TGI – M*A*S*H 810 “The Yalu Brick Road”

Summary

Pod Meets World – TGI: MAS*H 8x10 "The Yalu Brick Road"

iHeartPodcasts | Air Date: November 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode steps outside the usual Boy Meets World rewatch formula to do a holiday-themed deep dive into one of TV’s most legendary sitcoms: MAS*H, specifically Season 8, Episode 10 – “The Yalu Brick Road.” Hosts Will Friedle and Rider Strong (with Danielle Fishel away) talk through the context, legacy, and their own experiences watching MAS*H, while recapping and critiquing the Thanksgiving episode. The energy is light, nostalgic, and at times wonky—as Will’s pure affection battles Ryder’s confusion at this unusual, late-era episode of a classic series.

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Key Discussion Points

The Story Behind “ADD TV” – Comedy Experiments (03:51–09:23)

• Before diving into MAS*H, Will and Ryder reminisce about their own early-2000s sketch show pilot, ADD TV.
• They wanted ultra-short skits (under 90 seconds): “Our goal was to keep everything under 90 seconds and, yeah, just an overwhelming amount of joke content and not develop any of it.” – Ryder (04:39)
• “We were, I think, way ahead of the game…what people are looking for now. Quick, funny content.” – Will (08:22)
• They recall sketches like Mythbusters: The Myth of the Female Orgasm, Founding Fathers DVD commentary, a Klingon telenovela, and plenty of outlandish characters and wigs.
• Will: “We not only had the greatest time, but it’s still some of my favorite skits I’ve ever done.” (05:45)

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Why MAS*H? Will’s Holiday TV Dream (16:10–18:21)

• With Danielle Fishel busy, Will takes the wheel: “Frankly, what we’re doing this week is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while…a real make-a-wish situation for me here on Pod Meets World.” (16:50)
• After Halloween, “what comes after? Flag Day. Yep. So we’re doing…all the most famous…no, of course Thanksgiving.” (16:56)
• They’re exploring legendary Thanksgiving episodes, this time from “MAS*H.”
• Ryder teases Will for the oddity of starting with Season 8: “Are we doing this the right way?” (16:50)
• Will: “Never would have started with Season 8, Episode 10. But it is a Thanksgiving episode…chosen by producer Tara for the holiday.” (17:14)

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Ryder’s MAS*H Experience: Childhood Memories & Confusion (18:21–19:35)

• Ryder’s only MAS*H exposure: visiting his grandmother’s house, being bewildered by the mix of dramatic opening and sitcom laugh track.
  • “I always knew who Alan Alda was…but I realized while I was watching this that I must have watched more than, you know, probably five episodes in my early childhood. But I just…no less confused.” (19:01)

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MAS*H: History, Cast, and Behind-the-Scenes Drama (19:35–30:38)

• Will provides a deep-dive on the series:
  • MAS*H premiered in 1972, running for 11 seasons, and was based on a book and then film.
  • Legendary for blending sharp comedy and poignant drama: “It weaved in between sharp comedy and emotional drama as they dealt with the horrors of war through humor, compassion, and camaraderie.” (20:07)
  • The final episode drew over 100 million viewers—the highest-rated TV episode ever.
• On cast turnover and drama:
  • “You’re also missing some of the most famous characters in all of MAS*H…Starting this late.” – Will (19:39)
  • Ryder quizzes Will on behind-the-scenes conflict:
    • Will confirms, “Rumors abound.” (30:38)
    • Details of actors leaving: McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers both quit in one season; contract disputes were common, and the show repeatedly replaced major characters successfully.
  • Will: “MAS*H did that better than almost anybody…switching out characters and they pretty much do it seamlessly.” (25:55)

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[Notable Quote]

Will (On the last episode of Henry Blake):

“Without his knowledge, they wrote the entire episode where he leaves…and they see him go away in a chopper, then…walk in and say, his plane was shot down and he died on the way home. Oh my God. So they kill off the character. It was one of the most famous things in television history.” (24:10)

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Episode Structure & Tone: MAS*H as Sitcom or…Something Else? (33:44–39:58)

• Ryder: “I can’t wrap my head…doesn’t feel like a sitcom. It feels like kind of its own thing…I didn’t laugh.” (33:55)
  • He felt the show’s writing was smart, understated, banter-driven, but not funny in an overt way.
  • “My biggest reaction would be okay. Never like, you know…Everything is so understated. Everybody is so smart.” (34:26)
• Ryder’s Analysis on Tone:
  • “You have to bring everything to a level of irony and understatement when the stakes are this high. Like, you’re dealing with life or death…in order to make that okay to be funny, you have to always sort of…the characters have to always be a little above the dialogue.” (35:37)
• Will agrees, noting the episode isn’t representative of early MAS*H, which is much wackier and funnier.
  • “You’ll be laughing hysterically at the first three seasons. Yeah. Okay. I mean, really, it was way more sitcom.” (38:05)
  • He promises to have Ryder watch a classic early episode next: “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet.”

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The Recap: Breaking Down “The Yalu Brick Road”

[Major Segment] 45:25–67:24

Will leads a detailed scene-by-scene plot recap, Ryder offers live reactions.

• Synopsis:

  • At the 4077th: Most of the camp comes down with salmonella from Thanksgiving turkey prepared by Klinger; Hot Lips (Houlihan) and Winchester must step up.
  • Out on the road: Hawkeye and B.J. get lost while returning to camp, pick up a Korean soldier (Ralph), accidentally rescue a wounded man (nicknamed Fred), and hare-brained their way back on a rickety motorcycle.

• Key Comic Setups:

  • Klinger’s food poisoning (reactions range from murderous to slapstick).
  • The “triple surrender”: Hawkeye, B.J., and a North Korean soldier all raise their arms, confused by language and intent (56:41).
  • The escalating Hot Lips–Winchester chore war (63:15): “I’m trying to remember that you’re a woman and a fellow officer.” “Don’t patronize me, skinhead!” “You’re not in charge here, bimbo!”—classic sitcom insult tennis, era-typical edge.
  • Ralph’s endless, gleeful surrender.

• Ryder’s critique:

  • He wishes there was more character conflict and less physical comedy with illness. The Hot Lips–Winchester dynamic stands out: “Finally have like, two characters with conflict…now I was like, great, there’s fireworks.” (67:28)
  • Finds Hawkeye and B.J. too similar; Will agrees, sharing that the network even asked one to grow a mustache just to differentiate (68:13).

[Notable Quote]

Ryder (On show’s style):

“I just wanted, you know, that’s what I mean. I think that…when I say banter, you know, like, the banter is the priority. It’s the wit of the dialogue that’s more important than the actual, like, revelation of character.” (69:01)

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Reflections: The Evolution of TV Shows & What Makes a Classic (84:06–86:01)

• Will and Ryder debate if any shows actually improve the longer they stay on air.
  • “Think about how few shows in history, literally in television history, got better the longer they went on.” —Will (84:18)
  • Ryder: “I think the smartest shows are the ones that say, we have an end point in mind and…pull the plug at a certain point.” (85:18)
  • They agree most get stale, with a few exceptions (Seinfeld, Friends, The Office—with caveats).

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “We not only had the greatest time, but it’s still some of my favorite skits I’ve ever done.” – Will Friedle (05:45)
• “Frankly, what we’re doing this week is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while…a real make-a-wish situation for me here on Pod Meets World.” – Will (16:50)
• “I can’t wrap my head around…doesn’t feel like a sitcom. It feels like kind of its own thing…I didn’t laugh.” – Ryder (33:55)
• “The characters have to always be a little above the dialogue…you’re dealing with life or death.” – Ryder (35:37)
• “You’ll be laughing hysterically at the first three seasons… It was way more sitcom.” – Will (38:05)
• “It’s war in the 50s. How many women you think were involved?” – Will (60:09)
• “I’m trying to remember that you’re a woman and a fellow officer.” “…Don’t patronize me, skinhead!” “You’re not in charge here, bimbo!” – Scene recap (63:26)
• “Wasn’t sure…what are we learning about? I don’t know. I was just kind of like, all right, we’re just going from one situation to another to another. It wasn’t as character driven.” – Ryder (39:23)
• “If this is your first episode of MASH, don’t judge MAS*H by this episode…Go back and start with the pilot and watch it forward.” – Will (86:01)

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Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• MAS*H is a show of eras: The hosts agree that this late-season “Thanksgiving romp” episode is an odd entry point and doesn’t capture the series’ original chaotic, groundbreaking brilliance.
• Will is a MAS*H superfan boisterously selling the series' legacy and longing for earlier, zanier seasons.
• Ryder is a curious but skeptical viewer, finding the episode’s style witty, but hard to love as sitcom comfort food.
• They tease a future revisitation with an early, “real” MAS*H episode.
• Legacy: Even in this modest episode, they recognize the show’s impact, innovative structure (laugh track/no laugh track debates, breaking TV ground with creative episodes), and rich cast evolution.

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Suggested Listening Order

• Skip this one if you’re looking for Boy Meets World nostalgia; dive in if you’re interested in classic sitcom deep-dives and all things TV history.
• For new fans of MAS*H: Start with Season 1, not Season 8!

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Closing

Will: "If this is your first episode of MASH, don’t judge MASH by this episode… Go back and start with the pilot and watch it forward. That’s the way to do MAS*H. I promise it’s going to be a different show than it is here." (86:01)

Ryder: “Pod dismissed!” (87:17)

Transcript

[Will Friedle]

This is an I Heart podcast.

[Jensen Karp]

Okay, confession time. I tried to host a Friendsgiving last year with, let's say, questionable results.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, we remember. You made mashed potatoes that somehow had the consistency of drywall.

