Episode guide
Essential M*A*S*H Episodes
CBS, 1972 to 1983
Our 8 character guides for M*A*S*H point to 33 key episodes across 10 seasons. Of those, 9 turn up in two or more guides, so they come first, followed by every episode in air order.
Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.
The essentials(9)
Episodes that matter to more than one character, the most shared first.
- In 5 guides
Season 11, Episode 16
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Hawkeye recovers from a breakdown, sees the war end, and says goodbye to the 4077th.
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J. leaves the 4077th with a farewell spelled out in stones for Hawkeye.
- Charles Winchester: The fate of the Chinese musicians he mentored changes how Charles feels about music.
- Maxwell Klinger: Klinger marries Soon-Lee and stays in Korea to help find her family.
- Sherman Potter: Potter leads a final farewell dinner and receives a rare salute from Hawkeye and B.J.
- In 3 guides
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Hawkeye and Trapper raffle off a weekend with a nurse to pay for their houseboy's schooling.
- Frank Burns: Frank is sedated so Hawkeye and Trapper can run their raffle without interference.
- Radar O'Reilly: Radar is introduced as the clerk who knows what his commander wants before he asks.
- In 3 guides
Season 4, Episode 3
"Change of Command"
- Frank Burns: Passed over for command again, Frank throws a tantrum and goes AWOL.
- Maxwell Klinger: New commander Potter orders Klinger into uniform, setting the tone for their relationship.
- Sherman Potter: Potter takes command of the 4077th and bonds with Hawkeye and B.J. over drinks.
- In 2 guides
Season 4, Episode 8
"Dear Mildred"
- Radar O'Reilly: Radar gives Colonel Potter a rescued horse as an anniversary present.
- Sherman Potter: On his wedding anniversary, Potter receives a horse from Radar.
- In 2 guides
Season 5, Episode 3
"Margaret's Engagement"
- Frank Burns: Margaret returns from Tokyo engaged to another man, and Frank falls apart.
- Margaret Houlihan: Margaret comes back from Tokyo engaged to Donald Penobscott, leaving Frank reeling.
- In 2 guides
Season 5, Episode 25
"Margaret's Marriage"
- Frank Burns: Margaret marries Donald Penobscott in Frank's final appearance.
- Margaret Houlihan: Deciding eight months is long enough to be engaged, Margaret marries Donald right away.
- In 2 guides
Season 6, Episode 3
"Fallen Idol"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Hawkeye blames himself after Radar is wounded and lashes out at the clerk who idolizes him.
- Radar O'Reilly: Radar is wounded on a trip to Seoul and is crushed when Hawkeye lashes out at him.
- In 2 guides
Season 6, Episode 13
"Comrades in Arms: Part 1"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Lost in enemy territory with Margaret, Hawkeye forms a new bond with his longtime foe.
- Margaret Houlihan: Margaret and Hawkeye are lost in enemy territory and forced to rely on each other.
- In 2 guides
Season 8, Episode 6
"Period of Adjustment"
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J.'s homesickness explodes after news from home about his daughter and Radar.
- Maxwell Klinger: Klinger struggles to fill Radar's shoes as the new company clerk.
Every key episode by season(33)
Season 1(2 episodes)
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
An essential, in the guides for Hawkeye Pierce, Frank Burns, and Radar O'Reilly. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 4
"Chief Surgeon Who?"
- Maxwell Klinger: Klinger makes his first appearance as the cross-dressing corporal.
Season 2(1 episode)
Season 2, Episode 14
"Hot Lips and Empty Arms"
- Margaret Houlihan: News of an old friend's happy life makes Margaret question her own and request a transfer.
Season 3(1 episode)
Season 3, Episode 6
"Springtime"
- Maxwell Klinger: Klinger marries his girlfriend Laverne over the radio.
Season 4(7 episodes)
Season 4, Episode 1
"Welcome to Korea"
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J. arrives in Korea and Hawkeye shows him what life at the front is really like.
Season 4, Episode 3
"Change of Command"
An essential, in the guides for Frank Burns, Maxwell Klinger, and Sherman Potter. Read the notes
Season 4, Episode 8
"Dear Mildred"
An essential, in the guides for Radar O'Reilly and Sherman Potter. Read the notes
Season 4, Episode 11
"Dear Peggy"
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J. writes to his wife about his first months at the 4077th.
