I can see why people didn't like the later episodes of MASH when it became very preachy and dramatic as opposed to a comedy series. personally I thought it was great from start to finish. the ending was sad in some ways and very happy in others. You knew these people would not be friends back in the states but here they are like family in Korea. I especially loved how Klinger had to stay in Korea after his years of trying to get out. The finale was, and still is, the most watched sitcom event in the world (in fact, only various FIFA televised events have drawn a higher viewing audience around the world) and I think that says a lot about it. It put the finale of Seinfeld to shame (now THAT was a let down) and no television show has ever come close to the quality of MASH. A great end to a great show.
53 Reviews
Wrapping it up nicely
hprill1 May 2002
Warning: Spoilers
(some very minor spoilers)
GF&A is the adequate ending for a TV series than ran 11 years, and it is intersting to see how far the show and the characters have progressed over the years. This final episode is a far cry from the early wacky episodes, it is much more thoughtful and pensive; gone are Hawkeye's jokes as he tries to come to terms with the ways the war has changed his life -- I guess in the early episodes no-one could have predicted the way he would say goodbye to Hot Lips Houlihan at the end of this episode; now all of a sudden what he does feels totally right.
It's a sad episode, sad mostly because it's all about saying goodbye: it's what the characters have to say to each other after 3 years of war, and it's what we have to say to the actors after 11 years of a great TV series. So here it goes, picking up some loose threads and wrapping the series up nicely. A bit sentimental perhaps, but what else could it be?
Therefore, it's no small surprise that in contrast to the TV series the truly great moments are not funny, but rather deeply touching: the experience that triggered Hawkeye's crisis; Charles' reaction to hearing the musicians play for the first time; Charles' reaction after learning what happened to the musicians; Hawkeye saying goodbye to Hot Lips; B.J. and Hawkeye saying goodbye to Colonel Potter.
A great ending to a great series.
GF&A is the adequate ending for a TV series than ran 11 years, and it is intersting to see how far the show and the characters have progressed over the years. This final episode is a far cry from the early wacky episodes, it is much more thoughtful and pensive; gone are Hawkeye's jokes as he tries to come to terms with the ways the war has changed his life -- I guess in the early episodes no-one could have predicted the way he would say goodbye to Hot Lips Houlihan at the end of this episode; now all of a sudden what he does feels totally right.
It's a sad episode, sad mostly because it's all about saying goodbye: it's what the characters have to say to each other after 3 years of war, and it's what we have to say to the actors after 11 years of a great TV series. So here it goes, picking up some loose threads and wrapping the series up nicely. A bit sentimental perhaps, but what else could it be?
Therefore, it's no small surprise that in contrast to the TV series the truly great moments are not funny, but rather deeply touching: the experience that triggered Hawkeye's crisis; Charles' reaction to hearing the musicians play for the first time; Charles' reaction after learning what happened to the musicians; Hawkeye saying goodbye to Hot Lips; B.J. and Hawkeye saying goodbye to Colonel Potter.
A great ending to a great series.
perfect ending for TV's greatest series
anthonydj25 February 2005
The series was already off the air for two years when I was born and I grew up watching all the reruns they show on TV with my mom. One day they aired the final episode on television and i was on my seat for the whole 3 hours. It begins with you crying and it ends with you crying more because all the characters you'd loved have left your lives after being their for you for over a decade. Never again will we hear those hilarious comments made by Hawkeye, Klinger wearing a dress, or that invisible man on the PA saying "Attention all personell, incoming wounded". The series ended the way it began years ago, made us laugh for the jokes and made us hurt during the worse of times. This should rank as the greatest finale of all time.
A fantastic end to the greatest show of all time
phoenix_80921 May 2001
What can one say about this movie, which wrapped up one of the longest running television series in history? Admittedly it was much darker than most of the episodes were, but Alan Alda did it all in this finale: wrote, directed, and starred in a powerful and fitting finale to this immortal show.
In case there are still people out there who are yet to see it, I refuse to give anything about the movie away, save for the fact that Alda's performance as Hawkeye in the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant, as he takes the character in a direction seldom, if ever, seen in the series.