[Jensen Karp]

Well, this year I'm taking notes from you both. I'm stocking up at one of my favorite places in the world, whole foods market. Their 365 brand has everything I need without wrecking my wallet.

[Will Friedle]

Same I got a no antibiotics ever Turkey for just $1.49 a pound with prime and even snagged organic green beans and mushrooms for the casserole.

[Ryder Strong]

Now I'm hungry. I'm all about their frozen appetizers Quiche trio Butterfly Shrimp. It's like hosting with cheat codes.

[Jensen Karp]

See Friendsgiving redemption arc in progress.

[Ryder Strong]

Enjoy so many ways to save on your Thanksgiving spread at Whole Foods Market.

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[Will Friedle]

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[Jensen Karp]

So if you're ready to pursue your education goals, Rasmussen is ready to help you take that next step.

[Ryder Strong]

Head on over to Rasmussen. Edu and check out the opportunities waiting for you.

[Will Friedle]

Your future is a bright one. Rasmussen University can help you get there.

[Danielle Fishel]

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[Will Friedle]

Do you remember when we did tried to do a show together called ADD tv? Do I remember?

[Ryder Strong]

It was a seminal moment in my life. It was really when I really fell in love with my wife, actually.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

That was a big part of it. But yeah, it was years, dude. We were on that for years.

[Will Friedle]

We had so much. So for everybody out there, we were, I think, way ahead of the game because now it's kind of what everybody's looking for. But we thought that Saturday Night Live, as good and funny as it was, was antiquated in its format. So the acting was funny, the sketches were funny, but we thought the sketches were too long. The musical guests should only come on once and at the most it should be an hour. But then we thought, that's even too much. And we wanted to do a thing where it's like you're flipping through the channels. And remember, the longest skit was what, a minute.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. Our goal was to keep everything under 90 seconds and, yeah, just an overwhelming amount of joke content and to not develop any of it. Well, actually, at some point, we did break like, we broke some skits up into, like six parts.

[Will Friedle]

Well, remember, there would be. There would be one main skit throughout the episode that we would break up three times and then individual skits in between.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, ADD went through many phases, but the first phase was, let's just get together and shoot what we think is funny. And so we wrote some great skits. We got Jeff Sherman involved as one of the writers from Boy Meets World. We got Steve Hibbert involved. The legendary John DiMaggio. My brother was there. You and I were in every skit. We were doing a lot of different characters. Your wife, I had just worked with her on Pepper Dennis. And we had an actress drop out, like, three days before we started filming. And we were shooting mostly at your house. And then we had a stage that we got access to, and we shot a whole bunch of content over the course of, I think, two weekends and had the greatest time.

[Will Friedle]

We not only had the greatest time, but it's still some of my favorite skits I've ever done. I mean, we. At one point, we got fully dressed up as the Founding Fathers, and we did the DVD commentary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

[Ryder Strong]

So outdated now. I mean, even the name ADD is outdated. Because now it would be ADHD tv, Right? Oh, my God. The signing. And then we did the Bible writers room.

[Will Friedle]

The Bible writers.

[Ryder Strong]

Amazing. Forever. Everybody was like, we had so much fun. Yeah. And I really. What happened is Alex came and saved us because we had this actress drop out.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And I just remember being like, you're going to play. We're doing a cookie show. You got to play, like, a really pissed off Rachel Ray. And then, like, five minutes later. Okay, now you got to be a Klingon. And then, like, five minutes later, could you. Could we put on the strap on dildo? It's really going to be funny. Do you remember? And she was like, okay. And she played all these characters, and I was just like, I am so in awe of your talent and your. Your willingness to be game. And we had. Yes, we were.

[Will Friedle]

Do you remember the first skit we shot?

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

The first skit we shot was Mythbusters. And the myth we were breaking was the myth of the female orgasm.

[Ryder Strong]

Some of the most fun death.

[Will Friedle]

Because I remember I was.

[Ryder Strong]

At first, I was like, well, I'm not going to be in many of these. I'll just help write them and produce them and put them together. And then I remember you had this thing. You were like. We just keep doing, like, random phobias. And you were like, we should just do sketches that just expose a certain phobia. And you were like, somehow the phobia of someone with an English accent.

[Will Friedle]

Do you remember?

[Ryder Strong]

And I just had to be. And it was just me improvising with, like, a horrible English accent. And we had. I just could not get through. Would you like to see my boot?

[Will Friedle]

We were doing so many. We had one. It was the Shiloh. You and Shiloh were little kids running around with the new toy, Mr. Pointy Thing, which was just a giant, like, spike that would Sebastian.

[Ryder Strong]

But, you know, it just goes to show, like, when. So we. We shot a bunch of it. We had A lot more ideas. Eventually, the pitch that we actually did take around was that we would go to colleges. Do you remember?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So the idea was that. And that we had John Landis attached to direct for us.

[Will Friedle]

Landis was gonna direct, and then Second was it Second City was gonna produce like we had it.

[Ryder Strong]

And we were gonna go to colleges and do basically like a mini Saturday Night Live, but at a different college every week or every month or whatever.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

The idea was that you and I would host. We'd bring a band, and we'd do a college live show and also shoot all these sketches to be in between. Yeah, great idea.

[Will Friedle]

It's a great idea. Still a great idea. But I was thinking about it the other day because we could do so many add skits now that are so conducive to the phone.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, that's what it is now. Essentially, what we were doing is what people are looking for. Quick, funny content. I mean, we had so much. I bet. I wonder if I could even find all that footage somewhere. I don't even know where the hell it is.

[Ryder Strong]

We don't want to find it.

[Will Friedle]

No, no, no, no. I remember one of them is just. We were switching around titles. One of them was just Ride My Pimp instead of Pimp My Ride.

[Ryder Strong]

Really?

[Will Friedle]

Do you remember it? It was just Alex riding John DiMaggio down the street.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't remember that at all. We have Puppets Gone Wild.

[Will Friedle]

Puppets Gone Wild was great.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, we had some that were just so. And then we did an entire Klingon telenovela. Yeah, it was a soap opera, but.

[Ryder Strong]

Everybody remember translating Klingon.

[Will Friedle]

It was literally done in Klingon. Yes. We had so many good skits.

[Ryder Strong]

It was a good time.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, it was great.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. What are we doing today? What are we. What are we talking about?

[Will Friedle]

We're talking about something I've wanted to talk about for.

[Ryder Strong]

What?

[Will Friedle]

Well. Well, I guess now I have to do this. Welcome to Pod Meets World. I'm not Danielle Fishel. Neither are you. I'm Will Friedle.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong. And that's Will Friedle.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Jensen Karp]

We will be taping a live episode of Pod Meets World at Disney California Adventure park on December 4, 2025.

[Will Friedle]

If you live in the Southern California area or if you can be in the Southern California area on December 4, we have an opportunity for you to.

[Jensen Karp]

Join us between now and November 24th of 2025. You can enter for your chance to win tickets to attend the coast of 103.5 private holiday party at Disney California Adventure park on December 4, 2025, including an overnight stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotel for a family of four and two. Day 1 Park per day tickets to Disneyland park or Disney California Adventure Park.

[Ryder Strong]

Plus you'll have the chance to meet us while we're taping an episode of Pod Meets World inside Disney California Adventure Park.

[Will Friedle]

Visit coast1035.com Podmeats World now to for your chance to win.

[Jensen Karp]

Does anyone else get that nagging feeling your dog is just bored out of their mind? Like brunch? Literally sighs at me now. Full dramatic sighs.

[Will Friedle]

Oh yeah. My dog judges me constantly. Like, wow, another bowl of brown crunchy stuff. Real creative, dude.

[Jensen Karp]

Exactly. That is why we started using Nom Nom. It makes mealtime actually exciting for dogs. The food smells amazing, the textures are real, and you can literally see the ingredients.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, it's wild. The meat looks like meat. The veggies look like veggies. Because they are. I mean, my dog went to town and was for the first time ever, looking forward to every mealtime.

[Jensen Karp]

They've got six recipes. Pork Potluck, Chicken Cuisine, Turkey Fare, Beef Mash, Lamb Pilaf, and Turkey and Chicken Cookout. My dog has become a foodie and here I am just eating my kids.

[Will Friedle]

Leftover nuggets and it's all crafted by vet nutritionists. So it's healthy too. I mean, look, my dog is a kid, which means I'm giving her the best. I use this. And honestly, you should too.

[Jensen Karp]

Keep mealtime exciting with Nom Nom available at your local Pet Smart store or at Chewy.

[Will Friedle]

Learn [e-mail] world spelled try n o.

[Jensen Karp]

M.Com world okay, I've got a question for you. During the holiday season, how much is too much to wear your pajamas? This is a serious question because the holidays, let's be honest, are the coziest time of year and pajamas the coziest thing you can wear. So according to, like, math, shouldn't you wear pajamas all the time? You know, every minute of every day. And if you're going to do that, which obviously you should, you will need to grab some new PJs. Good thing old Navy just dropped its new jingle Jammies collection. It's their biggest ever. We're talking 20 different prints in tons of traditional styles like classic plaids. So it's easy to find something for the whole family. From your giant Uncle Bob, who always eats all the turkey, to your newest niece, Nellie. And everyone can get exactly the print they want or go matching. Then strike a pose and make it your ultimate holiday card moment. Whether everyone makes their own statement or you go matchy matchy, these jingle jammies are seriously soft. Perfect for lounging all day, sitting toasty by the fire, unwrapping gifts, or even, you know, sleeping. Basically, like I said, you'll want to wear them all the time. But society, for reasons I still can't understand, frowns on 247 pajamas. Fortunately, old Navy solved that problem with coordinating graphic tees, sweatshirts, socks and fleece blankets. It's cozy, layered on cozy. They even have pet sweaters. So go ahead, maximize those feel good vibes and crank up the cheer. It's gonna be the best season ever. Find your jingle jammies and all the holiday goodies [e-mail] say my family tells the same stories whether it's the year the turkey caught fire or the time all the cousins dressed in matching pajamas. I love the memories, but I always think, man, I wish we had that on tape.