Season 4, Episode 15
"Mail Call...Again"
- Frank Burns: Frank learns his wife knows about his affair and wants a divorce.
Season 4, Episode 19
"Hawkeye"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Concussed after a jeep accident, Hawkeye talks nonstop to a Korean family to stay awake until help arrives.
Season 4, Episode 21
"The Novocaine Mutiny"
- Frank Burns: Frank charges Hawkeye with mutiny, and their two versions of events could not be more different.
Season 5(4 episodes)
Season 5, Episode 3
"Margaret's Engagement"
An essential, in the guides for Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan. Read the notes
Season 5, Episode 5
"Lt. Radar O'Reilly"
- Radar O'Reilly: Hawkeye and B.J. get Radar commissioned as an officer, but he decides he is happier as a corporal.
Season 5, Episode 6
"The Nurses"
- Margaret Houlihan: A feud with her nurses ends with Margaret admitting how isolated she feels.
Season 5, Episode 25
"Margaret's Marriage"
An essential, in the guides for Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan. Read the notes
Season 6(6 episodes)
Season 6, Episode 1
"Fade Out, Fade In"
- Charles Winchester: Charles is sent to the 4077th and stays when Frank does not return.
Season 6, Episode 3
"Fallen Idol"
An essential, in the guides for Hawkeye Pierce and Radar O'Reilly. Read the notes
Season 6, Episode 6
"The Winchester Tapes"
- Charles Winchester: Charles records a message to his parents describing life at the 4077th.
Season 6, Episode 13
"Comrades in Arms: Part 1"
An essential, in the guides for Hawkeye Pierce and Margaret Houlihan. Read the notes
Season 6, Episode 23
"Potter's Retirement"
- Sherman Potter: Potter considers retiring when someone in camp sends critical reports about him.
Season 6, Episode 25
"Major Topper"
- Charles Winchester: Hawkeye and B.J. try to outdo Charles with tall stories and lose every round.
Season 7(3 episodes)
Season 7, Episode 16
"B.J. Papa San"
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J. pours his homesickness into caring for a struggling Korean family.
Season 7, Episode 20
"Hot Lips is Back in Town"
- Margaret Houlihan: Margaret's divorce from Donald becomes final.
Season 7, Episode 23
"Preventative Medicine"
- B.J. Hunnicutt: B.J. refuses to join Hawkeye's plan to take a reckless commander off duty with an unneeded operation.
Season 8(4 episodes)
Season 8, Episode 4
"Good Bye, Radar: Part 1"
- Radar O'Reilly: Radar learns his uncle has died, making him eligible for a hardship discharge.
Season 8, Episode 5
"Good Bye, Radar: Part 2"
- Radar O'Reilly: Radar finally leaves for Iowa, leaving his teddy bear behind on Hawkeye's bunk.
Season 8, Episode 6
"Period of Adjustment"
An essential, in the guides for B.J. Hunnicutt and Maxwell Klinger. Read the notes
Season 8, Episode 18
"Old Soldiers"
- Sherman Potter: Potter tells the officers about a pact he made with his World War I comrades.
Season 9(2 episodes)
Season 9, Episode 5
"Death Takes a Holiday"
- Charles Winchester: Charles's secret Christmas gift to an orphanage shows a side of him the camp never sees.
Season 9, Episode 17
"Bless You, Hawkeye"
- Hawkeye Pierce: Hawkeye cannot stop sneezing, and Sidney Freedman traces the problem to a childhood trauma.
Season 11(3 episodes)
Season 11, Episode 9
"Run for the Money"
- Charles Winchester: Charles befriends a soldier bullied for his stutter, revealing that his sister stutters too.
Season 11, Episode 15
"As Time Goes By"
- Maxwell Klinger: Klinger falls in love with Soon-Lee, a young refugee separated from her parents.
Season 11, Episode 16
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
An essential, in the guides for Hawkeye Pierce, B.J. Hunnicutt, Charles Winchester, Maxwell Klinger, and Sherman Potter. Read the notes
Seen them all? Test yourself with the M*A*S*H trivia quiz, or meet the M*A*S*H characters.
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