While there are still laughs in this finale, the laugh track is conspicuously absent, as the focus here is more on the characters and their reaction to the end of the war and the breakup of the 4077th MASH family and a focus on the issue that's been sublime in the series since 1972: War is Hell. We see it as Major Winchester, who has tried every trick in the book to shut out the war around him, finally has it broken through his defensive wall. The goodbyes at the end of the film, between Hawkeye, BJ, and Colonel Potter, and between Hawkeye and BJ, followed by the last, slower (almost haunting) playing of the MASH theme as a chopper flies Hawkeye away from the 4077th forever, provide a befitting swansong to the greatest television show ever. No show will ever outperform MASH. Ever.
In case there are still people out there who are yet to see it, I refuse to give anything about the movie away, save for the fact that Alda's performance as Hawkeye in the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant, as he takes the character in a direction seldom, if ever, seen in the series.
While there are still laughs in this finale, the laugh track is conspicuously absent, as the focus here is more on the characters and their reaction to the end of the war and the breakup of the 4077th MASH family and a focus on the issue that's been sublime in the series since 1972: War is Hell. We see it as Major Winchester, who has tried every trick in the book to shut out the war around him, finally has it broken through his defensive wall. The goodbyes at the end of the film, between Hawkeye, BJ, and Colonel Potter, and between Hawkeye and BJ, followed by the last, slower (almost haunting) playing of the MASH theme as a chopper flies Hawkeye away from the 4077th forever, provide a befitting swansong to the greatest television show ever. No show will ever outperform MASH. Ever.
The end to one of the finest TV shows in its history
goya-417 October 2000
The successful Tv series M*A*S*H ended its long history with this two hour finale. It begins with Hawkeye (Alda) in a mental hospital after an incident. Meanwhile the war is drawing to a close and the men and women of the 4077th prepare for peace and the return to normalcy..but not until the war takes its final shots at them. This episode is still one of the most highly rated tv shows ever on a scale of one to ten..9
The only movie that has ever made me cry.
xmyplobemia20 March 2002
Of all of the well-written, high-impact movies that I've ever watched (hundreds), this one caught me off guard. I watched this one evening, many years ago, after coming home from class. I was so intrigued by the movie that I asked my mom if I could skip dinner... as I continued to watch the movie I could not help but cry.
This is a great way of closure for one of the most intriguing shows on television. I would highly recommend watching this movie when your mind has time to think about what takes place.
This is a great way of closure for one of the most intriguing shows on television. I would highly recommend watching this movie when your mind has time to think about what takes place.
A great ending to a great series
gazzo-223 April 2000
This finale has more farewells, heartwrenching, sad bittersweet ones, fine moments and character moments in its 2 hours plus than most series I've seen since period. I always get a lump in my throat and a tear in the eye when they do the farewells, esp. Potter to BJ and Hawkeye.
For some reason, they simply do not make series TV like this anymore. Why is that? They oughta. Tv is much more for the worse without shows like MASH.
**** outta **** terrific.
For some reason, they simply do not make series TV like this anymore. Why is that? They oughta. Tv is much more for the worse without shows like MASH.
**** outta **** terrific.
A Supreme Ending to a Supreme Series
Hitchcoc7 May 2015
I watched this only one other time. It was the first time it was on and I had purchased my first VCR, a Panasonic that loaded on top. I remember watching it late at night. I had seen almost every episode a couple times, and I remember thinking this is really dark. I watched it again last night, and I now realize what a fine ending this was to a great series. It takes nearly every character and personality and blends them nicely. First of all, we have the issue of Hawkeye in a mental hospital and Sidney Freedman treating him. This puts a black start on things. Something happened on a bus as the crew was returning from a day at a beach. I won't ruin things but it has to do with perceptions of a horrible event. During this time, there are rumors floating around that the conflict is about to end (although they've been down this road before). Several subplots now develop. B.J. gets orders to go home, even though they are probably bogus. Klinger hooks up with a beautiful Korean girl whose parents have disappeared. Margaret and Charles spar over a favor she does him where he suffers from a loss of his "natural" male "dominance." We get to see numerous other characters and find out their plans for the future. During the waiting time a wildfire from mortar fire heads for the camp and they must bug out. Hawkeye, meanwhile, is trying to deal with intense guilt over his experience. There is a frantic series of small and large events. If you have never seen this, it is a fitting end to an eleven year run.