[Will Friedle]

And you probably do.

[Ryder Strong]

It's just sitting in a dusty shoebox somewhere next to your old camcorder and a Paula Abdul cassette single straight up.

[Will Friedle]

That's where Legacy Box comes in. You send them your old VHS tapes, film reels, Super 8, whatever. They digitize everything. It's super easy and the best way to remember that year that you had a bowl cut.

[Jensen Karp]

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[Ryder Strong]

Plus, if you send them in now, Legacy Box will have everything digitized and ready to share by Christmas. So you could actually watch Uncle Jerry barf from Nana's Fruit Salad instead of just talking about it.

[Will Friedle]

You've heard about Legacy Box all year, but now is the best time to digitize your memories. Hurry. This $9 deal won't last long.

[Jensen Karp]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Matter what your day to day looks like. Rasmussen's programs allow you to balance school with life while you pursue your degree.

[Jensen Karp]

So if you're ready to pursue your education goals, Rasmussen is ready to help you take that next step.

[Ryder Strong]

Head on over to Rasmussen Edu and check out the opportunities waiting for you.

[Will Friedle]

Your future is a bright one. Rasmussen University can help you get there, believe it or not. I don't know if any of you aware of this, but our third co host, our sister in love, Danielle Fishel, is a little busy and so we have been kind of covering for her because she's lazy and doing 92 different things and we're plugging along without her. And frankly, what we're doing this week is something I've wanted to do for quite a while. Though this might not be the exact episode I would have.

[Ryder Strong]

I was gonna say, are we doing this the right way? No, no. We're doing this based on the holiday, correct?

[Will Friedle]

Okay, we are not doing this the right way at all. But you know, we've had a lot of fun doing our. Well, what started with some TGIF holiday episodes. So we started with, you know, certain very famous Halloween episodes. And then of course when we got into Fresh Prince of Bel Air, we kind of went off the TGIF track. But we stuck with the Halloween theme. And what comes after Halloween? Flag Day. Yep. So we're doing all the most famous. No, of course Thanksgiving. And so we're going to do some of the most famous Thanksgiving episodes of all time. Or at least Thanksgiving episodes from some of the most famous shows of all time. That might be the best way of putting it because this show is famous. Hugely important in my life, but I never would have started with Season 8, Episode 10. But it is a Thanksgiving episode. Yes, of course we are talking about the wonderful mash. And as they say, when the Cat's Away, the Dan Yets will play. It's a real make A wish situation for me here on Pod Meets World as we continue our holiday tour through family sitcoms. Now cruising into Thanksgiving, and with Danielle off on her whimsical dancing side mission, I was asked if there were any holiday TV themed episodes that I wanted to explore. And the answer was simple. I wanted to do mash, but there's not really super famous holiday episodes from mash. But there was one. And so we're actually going to bring an episode of MASH to Pod Meets World. Are you excited about this? Had you seen MASH ever?

[Ryder Strong]

I didn't. Yes, I had tried to. Like, I just remember going to my grandmother's house and MASH being at times and being very confused.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

I was like, it's a war show. And the opening credits always made it seem like, like, important things were gonna be happening. Like it was a drama show. Like, I was like, oh, is this kind of like chips or other shows where they have, like, you know, people in helicopters and motorcycles? And then I just. I remember being like, oh, there's a laugh track.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. For some of it.

[Ryder Strong]

It's clearly not shot in a studio.

[Will Friedle]

It is actually some of it, I guess.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. I am just. I was always confused and I.

[Will Friedle]

But I.

[Ryder Strong]

Watching this, I was like, oh, I actually know some of these faces and these voices, like, these people do. I mean, I always knew who Alan Aldo was because I've seen him in other things, obviously, so I always knew who he was. But, yeah, I realized while I was watching this that I must have watched more than, you know, probably five episodes in my early childhood. But I just. I've absorbed these people. I've absorbed some of these characters. They're, like, deep in me. And like, the names sound familiar, but no, I don't think I've consciously watched an episode of MASH until this one. And I must say, no less confused.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, well, yeah, of course.

[Ryder Strong]

Still very baffled by this show.

[Will Friedle]

You're also missing some of the most famous characters in all of M A S H. So starting. Starting this late. Radar's not on the show. Klinger's no longer cross dressing. Frank Burns isn't on the show. Trapper's not on the show. Colonel Blake isn't on the show. I mean, the later episodes, it's a. Essentially an entirely different. The only cast members that started and ended the show are. And again, some of them became more famous as they went on, but became more popular in the show as they went on. But Alan Alda, obviously, as Hawkeye, was there from beginning to end. Loretta Switzerland, As Hot Lips Houlihan was there from beginning to end. Father Mulcahy was there, but really was barely in the episodes. And it was a different actor who played the part in the pilot.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, interesting.

[Will Friedle]

And Klinger was the Topanga of the show. Klinger was supposed to be a one off in one episode and ended up on all 11 seasons of the show, but not in every episode, at least till the end. Damn.

[Ryder Strong]

11 seasons.

[Will Friedle]

11 seasons of the show. And so that's what we can get into. For those of you who don't know, MASH was one of the most popular TV shows of all time, premiering in 1972 on CBS and airing for, yes, 11 seasons, closing with a final episode that drew over 100 million viewers. It's the highest rated television episode of all time at first. In 1970, a film by Robert Altman came out of the same name, but that was based on a book called MASH by Richard T. Hooker, and it follows the doctors and staff of the 4777 mobile army surgical Hospital during the Korean War. It weaved in between sharp comedy and emotional drama as they dealt with the horrors of war through humor, compassion, and camaraderie. And by the way, you can all watch all the episodes of M A S H on Hulu. You should. Including the one that we'll be watching. As I said, Season 8, Episode 10, the Yellow Brick Road, chosen by producer Tara for the holiday. I will blame her if you don't like the show. I would have picked something different, but again, it wouldn't have been on theme. So I get where we're going. It first aired November 19, 1979, just in time for Thanksgiving, and it scored a rating of 22 million viewers.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

Could you imagine that now? Dancing with the Stars, arguably the biggest pop show of the year, pop culture show that we've had now on TV at all. Seven million viewers. And they're ecstatic with seven million viewers.

[Ryder Strong]

So stoked on that.

[Will Friedle]

So first, let's get into the synopsis of the episode. Hawkeye and BJ get lost in enemy territory, while Klinger's Thanksgiving turkey sickens most of the camp with Sal Manila. It was directed by Charles S. Dubin, a wildly prolific director, who, by the way, I just want to couch this by saying, unfortunately, 90% of the cast I'm going to talk about and the directors and everybody else, most of these people are gone now because we're doing a show from 1972. So if I keep saying they passed in, they passed in. It's Because. Because it's an old show. So he was a wildly prolific director who has every show from the 60s and 70s on his resume. He did 44 episodes of MASH and is also known for his work on kojak, Hawaii 5o, and Sanford and Son. And most interestingly, Dubin was subpoenaed and appeared before the house Committee on UN American Activities in 1958. He vehemently denied being a Communist, but refused to say if he had ever been one, getting him blacklisted twice in the 1950s by McCarthy and his committee. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 90.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

It was written by Mike Farrell, who is best known as one of the actors on the Show. He played Captain B.J. honeycutt, and this is one of four scripts that bear his name. One was nominated for an Emmy. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the show as well, and also appeared on Desperate Housewives, Matlock, and.

[Ryder Strong]

Is Honeycutt in this episode?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, he's the one sitting next to Alan Aldo the whole time he's driving. That's. That's B.J.

[Ryder Strong]

Gotcha.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. So originally, for a little backstory, when the show started, which was based on the book, it is Hawkeye and trapper John McIntyre are the two guys that are best friends. Colonel Blake is the commanding officer. And in the same episode, which is arguably one of the most famous episodes of television of all time, called Abby See in Ya Henry, which was the last episode of season three, McClane Stevenson, who played Henry Blake, was getting. It's now become public knowledge as the show was getting more popular. He was getting $1,100 an episode to play the role. He was then offered a million dollars by NBC in the 70s to come over and take over. Like, it was like a Tonight show with Johnny Carson type of thing. He was a huge comedian at the time, a huge writer at the time, and he was going through a very bad divorce. So he's like, I have to go. He went to Matt. The people at MASH were pissed that he was leaving, and without his knowledge, they wrote the entire episode where he leaves and they see him go away in a chopper. As they see him go away in a chopper, they then call the rest of the cast together and hand him another scene. And the other scene they hand him is they walk in and say, his plane was shot down and he died on the way home. Oh, my God. So they kill off the character. It was one of the most famous things in television history.

[Ryder Strong]

They could never bring him back because.

[Will Friedle]

They were Kind of a. Correct. They were mad at him. He was then mad about that. It was a big famous thing in television series.

[Ryder Strong]

Didn't last the other show. Didn't get it.

