"Did you ever once ever offer me a lousy cup of coffee?"

Having successfuly accomplished the tricky mission of adding not one but two cast members during its fourth season, M*A*S*H continued to flourish in the ratings and earn critical success. The doctors, nurses, medics, and other personnel of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital had earned the loyalty of millions of viewers, as well as two Emmy Awards and other accolades (including the People's Choice Award and a Golden Globe for lead actor Alan Alda).

One of the biggest reasons for M*A*S*H's enduring popularity and critical admiration was its creative staff's willingness to let the show and the characters evolve and not be stuck in a formulaic rut. True, Larry Linville's Maj. Frank Burns was too intellectually, ethically, and morally limited to grow, but Loretta Swit's Maj. Margaret Houlihan, a.k.a. "Hot Lips" wasn't any of those. The actors and writers knew that the Frank-Margaret relationship was getting stale, so several decisions were made early on in Season Five.

First, Margaret was to begin breaking away from Frank and get engaged to a dashing Army officer, Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot, who was everything Frank Burns wasn't: handsome, smart, and from a wealthy family. Second, Swit was allowed to begin making the transition from being Hawkeye and BJ's nemesis to their comrade and friend. This "humanization" of Margaret was very gradual, of course, but it was highlighted in several outstanding episodes, including "Bug Out" and the pivotal "The Nurses."


Frank Burns: What does he got that I haven't got?
Margaret: Lips.
Frank Burns: ...Lips aren't everything!

The fifth season also saw the permanent addition of William Christopher (Father Mulcahy) to the cast; although he, like Jamie Farr's Cpl. Max Klinger, was a supporting character to the Big Three of Alan Alda, Mike Farrell, and Harry Morgan, Christopher's fine performances as the 4077th's gentle Catholic chaplain earned him his fair share of speaking lines and even several episodes, including "Mulcahy's War."

Father Mulcahy: [singing] A chaplain in the Army has a collar on his neck. If you don't listen to him, you'll all wind up in heck.
Everybody: Oh, I don't want no more of Army life. Gee, Mom, I wanna go home.
Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Capt. B.J. Hunnicut: Oh, the surgeons in the Army, they say we're mighty bright. We work on soldiers through the day and nurses through the night.
Everybody: Oh, I don't want no more of Army life. Gee Mom, I wanna go home.
Col. Sherman T. Potter: Friendships in the army, they say are mighty rare. So I spend all my free time carousing with my mare.
Everybody: Oh, I don't want no more of Army life. Gee Mom, I wanna go home.
Nurses: The surgeons in the army, their brains they are profound. But we'll take chopper pilots, they'll get you off the ground.
Everybody: Oh, I don't want no more of Army life. Gee Mom, I wanna go home.
Cpl. Walter 'Radar' O'Reilly: The corporals in the army, ya say we're really green. But if it weren't for us guys you'd be in the latrine.
Everybody: Oh, I don't want no more of Army life. Gee Mom, I wanna go home.

Other outstanding episodes include "Lieutenant Radar O'Reilly," in which a lost poker bet results in the bogus promotion of the 4077th's company clerk to second lieutenant; "Dear Sigmund," in which Dr. Sidney Freedman, a recurring character, writes a letter to Dr. Freud describing the zany goings-on at the camp; and the season-ending "Margaret's Marriage," in which Hot Lips takes the plunge and weds her lieutenant colonel and leaves Frank a flabbergasted and frustrated mess.

DVD Features:
Available Subtitles: English, Spanish
Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)


M*A*S*H Season Five: Episode List



1. Bug Out
2. Margaret's Engagement
3. Out of Sight, Out of Mind
4. Lt. Radar O'Reilly
5. The Nurses
6. The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan
7. Dear Sigmund
8. Mulcahy's War
9. The Korean Surgeon
10. Hawkeye Get Your Gun
11. The Colonel's Horse
12. Exorcism
13. Hawk's Nightmare
14. The Most Unforgettable Characters
15. 38 Across
16. Ping Pong
17. End Run
18. Hanky Panky
19. Hepatitis
20. The General's Practitioner
21. Movie Tonight
22. Souvenirs
23. Post Op
24. Margaret's Marriage