M*A*S*H Rewatch: Season 10

Throughout 2025, I will rewatch M*A*S*H and review each season on the final day of each month. I am rewatching the episodes in broadcast order using the DVDs from the 2000s with the laugh track left on. You can find an archive of these rewatch posts here.

I can’t believe I am already at the end of season ten…and nearly at the end of 2025. The year has gone by fast, but as life happened this year, I have had one thing to look forward to most nights: M*A*S*H. Rewatching the series has reminded me how great the series is. The acting, writing, and cinematography are all incredible, and it’s rare to find a series that completes that trifecta. While no two seasons are alike, each of the seasons of M*A*S*H have had strong points, and season ten was no different. As I rewatched, I think I had the voices of the internet in my head saying that “the later seasons of M*A*S*H aren’t as good as the early seasons.” I don’t agree. Is season ten of M*A*S*H different from season one? Of course! But it better be. Just like I am sure we are different from the people we were ten years ago, M*A*S*H evolved as it aged. What made M*A*S*H successful was its evolution. It adapted to new cast members, new social norms, and the ability to approach new topics. As with the previous seasons, I tried to find a few themes in season ten, and I think I identified a few. So let’s dig in to the penultimate season of M*A*S*H!

Season 10 Episode List

Episodes are listed in broadcast order. Hyperlinks direct to “Script Spotlight” posts for that episode.

Episode #	Season X Episode	Episode Title
215	10×01	That’s Show Biz (One Hour Show)
216	10×02	Identity Crisis
217	10×03	Rumor at the Top
218	10×04	Give ’em Hell, Hawkeye
219	10×05	Wheelers and Dealers
220	10×06	Communication Breakdown
221	10×07	Snap Judgement (Part 1)
222	10×08	Snappier Judgement (Part 2)
223	10×09	‘Twas the Day after Christmas
224	10×10	Follies of the Living – Concerns of the Dead
225	10×11	The Birthday Girls
226	10×12	Blood and Guts
227	10×13	A Holy Mess
228	10×14	The Tooth Shall Set You Free
229	10×15	Pressure Points
230	10×16	Where There’s A Will, There’s A War
231	10×17	Promotion Commotion
232	10×18	Heroes
233	10×19	Sons and Bowlers
234	10×20	Picture This
235	10×21	That Darn Kid

Favorite Episodes

These are the top five episodes of the season that I believe contribute something important to the series as a whole. The episodes are listed in the order in which they aired.

• “Communication Breakdown” (10×06) – This is a great example of how M*A*S*H balanced comedy and drama between the two main storylines. David Ogden Stiers was such a versatile actor, and it’s great to see him at the center of the comedic storyline.
• “’Twas the Day after Christmas” (10×09) – Holiday episodes are always special, and I really like seeing the officers and enlisted change places for a day. It’s a fun episode that feels like a holiday as you watch.
• “The Tooth Shall Set You Free” (10×14) – This is another great example of a balanced episode. M*A*S*H did not shy away from the difficult topics from the 1950s, and there was certainly racism in the Army since the troops were desegregated in 1948. The storyline is well balanced with the comedy of Charles (once again). Plus, there’s a guest appearance by Laurence Fishburne!
• “Pressure Points” (10×15) – Throughout the series, we saw the characters struggle to cope with the war, but this episode is different since the person struggling was Col. Potter. Potter had seen two prior wars, so it was great to see him struggle with something besides war: aging. The struggle with aging is very human, and Potter’s talk with Sidney is very well acted. I love a Sidney episode! The B-story is too similar to “The Smell of Music” (06×15), but it is funny enough to balance out the main storyline.
• “Where There’s a Will, There’s a War” (10×16) – I have a complicated relationship with this episode because it is the only script I need for the collection to complete season ten! But as an episode, I really like it. It feels like a “Dear home…” episode but in the form of Hawkeye’s will. This episode also well demonstrates the vital connection between battalion aid and a MASH unit.
• “Promotion Commotion” (10×17) – Klinger gets promoted! While this episode has some similarities to “Soldier of the Month” (04×12), I like seeing the promotion process.

Least Favorite Episodes

Liking or disliking an episode is subjective, so I have tried to be fair in my criticism of why certain episodes are not my favorites. The episodes are listed in the order in which they aired.

Note: I had a hard time finding episodes for this list, so I had to get picky.