[Will Friedle]

Did not. And he did interviews afterwards saying, you know, had we known what was going to happen with mash, obviously I would have stayed. But he's like. Like, I flat out needed the money. I mean, I just. I needed the money. But what some people that. That one of the things that. That overshadowed is that Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John, left in the same episode. He got into a contract dispute with. With mash. He was famous for making a ridiculous amount of money. So not on the show, but he would. All he asked for in his contract was, I want a telephone in my dressing room. I want to telephone on the set. And he would sit there and buy and sell real estate all day long on the set of mash. Made a ton of money. And then what he did is he turned it into this giant business where he then helped actors invest money in Hollywood. And I think when he finally passed away, passed away a very, very wealthy man. But people forget that these two main characters of the show both left the same episode. So. Yeah, so Mike Farrell comes in in season four. He does season four through season 11. They then switch Wayne Rogers character for BJ Honeycutt. And actually MASH did that better than almost anybody is switching out characters. So Colonel Blake becomes Colonel Potter, who's played by Henry Morgan. Wayne Rogers leaves and Honeycutt comes in. And then season five, Frank Burns leaves and Winchester comes in. So they're constantly adding new characters and they pretty much do it seamlessly. It's pretty amazing.

[Ryder Strong]

And they didn't replace actors, except for the.

[Will Friedle]

In just what. In the first episode, a different priest played. Played Mulcahan.

[Ryder Strong]

But other than Boy Meets World, with Morgan coming out as a completely different.

[Will Friedle]

Actor, they did not, thankfully. But let's get into the cast. So, as Ryder said, Alan Alda plays Captain Benjamin Franklin. Hawkeye Pierce. Alda is one of TV's greatest actors of all time. He won two Emmys for this role and starred in movies like Crimes and Misdemeanors, Flirting With Disaster and the Aviator, which scored him his first Oscar nomination. And you might also recognize him from the West Wing and Ray Donovan. Harry Morgan, as I said, played Col. Sherman T. Potter, a movie regular of the 40s, 50s and 60s. Morgan was in Inherit the Wind, State Fair and High Noon and also played Officer Bill Gannon on Dragnet. He had a reoccurring role on 3rd Rock from the sun and passed away in 2011. Fun little Easter egg is that Harry Morgan was in State Fair. There's an entire episode of M A S H where they're trying to get this movie that they hear was banned in Boston for sexual content, and they finally, through a weird series of events, think they get it, but somebody switched the print and when they put it on State Fair, pops on the screen. So a fun little thing for Harry Morgan.

[Ryder Strong]

I've seen High Noon. Of all the things you've mentioned, I've seen High Noon. Fantastic film.

[Will Friedle]

Highly recommend. It's great. You never watch the original Dragnet. Ever seen episodes of that? Yeah, he was great. He was also reprised the role in a funny way in the Tom Hanks version of Dragnet with Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd, which was actually very funny as well. Loretta Swit as Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlahan. She was nominated for an Emmy in each season of MASH and won two. Yeah, she was nominated 11 times. She also appeared on Cagney and Lacey, Gunsmoke and all the game shows of that era. She just passed away, unfortunately, this past May at the age of 87. Another fun fact, she went on Cagney and Lacey as a guest star, but they wanted her to play one of the roles, and M A S H would not let her out of her contract. David Ogden Stiers as Major Charles Winchester. A recipient of two Emmy nominations for the show. David also appeared on Perry Mason and voiced a bunch of Disney characters, including Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast and Dr. Juma Jucabal in Lilo and Stitch. David also passed away in 2018, and I think we talked about this on the pod. But if Bill Daniels did leave Boy Meets World after the pilot, David Ogden Stiers was set to step in to play Mr. Feet. Wow. Yep. Jamie Farr. Isn't that amazing? Isn't it? Jamie Farr is Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, another legendary TV actor who was unknown when first cast on M A S H. He became very synonymous with this role and was also Emmy nominated. Then we get into our guest stars soon. Taek O, who was a very famous actor back in the day, played Ralph. He's best known as the voice of Fazu in Disney's Mulan and was a veteran actor from shows like Airwolf, Charlie's Angels, and MacGyver. He also passed away in 2018. We're gonna have a lot of people gone. It's gonna be a very small reunion for this episode. G.W. bailey is Sergeant Luther Rizzo. Bailey will always be known as Lieutenant Harris in the Police Academy movies. And another a hole cop in the movie Mannequin. And then we've got Byron Chung as North Korean patrol leader. Our listeners may recognize him as son's father and Jin's father in law boss on Lost. Awesome role. And then you've got Bob Okazaki as Farmer Fred, the Sushi master and Blade Runner. And Roy Goldman as the. He was a stand in on the show who got credit here. You see that a lot on Boy Meets World as well. He was also the stand in for Mel Brooks on movies like Spaceballs and To Be or Not To Be and almost to a Person. Everybody on the cast of M A S H said he was the funniest person they'd ever met in his life. The problem was he had horrible stage fright. So when they kept giving him roles, he would panic. And so everyone said when the cameras were off, the funniest guy you'd ever meet, you'd call action. And unfortunately he would say, you don't.

[Ryder Strong]

Know anything about that?

[Will Friedle]

I don't know. No idea what that's like concept to you? Strange.

[Ryder Strong]

Right? Well, okay, so here's my question, because it sounds like there's all these contract disputes. And when the show was such a huge hit, was there a lot of behind the scenes drama? Like it sounds like besides Alan Alda and Hot Lips Houlihan. I can. I can hear her name. What's her name?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, Hot Lips. Oh, you're talking Loretta Sweat.

[Ryder Strong]

Loretta. Like, besides the two of them, it seems like there's a lot of shuffling going on. A lot of like it's all, it's. It sounds like it's one of those things like you have a hit show and then everybody kind of uses that as a launching pad to do something else. I don't know, it just. Was there a lot of drama behind the scenes?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I mean, yes, there's. There's room. Let's put it this way. Rumors abound.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So there are some people that say, for instance, Gary Berghoff, who played Radar and Radar was there for eight. Like he left halfway through this season. Halfway through season eight. There was. If you go back and you watch his last four episodes of the show, he's on R and R in Tokyo. So he's shooting in a hotel room or what's supposed to be a hotel room by himself. And then calling in to Klinger.

[Ryder Strong]

And that was because of set drama. He didn't want to work with him.

[Will Friedle]

And so there's rumors that that was because people didn't want to work with him or he was difficult to work with. He's also done interviews since, saying he was going through some personal stuff at the time, really felt it was time to leave the show. And that's why he left after. After 8 and a half seasons. All of the actors also, almost to a person, say that he was the most talented actor on the show.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, so this episode involves a lot of, like, stunts and single camera stuff. You have like car crash, you have motorcycle rides. Is that typical? Like, would that a single. Okay. Because I was gonna say this seems like a harder job than your average sitcom based on this episode alone. I was like, oh, this is not as much fun. Or an easy schedule.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

So there was.

[Will Friedle]

And the producers, by the way, the thing that I knew you were gonna hate, the producers hated as well. There was a fight. They fought constantly with the network because they did not want a laugh track.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I don't like that.

[Will Friedle]

Absolutely. And the only concession that the network was able to make, and you can watch this throughout the series, is there's no laugh track in any scene in the. Or.

[Ryder Strong]

Interesting.

[Will Friedle]

Every other scene they throw in a laugh track, but there's no laugh track in the audience.

[Ryder Strong]

But it was never in front of a live audience.

[Will Friedle]

No. So the laugh track was shot at the ranch right near my house out here in California. Part the outdoor stuff. And then I think they were on the Paramount lot where they, you know, the inside of the swamp and the. OR and some of those places. So they had their practical sets and then they had, I think, two sets. I believe it was Paramount. I could be wrong about that, but I'm pretty sure it was. So no, this was a very in depth show. A lot going on and obviously like our show, as the show progressed, you saw more and more things. Ha. You know, more choppers landing and more things that cost money. But this was at the time a not a popular show. In the first season. It was almost canceled several times. And so what you'll notice is the pilot episode, they essentially. Which is just called the pilot, the season two, episode one is then called Divided We Stand. And they redid the pilot. They literally just reintroduced all the characters again because the show wasn't doing well. So they were burning off episodes during the summer and then there was nothing else on during the summer. So people were starting to find it. And then the president of CBS's wife became a big fan. He was going to cancel it. She said, you can't Cancel this. They retooled the show, brought it back, and then it exploded and became what it did. So that's what's missing in television nowadays is nothing's allowed to grow anymore. And so mash, Cheers, the Office, all the shows. You love Seinfeld. These were all shows that were almost canceled and then had a champion at the network and were brought back.

[Ryder Strong]

ADD tv. We had a champion.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Well, let me ask you a question again, other than confusion.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

What did you think about the episode?

[Ryder Strong]

It's weird.

[Will Friedle]

Like.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I just, I. I can't wrap my head or like, it doesn't feel like a sitcom. It feels like kind of its own thing. So I guess the hardest part for me to wrap my head around was just that I didn't laugh. It's like. And I don't know if that's typical. What I appreciated wit, I appreciated language and writing. I appreciated, like. But I was like, my biggest reaction would be okay. Never like, you know.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

It was always. Everything is so understated. Everybody is so smart. Like, all the characters are so smart. Everybody's sort of like, I don't know, it's just a very different mode than I'm used to. You know, I'm used to like, sitcom being sort of a character driven thing where people are a little absurd and just bigger and sort of, you know, and especially like having a laugh track on this doesn't make any sense. Cause it's lower energy. It's more like banter, you know, it's more bantery and witty and clever. But that's not the same thing as like a crazy misunderstanding with like hijinks, you know, and so it was just a different mode and like that. I think that's what was confusing to me is it was hard for me to understand, like, what. How to get into the zone of watching this. You know, like, I want to. I want to watch more because I did. I appreciate its intelligence. But here's the thing. I started to realize, like, you kind of have to bring everything. You have to bring everything to a level of irony and understatement when the stakes are this high. Like, you're dealing with life or death. You're dealing with a war situation.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And. And in order to make that okay to be funny, you have to always sort of. The characters have to always be a little above the dialogue. They have to always be a little like, you know, like when they're, when they're insulting each other or like, you know, whatever. There's always a level of Irony or distance to it that. I don't know. It was just. It's an interesting tone. Like, it's a really interesting tone. But I was like, yeah, but I wouldn't want them to be, like, really worried about getting captured by the North Korea. By the Koreans. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I need a level of like, oh, this has to be a joke about surrendering and, like, making little comments to each other. Like, do we put our arms down? You put your arms down. Like, there's a gun pointed at them. Like, what other sitcoms have guns pointed at each other? Like, seriously? I was like, yeah, I don't know how to make this funny. Like, I would be sitting there as a writer going like, well, there's no way. And I would. My instinct, because I'm a very earnest person, I would be like, well, we got to play the reality. We got to be freaked. Freaked the f. Out the whole time. And you can't, you know.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

So I'm just not sure that this show is, for me in that way because, like, I. The second a gun enters the frame or you're, like, literally lost in enemy territory or there's somebody dying on the. Or whatever I'm sure happens week to week, I'm like, well, we have to play this for what it really is. And of course you can't, because then it's not funny. Then it's.

