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Reviews
M*A*S*H (1972)
In my opinion, the greatest show in history. Deep and meaningful.
(NOTE: There are spoilers for the episodes 'Abyssinia, Henry', 'Sons and Bowlers', 'Welcome to Korea', 'The Life You Save', and 'Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen'. Other episodes are mentioned but in general terms and are not, I believe, spoiled. Also, there's a quote from 'Fade Out, Fade In'. )
'Too late' for this show, I was born twenty years after it made its debut.
However, M*A*S*H, in my opinion, is the 'best' show.
Based to a limited degree off of the movie, which in turn was based off of the book, M*A*S*H branched and became its own by dumping the movie and the book entirely. It was then that the characters began to grow, and even in the early years, the 'Henry/Trapper' era, seasons 1-3 (which has been critiqued for it's one-dimensionality), the characters began to differentiate themselves from each other and grow into realistic people with both good and bad sides. Even early on, they made mistakes, they lost friends, opportunities at love, and in some cases, their families. On the flipside, they gained an extended family, made friends, and did good deeds. Even then, you felt compelled to sadness when bad things happened to these characters and happy when they did good things and were rewarded for them. Pretty good for slapstick.
By that third season, the jokes had turned from drinking and women, which previously overruled other jokes, and went instead to the situation on a whole. There was a decline in the writing as far as season three goes, though partially because, by then, Wayne Roger had sadly been nearly written out of the series, though the touching 'Check-up' episode was devoted to his character.
However, 'Abyssinia, Henry', the final episode for season three, is, debatably, more sincere and heartwrenching than even the finale that came eight years later. The episode in its whole was gut-twisting, as for not the first, but perhaps the most depressing, time, reality came full force and revealed that bad things happen to good people.
As season four came, there was the gap of not only Henry but also of Trapper to fill. This was carried out relatively well by the introductions of Potter and B.J., though I consider seasons four to five to be the 'settling in' period of these characters, and so the writing, which had the potential to be strong with Blake and Trapper, lacks there as well. Frank had become three-dimensional and had begun to fade back and forth between 'paper cutout' and 'person'.
By season six, Frank was also gone, and with the introduction of Charles, the series was back up to speed. The cruelty that had taken place with Frank was dropped as Charles' character wouldn't stand for it; he commanded too much respect. Interestingly, it was this command for respect that seemed to have him receive the most disrespect from the fellow doctors, particularly Pierce and Hunnicutt.
Charles seemed to be given the least-- with a snobbish attitude and he was also seemingly unfit for the situation, not for lack of surgical skills, but instead for how highly he valued his skills ('I do one thing, I do it very well, and then I move on') but he quickly fell into place with the 4077th and was given morality, which was more than could be said for Frank.
With the introduction of Charles came the definite disappearance of the slapstick comedy of before. From seasons four and five it had begun to fade, and by season six, it was gone (with a probable exception of the later episode 'A Night at Rosie's', which didn't change the characters personality but changed the humor back to the sort of the Henry days so that it seemed off-kilter for the episode and the case).
The characters continued to grow, and so did the show. It became more of a dramady, but could easily fall on either comedy or drama without being poorly done. The characters responded realistically and changed themselves and their beliefs by new information. They took their blows and they dealt with them, even if it meant that they had to change their outlook on themselves, others, and the life around them.
There was a kinship that was almost painfully close at times during up to and around season nine. Many episodes in season nine were terrific getting-closer types of episodes, deep, thought invoking. The season's close, 'The Life You Save' particularly is thoughtful and haunting in the events of deaths, and especially in the events of the death of a loved one (even a loved one who you never really got to know).
Seasons ten is 'tired';'Sons and Bowlers' is one of the last real friendship episodes in my opinion; in which Hawkeye and Charles compare lives and realize that while they may dislike each other's personalities, they respect each other. Though it doesn't change them outwardly past that episode, within that episode they gained thoughts of themselves and each other, walked in the other's shoes, and if it went no further, that day it meant everything.
Season eleven, too, is tired and heavy. The most disappointing part of season eleven is the series finale; rushed and packed into one episode with no leading-up period (unimportant to previous episodes, but would have been helpful in the case of 'Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen'.) It had some of the best and some of the worst scenes in the show's run; some deep and emotional, and then directly afterwards turning to closer to illogical and hokey. However, the most memorable and touching scene of the episode, and perhaps the series itself, is the final scene. Looking down, we realize a strange sadness as the series draws to a close the message that shortly before was doubtful in coming:
Goodbye
Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979)
Pretty good!
This is the story of Banjo the Woodpile cat (duh). He lived with his mother, father, and sisters in the woodpile in Utah (I believe), and after jumping from the roof to see if cats really DO land on their feet, he gets in trouble with his father! Yikes! Ordered to get the switch to tan his own hide, Banjo thinks that no one in his family would care if he got hurt or not.
Therefore, he runs away, hitching onto a truck going to Salt Lake City...Now homesick and lonely, he must find his way home, with the help of a few friends! It has a gripping story, insanely good animation, and great character development for being a 29 minute film! The only problem is the songs, which are played to death. It is exactly true to any family; not necessarily to the 't', but the same general essence is in every family I ever met; resentment to the parents once they disipline you for doing something wrong.
The Gumby Show (1956)
He was once a little green slab of clay. Gumby!
Gumby is wonderful. He is exactly like any friend you had as a child; full of ideas that over half the time lead you into trouble. Almost secretively, he teaches you good moral values.
Almost freakishly human-like, you can relate to Gumby right away: from not wanting to clean up after yourself and thus doing MORE work so you don't have to clean up after yourself (i.e. making a robot) to downright being annoyed with your little sister (Goo), you learn to both love and hate this little green slab of clay at once; Gumby often does the wrong things for the wrong reasons, and the right things for the right reasons.
He is truly remarkable. He, Pokey, The Blockheads, and even Goo will lead you into amazing adventures every time you watch them!
Fernwood 2 Night (1977)
A fairly enjoyable show
I, honestly, have never liked this show. That is not to say it isn't good, however; the humor merely never has appealed to me.
So, let's join Jerry Hubbard and Barth Gimble (starring Fred Willard and Martin Mull), in the town of Fernwood, Ohio. And, with them, is a mildly insane cast.
Happy Kyne and the Mirthmakers is the band that plays the songs as the show rolls on. Happy sometimes appears as a guest himself, telling absurd stories of his childhood.
Also comes Barth Gimble's father, with an unteachable dog, Louie. Louie is an astonishingly limp dog, that is almost certain to impress the viewers just because of how limp he can become.
In comes an amazing cast of characters, each with a little quirk that guarantees they are all at least SLIGHTLY insane. Vegitarians, salesmen, patriotic trumpet-players, acrobats, a hula-hooper, dancers, and women who want nothing more to please their husbands in very odd ways make up very entertaining characters, led by Barth Gimble and his quick wit, and his vaguely dense partner Jerry Hubbard.
They all come on as though it were a talk show, and when their turn is done, they sit on a couch, or, in some cases, wait in the rafters waiting for firefighters to get them down! While it may not appeal to everyone (myself included), it has a zany bunch of actors and actresses that are, at the very least, watchable.
9/10.