Very tough to say goodbye.
Richard-11015 June 2000
When M*A*S*H ended in 1983, the cutline in the tv guide read, "130 million Americans laughed and cried as the 4077th went home." I finally saw the final episode about a year ago; laughing and crying is exactly what I did. It's ironic--in many ways, M*A*S*H was a parody of the Army in the Korean War. Its characters, though, were totally thorough and convincing. This, without a doubt, is the very best series finale of all time. Seinfeld doesn't even light a candle to this one.
greatest television finale ever
robrosenberger5 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I've not seen every final episode of every great show ever. But if this isn't the most exquisite series-ending effort of all time, i wish to know what is. Is it possible for me to overstate the sweeping, monumental brilliance? Yes, but i did quite well on my verbal SATs. Suffice to say that if every fan who ever loved this show were to have imagined the most perfect swan song, it's doubtful that many of those flights of fancy would have even come close to this. There's no emotional response, from tears to laughter, that isn't triggered. It starts and ends with Alan, who directed and co-wrote. They gave every cast member memorable, perfect moments...but Hawkeye's storyline, which starts with him in a sanatorium with Sydney after a nervous breakdown, lends itself to a stark, towering performance that, in a sense, was the only way to end Hawkeye's character arc. In a way that perhaps the writers never even intended, it also makes a laser-sharp point about mental health. Earlier in the series, Sydney called Hawkeye the "sanest person" he'd ever met. If you think a mental breakdown is inconsistent with that, you don't understand sanity. The sane person isn't the one who never breaks down (that's a type of insanity all its own). The sane person is able to see past conventions and socialization. The sane person has a powerfully negative reaction to things inhuman or horrific. Alan and Allan's scenes are searing. Hawkeye is ultimately sent back to camp, as the war is coming to a close. In the O.R., we hear armed forces radio announce the end of the war. It's indescribably moving. Mulcahy loses his hearing. Klinger stays in Korea, to help Soon-Lee find her parents. Winchester finds himself trying to teach a group of P.O.W. musicians about Mozart...only to see them killed after they finally got his lessons right. And the farewells in the mess tent, when everyone talks about what they'll do in the real world...you would think there's no way they could avoid being indulgent, with how long it goes on. But it's not. As the credits rolled, i stood in silence and clapped.
This is one of the best!
lilgreendog3 May 2006
this would be one of the best M*A*S*H shows i have ever seen, every moments keeps you on your toes.
The ending will make u sad when u realize this is the last one ever filmed. One of the best ways for a show to go out! My parents told me bout staying up late when they were kids just to see the ending a very very big hit and worth watching! But one suggestion i do have is to watch other episodes of this show, because there are a lot of inside jokes that many people will not get with out seeing other shows. Not very much more to say about it, unless that it is a must see no matter what!
The ending will make u sad when u realize this is the last one ever filmed. One of the best ways for a show to go out! My parents told me bout staying up late when they were kids just to see the ending a very very big hit and worth watching! But one suggestion i do have is to watch other episodes of this show, because there are a lot of inside jokes that many people will not get with out seeing other shows. Not very much more to say about it, unless that it is a must see no matter what!
Fantastic end to a fantastic cast and crew
webneb29 November 2007
This movie is great I have watched most of MASH but this one really is the best and as usual the performances were outstanding. The Movie seems a little drawn out at time but is excellent either way. The inevitable end to the MASH team looked at times that the emotion shown was authentic through and through I think the break up for the cast and crew would have been just as emotional. Great work guys. I wish the best to them all. The basic story is relatively simple thou continually waiting for those catchy jokes might leave u hanging as the drama seems to be the aim of this one. Alan Alda and Bert Melcalfe are geniuses I haven't seen a show put together so well in a Long time.
A wonderful ending for the greatest TV show of all time.