[Will Friedle]

You know, but you can't. So that's why this is why this episode is a strange one to start with. So there's a number of different mashes.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

The episode I would start with, which is. I'm going to insist we all watch now because you're going to be like, oh, my God, it's a different television show.

[Ryder Strong]

Show.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, it's a completely different television show is a season one episode called sometimes you hear the bullet. And it's the perfect balance of wacky funny. Wow. Our wa. I mean, there's literally. In that season two, episode one, there's a voiceover that comes on that goes like, join our wacky surgeons. Every week as they. I mean, they literally say that. And so it's the perfect combo of it's really funny.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

And it also rips your heart out. Out.

[Ryder Strong]

So they did lean into farce. Sometimes they lean into, like, over the top.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God. That. The first three seasons of this show, that's all it is.

[Ryder Strong]

Interesting.

[Will Friedle]

And then it comes. The tone completely changes.

[Ryder Strong]

Right? Because then the other one I've. I've heard of that I've never seen is Hogan's Heroes, which was also, like a World War II detention camp comedy.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

See, like, this kind of stuff, I just. I have such a hard time because I just. My brain doesn't go there. Like, I'm not that type of person. Like, I. So I'm fascinated by it. But, yeah, in general, I just felt a little like, low energy, sort of like, I can appreciate a sophistication to this, but I'm not laughing.

[Will Friedle]

And you'll be laughing hysterically at the first three seasons. Yeah. Okay. I mean, really, it was way more sitcom, and that's what some of the actors had a problem with. They're like, we're in the middle of a war. We've got a. You know, Hawkeye was a total womanizer, but in real life, Alan Aldo was very much part of the feminist movement. So when he started to. To get more creative control, the episode started to be more about women's empowerment. Like, the show just changed. Right. So everybody talks about the different mashes, and people that are big MASH enthusiasts will be like, I'm a season one through three purist, which is what I am. I love seasons one through three, four, and five. The transition seasons are great, and Winchester, who comes in, is a phenomenal actor, but I preferred the early mash. It got very. By 11, it's like. It's so soapy that it's really heavy. Interesting. The final episode is brutal.

[Ryder Strong]

I like the way that the. The B story did deal with sort of feminist themes in this one. I thought it was clever because it's, like, character driven. Makes sense. Funny. The guy gets his comeuppance. He's, you know, not the. The A story. I'm just not sure what the tension was like between the two of them, other than him being, like, a bad driver who gets them lost. Right.

[Will Friedle]

They're just best friends.

[Ryder Strong]

They're just best friends. Right. So, again, like, even though you have these incredibly high stakes, I wasn't sure, like, what's. What's the point of, like, what are we learning about? I don't know. I was just kind of like, all right, we're just going from one situation to another to another. It wasn't as character driven.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

To the same extent. I was like, but, you know, I'm. I'm being, you know. You know me. I'm.

[Will Friedle]

No, but that's. That's how it should be. And again, this is absolutely the wrong episode to start with, but we're doing it because it's a Thanksgiving episode. Go back. And we're going to do this for podmi's World. We're going to have to. We're going to do a season one episode and you're going to be like, it's not even the equivalent of season one, Boy Meets World and season seven, Boy Meets World. It's the equivalent of season one, Boy Meets World and season three. Step by step. Like, it's a different show. It's just. It's season one, Boy Meets World and season four. Er. Right. Like, it's just. It's two completely different.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. So where do you put this in the, in the pantheon of.

[Will Friedle]

These are not my favorite episodes. Right. The. The later series. The later episodes are not my favorite episodes. I usually get to about season seven and I start over.

[Ryder Strong]

Tapping out. Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

I start. I go back. I go back and start over. I know them all from. I didn't. You know, I'm watching this again. I was like, 11:30 last night. I'm like, why am I watching this? I know every line. I don't need to see this again. But let's get into the recap of the show for the people who haven't seen it who are now like, please stop talking about mash. Well, we still got a lot more to go.

[Jensen Karp]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

These are deals so extra that they absolutely cannot be missed. And every two weeks there's gonna be more.

[Jensen Karp]

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[Will Friedle]

And speaking of saving, extra care is the way to save at cvs. So use your extra care card to unlock savings every time you shop.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

To check the CVS Health app for deals and savings, visit your local CVS.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Store So the opening credits. Everyone's aware of the song, right? It's iconic. There is a full version of the song with pretty shocking lyrics, honestly. Have you heard the full version, right?

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

It's called Suicide Is Painless is the name of the song. And the suicide is painless. It brings on many changes and I can take it or leave it if I please. Also a funny thing to know. It was a kid of, I think one of the producers or one of the network executives who wrote this song. He apparently wrote it in like a day or two and has made more money on MASH than anyone else involved with the show.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

Isn't that crazy? He was like 17 when he wrote it. Or if he was even that old when he wrote the song. So we start in the medical tent. Another ill soldier is carried in to see the doctor. It's Sergeant Rizzo, hunched over and moaning. He asks Colonel Potter if he knows the feeling of a weekend where you just drink cheap booze and eat chili dogs. I wish I felt that good. And this is when the laugh track kicks in. Because again, we're in the post op, we're not an or. You can laugh in post op, you can't laugh in or. Potter assures him he'll help with his stomach pains, but Rizzo wants the truth. Is it rabies was a bit by a rat? Potter shakes his head no. We just received the lab reports. It looks like salmonella. And then you get Your first real sitcom joke. Salmonella. Who are they? The Colonel realizes he's sicker than he thought. Then Father Mulcahy walks in to see an overwhelming amount of ill soldiers filling out the tent. He can't believe Thanksgiving was filled with so many casualties. But the Colonel explains that these are their own soldiers. And Potter has figured out the issue. He asked the soldiers, is there anyone here who did not have some of the turkey last night? All the soldiers groan in pain, but Mulcahy, looking fresh as a daisy, raises his hand. Potter announces that the men were bitten by the bird that fed him. Rizzo asks, klinger poisoned us with his Thanksgiving. Oh, sorry. I'll stop doing my Blake Clark impression. His Thanksgiving surprise. The Colonel nods, and Rizzo starts to fume. Now I hope I live just so I can kill Klinger. Father Mulcahy admits this is the first time I'm giving thanks for missing Thanksgiving. The father offers his help, and Potter tells him to go pick a patient. Any patient. Then none other than Corporal Klinger himself. And this is again, this is Klinger in military uniform, which has only been a season and a half because Klinger was dressing to get out of the army. So he's in the troublemaker.

[Ryder Strong]

He's an outsider. He's the sort of mischief maker of this show.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. But it was really just.

[Ryder Strong]

He's.

[Will Friedle]

He's vying for. He hates war. He doesn't want to. He has this great speech one time, which is funny, though, back in the day, where he's like, I don't want to get killed, obviously, but I also don't want to kill anybody. Nope. Going to tell me. I have to. I'm getting out. So he just wants a Section eight. And it gets. You know, he's just in dresses the whole time, just trying to get out. And it's. It's. Parts of it are very funny. Again, I am. I'm not going to couch any of this by saying all of this ages. Well, some of it doesn't. It's a show from the 70s. You got to. You got to just know that it's a show from the 70s. Can't apologize for everything.

[Ryder Strong]

But I feel like a lot of this storyline is just, oh, that clinger.

[Will Friedle]

This, you know, like, he's kind of.

[Ryder Strong]

The one who instigates situations that then screws everybody over and. Okay, okay.

[Will Friedle]

Klinger was. In the first few seasons, he'd pop up every once in a while. He wasn't in every episode. So it wasn't until later that he started to really get into the episodes and became again like Topanga. Same kind of vibe. So none other than Corporal Klinger comes bounding in with a smile. But is greeted with a handful of angry groans. One of them yells out, assassin. Klinger has no idea what he did wrong. So Rizzo and Potter break the news. Your turkeys gave everybody the trots. Klinger swears that this is first class birds from Sergeant Thermopolis at I Corps Quartermaster. But Rizzo calls them war surplus. Klinger doesn't budge. It couldn't have been his birds because he and Potter ate them too. The Colonel asks if he's reached out to the doctors yet. Klinger says he's missed Major's Houlihan and Winchester, but they should be here in an hour or so. And he contacted Captains Pierce and Honeycutt at the ikansong Battalionade. And it'll be three or four hours before they get there. There. Potter begins to walk away, then decides he has one more thing to say to Clinger. For Christmas, we eat out. Then we're in the middle of nowhere, which is actually, I think, Woodland Hills in Calabasas. In California.

[Ryder Strong]

Malibu.

[Will Friedle]

Malibu State Park. Like that whole area.