• “Rumor at the Top” (10×03) – There is nothing wrong with this episode other than it is very similar to “Divided We Stand” (02×01). But it is nice to see how the new characters reacted to the threat of possibly being broken up.
• “Give ‘em Hell, Hawkeye” (10×04) – Again, there really isn’t anything wrong with this episode. It is well balanced, but it is similar to “Peace on Us” (07×02).
• “Wheelers and Dealers” (10×05) – B.J. is upset by a letter from home and takes it out on everyone else…how many times has this happened?
• “Follies of the Living — Concerns of the Dead” (10×10) – I am torn on this episode. I like the concept of its experimental storyline. There are a lot of angry characters in the episode, and it really doesn’t play well against the more dramatic storyline of the soldier figuring out he is dead. I’ve read several times, that in acting, is very hard to play angry in a way that isn’t off putting.
• “That Darn Kid” (10×21) – The goat ate the money…This storyline seems more fitting for season one instead of season ten. The Charles and Rizzo storyline is entertaining though!

Continuity Errors

There are minor issues in every episode that have been well documented, so I am choosing to focus on ones that really stand out to me.

• “That’s Show Biz” (10×01) – M*A*S*H Timeline: Margaret was only married for three months?
• “That’s Show Biz” (10×01) – Who is in the picture on Margaret’s tent wall? It looks it could be McLean Stevenson or Larry Linville.
• “Identity Crisis” (10×02) – Igor is married?
• “Rumor at the Top” (10×03) – Not really a mistake, but Hawkeye is wearing the Hawaiian shirt with the pineapples again instead of his usual Hawaiian shirt.
• “Give ’em Hell, Hawkeye” (10×04) – M*A*S*H Timeline: Peace negotiations began on July 10, 1951. A year later would be July 1952, so Potter and B.J. should not be at the 4077th yet.
• “Give ’em Hell, Hawkeye” (10×04) – They can’t paint rocks white. They can be seen by planes!
• “Give ’em Hell, Hawkeye” (10×04) – Hawkeye sealed and gave his letter to President Truman to Kellye to mail. But then a few scenes later, he is still writing the letter?
• “Wheelers and Dealers” (10×05) – In the scene when Potter and Rizzo crash the Jeep, you can tell the Jeep is being driven by stunt drivers.
• “Communication Breakdown” (10×06) – When Hawkeye and B.J. bring the POW and MP into the O.R. so they can talk to each other, the other MPs watch at the door. Can’t they tell the doctors aren’t operating?
• “‘Twas the Day After Christmas” (10×09) – M*A*S*H Timeline: It’s the day after Christmas, but Potter and B.J. were only in Korea for one Christmas. So this has to the day after the events of “Death Takes a Holiday” (09×05).
• “The Birthday Girls” (10×11) – I’ve mentioned this in past seasons as well, and it is true for multiple episodes, but Margaret’s finger nails would have been inconvenient for a nurse in a combat zone!
• “A Holy Mess” (10×13) – I am not sure if they meant the line literally, but B.J. says he can’t wait to get home and “meet” Erin. She was born before he left. Kids do change a lot at that age though, so they could be referencing the fact that he feels like he doesn’t know who she is anymore.
• “The Tooth Shall Set You Free” (10×14) – The doctors are back to doing triage, but Margaret created a whole program for the nurses to do triage in “Hot Lips is Back in Town” (07×19). What happened?
• “Pressure Points” (10×15) – The guest is speaking about the treatment of wounds from white phosphorous rounds. They make it sound like it’s new, but they treated a white phosphorous wound in “Deluge” (04×23).
• “Where There’s a Will, There’s a War” (10×16) – Hawkeye tells Trapper his will in his in footlocker in “Aid Station” (03×19). So he had one already, but maybe he needed to make updates (maybe to take Trapper out of it)?
• “Where There’s a Will, There’s a War” (10×16) – Hawkeye’s robe is a shade of purple, like he says in his will, despite how it looks on the screen!
• “Promotion Commotion” (10×17) – In the O.R., Potter touched Jimmy on the operating table. He wasn’t wearing gloves, so wouldn’t he have to rescrub?
• “Promotion Commotion” (10×17) – When Jimmy in the other two guys from his unit play cards in post-op, he says “very funny,” but his mouth doesn’t move in the shot.
• “Heroes” (10×18) – When they go in to the Mess Tent, Hawkeye is wearing his robe over his full uniform.
• “Sons and Bowlers” (10×19) – The opening credits theme song is the closing credits theme instead of the traditional opening theme song.
• “Picture This” (10×20) – The opening credits theme song is the closing credits theme instead of the traditional opening theme song.
• “That Darn Kid” (10×21) – Why is Hawkeye paying both the officers and enlisted? In “Payday” (03×22), Radar pays the officers separately, and Hawkeye only has to pay the enlisted.

