Just Off My Most Recent M*A*S*H Watch Through, And As The Goodbye, Farewell, And Amen Anniversary Was

Just off my most recent M*A*S*H watch through, and as the Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen anniversary was not too long ago, I wanted to do my own little tribute.

Charles and Father Mulcahy are character who are written very differently, but both rely on music (in their own ways) to keep their sanity throughout the war. And in the end, they both lose their connection to it in different ways. After Charles works with the Korean POW musicians on the Mozart quintet (pictured), and they are killed, the safety of his connection to music is shattered, and all he can think about when listening is the violence and bloodshed. This is explicitly addressed in the finale.

However, Father Mulcahy’s loss is not. Yes, they address his going deaf after the explosion, but throughout the entire show he is shown playing the piano, singing, writing war songs. His connection to music is much less emphasized, but it persists through the entire series, and although he may not be a technical prodigy, it brings him joy. And then he loses it, along with the ability to take confessions, and a number of other facets of his job and life that gave him meaning and brought him comfort. Earlier in the show, during a particularly difficult moment, he is consoled by his colleagues performing Dona Nobis Pacem (also pictured). After he loses his hearing, he begins to question God. “Are you Deaf too?” I think this shaken faith and may have festered into an anger that contributed to his problems after the war (he was shown struggling in AfterMASH).

Anyways! Enjoy my angst fest (also I am VERY open to requests, especially for this show rn)

(I’m just gonna tag a few people I thought might like these (I’m a long time lurker, despite the lifelong love of the show) @major-charlie @thebreakfastgenie @statictwoo @hawkeye-pierce-4077 @frankburns-eatsworms