Never did a program display more intuition and determination than the "Point of View" episode in the 1978-1979 Season. Mike Farrell, Gary Burghoff, Alan Alda, Harry Morgan, David Ogden Stiers, and Loretta Swit did a brilliant job in playing their roles as if it was in a real-time situation. The patient: an Army private had a severe wound to the throat in the beginning of the show. The first time that a tracheotomy was done in that show portrayed the horrific realities of how a soldier was severely wounded in Korea. Harry Morgan did the most brilliant job among the stars in that episode. He spoke to the patient about his life in San Antonio, Texas, his start in Fort Sam Houston, and his preoccupation with hatred of the Korean War -- all the while when he wanted to speak to Mrs. Potter at least twenty times over the telephone. Alan Alda; meanwhile, played a critical role of telling the patient that he was heading home after that surgery. Its a must see episode!!
9 Reviews
Greatest 24 minutes in television history
BFPierce12 January 2019
And that is not embellishment, or hyperbole for that matter. I watched this episode live in 1978 as a six year old and I have seen it no less than fifty times: I still get a lump in my throat at age 46 as the episode concludes. Sheer brilliance in every facet of production is beyond understatement when referencing "Point of View".
One Of The Boldest Episodes In Television History
AllNewSux28 August 2017
Yes, the P.O.V. or point of view shot had been used before this. In fact it is still to this day, a staple in horror cinema and had prior to this been put most brilliantly on display in the criminally underrated film noir Lady In The Lake. However, no one had ever been brave enough to put it on TV to any extent. I mean who could sit through 30 minutes of a mostly low angle view from a bed ridden soldier's perspective? It took a series with some sway and some power like M*A*S*H to pull it off. I'm sure CBS fought them tooth and nail on this but luckily the writers won the battle (assuming there was one). We follow the soldier and his point of view from the battlefield all the way to his bus trip and everything that happens in between. As it is television drama, when done right, makes us feel like we're spying on the lives of the characters. This episode takes that concept all the way by putting you in the action with the way it's filmed. You can't communicate with the M*A*S*H principles, but neither can the character whose eyes we are seeing through. Episodes like Point Of View, Life Time or Dreams may not be a barrel of laughs, but almost no other TV series would ever be so bold as to experiment with an episode like this one...simply a masterpiece that displays some serious creative genius that I can't recommend highly enough.
Creative and Moving
Hitchcoc10 April 2015
This is a really unique episode. It is told from the visual perspective of a wounded soldier. The guy has a wound to the throat so can't really talk. This changes the dynamics because everything has to be done without his input. Several camera angles are used. All the patient can do is observe. We get to see all our favorites in action where they do all the talking. Margaret even gives a sponge bath without throwing away the dignity of the person (Private Rich). We get to see the compassion of the 4077th. One bit of a mystery is that Colonel Potter is on the warpath. Something is going on with him as he snaps at everyone over things that normally don't bother him.
Captures the Humanity and the Horror of War
tlgodderz5 November 2019
This episode is completely unlike any other Mash episode. It's not very funny, instead it's sobering, heartfelt, and completely amazing. The way that it was done, with the actors looking directly at the camera (it's told from the point of view of a wounded patient, who is able to look at them but not converse), makes you feel as if they're talking directly to you. It's almost impossible to watch this and not imagine that it's you who's lying there, severely wounded, with the Mash caretakers tending to you. The little bits of humanity, the way that they try to bring cheer to the patients, the compassion they show...absolutely top notch and brilliant! A must see for sure!
Congress needs to preserve this episode
safenoe11 September 2020
The departure of Frank Burns freed up the writers to experiment big time, and Point of View is a case in point. Anyway, I never tire watching this episode (or any other M*A*S*H episode), but this one really captures the humanity of the 4077th.
One of the 10 Best Episodes of M*A*S*H
GWMJedi4 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER WARNING: THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MULTIPLE EPISODES OF M*A*S*H. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. SILLY MORTAL!
This episode just reaired on Hallmark Channel. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid, and I must say, it has held up to the test of time astonishingly well.
The episode is quite simple. A soldier from San Antonio, Private Rich, gets shrapnel in his throat and goes to the 4077th for a tracheostomy -- strictly speaking the term tracheotomy is an emergency procedure to keep the airway clear whereas a tracheostomy is the creation of a breathing hole for a longer period of time, and yes the difference will become more relevant further on in this review. Rich has a bad night, whereby the crew discovers a previously undiagnosed fracture in his larynx. Private Rich has a 2nd emergency surgery, begins his recovery, and the episode ends with him going on to Kinpo for a flight stateside. While all this is happening, the staff of the 4077th simply do what they are known for doing: they bicker, they act silly, Klinger wears dresses, and Colonel Potter has a moving marriage- drama which Radar resolves.
