Hawkeye got Blake killed on MASH

Janx · Feb 16, 2015

for some reason, we are watching MASH on Netflix. haven't seen it in a decade. Saw it plenty when it was first run.

A disturbing thought occurred to me last night.

Around episode 4, Colonel Blake gets a transfer to Tokyo. Burns goes dictator, and of course the gang sets up a trick to get Blake to take command of the 4077th.

But here's the thing, Blake was happy and safe in Tokyo.

And some seasons later, he is going to be sent home, and during that flight, he's going to die.

Which means, Hawkeye's shenanigans got Blake moved from relatively safe Tokyo back to Korea contributed to Blake's fate.

Part of this is really just the short-memory of TV back then. Heck, the next episode, when Blake is feeling stressed, Hawkeye is talking about helping to get Blake transferred to someplace nice. Completely ignoring what happened an episode earlier.

I'm curious as to what anybody else thinks of the situation of a 30+ year old TV series's dark inconsistency

Umbran · Feb 16, 2015

It was *some seasons* later that Blake dies? Claiming that Hawkeye is responsible for Blake's death is then like saying that he's responsible for unforseen circumstances months to years later. Meanwhile, maybe if Blake stayed in Tokyo, he'd have gotten run over by a car, or generated a gambling debt with the Yakuza that would lead to his death. Maybe Hawkeye got him some extra seasons.

The future is full of maybes. You can only blame people for probable things that they really could foresee.

Moreover, these guys were in the army. Blake was pretty much career military, and was well aware of the risks. They put a high price on saving lives. Even if Hawkeye is responsible for Blake's death, how many people did he save by bringing Blake back to keep the 4077th operating well?

Janx · Feb 16, 2015

Umbran said:
It was *some seasons* later that Blake dies? Claiming that Hawkeye is responsible for Blake's death is then like saying that he's responsible for unforseen circumstances months to years later. Meanwhile, maybe if Blake stayed in Tokyo, he'd have gotten run over by a car, or generated a gambling debt with the Yakuza that would lead to his death. Maybe Hawkeye got him some extra seasons.

The future is full of maybes. You can only blame people for probable things that they really could foresee.

Moreover, these guys were in the army. Blake was pretty much career military, and was well aware of the risks. They put a high price on saving lives. Even if Hawkeye is responsible for Blake's death, how many people did he save by bringing Blake back to keep the 4077th operating well?

according to the Wiki, Blake was just a reservist...

I wouldn't hold Hawkeye accountable in a court of law, but it is a bit dubious to ask your friend to return to hell, when he's escaped.

Rune · Feb 16, 2015

The writers of the show didn't even know Blake was going to die at the point Hawkeye (and Trapper and Radar, by the way) convinced Blake to return. If it was unforeseen by the writers, the characters certainly couldn't! Add to that, Blake still made the decision to stay (having returned) even knowing he had been tricked AND knowing it was dangerous to do so. Because he cared.

The bigger question for me regarding the series, is what, exactly, is that timeline supposed to look like? The show lasted almost four times as long as the war.

Umbran · Feb 16, 2015

Janx said:
according to the Wiki, Blake was just a reservist...

That's in name. I'm talking about in practice, and mindset. He was way too devoted to saving soldier's lives to be "just a reservist". None of those characters are "just" anything, which is why we watch the show, right?

Umbran · Feb 16, 2015

Rune said:
The bigger question for me regarding the series, is what, exactly, is that timeline supposed to look like? The show lasted almost four times as long as the war.

Meh. It was a situation comedy/drama in the 1970s.. Continuity was far secondary to stories.

trappedslider · Feb 16, 2015

Rune said:
The bigger question for me regarding the series, is what, exactly, is that timeline supposed to look like? The show lasted almost four times as long as the war.

That's the riddle for the ages.....there's also a number of series continuity errors, along with an attitude difference between the novel, the movie and the show it's self...does the netflix version include the laugh track or no?

Rune · Feb 16, 2015

trappedslider said:
does the netflix version include the laugh track or no?

I'm not even sure. I'm gifted with the ability to tune them out with shows that are otherwise enjoyable.

Janx · Feb 16, 2015

trappedslider said:
That's the riddle for the ages.....there's also a number of series continuity errors, along with an attitude difference between the novel, the movie and the show it's self...does the netflix version include the laugh track or no?

yeah, it's got the laugh track.

There's plenty of inconsistencies just in the show. Hawkeye does/does not have a sister. Radar smokes/drinks Blake's stuff, but later is portrayed to be naive and innocent/can't handle anything stronger than a grape nehigh.

Anyway, I just found it an interesting thing, that had Hawkeye not meddled, Blake might have lived/avoided more of the war.

There's other oddness as well. The general "they've been working a hard shift" quote from the doctors as they come out of surgery is "12 hours". We know nowadays that hospitals push their doctors much harder than that.

And Burns' $35,000 house and 2 cars is a sign of the times. Nowadays, $35,000 is the cost of a nicer car.

billd91 · Feb 16, 2015

Janx said:
There's other oddness as well. The general "they've been working a hard shift" quote from the doctors as they come out of surgery is "12 hours". We know nowadays that hospitals push their doctors much harder than that.

For a long surgery, there may be teams that switch in and out, not just a single surgeon - though it is true that some of the cases can be grueling. But compare the modern operating environment to rapidly cycling between mutilated GIs, many of whom may have been barely stabilized on the trip to the MASH unit. I'm guessing the 12 hour shifts complained about in the show would have been pretty brutalizing.