On his way to Seoul, Hawkeye is captured by a North Korean (Mako) who forces him to save his comrade. Meanwhile, Potter and Charles compete to find out who is better at bridge.
200
2
"Letters"
Charles S. Dubin
Dennis Koenig
November 24, 1980 (1980-11-24)
Z-403
The camp answers letters from fourth-graders in Hawkeye's hometown, and Hawkeye struggles to respond to a boy who holds doctors accountable for the death of his soldier brother.
201
3
"Cementing Relationships"
Charles S. Dubin
David Pollock and Elias Davis
December 1, 1980 (1980-12-01)
Z-401
Klinger supervises the creation of a cement floor in the OR, while Margaret is wooed by an amorous patient (Joel Brooks) from Italy.
Margaret tries to whip the camp into shape before her father "Howitzer Al" Houlihan (Andrew Duggan) comes for a visit, but Potter discovers a disturbing side to the father Margaret all but worships.
The spirit of Christmas is felt at the 4077th during a truce as they throw a potluck party for the orphans, which reveals a surprising side of Charles. But when Hawkeye, B.J. and Margaret receive a mortally wounded soldier, they attempt to keep him alive until the day after Christmas for the sake of his wife and kids.
Note – Timeline is from December 1950 to December 1951. This episode contradicts Colonel Potter's arrival at M*A*S*H which occurred September 19, 1952, and also B.J. Hunnicutt's which occurred roughly at the same time when Potter became C.O. and Major Winchester's which occurred after Potter became C.O.
205
7
"Your Retention, Please"
Charles S. Dubin
Erik Tarloff
January 5, 1981 (1981-01-05)
Z-406
A pushy retention officer (Barry Corbin) persuades a depressed Klinger to reenlist; a male nurse chafes over his low rank.
With Charles temporarily in command, Hawkeye fights for the cause of a soon-to-be-discharged Dutch immigrant marine whose mother is about to be deported.
207
9
"Taking the Fifth"
Charles S. Dubin
Elias Davis & David Pollock
January 19, 1981 (1981-01-19)
Z-407
Hawkeye uses a bottle of wine as bait for a date with a nurse, while Potter is mad at the Army for banning the use of curare as a surgical anesthetic.
208
10
"Operation Friendship"
Rena Down
Dennis Koenig
January 26, 1981 (1981-01-26)
Z-412
Charles looks after Klinger in gratitude for saving his life during an autoclave explosion, while a specialist (Tim O'Connor) is brought in to treat B.J. for a compartment hemorrhage injury to his right wrist.
209
11
"No Sweat"
Burt Metcalfe
John Rappaport
February 2, 1981 (1981-02-02)
Z-402
The 4077th deals with a sudden heat wave in their own personal ways: Klinger disassembles the P.A. system, Charles goes through all of his tax returns and bonds, B.J. stresses over a letter from Peg, Margaret develops a severe case of prickly heat, and Colonel Potter can't get a good night's sleep. John Rappaport received a Writers Guild Award nomination for this episode.
210
12
"Depressing News"
Alan Alda
Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford
February 9, 1981 (1981-02-09)
Z-411
Klinger finds the perfect story to start his unit newspaper: Hawkeye's new craft project, inspired by a mistaken delivery of 500,000 tongue depressors. In one scene, Alan Alda can be seen still wearing his blue, 1980's-style sneakers.
211
13
"No Laughing Matter"
Burt Metcalfe
Elias Davis & David Pollock
February 16, 1981 (1981-02-16)
Z-413
B.J. challenges Hawkeye to go through one day without making any jokes, while Charles confronts the colonel who sent him to Korea. Robert Symonds reprises his role as Horace Baldwin, after playing it in the season 6 episode "Fade Out, Fade In".
212
14
"Oh, How We Danced"
Burt Metcalfe
John Rappaport
February 23, 1981 (1981-02-23)
Z-414
Hawkeye plans a surprise for B.J.'s wedding anniversary, while Charles offends a hot-tempered frontline officer. Catherine Bergstrom plays B.J.'s wife Peg.
213
15
"Bottoms Up"
Alan Alda
Dennis Koenig
March 2, 1981 (1981-03-02)
Z-415
Margaret is worried that her friend and colleague (Gail Strickland) has been drinking, while Hawkeye is a social pariah for embarrassing Charles too much during surgery.
Potter is given too much kindness when word gets around about his blood pressure, while Klinger is accused of laziness when he is actually having an adverse reaction to primaquine.[1][2]
215
17
"Bless You, Hawkeye"
Nell Cox
Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford
March 16, 1981 (1981-03-16)
Z-417
Potter calls Sidney for help when Hawkeye keeps sneezing nonstop. Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford received a Writers Guild Award nomination for this episode.
216
18
"Blood Brothers"
Harry Morgan
David Pollock & Elias Davis
April 6, 1981 (1981-04-06)
Z-421
Hawkeye discovers troubling news regarding a patient's (Patrick Swayze) blood test, while Father Mulcahy works his heart out to prepare the camp for a visiting Cardinal. Harry Morgan received a Directors Guild Award for this episode.
217
19
"The Foresight Saga"
Charles S. Dubin
Dennis Koenig
April 13, 1981 (1981-04-13)
Z-422
Potter's feeling down when his eyeglasses break, while a letter from Radar and fresh vegetables make everyone else happy.
218
20
"The Life You Save"
Alan Alda
John Rappaport & Alan Alda
May 4, 1981 (1981-05-04)
Z-418
Charles becomes obsessed with death after surviving a near-fatal sniper attack.
^"Episode Spotlight: The Red/White Blues". MASH4077TV. September 28, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2024. ...Klinger wasn't petty and it paints everyone else in a poor light that they assumed he was slacking off to get back at Colonel Potter for nixing his pass to Tokyo. Hawkeye in particular appears foolish and incompetent by not noticing that Klinger is ill and then actually ordering him, not to mention trying to put him on report... ...The on-screen text at the end of the episode explaining developments in the understanding of primaquine is unique in the history of the series.
^Winegard, Timothy C. (2019). The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator. Dutton Penguin. p. 47. ISBN9781524743413. Retrieved May 3, 2004. M*A*S*H afficionados may well remember the episode where Corporal Klinger develops a serious illness after being prescribed primaquine. Given Klinger's Lebanese ancestry, this is cinematically accurate, for G6PDD primarily affects those of Mediterranean and North African origin.
