish subtitles. It's no 5.1 extravaganza to be sure, but then again such an effort is not needed here. It looks and sounds even better than in its original broadcasts. That for me is good enough right there!

The remaining discs are reserved for the bonus features that originally appeared in "Martinis and Medicine", which total approximately six hours in length. First off are three full-length TV documentaries - the 45-minute A&E Biography special "MASH: Television's Serious Sitcom"; the 70-minute CBS special "Memories of MASH", hosted by Shelley Long (who appeared in one of the episodes as one of Hawkeye's many brief romantic flings); and the 90-minute "MASH 30th Anniversary Reunion". Each one of these programs rightfully belong in such a DVD retrospect of the series, and while the material and conversations sometimes overlap, each program nonetheless provide interesting insight into what went into the production of a series that started on shaky ground but eventually went on to earn a staggering 99 Emmy nominations and a worldwide audience of millions of fans. It's interesting to watch these three programs and realize just how many recognizable film and TV stars dropped in at the 4077th over the years - including Leslie Nielsen, Burt Young (Paulie from the "Rocky" films), Ron Howard, Teri Garr, a pre-"Dirty Dancing" Patrick Swayze, George Wendt (Norm from "Cheers"), Laurence Fishburne (yes, all you "Matrix" fans out there, Morpheus himself!), George "Goober" Lindsey (who could ever forget "Roy Dupree from the 8063 - see, it rhymes"?), and Rita Wilson (before she became better known as Mrs. Tom Hanks), among others. And that's just for starters.

From there we have a collection of new and vintage features, many of which have not been seen by the public at large. First off is a collection of bloopers from the series, showing the cast members flub their lines, miss their marks, and, in the spirit of the early episodes, pull practical jokes on one another. Next we have a series of cast interviews and production footage shot on the last day of filming on "MASH". Ironically, while "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" was the last episode telecast, it was not the last episode to be shot, as the documentaries chronicle how production on the epic finale was moved forward in the middle of the season and shot under tight security, and the final episode filmed was the final half-hour segment focusing on the 4077th's development of a time capsule of memories from their time in Korea. (And to think that had this final episode been filmed today, it would have been spoiled all over the Internet months before its airing!) In addition, we also have a collection of public service announcements filmed with the cast members, as well as a collection of "My Favorite MASH" episode promo spots from the series' run. It's vintage footage and outtakes like these that stand out as pure gold.

But that's not all. We also have a "Just the FAQs" trivia game, a "Jocularity" compilation featurette, and a "Fan Base" featurette, all of which provide entertaining looks back at highlights of the series' run as well as a look at the fans' appreciation for the series. And we even have the complete script from an unproduced episode, "Hawkeye on the Double". After reading through this script, it becomes highly evident that after 11 years, you can easily see it in your mind how it could have looked on screen had it been filmed.

"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" stands out as a true television classic, and if you're a serious "MASH" fan or even just a casual fan of classic television programming, this DVD is a great way to remember one of the most defining moments of TV history. And if you have to have only one episode of the series on DVD, this is definitely the one to own. Highly recommended!

See you next time!