Reviews

I haven't seen MASH now for, oh, must be 20 years or so....till a couple of months ago, when I happened to update my channels and found one that was showing two episodes of MASH every night from seven till eight. In the UK, that's what I call the dead zone - it doesn't deserve capitals - those lost couple of hours when the bloody awful soaps are on. Coronation Street, Emmerdale and the dreadful eastenders. Used to be the time when I took the dog for a walk...now I do it in the day.

This episode, for me, is definitely one of the best I've seen...Alan Alda delivers a one-man tour-de-force that I'm guessing didn't go down too well at the time. Had that ever been done before? One man carrying virtually an entire programme on his own? He was superb...whether scripted or ad-libbed, some lines were pure genius.

Strangely, this episode is rated a lot lower than the average... guess the world wasn't ready for something new back then, eh? Sadly, these days American comedy seems to consist of either Will Smith and Martin Lawrence shouting loudly, or the likes of Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller or Jim Carrey playing the brain-dead idiot....MASH was in a class of its own, set the standard, never been equalled....Cheers was pretty good, can't comment on Seinfeld...never really got into it, as a Brit there was a lot I didn't get...in-jokes, American references, etc. Fawlty Towers and Blackadder are great examples of British comedy...I'd add Soap (hey, if you're going to go over the top, then go waaaaaay over the top!) to the top 5, but as far as comedy goes, MASH is absolutely the finest ever made - and this is a great example of how good it could be. Truly groundbreaking - funny, serious, dramatic, humorous, it lifted you way above the mundane and into the sublime.

Alan Alda, I salute you! By the way, as an afterthought, it's almost impossible to compare MASH to Blackadder...MASH is more of a black comedy, Blackadder is more of a knock-about farce. MASH is American, Blackadder is British - and it's what I grew up with. Well, that and lots of American Western series... "Have Gun Will Travel" is still my favourite. I've still never seen the final episode of MASH...but I can't believe it'll move me more than the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth. That was pure genius....

I've just watched this series again, for the first time since it was shown in 1996. I enjoyed it just as much, if not more, as I did first time around. The four main characters - Christopher Eccleston, Daniel Craig, Gina McKee and Mark Strong - are superb. It's Peter Vaughan, though, who steals the show - remember him as Grouty in Porridge? - he's magnificent here as a bitter man who thinks he's failed in life. His slow descent into Alzheimer's is utterly enthralling, and superbly done. Great support too from David Bradley, Elspeth Charlton and Alan McManus.

The series starts in 1964 and takes us through to 1995, focussing on pivotal years - most of them involving General Elections - in the characters' lives. We grow to care about these characters - so well-scripted, and so well acted - so much, in a way that only the best film and documentary makers can put our emotions through the wringer.

One tiny quibble - in the opening episode (1964) Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" is heard. That song didn't actually come out till 1965. You know a series is good when the only flaw is a song being played before its time - but even so it fitted the mood of the episode perfectly.

A magnificent series for its time - and like a good wine (and of course, Chris, Daniel, Gina and Mark!) it's aged well. 10/110 from me, and a must-watch - especially if, like me, you're a life-long Labour voter!