The Red October6 August 2002
Warning: Spoilers
I recently purchased the very rare GOODBYE, FAREWELL AND AMEN on video, and I must say it was great. While some critics say GF&A is a hug exchange...they're halfway right. There are, unfortunately, a few too many hugs, but otherwise, this is great. The show went from comedy to drama, and here is a dramatic but fun ending. M*A*S*H fans won't be able to watch this without shedding at least 1 tear (I mean, Hawkeye's gone crazy!). It's a great show, a recommended viewer. A wonderful ending for the greatest TV show of all time. *******7.9
Definitely represents the last half of the series
slackline7014 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I suppose I might be in the minority - but I personally think the final episode of MASH in many ways represented a microcosm of why and how the show began to deteriorate halfway through.
First of all, it was obviously a vanity project by Alan Alda. It was directed, written, and produced by Alda - and of course Alda's character Hawkeye Pierce had the biggest and most attention-grabbing part. If television were a basketball game, Alan Alda would be the biggest ball-hog in the history of the game.
Second, it didn't have a single truly funny scene. And no - I'm not referring to the conscious decision by Alda to turn the former sit com into a serious drama with some comedy sprinkled in. I'm referring to the fact that in the later years the show - and this episode in particular - wasn't funny even when it tried to be funny. Remember how funny early episode characters such as Colonel Flagg, Major Burns were? Remember the hysterical early episode about the imaginary Captain Tuttle - where Hot Lips fell in love with someone she had no idea didn't even exist? Now - anyone remember a single funny scene from the last episode? And trust me there are scenes in the final episode that were supposed to be funny - it's just that they weren't.
Finally, like most of the episodes from later seasons, this final episode is sledge-hammer heavy-handed - and takes itself waaaaay too seriously. Again I get it that Alda felt his political views on things like war were seriously important - and it's not even that I don't agree with some of them. But frankly I thought the messages were more convincing when they weren't beating us over the head with a mother strangling her own baby (hand to God - it's an actual scene) - complete with an extended scene of Alda's Hawkeye getting to bawl his head off about it for about ten minutes. The scene was memorable - I'll give it that. However did watching a mother kill her own baby make me particularly sorry I was watching the final episode - or enlighten me to the horrors of war so much as enlighten me to how truly heavy-handed and pretentious the show had become? Personally, my answer to both questions is no. But like Alan Alda probably wouldn't say - that's just my opinion.
First of all, it was obviously a vanity project by Alan Alda. It was directed, written, and produced by Alda - and of course Alda's character Hawkeye Pierce had the biggest and most attention-grabbing part. If television were a basketball game, Alan Alda would be the biggest ball-hog in the history of the game.
Second, it didn't have a single truly funny scene. And no - I'm not referring to the conscious decision by Alda to turn the former sit com into a serious drama with some comedy sprinkled in. I'm referring to the fact that in the later years the show - and this episode in particular - wasn't funny even when it tried to be funny. Remember how funny early episode characters such as Colonel Flagg, Major Burns were? Remember the hysterical early episode about the imaginary Captain Tuttle - where Hot Lips fell in love with someone she had no idea didn't even exist? Now - anyone remember a single funny scene from the last episode? And trust me there are scenes in the final episode that were supposed to be funny - it's just that they weren't.
Finally, like most of the episodes from later seasons, this final episode is sledge-hammer heavy-handed - and takes itself waaaaay too seriously. Again I get it that Alda felt his political views on things like war were seriously important - and it's not even that I don't agree with some of them. But frankly I thought the messages were more convincing when they weren't beating us over the head with a mother strangling her own baby (hand to God - it's an actual scene) - complete with an extended scene of Alda's Hawkeye getting to bawl his head off about it for about ten minutes. The scene was memorable - I'll give it that. However did watching a mother kill her own baby make me particularly sorry I was watching the final episode - or enlighten me to the horrors of war so much as enlighten me to how truly heavy-handed and pretentious the show had become? Personally, my answer to both questions is no. But like Alan Alda probably wouldn't say - that's just my opinion.
one of the best tv movies ever made
biglew-123 September 2001
I watched M*A*S*H growing up as a kid. When it all started. When I watched the series finale in 1983 I was all choked up. I felt as if I lost my family. Every cast member from Mclean Stevenson Col. Blake to PVT Igor. As it has been said all great and wonderful things such as M*A*S*H must come to an end. I have just got done watching Goodbye, Farewell and Amen again on the FX channel. No matter what every time I watch it I get a big lump in my throat from beginning to end where Hawkeye reads his message from B.J.. To this day I still watch M*A*S*H the 30 minute episodes. There was no better way to end the series as the producers and creators have done. Once again to all the M*A*S*H fans out there and the crew and cast Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.
