While this was the second to last episode to air, it was actually the last episode filmed. The scene with the burial of the capsul and Hawkeye's words in that scene being the very last.
4 Reviews
Last episode filmed
chet-lilly1 February 2019
A Chance to Bury It All
Hitchcoc6 May 2015
We all know about the final episode. It's a classic. This is a precursor to it. Margaret reads about a time capsule that is being put as a cornerstone to a building in Los Angeles. She decides to do the same thing for the MASH 4077. She entreats everyone to come up with something that would show what it was like at the MASH and to show the kind of people who worked there. Of course, this is a chance for the cynical to do everything they can to thwart her efforts. Their point is that the Korean War deserved no celebration, even a hundred years into the future. An act of incredible heroism by a chopper pilot puts a different slant on things. Meanwhile, Klinger may have found the love of his life, a young refugee woman. Things had kind of ground down as this puts an end to the half hour episode. Thank you for a great ride.
January 20th, 1983 : That's A Wrap!
happipuppi1330 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
M*A*S*H fans know the history ....
The actual 2 hour plus finale was filmed in October, around the time of the severe brush firee that destroyd almost the whole Malibu set. Using that devestation in a scene of the MASHers returning to camp after the bug out. (Evacuation)
"As Time Goes By", the final episode filmed, on the date in my title. As I type this, the 40th Anniversary date of that day, is a mere 6 months and 20 days away.
As Alda has recalled in interviews , it was not just an emotional day because it's the final filming but it was more difficult with magazine & newspaper reporters, TV entertainment reporters and especially Entertainment Tonight, all there on the set, witnessing their historical last moments acting together.
The episode about gathering items to bury in a time capsule, that will hopefully be found and opened in the year 2053 and show people remnants of their experience in the Korean War.
Very fitting , as when the series got underway in 1972, that war had ben largely been forgotten in the 19 years since it's end. Only the MASH movie before it in 1970, brought up the Korean Conflict.
Naturally Margaret wants to take the project seriously and Hawkeye thinks it's pointless and starts gathering goofy items for his own capsule. Essentially saying to her, "If you want to show people what we're doing here, try burying an empty box."
Making her all the more determined to see it through.
There's also the side stories of the chopper pilot taking all night to get a patient to them due to his chopper having issues and only able to fly short distances at a time and also, where we meet Klinger's future wife Soon Lee , who is found with a gun and mistakenly arrested for suspicion as an enemy guerilla.
The pilot had a broken fan belt but the patient tells the saff the story of how they got there, 20 yards at a time. The fan belt later goes into the capsule, as a sign of quiet heroics.
Soon Lee found innocent, thanks to the Army's ballistics dept. Checking the bullet taken from a wounded man, against the gun she had, no way the bullet would fit.
Then , the time comes to bury Houlihan's capsule, everyone's donated something. Then along comes Hawk, BJ & Charles with theirs. She's refusing but soon discovers they have actually found things that do have meaning, especially Radar's teddy bear. For all those who arrived as boys and left as men who've experienced war.
...and Lt. Col. Henry Blake's fishing lure, for all those who did not make it home alive. One of Klinger's dresses is last.
Margaret thanks them and Hawkeye speaks that well known last line to be put on film for the series. :
"Well, I figure since we're burying everything else...why not the hatchet?"
Then the call came ..."That's a wra-a-a-p!" (..and the reporters desceneded on them.)
Nearly 11 years from Trapper's first word in the series, "Fore!" (when playing golf near the camp.)
Fore! To launch the series to burying the hatchet to make peace.
There's no way I'd rate this less than 10. (END)
The actual 2 hour plus finale was filmed in October, around the time of the severe brush firee that destroyd almost the whole Malibu set. Using that devestation in a scene of the MASHers returning to camp after the bug out. (Evacuation)
"As Time Goes By", the final episode filmed, on the date in my title. As I type this, the 40th Anniversary date of that day, is a mere 6 months and 20 days away.
As Alda has recalled in interviews , it was not just an emotional day because it's the final filming but it was more difficult with magazine & newspaper reporters, TV entertainment reporters and especially Entertainment Tonight, all there on the set, witnessing their historical last moments acting together.
The episode about gathering items to bury in a time capsule, that will hopefully be found and opened in the year 2053 and show people remnants of their experience in the Korean War.
Very fitting , as when the series got underway in 1972, that war had ben largely been forgotten in the 19 years since it's end. Only the MASH movie before it in 1970, brought up the Korean Conflict.
Naturally Margaret wants to take the project seriously and Hawkeye thinks it's pointless and starts gathering goofy items for his own capsule. Essentially saying to her, "If you want to show people what we're doing here, try burying an empty box."
Making her all the more determined to see it through.
There's also the side stories of the chopper pilot taking all night to get a patient to them due to his chopper having issues and only able to fly short distances at a time and also, where we meet Klinger's future wife Soon Lee , who is found with a gun and mistakenly arrested for suspicion as an enemy guerilla.
The pilot had a broken fan belt but the patient tells the saff the story of how they got there, 20 yards at a time. The fan belt later goes into the capsule, as a sign of quiet heroics.
Soon Lee found innocent, thanks to the Army's ballistics dept. Checking the bullet taken from a wounded man, against the gun she had, no way the bullet would fit.
Then , the time comes to bury Houlihan's capsule, everyone's donated something. Then along comes Hawk, BJ & Charles with theirs. She's refusing but soon discovers they have actually found things that do have meaning, especially Radar's teddy bear. For all those who arrived as boys and left as men who've experienced war.
...and Lt. Col. Henry Blake's fishing lure, for all those who did not make it home alive. One of Klinger's dresses is last.
Margaret thanks them and Hawkeye speaks that well known last line to be put on film for the series. :
"Well, I figure since we're burying everything else...why not the hatchet?"
Then the call came ..."That's a wra-a-a-p!" (..and the reporters desceneded on them.)
Nearly 11 years from Trapper's first word in the series, "Fore!" (when playing golf near the camp.)
Fore! To launch the series to burying the hatchet to make peace.
There's no way I'd rate this less than 10. (END)
This is close to the end...
safenoe9 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I'm surprised this fine episode has only 220 IMDb user votes and a 7.9 rating, considering it's a moving and poignant episode that leads us to Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. This episode is somewhat bittersweet in that the brave helicopter pilot left before he could be thanked for saving a soldier. I never tire watching A Time Goes By and it ranks as one of the best M*A*S*H episodes.
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