User Reviews

It's Halloween and everyone is ready to go to Rosie's costume party. The fun is circumvented by casualties. No sooner is a group dealt with than another shows up. Among the casualties is a man with a toe tag, signifying he is dead. Another issue is a bunch of idiot Marines who have gotten drunk and done all kinds of dangerous things. George Wendt (Norm on Cheers) has a number six pool ball stuck in his mouth. Many ghost stories are told and Charles scoffs. There are two really sad stories. One is a soldier who has stopped eating because while he went for seconds after a meal in a fox hole, all his buddies were killed by a mortar shell. The other has to do with the disposition of the dead man. Very well done.

The "Goofs" contains an error. Charles was calling George Wendt Pvt. Mosconi as a reference to billiards great Willie Mosconi. Mr. Mosconi was the Technical Adviser for The Hustler and appeared in several scenes during the movie as "Wille," an uncredited role. Some, like me, remember the much hyped Wide World of Sports episode featuring Mosconi vs. Minnesota Fats. Too bad the Goofs author missed the connection. Hence, it was a pretty good joke rather than a goof. As far as the show, the series was winding down and it was fun to see up and comers The Dice Man and Mr. Wendt. Also, and I hope this is not taken wrongly, but Margaret never looked better in her costume of choice for the planned party.

Broadcast on Oct. 31, 1982, hence the title, as Halloween and, of course, many wounded have come to the 4077th.

On top of that, a group of Marines known for their misbehavior, "The Pusan Pirahnas," are whopping it up at Rosies, which leads to some non-combat related injuries/need for medical attention. The first was a Marine private with a pool ball stuck in his mouth. Played by George Wendt, the comedic interplay between him and David Ogden Stiers is quite funny. Interesting overlap: the acclaimed and popular TV series "Cheers," with Wendt playing Norm, debuted just 30 days prior on September 30, 1982.

Also showing up after involvement in a crash during a drunken in reverse jeep race, is a Corporal Hrabowsky, played by Andrew Clay. It is so early in his career that "Dice" is not included in his end credit name. Instead of the in your-face misogynistic humor "The Dice Man" is now famous for, he plays it as a likeable, not so bright lug. Interestingly, at the time, there was a major league baseball player named Al Hrabowsky. Better known as "The Mad Hungarian" for his antics on and off the field. Hmmm...

During surgery scenes, being Halloween night and all, the cast members give various accounts of possible supernatural events they have been party to. This results in poo-pooing and, of course, mild condescension from Major Winchester. And this then leads to a funny prank on him by you know who (plural).

Colonel Potter gets in one of the "war is bad" monologs Mash is famous for when an Army MP arrives to arrest Hrabowsky for destroying a local family's chicken coop during the jeep race. And Father Mulcahy gets squeezed in late and ends up saving a man's (mortal) life, a good guy as always. It was also nice to see Kellye Nakahara in her recurring role as LT Kellye Yamato RN at a time when roles for Asian-Americans were very limited.

Finally, foreshadowing? Prior to the start of taping, by majority vote, the cast had decided this would be the last season. Throughout its run, the characters on Mash rarely referenced dates. Perhaps because the Korean War lasted three and a half years and the show 11. However, in this episode, Hawkeye says that for all their efforts, they deserve the year 1954 off. To me, this is a nod that the end of the conflict (and the show) is in sight (the armistice was signed on July 27, 1953). Also, Hawkeye mentions recurring character psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman, though he does not appear in the episode. I think this is part of the setting up of Dr. Freedman's significant participation in the Grand Finale.