The Best Series Finale Ever!!
lotrgirl216 December 2003
I love this series and they ended it on such a great note. I was very impressed with Alan Alda and how he was trying to recuperate after what he had seen. The whole war for these people changed them forever in more ways than most people can change in a lifetime. When they were all saying goodbye, i was crying so hard because i could tell that they even had a hard time saying goodbye. I found this very enjoyable and whenever it is on TV again, i will definitely watch it again. I highly recommend this to all MASH fans.
The Fantastic Final Movie to the Long Lasting Memorable "Series"!!
smcdow7722 October 1999
As a former member of the Armed Forces, it was very easy to relate to this film and Series that had many regular viewer's! This Movie and The TV Show in general always touched the inner comedy bones and the heart breaking ones also. It will always be one of my "Favorites" and I know that I am not alone in my feelings. It really was like you never wanted the series and movies to end!! We miss you M*A*S*H!! God Bless you McLean Stevenson...To the rest of this fantastic Cast, you have My "Two Thumbs Up"!!
Amazing
rottweiller19 January 2003
I have seen this TV film more times than i can count. At one point we rented it from the video shop every week. Eventually they sold it to us!!!
I remember MASH as a child and was thrilled to see the final episode for the first time on Video.
I always cry for at least the whole of the second half!
If only they showed the series now on British terrestrial TV i would love my daughters to experience this!
I remember MASH as a child and was thrilled to see the final episode for the first time on Video.
I always cry for at least the whole of the second half!
If only they showed the series now on British terrestrial TV i would love my daughters to experience this!
The best ending for a tv show
FranktheRabbit25 September 2001
Warning: Spoilers
GFA is a great ending to the greatest show M*A*S*H. Possible SPOILERS! It was very ironic to see what happened to the characters. Hawkeye's mental breakdown, B.J. getting tricked by the army, Margaret helping out Charles to get a job at Boston General, Charles ending up hating classical music, Klinger's marriage, and the Father becoming deaf. It was sad to see the 4077th go there seperate ways. This is great! Alan did a great job directing, writing, and starring in this tv movie. I really don't know were you can see this, I heard its very expense for a tv movie. If you are a BIG BIG BIG Mash fan like myself, don't miss this for the world!
"I Can't Say I've Loved You All, Either... But I've Loved as Many of You as I Could!"
ExplorerDS67893 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Korea, 1953. After three long years, the Korean War is finally waning. Armistice is just around the corner, while at the 4077th M*A*S*H, everybody seemed to be fighting their own little wars, with themselves and each other. Hawkeye Pierce was undergoing therapy by Dr. Sidney Freedman. Something very dark and dramatic had befallen him, but he seemed to be suppressing it. It all started one fine day at the beach, but the trip back to camp wasn't so smooth; At camp, Klinger's girlfriend, Soon-Lee, is desperate to find her lost family, and Klinger wants to help, but he's constantly plagued with Colonel Potter, Margaret and Charles all telling him what to do at the exact same time; Charles receives a letter from Mercy Hospital in Boston, and there may be a job waiting for him when the war is over. B.J. Hunnicut also receives a letter. But this one was different. This one said he could come home. Sort of an informal discharge. This couldn't have come at a better time, because Erin's second birthday was coming up. Suddenly, the camp is hit by mortar fire which comes too close to the imprisoned POWs. Father Mulcahy races to their rescue, and is almost blown to bits by a mortar shell.