The brilliance of this episode lies not in the story itself, but how it was told: from the POV of the soldier in question, literally. For much of the episode, the camera is at bed-level. The episode breaks the traditional "180-rule" more than once. The segues are hazy, with fadeouts that come too soon or too late. There is no exposition of what the soldier is experiencing -- we find out by being told by the hospital staff after it has happened. The center-frame of all scenes is the midpoint of the soldier's visual field. We don't know what is happening, why there is a complication, etc.
In other words, we experience what Private Rich experiences, in real-time.
I for one find this episode to be one of the singly most claustrophobic episodes of any television series I have ever seen, and I rank it up there with Father Mulchay's field tracheotomy (see, I told you that the difference between the two would be relevant!) where he uses a pen-cap to save a soldier's life. I rank it up there with the series finale which, for sheer historic importance, is in the top-10. I rank it up there with Movies Tonight, which I believe is a vastly overlooked bit of musical genius ("I don't want no more of Army life, gee ma I wanna go home."). And of course, the single most powerful bit of television ever filmed: Abyssinia, Henry.
Enough said.
This episode just reaired on Hallmark Channel. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid, and I must say, it has held up to the test of time astonishingly well.
The episode is quite simple. A soldier from San Antonio, Private Rich, gets shrapnel in his throat and goes to the 4077th for a tracheostomy -- strictly speaking the term tracheotomy is an emergency procedure to keep the airway clear whereas a tracheostomy is the creation of a breathing hole for a longer period of time, and yes the difference will become more relevant further on in this review. Rich has a bad night, whereby the crew discovers a previously undiagnosed fracture in his larynx. Private Rich has a 2nd emergency surgery, begins his recovery, and the episode ends with him going on to Kinpo for a flight stateside. While all this is happening, the staff of the 4077th simply do what they are known for doing: they bicker, they act silly, Klinger wears dresses, and Colonel Potter has a moving marriage- drama which Radar resolves.
The brilliance of this episode lies not in the story itself, but how it was told: from the POV of the soldier in question, literally. For much of the episode, the camera is at bed-level. The episode breaks the traditional "180-rule" more than once. The segues are hazy, with fadeouts that come too soon or too late. There is no exposition of what the soldier is experiencing -- we find out by being told by the hospital staff after it has happened. The center-frame of all scenes is the midpoint of the soldier's visual field. We don't know what is happening, why there is a complication, etc.
In other words, we experience what Private Rich experiences, in real-time.
I for one find this episode to be one of the singly most claustrophobic episodes of any television series I have ever seen, and I rank it up there with Father Mulchay's field tracheotomy (see, I told you that the difference between the two would be relevant!) where he uses a pen-cap to save a soldier's life. I rank it up there with the series finale which, for sheer historic importance, is in the top-10. I rank it up there with Movies Tonight, which I believe is a vastly overlooked bit of musical genius ("I don't want no more of Army life, gee ma I wanna go home."). And of course, the single most powerful bit of television ever filmed: Abyssinia, Henry.
Enough said.
One of the best of the series
tonyandpam21 April 2022
Gimmicky
unclemc-9571019 September 2023
While this is a novel concept I don't think it's strong enough to sustain an entire episode.
The points of view shown are unrealistic - patient Rich would have to be quite agile and sitting up, which is unlikely due to a serious throat injury.
Also, the MASH characters are entirely out of character and playing to the camera. How often do we see Radar explain triage to a patient? We never see BJ being cheery when meeting a patient.
Is patient Rich likely to see the top of a neighboring patient's head?
I did enjoy the aerial footage of flying over the entire MASH compound right to the chopped pad, where we see personnel waiting. But, a patient lying flat on the chopper skids would see only sky above, nothing below.
The improbability of it all is distracting. The strength of MASH episodes are in the interplay between characters.
Point of View is like a series of monologues.
The points of view shown are unrealistic - patient Rich would have to be quite agile and sitting up, which is unlikely due to a serious throat injury.
Also, the MASH characters are entirely out of character and playing to the camera. How often do we see Radar explain triage to a patient? We never see BJ being cheery when meeting a patient.
Is patient Rich likely to see the top of a neighboring patient's head?
I did enjoy the aerial footage of flying over the entire MASH compound right to the chopped pad, where we see personnel waiting. But, a patient lying flat on the chopper skids would see only sky above, nothing below.
The improbability of it all is distracting. The strength of MASH episodes are in the interplay between characters.
Point of View is like a series of monologues.
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