[Ryder Strong]

The other thing that was so distracting for me is like, I have hiked these trails.

[Will Friedle]

I literally have.

[Ryder Strong]

I've camped in Malibu.

[Will Friedle]

In Korea.

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Where they shoot.

[Ryder Strong]

The opening helicopter sequence is. Is a famous little valley in Malibu where you can still camp. It's a group campsite. That's amazing. And I've been there a bunch, so I was like, oh, yeah. And I've hiked these trails I've been on.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

So I could never. There's no suspension of disbelief. I was like, oh, yeah. I literally sat there. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Well, it was until, I think, not. Not even the last fire. I think the fire before it, there was a Still a MASH setup.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So you could hike there. And there's tents and all that kind of stuff. And I think. I think most of it was wiped out, unfortunately. So we're in the middle of nowhere. Honeycutt and Hawkeye come flying down the road in an army. Hawkeye begs Honeycutt to slow down, but he can't. Klinger told them to hurry. Hawkeye reminds him that it's only 74 miles away. But Honeycutt admits it may be more than that. They're lost. Hawkeye wonders, Lost? Like, where the hell are we? Honeycutt shrugs. Well, we're not totally lost. We're still in Asia. Hawkeye thought that this was a shortcut Honeycutt says it was. Look how fast we got lost. Hawkeye calls him a nerd and demands they go back. But then out of nowhere, there's an abandoned Jeep that was crushed by a tree in the middle of the road.

[Ryder Strong]

Honeycutt knew was the nerd term at this point.

[Will Friedle]

Must have been pretty new, I would imagine.

[Ryder Strong]

Also weirdly used because, like, if you're a nerd, you don't get lost. Right.

[Will Friedle]

Like, were there nerds? I guess there were nerds in the 50s, I guess.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. But isn't a nerd supposed to be somebody who's, like, nerdy? Like, they are pocket protector, wearing, like, mathematical.

[Will Friedle]

Like, that was in the 80s. That became a nerd, I think, in the 50s. And that was geek was the one.

[Ryder Strong]

You'Re thinking about was just like an outsider. What does it mean?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, like, you're just a nerd. Like, you're like, I think kind of like a. Like a. See, I. Like a bobblehead, I guess. Like, you're a nerd.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know to mean that your brain doesn't work that well. Because I think of a nerd now as somebody who's like, brain is hyper good and their social skills are really bad. And in this case, he's using it the exact opposite.

[Will Friedle]

Maybe. Yeah. Because I look at a nerd like, I'm a nerd. Like, I just want to play D and D. Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

You're, like, really into something and you're really good at, like, certain things, but you really like social skills you're not, like, quite aware of.

[Will Friedle]

Right, right.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know, like, that. It was such a weird use. I was like, this was still. Maybe this was still kind of a newish term.

[Will Friedle]

It must have been. I don't know, but I get it. It's also, the show's supposed to. This is supposed to be 1951. So it's like. I guess it was used. I don't know. That's one thing I will say about the show is I've done a lot of research and watched producers interviews and stuff like that. They were very important with historical accuracy to the point where there was one off. Arguably the worst named character in the history of television, a black surgeon in the first season called Spearchucker.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

That was the character's name. Awful. Just awful. But they got rid of the character not because the actor was bad or because they didn't like him, but because with the more research they did, there were no black surgeons in Korea.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

So they unfortunately fired this actor. But, God, we could say goodbye to that name forever. It was awful. What did you think? So Honeycutt spins outta control and the car tips over, sending the men flying into the dirt with all their supplies. Now, now, what did you think of the crash with the camera move and, like, throwing the helmets? Did it. Did the crash work for you?

[Ryder Strong]

Totally. I actually, after it happened, I was like, whoa, did they show the crash? And I had to go back. And I was like, no, they didn't. They cheated. But I thought it was a good cheat. Right. I was impressed all the. Like, that's what I was like. God. Credit to the director for, like, basically taking a really basic sitcom situation and having to shoot a single camera style for a lot of it. Like, like, yeah, it's.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw it again. I'm like, okay. They. They captured the. The. The violence of the accident by. With just the camera move. And you can see if you watch it again, he. Mike Farrell clearly, like, they have him sit up really fast and throw his helmet.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So it looks like his helmet is rolling away, but you can see him, like, actually throwing it. So, yeah, you got to go frame by frame. But it's pretty funny. Yeah. They compose themselves. Hawkeye mentions he may want to put a sign on his car. Caution, Student maniac. Honeycutt insists they can roll the vehicle back over all by themselves, but Hawkeye isn't so sure. Regardless, the two try pushing it over and fail, toppling the car onto its roof. Hawkeye says, all right, what are you waiting for? Get in. Which is, I think, my favorite moment of the entire episode.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Cause you can just see that it's not going to work. We're back in the medical tent. Father Mulcahy is helping Rizzo limp back to his cot when Klinger shows up to ask Rizzo how he's doing. Rizzo turns his attention to the priest instead, asking to make a confession. I murdered someone tomorrow. He stares at Klinger with pure hatred. Klinger insists he's just trying to help, so Rizzo suggests, then go die on your own. And then, almost on command, a dizzy Klinger turns to Potter and says, you may want to lie down, sir. You're getting blurry. Potter grabs on a Klinger, who now has a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from barfing. Potter admits that this is some poetic justice. Potter manages to place Klinger under the cot right next to Rizzo, who ceremoniously groans to the room. Klinger's got It. They all break out into a weak round of applause at the good news. Colonel Potter's about to celebrate. It's just him and the priest left. But before he can even finish the sentence, he gags and runs out of the door himself in a panic. We're back in the middle of nowhere.

[Ryder Strong]

Could have done without that scene, personally. Yeah. Nothing happens. Nothing happens in that storyline. The whole idea of.

[Will Friedle]

Other than Klinger gets it, too. That's it.

[Ryder Strong]

Just like.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, but you could have just come back with Cut back and he's in bed.

[Ryder Strong]

I just wanted the. I. I once I was like, where is this going? And then once the. You know, Hot Lips and. Or. Yeah, once they entered, I was like, cool. But. But up until then, I was like, there's no conflict here. Except just Hayden Klinger.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that's. He's. Again, he's the wacky character.

[Ryder Strong]

Don't love watching people be sick. Like, don't love. Like, people about to throw up. And you hearing all the groans. I was like, it's uncomfortable.

[Will Friedle]

Again. I'm going to be picking a different episode for you to watch. Yeah. We're back in the middle of nowhere with Hawkeye and Honeycutt that are walking through deep brush with supplies in hand. Honeycutt suggests they keep their eyes out and their ears peeled. Right before they spot a North Korean soldier. Both sides are startled. But the Korean soldier manages to point his gun at Hawkeye and Honeycutt. But then the man smiles and excitedly says something in Korean. Honeycutt yells not to shoot. In response, the Korean soldier quickly drops his gun, then raises his arms in the air just as Hawkeye and Honeycutt do the same. Now all three men have their arms in the air. It's the opposite of a standoff. The Korean soldier says something else. They can't obviously understand him. Hawkeye whispers to his partner, what's going on here, Beej? But he doesn't know either. Hawkeye suggests they lower their arms since the North Korean soldier seems to be surrendering. They argue over who should put their arms down first. Until Honeycutt suggests, if you put your arms down and he doesn't shoot, I'll do the same. If he does shoot you, I'll put your arms back up again. They eventually put their arms down simultaneously. And once they do, the North Korean soldier does the same with a smile on his face. Honeycutt jokes that this is a great moment in military history. They've all captured each other. Hawkeye tells their new friend that they're not in the Capturing department. That's on the third floor by the linens. As the two Americans try to leave with their supplies, the Korean soldier runs over to kneel in front of him, arms behind his head, in total surrender. Hawkeye and Honeycutt continue to walk past him, wishing him the best as the man doesn't stop trying to surrender. By the way, this is also a perfect place to point out this same actor has played 42 different characters on M A S H. Are you serious?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

They had a very small, at the time, selection of Asian actors. Oh, it wasn't even Korean. It was just Asian.

[Ryder Strong]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So Chinese, Chinese, American, Japanese, American, Korean, American. You were just a Korean.

[Ryder Strong]

So is there anywhere where somebody's translated what he says throughout this episode?

[Will Friedle]

I'm sure he knows I love to.

[Ryder Strong]

See the subtitles because I was like. The whole time, I was like, why don't they just tell us what he's saying? It'd be so cool.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. It would be interesting to see what he's actually saying.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. And I actually think this episode would have been so much better if the audience was able to see his subtitles. Right. Like, if there was a whole nother layer to this storyline. Because the storyline is so clearly from the point of view of the Americans. And it's just like, oh, we have no idea what the crazy foreigner is saying. And it's like, well, from his point of view, it's the same thing, right? Like, what are these crazy. I'm trying to surrender, and they're not listening to me.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

And they're not realizing that I want to desert my army. Like, that's a great point of view, too. And I would love if, like, you know, the show had leaned into that, because I feel like nowadays that's what you would do, right. If you had this storyline, you would have equivalent perspectives, and you would give him that and the audience access to that with some subtitles. And it was great as it is. He's a caricature, you know, he's.