Mulcahy survived, but may be losing his hearing. As for B.J., he clears it with Colonel Potter and the officers and enlisted men there before him, and after some quick goodbyes, B.J. boards a chopper to Kimpo and from there, Okinawa, Honolulu and finally, San Francisco. Meanwhile, somebody parks a tank right in the middle of camp, which draws more enemy fire; Sidney attempts to get Hawkeye to open up about what happened that day coming home from the beach. As the story progresses, they had to stop and pick up wounded soldiers and refugees. They were also in enemy territory and had to be very quiet. Unfortunately, a woman had a loud clucking chicken on board. Hawkeye angrily ordered her to keep it quiet and in so doing, the woman accidentally smothered the chicken to death. Only it wasn't a chicken, it was a baby! After that, Hawkeye suffered a nervous breakdown and came to the clinic, for he blamed himself over the incident; Back at camp, Charles encounters five POWs who were also musicians. He delighted at teaching them Mozart, but soon enough he learns why he got that job at Mercy Hospital: Margaret's influence, and not his own. He and Margaret have a big fight; Klinger continues to look out for Soon-Lee and their search for her family turns up unsuccessful; Hawkeye is declared sane, but rather than going home, he was going back to the 4077th, much to his extreme dismay; When Hawkeye returns, he finds B.J. gone, which saddened him. B.J. didn't even say goodbye, just like when Trapper John left.
The camp continues to be rocked by enemy fire on account of the tank. I-CORPS prohibited it being moved; A familiar surgeon arrived to help with the large number of wounded. The surgeon was B.J., he had gotten halfway home and was sent back. Hawkeye was rigid in the O.R., still recovering, but he finally decided to do something about that tank. He hopped in and drove it into the garbage dump, drawing away enemy fire. Charles finds his POW friends had been killed in the barrage. He would never look at music the same way again, but every dark cloud has a silver lining for over the P.A. came the announcement that in 12 hours, peace would be met and the Korean War would be over! For the next 12 hours, the surgeons operate on wounded and day dream of home and finally, at 10:00 PM, the guns fell silent and peace rang throughout the land. The war was over. The surgeons hear, but go right back to work. The next day, they have one last supper together and share what they plan to do when they get home. Klinger had worked up the courage to pop the question to Soon-Lee and she accepted. They were getting married! The ceremony is held the next day. Father Mulcahy presiding. Then, the bride and groom ride off on an ox cart to start their new lives. Klinger wanted to stay in Korea to help Soon-Lee find her family. One by one, the officers and enlisted men leave. Father Mulcahy goes to the orphanage to help out, the nurses go to the 8063rd and Margaret goes along, right after she and Hawkeye have a LONG kiss goodbye. Charles leaves via a garbage truck driven by Rizzo. Colonel Potter takes Sophie for one last ride before donating her to the orphanage and returning home to Hannibal. B.J. and Hawkeye share one final, touching moment, and before B.J. rides off, promises Hawkeye they'll meet again but just in case, he left a note. Hawkeye boards the chopper and, as he flies over the desolate land of disassembled tents that was once the 4077th, he saw B.J.'s note, spelled out with rocks, were the words, "Goodbye".
M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell & Amen. A fantastic TV movie and series finale. The ultimate end for the long running TV series. It had it all. The war ends and everybody goes home. What better ending could their be? Everybody was good! Starring Alan Alda as Hawkeye, Mike Farrell as B.J., Harry Morgan as Colonel Potter, Loretta Swit as Margaret, David Ogden Stiers as Charles, Jamie Farr as Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, Allan Arbus as Sidney, G.W. Bailey as Rizzo, and Rosalind Chao as Soon-Lee. Alda directed. The cast is alive and well today and some are still acting. Farr, Morgan, Chao and Christopher starred on AfterMASH which ran from '83 to '84. So if you're a fan of M*A*S*H, you haven't seen it all until you've seen this series finale. It rarely airs but when it does, be sure and catch it!
Mulcahy survived, but may be losing his hearing. As for B.J., he clears it with Colonel Potter and the officers and enlisted men there before him, and after some quick goodbyes, B.J. boards a chopper to Kimpo and from there, Okinawa, Honolulu and finally, San Francisco. Meanwhile, somebody parks a tank right in the middle of camp, which draws more enemy fire; Sidney attempts to get Hawkeye to open up about what happened that day coming home from the beach. As the story progresses, they had to stop and pick up wounded soldiers and refugees. They were also in enemy territory and had to be very quiet. Unfortunately, a woman had a loud clucking chicken on board. Hawkeye angrily ordered her to keep it quiet and in so doing, the woman accidentally smothered the chicken to death. Only it wasn't a chicken, it was a baby! After that, Hawkeye suffered a nervous breakdown and came to the clinic, for he blamed himself over the incident; Back at camp, Charles encounters five POWs who were also musicians. He delighted at teaching them Mozart, but soon enough he learns why he got that job at Mercy Hospital: Margaret's influence, and not his own. He and Margaret have a big fight; Klinger continues to look out for Soon-Lee and their search for her family turns up unsuccessful; Hawkeye is declared sane, but rather than going home, he was going back to the 4077th, much to his extreme dismay; When Hawkeye returns, he finds B.J. gone, which saddened him. B.J. didn't even say goodbye, just like when Trapper John left.