Season 10 Wrap-Up

M*A*S*H season ten was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I faced the realization that I am close to the end of my M*A*S*H journey this year, but there was the added element of bouncing back and forth between intense storylines and comedic storylines. One of the highlights of the series was that the writers often did a great job of balancing the comedy and drama in a single episode. By season ten, though, I suspect that was getting more difficult. I noticed a few repeated storylines this season, which I believe was due to the longevity of the show. There are only so many ways to explore life at a MASH unit in a war that lasted only a quarter the length of the series. This season, M*A*S*H also explored some of the uglier parts of the 1950s with sexism and racism. Shows like All in the Family explored those topics before, and M*A*S*H had to an extent, but the shows longevity and success gave it permission to explore these topics further. Finally, another minor theme this season was the line of guests at the 4077th. The season opened with a USO show (“That’s Show Biz”), they were visited by another famous war correspondent (“Blood and Guts”), and a famous boxer visited the 4077th. Certainly there would have been visitors at the 4077th for entertainment purposes, so it does match the reality of life at a MASH unit.

By season ten, the M*A*S*H writers and producers have said in interviews it was getting harder to come up with new storylines. An idea would be pitched, and someone would point out that they did a similar story in an earlier season. Because of that, season ten feels more disjointed than earlier seasons such as seasons four and five. The episodes would range from a dramatic story one week to a pure comedy the next. The comedic episodes were a nice break because some of the episodes this season were pretty heavy. Aside from that, I noticed a few episodes with storylines similar to previously explored topics. In “Pressure Points,” the story of the battle between Hawkeye, B.J., and Charles felt very similar to “The Smell of Music” (06×15). “Give ‘Em Hell, Hawkeye” has similarities to “Peace on Us” (07×02). And I could argue that “That’s Show Biz” is similar to “Showtime” (01×24) in that a USO group with a musical act and comedian visit the 4077th. It is great to see how the new characters react in similar situations, and these episodes would have aired years apart in the 1970s and early 1980s. However, when you watch the series in less than a year, these things stand out. And M*A*S*H was one of the few scripted shows up to that point to make it to ten seasons, so it is understandable that similar storylines would be written.

There are a few episodes that did find the balance of comedy and drama. “The Tooth Shall Set You Free” is a great example of an episode that balanced its comedic storyline line with a dramatic storyline. David Ogden Stiers is great in the episode, and Charles’ refusal to see a dentist makes for a funny storyline. Pair that with the commanding officer who, on the surface, seems to care about his troops only for Hawkeye and B.J. to realize that he purposely endangered the lives of black troops because his prejudices. The episode is funny and makes you think about the realities of the time in which the series was set, and that is what makes it a classic M*A*S*H episode. The insanity of war, especially the Korean War, took place in a time when the troops had been recently desegregated, and women in the Army didn’t have the same rank or recognition as men. M*A*S*H took racism and sexism head on throughout its run, and not just in the United States, but racism against the local Koreans as well. The human exploration of war is made M*A*S*H great, and the fact that they would explore events from real life, even the darker subjects, is what makes it relevant to this day.

As M*A*S*H neared the end of the tenth season, there were rumors that the show would end. But the cast were convinced to stay for an abbreviated eleventh season. Some of the episodes written for season ten were held for season eleven, and a grand finale was planned. This was announced fairly early in 1982, so it was well known that M*A*S*H only had one season left when the eleventh season debuted in September 1982. As I write this post at the end of October, I to know that I only have one season of M*A*S*H left, and I am left with mixes emotions. I am excited to see season eleven and to relive the epic series finale. But I am also dreading it. M*A*S*H has been a big part of my life for decades now, and this rewatch has been a great reminder of why I love this show. Knowing that I only have 16 episodes of M*A*S*H left to watch this year is a bittersweet moment, but I am looking forward to watching the rest of the series and giving my overall thoughts next month.