[Will Friedle]

Well, yeah. I mean, again, that's. That was very common back in the day, obviously. They do do one episode, I want to say. It's in season seven, called so. So one of the tropes that they use on the show all the time is Dear Blank is the name of the episode. So Dear dad, were. Were big ones in the first season where it's. You hear Hawkeye's voiceover, and he's kind of explaining things, and he's writing a letter to his dad, and then they expand on that. Where they do, you know, Dear Mildred, where Colonel. The Colonel's writing his wife. And one of them they do is called Dear Comrade. And it's actually a spy comes into the camp and is pretending to be the house boy for Winchester and cleaning up the thing. But it's all from his point of view. And he's doing the voiceover, writing back to the Communist leaders in China, talking about what's going on at the forest. 77th. So it's an interesting one that's done all from his point of view. By the way, they do some things in these television shows, especially the later ones in this season as well, that you. As a filmmaker and as a television, mostly as a filmmaker, but as somebody who loves breaking ground and things that have never been done before are really amazing. Like, they do one episode called Point of View, where the entire episode is just the camera walking around. And it's a. It's a point of view of an injured soldier being brought to the 407 section. So you just see the arm, and he's on the chopper, and then they land, and then it's all the characters coming and talking to him. They do another one that was written by Alan Alda and the medical advisor from the show, Walter Dishel, together, where a soldier comes in with a very specific injury to his heart, and they have a certain amount of time to fix him, or he's going to be paralyzed. And a clock actually appears on the bottom of the screen. And you're, like, following the clock to see if they get. Get the. This. This aorta put back in in time. So they're doing things to break ground for TV that are actually pretty amazing. But, okay, we're now back at base camp. Major Hot Lips Houlahan and Major Winchester arrive back at the camp.

[Ryder Strong]

A woman has entered the show.

[Will Friedle]

There you go.

[Ryder Strong]

I was like, what a crazy set. All dudes, all the time dude.

[Will Friedle]

It's war in the 50s. How many women you think were involved?

[Ryder Strong]

I just could not believe. I was like, wow. I mean, so she must have been the only female on the set on a pretty regular basis. Is she the only female regular?

[Will Friedle]

No. Female regular, yes. But they have. There's nurses in every episode. And they do a lot of. Especially in these later episodes. They do a lot of episodes based on the Nurses. And I think the year she won her Emmy, there's an episode just called the Nurses where she gives a speech and breaks down crying, which is still. People still talk about it for one of the best television moments of all time. She does this gasping, racking sob that is just. It's phenomenal. So, yeah, she's. But, yes, only female regular on the show. And again, they had to work you in because they would often in the wars, you know, the second they'd get wind that the. The enemy's advancing, the women were shipped out. The nurses were there, but they were shipped out immediately. So. Yeah, but she's here. She's here. Houlahan and. And our possible. Mr. Feeney. Major Winchester arrived back at the camp to help, and Colonel Potter's obviously very happy to see him. But Major Winchester can't help notice how awful the camp looks. And Potter looks. He quips, I'm glad you noticed. I'd hate to feel this rotten and have to hate to feel this rotten and have it just be my little secret. He reveals that the entire camp has sal Manila, thanks to Klinger's turkeys. He can hardly say a word without puking. Ryder's favorite Major Houlihan commands the colonel to get some rest. And he responds, don't get your Irish up with me. But Major Winchester backs her up. However, he'd like to freshen up a bit before he attends to the ill soldiers. Potter mocks him. I'll have room service send over a nice again burping turkey sandwich close to barfing. Again. He asks, you want to move it now or you want to move it later? With that, Winchester and Houlihan move quickly into the medical tent. And yes, even by this point, I was like, I don't need them all constantly on the verge of throwing up. Yeah, it gets. It gets much. It gets much, as I would like to say. But we're back in the medical tent. Father Mulcahy is still running around trying to attend the soldiers. Klinger appears at the door with a bucket in his hand, ready to help, help. But immediately a bedpan is thrown and just nearly misses his face. Father Mulcahy takes that as a no, but Klinger insists if he's needed, he'll just be under his bed. Then Major Houlihan and Winchester enter the room. The priest is relieved. The marines have landed. Houlihan realizes there's a lot in his plate here. But the father doesn't mind. He admits he's never felt more useful or needed, which was another trope they went to a lot was a priest in wartime.

[Ryder Strong]

He.

[Will Friedle]

They do a lot of episodes based around him later where he's like. Like all I do is walk around watching people break commandments all the time. And nobody's coming to my. I just am not useful at all. And it's very, very interesting. He exits the room with some dirty sheets. As Winchester surveys the room himself, he announces that all the patients really need at this point is rest and attention. In other words, nursing. So he's just gonna take a quick shower and nap. But Major Houlihan shouts, one step more out that door, buster, and you'll need a doctor. She commands him to start with cleaning the linens. But Winchester thinks she must begin. Beginning. She counters, okay, then start with the bedpans and work your way up. He's offended. Wash and clean. I'm a doctor, not a woman. Show that takes place. Show shot in the 70s, that takes place in the 50s.

[Ryder Strong]

And isn't that like a reframing of the classic Star Trek line? Damn it, Jim, I'm a doctor.

[Will Friedle]

I'm a doctor now. I didn't even think about that. I'm a doctor. Not a pretty insert here, right? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Sixties.

[Ryder Strong]

I wonder if. Because I was like, oh, that's a call back to. That, in some way is. And this is where I was like, there's a story.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

All right. Conflict. Like, that's what I mean. Like the. The previous scene with Clinger, like, they could have folded into this. Like, they could have just had Clinger getting sick and everybody being happy about it. But now we finally have, like, two characters with conflict. And I was like, oh, cool. I'm going to get to see these two go at it. And, you know, it's great and it gets better.

[Will Friedle]

But, yeah. Oh, God, I can't wait for you to see the earlier episodes. We're now in the middle of nowhere again. Hawkeye and Honeycutter still trudging through a dirt pass and North Korean soldiers following close behind them. Hawkeye calls a soldier Ralph. Ralph. And Honeycutt questions the name Hawkeye explains Kathy Harris's kid brother. Whenever we wanted to go for a walk or the movies, there was little Ralphie tagging along. Honeycutt wonders, if they give him a quarter, will he go home? And then Hawkeye remembers, I still though I still owe that little bandit $300.25. Honeycutt spots a small area with brush coverage and decides they could use a little break. Hawkeye sarcastically notes, we're gonna sit now, Beej. Try not to get lost on the way down. Honeycutt assures him he'll get them out. Once the men sit, the North Korean soldier follows suit. Hawkeye decides it's time to try out his roadmap he uses a stick to draw their location in the dirt and explains that they'd like to go from here to the MASH 4077th. The soldier appears to know how. He gets up, proudly holding his gun, but the guys quickly realize he has no idea where they are. But then the soldier aggressively points their guns in their faces and shouts at them. The guys are obviously startled. Hawkeye tells Honeycutt to give him a quarter. The soldier forces them to stand up with the gun still pointed at them.

[Ryder Strong]

Them.

[Will Friedle]

Then we see four other armed North Korean soldiers walking their way. Hawkeye whispers to Honeycutt, remember only your name, rank and serial number, and if they ask nicely, MacArthur's home address. Ralph angrily shushes them before speaking to his fellow soldiers. The guys joke, nice day, huh? How about those Dodgers? Which prompts the Koreans to point their loaded guns at the two Americans actually cocking the guns. They are literally now standing in front of a firing line, but Ralph jumps in and stops them. The other soldiers reluctantly lower their guns as Ralph quietly speaks to them, ending with a smile on his face. Honeycutt and Hawkeye watch their fates unravel right before them. Finally, Ralph makes the other soldiers laugh, and they decide to leave him with the Americans. Ralph watches his fellow soldiers leave, then points his gun back at Hawkeye and Honeycutt, threatening them in Korean. But once he notices his buddies are gone, he gives them one of the funniest double winks in television history. Ralph just saved their butts once. Hawkeye announces that the Bowery Boys are out of sight. Ralph surrenders again, and they both run over and completely embrace him, which was a great turn. Yeah, we're now back at base camp. Father Mulcahy is gleefully singing to himself as he washes the soldier's linens with Major Winchester. Winchester is, of course, less than pleased with the chore sweat coating his face while wringing a sheet dry. The priest exclaims, there's nothing better than feeling needed. Then Hot Lip storms in, criticizing Major Winchester for his battleship gray sheets. They need to be stark white. The Major absolutely loses it. His hands are pruned from slaving over the cesspool all day. Father Mulcahy is displeased, talking about prunes at a time. This the Major declares that he abdicates his tub and washboard. Major Houlihan points out a stack of bedpans with his name on him instead. Winchester lets laugh. This is great. Winchester lets out a laugh. I'd sooner do the Lindy with Eleanor Roosevelt Houlihan counts him in a one and a two. Father Mulcahy tries to play peacekeeper, but they're not having it. Instead, Winchester declares, I'm trying to remember that you're a woman and a fellow officer. She screams back, don't patronize me, skinhead. He responds with, you're not in charge here, bimbo. And it's just crazy. Before things even get more heated, Father Mulcahy finally intervenes. We just can't afford to act like nincompoops. Great use of nincompoop. We need to bring that back. There are sick people here. And the three of us are all that they have. The majors pull it together and manage to apologize to one another. Houlihan earnestly asks, what'll it be? Sheets or bedpans? Winchester pauses for a moment, then sings Father Mulcahy's we're about to wash our sheets. Wash our sheets.

[Ryder Strong]

Wash our sheets.

[Will Friedle]

What did you think? What do you think of that scene?

[Ryder Strong]

It's good because there's conflict, Character based conflict. I wish that they had set up, like, the priest a little bit more as, like, you know, an easy fix for me would have been, like, if in the earlier scenes he had tried to intervene to, like, make people get along in the With a Clinger situation and couldn't. But in this instance, he, you know, because it was. I just wanted everybody to sort of, There's a rewrite in there, but, but no, I, I, this is where I was like, great, there's fireworks.

[Will Friedle]

But.

[Ryder Strong]

Because even in the other storyline, like, I have. I'm having a hard time seeing the difference in character between Hawkeye and bj. I'm like, yeah, these are both kind of similar dudes, white dudes with similar, like, ironic vibes. And like, I don't know, I just wanted, like, I wanted, you know, that's.

