Average Rating: 
Rating: - a new beginning?
Season four of MASH had it rough. Two of its major actors left the series after season three.
Wayne Rodgers (who played Trapper John), was tired of Alan Alda's Hawkeye character getting all the spotlight. I read that Wayne made a deal with the creators of the show, during the first season, that this wouldn't happen, but it did.
McLean Stevenson (who played Col. Blake), wanted to quit the show for various rumored reasons. After his character got his discharge in the final episode of season three, his character was killed off, on his way home, over the Sea of Japan. In this box set, season four, we are introduced to two new characters, who stayed with the show until the end. First, there's Trapper's replacement: BJ Hunnicut. A married man, who stays true to his wife, back home. That was heavily emphasized, different than Trapper. BJ sure had some corny humor.
Then there's Col. Blake's replacement: Col. Sherman Potter (played by Harry Morgan). Harry Morgan appeared in a season three episode, as a different charactor. That of a crazy general...it's been said that because of that role, he was asked to play Col. Potter. Due to some trouble back home, Gary Burghoff who plays Radar, wasn't in as many episodes than before. This family problem continued, until finally, he quit the show at the beginning of season eight. There are some great episodes in this box set. "The Late Captain Pierce", where Hawkeye's dad is notified that he's dead, when he hasn't. "The Bus", where the characters are on a bus ride, and get lost, and the bus stalls. "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler", where a wounded man claims that he's Jesus Christ. "The Interview", where a TV reporter interviews the characters at the MASH 4077th. This episode is fimed in black and white.
Rating:  - Another Great Season Box Set From Fox
I'm so glad that Fox has been good enough to release this great series on DVD, and that they have done such an excellent job. The picture quality on these DVDs far outshines the syndicated reruns on TV, and the full 25-minute-plus cuts of the shows haven't been seen in ages. As with the other box sets, the menus and functionality of the disc are very nice. I would however like to see a "play all" button so you don't have to click through as many menus to see all the shows.As far as the actual content of the shows goes, I enjoy this period in the series more than the earlier seasons. Contrary to what some other fans think, the addition of Mike Farrell and Harry Morgan improved the show and made it a little more real and less lighthearted. Eventually these new characters really grow on you and become like old friends. The cast changes definitely move the show in a more comedy-drama direction, which I feel is part of what made this show so great, and so different from other sitcoms. A couple of great unconventional episodes are included in this season set, including "Hawkeye" which is essentially a 25-minute monologue by Alan Alda, and "The Interview" which is an all black-and-white documentary-style episode that again breaks the rules of what a sitcom is "supposed" to be like. Great writing, strong characters, top-notch acting talent. What more could we ask of this show? I can't wait to buy season 5 in December. Now I hope Fox will lavish this same high-quality treatment on more great classic sitcoms like "The Bob Newhart Show" and "The Odd Couple", the rights to which I believe they also own.
Rating: - Olive-drab discs but colorful scripts
This is the season I've been waiting for -- the year that M*A*S*H evolved from a great comedy to an excellent social commentary. The previous three seasons had focused mostly on practical jokes and other silly hijinks, along with the whiny relationship between Frank and Margaret. Some fans consider those the best years of the show in terms of comedy. But for me, the arrival of Colonel Potter marks the point when I began to really love M*A*S*H as more than "just another sitcom." The humor is still there, but it has grown beyond mere verbal slapstick. In addition, the anti-war focus has become more daring. One of the most unconventional episodes is the last in the season, "The Interview." It was done in black-and-white like a 1950s newscast, and the M*A*S*H characters tell the folks at home what war is really like for the people at the 4077th.. This episode received very positive feedback when it first aired, and set the stage for including more serious drama in the future. Another of my favorites in Season Four is "Dear Mildred," where Radar gives Colonel Potter a horse for his anniversary -- and the old ex-calvaryman almost cries, he is so touched by the gesture. "A horse, a beautiful horse..." From that moment on, we know that this "regular Army" guy has a sentimental side, too. Regarding the format of the DVD set, I was disappointed that the discs themselves were done in olive drab instead of the full-color portraits of the characters on the previous three seasons' discs. With two new major characters (Potter and Honeycutt) arriving this season, it would have made more sense to feature them on the discs instead of a helmet and a champagne glass. Was the olive drab intended to represent the change from flaky Henry Blake to "regular Army" Potter, or was it just a cheap-out?
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