The camp continues to be rocked by enemy fire on account of the tank. I-CORPS prohibited it being moved; A familiar surgeon arrived to help with the large number of wounded. The surgeon was B.J., he had gotten halfway home and was sent back. Hawkeye was rigid in the O.R., still recovering, but he finally decided to do something about that tank. He hopped in and drove it into the garbage dump, drawing away enemy fire. Charles finds his POW friends had been killed in the barrage. He would never look at music the same way again, but every dark cloud has a silver lining for over the P.A. came the announcement that in 12 hours, peace would be met and the Korean War would be over! For the next 12 hours, the surgeons operate on wounded and day dream of home and finally, at 10:00 PM, the guns fell silent and peace rang throughout the land. The war was over. The surgeons hear, but go right back to work. The next day, they have one last supper together and share what they plan to do when they get home. Klinger had worked up the courage to pop the question to Soon-Lee and she accepted. They were getting married! The ceremony is held the next day. Father Mulcahy presiding. Then, the bride and groom ride off on an ox cart to start their new lives. Klinger wanted to stay in Korea to help Soon-Lee find her family. One by one, the officers and enlisted men leave. Father Mulcahy goes to the orphanage to help out, the nurses go to the 8063rd and Margaret goes along, right after she and Hawkeye have a LONG kiss goodbye. Charles leaves via a garbage truck driven by Rizzo. Colonel Potter takes Sophie for one last ride before donating her to the orphanage and returning home to Hannibal. B.J. and Hawkeye share one final, touching moment, and before B.J. rides off, promises Hawkeye they'll meet again but just in case, he left a note. Hawkeye boards the chopper and, as he flies over the desolate land of disassembled tents that was once the 4077th, he saw B.J.'s note, spelled out with rocks, were the words, "Goodbye".
M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell & Amen. A fantastic TV movie and series finale. The ultimate end for the long running TV series. It had it all. The war ends and everybody goes home. What better ending could their be? Everybody was good! Starring Alan Alda as Hawkeye, Mike Farrell as B.J., Harry Morgan as Colonel Potter, Loretta Swit as Margaret, David Ogden Stiers as Charles, Jamie Farr as Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, Allan Arbus as Sidney, G.W. Bailey as Rizzo, and Rosalind Chao as Soon-Lee. Alda directed. The cast is alive and well today and some are still acting. Farr, Morgan, Chao and Christopher starred on AfterMASH which ran from '83 to '84. So if you're a fan of M*A*S*H, you haven't seen it all until you've seen this series finale. It rarely airs but when it does, be sure and catch it!
Everything ends, even MASH
peppard25 January 2000
As you can read in my one line summary: everything ends, even MASH. The series ran almost four times longer than the actual Korean war, and there were made several movies and series(For example, ''After MASH''), most of the time with the same cast as in the series that ran from 1972 til 1983. But there is one question rising in my head. The last episode of the series had the same title as this TV-movie, so the series were actually already concluded, so why make this TV-movie? The answer is very simple: because the series deserved to be concluded with this amazing TV-movie!
I was a baby when this aired so i had no memories of it.
justin-fencsak14 April 2019
My late nana's mom used to watch this show on tv as well as in reruns with me and this show despite being a comedy has a sad ending in its final episode. The series was a sequel to the hit movie from 1970 and lasted for 11 seasons, culminating in the highest rated TV event of 1983, which eclipsed the Super Bowl and remains the highest rated TV episode and finale in terms of market share and people watching. Running for 2 and a half hours with commercials, this episode almost feels like a movie and is more aimed at young adults and those who remember the Korean war. Two shows were made after this, Walter, and After MASH, which didn't live up to the hype that MASH did. Now that Disney owns Mash, maybe it's time to remaster it and put it on their streaming service.
Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
Prismark101 April 2019
The feature length finale to the television series MASH broke records for the most watched show on US television.
It starts in a slightly absurd fashion as Hawkeye has gone mad and being treated by Psychiatrist Dr Freedman. It is all due to an incident on a bus that affected Hawkeye. Freedman needs to unravel Hawkeye's depiction of the incident and get him to talk about it. I later realised that the incident featured was copied from a story in Alfred Hitchcock Presents or another similar type of show.
It is the dying days of the Korean war. A ceasefire is announced but the bodies still pile up at the mobile hospital unit. Hunnicutt gets orders to return to America but it means not saying goodbye to Hawkeye.
Father Mulcahy loses his hearing after an explosion and is reluctant to leave as he wants to watch over the orphans. Klinger ends up staying behind because Soon-Lee wants to be reunited with her family. He ends up marrying her.
The saddest story is Major Winchester who tries to teach some Chinese musicians who are prisoners of war to play Mozart. He will leave Korea that once where music allowed him to escape from the madness around him, now it will always remind him of the country.
This is a bittersweet episode. A celebration but also acknowledging that this was a comedy with black humour, sometimes the humour was bleak. Characters we have known over the years talk about what they will do when they return home. There is even a reference to escalating activities in Vietnam.
MASH was a great show, although those Californian hills never made for a convincing part of Korea. At the end, the set is destroyed and the characters take mementos with them. In its own way the show says goodbye to its audience at home.
It starts in a slightly absurd fashion as Hawkeye has gone mad and being treated by Psychiatrist Dr Freedman. It is all due to an incident on a bus that affected Hawkeye. Freedman needs to unravel Hawkeye's depiction of the incident and get him to talk about it. I later realised that the incident featured was copied from a story in Alfred Hitchcock Presents or another similar type of show.
It is the dying days of the Korean war. A ceasefire is announced but the bodies still pile up at the mobile hospital unit. Hunnicutt gets orders to return to America but it means not saying goodbye to Hawkeye.
Father Mulcahy loses his hearing after an explosion and is reluctant to leave as he wants to watch over the orphans. Klinger ends up staying behind because Soon-Lee wants to be reunited with her family. He ends up marrying her.
The saddest story is Major Winchester who tries to teach some Chinese musicians who are prisoners of war to play Mozart. He will leave Korea that once where music allowed him to escape from the madness around him, now it will always remind him of the country.
This is a bittersweet episode. A celebration but also acknowledging that this was a comedy with black humour, sometimes the humour was bleak. Characters we have known over the years talk about what they will do when they return home. There is even a reference to escalating activities in Vietnam.
MASH was a great show, although those Californian hills never made for a convincing part of Korea. At the end, the set is destroyed and the characters take mementos with them. In its own way the show says goodbye to its audience at home.
My brief review of the film
sol-28 July 2005
This is a very difficult made-for-television film to comment on. It is quite easy to say that it is not on par with some of the TV series episodes, but then again, this has a style that is very different to the series. The screenplay is much more dramatic this time round, with some spine-tingling hard-hitting bits and a lot of emotion for the characters to endure. The performers all still deliver well, there are some great bits of dialogue and the film still says a few things about the Korean War. It does not do everything the series did, but the series had a lot to do, and much more time to do it in. This is a solid end to the television series either way.
Great show, but a little disappointing
pritch-32 January 2007
After watching and re watching eleven years of one of the greatest television shows ever, I must confess I felt a little disappointment in the finale. My reason for this is quite simple. The first word in the genre of this series is "Comedy," and there was very little comedy in this three-hour final episode. Was it well written? Certainly! Was the acting what I had come to expect from this series? Absolutely! After all, it had the same core cast that we had all enjoyed for years. What it didn't have was the biting satirical humor that I enjoyed for so many years. Instead we were treated to many poignant moments and stark drama. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but it's not what I expected from a show that was listed and played for so many years as a comedy. Having said all that, this is still a very entertaining show, and well worth watching.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