[Will Friedle]

Literally one of the reasons that the network asked Mike Farrell to grow a mustache.

[Ryder Strong]

Just so they could tell them apart.

[Will Friedle]

So they could tell them apart.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. And that's a, you know, I just, you could tell that they were just into, like, a vibe of a certain type of. But it's like, but, you know, this is a great opportunity, like, and they're trying to make it like, you got us lost. But I was like, but they're kind of the same guy. Like, and so anytime that there's like this, where I see different types of people going at it, I'm like, great. That's, that's conflict.

[Will Friedle]

And earlier the characters were very different. When, when BJ first got there because he's supposed to be fresh out of residency. He's. He's married with a new baby, and he's, like, very. He still likes to drink and have fun. But where Hawkeye is the lothario and is out there womanizing all the time, BJ is very, you know, so he's also very loyal to his wife. So that was a different character thing. But they. The network came to them after a season or two and just said, you guys even look too much alike. Can you grow a mustache?

[Ryder Strong]

But that's what I mean. I think that, like, when I say banter, you know, like, the banter is the priority. It's sort of like, you know, it's the wit of the dialogue that's more important than the actual, like, revelation of character.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Everybody's sort of above it, and, you know.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I'm gonna be. When we watch the next episode, which I'm gonna pick, you're literally going to start by going, it's a completely different television show. It's. It's a completely different television show.

[Jensen Karp]

Okay, I've got a question for you. During the holiday season, how much is too much to wear your pajamas? This is a serious question. Because the holidays, let's be honest, are the coziest time of year and pajamas the coziest thing you can wear. So according to, like, math, shouldn't you wear pajamas all. All the time? You know, every minute of every day? And if you're going to do that, which obviously you should, you will need to grab some new PJs. Good thing old Navy just dropped its new jingle Jammies collection. It's their biggest ever. We're talking 20 different prints in tons of traditional styles, like classic plaids, so it's easy to find something for the whole family. From your giant Uncle Bob, who always eats all the turkey, to your newest niche, niece, Nelly. And everyone can get exactly the print they want or go matching, then strike a pose and make it your ultimate holiday card moment. Whether everyone makes their own statement or you go matchy, matchy. These jingle jammies are seriously soft. Perfect for lounging all day, sitting toasty by the fire, unwrapping gifts, or even, you know, sleeping. Basically, like I said, you'll want to wear them all the time. But society, for reasons I still can't understand, frowns on 247 potential pajamas. Fortunately, Old Navy solved that problem with coordinating graphic tees, sweatshirts, socks, and fleece blankets. It's cozy, layered on cozy. They even have pet sweaters. So go ahead. Maximize those feel good vibes and crank up the cheer. It's gonna be the best season ever. Find your jingle jammies and all the holiday goodies [e-mail] tired of spills and.

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

These are deals so extra that they absolutely cannot be missed. And every two weeks there's going to be more.

[Jensen Karp]

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[Will Friedle]

And speaking of saving, Extra care is the way to save at cvs. So use your Extra Care card to unlock savings every time you ship shop.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Jensen Karp]

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[Will Friedle]

And always be sure to check the CVS Health app for deals and savings.

[Ryder Strong]

Visit your local CVS store or cvs.com extra big deals to shop this week's deals and stock up on your favorite products.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to buy gifts. I love it so much. I love it so much more than getting gifts. But the one thing that I do love, especially when it comes to my daughter, is getting matching things. I know it's such a cliche, but I love it so much. So I have the perfect brand for you. Pandora Jewelry can make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Will Friedle]

So we're back in the middle of nowhere. Hawkeye, Honeycutt, and now Ralph have continued their quest towards the MASH 4007 7. When they stumble upon a Korean man in trouble. He's buried beneath a hay cart. They run to his aid and manage to lift it off of him. Honeycutt attends to the man's wounds. Hawkeye complains, just our luck. Another foreigner. Honeycutt offers a new rule. From now on, no invading the country if you don't speak the language. The injured man tries to tell them something, but they obviously can't understand them. Instead, Hawkeye introduces the trio to the pedestrian, joking that he probably knows Honeycutt from Dr. School. Honeycutt asks the man's name, and he and Ralph both respond in Korean. Hawkeye admits that's a lot to remember. How about we just call you Fred for short? Honeycutt finishes wrapping the man's foot, and when he tries to stand up, he shrieks in pain. They realize they have to get him home, which shouldn't be too far, right? Honeycutt wonders how they'll get him there, and Hawkeye decides he'll be carried by all of those who got us lost in walking. Honeycutt bends down to piggyback the man, admitting his mother always told him never to pick up strangers. And we're now back at base camp. Major Houlihan is continuing with her chores. When she walks by Major Winchester's room.

[Ryder Strong]

Room?

[Will Friedle]

His tent. And notices that he's sleeping. She tears down the screen and screams his name at the top of her lungs. Startled, he falls off the bed. In terror, she continues, did you just see what I did to that tent? Next it's gonna happen. To you. He tries to reason with her, but she insists. If you're not hard at it in three seconds, you're gonna drown in rice gruel. He swears it was just a mistake. He was making the bed with nice clean sheets and then slipped. She starts to count. Three, two. He shouts, I'm working. I'm looking for sick people. He peers under the bed. Anyone under here need a doctor? She loses it again. How dare you sleep while this whole camp is in bed. She storms out of his room, buckets of rice gruel in hand. We are now back in the middle of nowhere. The men finally arrive at Fred's shack and are greeted by a woman who they assume is Mrs. Fred. They move chickens and set the man down in a shed. Mrs. Fred and Ralph reveal a dusty motorcycle for the men to use. Honeycutt boasts that he led them straight to Honest Fred's Used Motorcycle Lot. But Hawkeye doesn't understand how they're gonna do drive that thing. Well, Honeycutt has another trick up his sleeve. Apparently, he's Mill Valley's finest surviving motorcycle rider. He assures them that they've got no problem. Then he checks the motorcycle. We've got one problem. But as fate would have it, well, Fred hands Hawkeye a big old can of gasoline. By the way, Mike Farrell must actually be a motorcycle rider in real life, or was at the time, because there's three separate storylines where he finds a motorcycle. There's this one, there's another one where he gets one, and then it's trashed by a visiting journalist. And then the last episode, he literally rides off on a motorcycle with his San Francisco placard on the front.

[Ryder Strong]

So Mill Valley is Mill Valley, California. That's where he's from.

[Will Friedle]

He's from Mill. In one episode, he is able for $200 to put a down payment on a big plot of land on Stinson Beach. Oh, my God. And he's running around trying to raise the 200 bucks.

[Ryder Strong]

It'd be worth, like, $10 million. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Ex. So, yeah. So, yes, he is from. He's from California, which is a big part of his storyline, actually.

[Ryder Strong]

Is he supposed to be kind of like a beatnik California?

[Will Friedle]

No, but he's. No, not at all. But he's like Winchester, who went to Harvard, always looks down on him. He's like, you're a brilliant surgeon, even though you were born, raised and trained in California. Like, it's a whole thing. Yeah. Yeah. But, yes, he is. He's a San Francisco boy. So Hawkeye smells The gasoline. It has a visceral reaction to liquid. Before handing it over and suggesting a swig. Hawkeye takes his seat in the ancient looking sidecar, and Honeycutt loads up the gas tank. But just as the men are about to leave, Ralph blocks their path. He wants to come along with them. Hawkeye asks, would Bob Hope and Bing Crosby leave without Dorothy Lamour? Honeycutt agrees they can't break up the set and tells Ralph to climb aboard. They sputter off, all smiles. The medical tent.

[Ryder Strong]

Do you know who Dorothy Lamore Morris.

[Will Friedle]

She was a. She was a film actress, wasn't she?

[Ryder Strong]

I. I don't know.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah. No, this was like running.

[Ryder Strong]

Run him, Cowboy. This is like Michael Jacobs reference. I'm like, oh, boy. I'm supposed to. I mean, I've heard the name Bing Crosby. That's about it.

[Will Friedle]

Pretty sure. But they. Yeah, they talk about a lot of 50 stars, Gene Tierney and all the kind of people like that. It's. Yeah, this is. This might have been one of the places that made me go back and find out who they all were, was all the MASH that I watched. It's all definitely possible. We're back at the medical tent now. Colonel Potter walks in, and Father Mulcahy greets him more chipper than ever. The colonel just shakes his head. He's indomitable. Next, he runs into Major Houlihan. She reminds him he really should be in bed, but he promises he wouldn't be here if he couldn't handle it. He asks if there's been any signs of septicemia or complications among the other soldiers. And since everything has calmed down, he suggests she take a break while he watches over the place. Before she goes, though, he wonders where Major Winchester is. Houlihan says he finished his rounds, and now he's supposed to be putting clean sheets on the. All the bunks. Even the colonel laughs. He'd like to see that. Houlihan heads out, and Colonel Potter takes a seat next to one of the ill soldiers. He gives him a word of advice. The best way to beat this thing is to just put it out of your mind. He wishes he could, but it's kind of like being on the ocean. Up and down, up and down. And then it gets into his head. And then it gets into my head and starts spinning around and around. The Colonel starts looking a little queasy as he follows the man's description. Then both of them start to gag, and the colonel bends over to move him over. This is another reoccurring character named Igor. Who. His name is Igor Straminsky is the name of the character who's an actor named Jeff Maxwell. And I know Jeff because he hosts. He co hosts with Ryan Patrick, the MASH podcast that I went on. And so he started as a background actor, and then as they go on, he's in more and more episodes. He gets more and more lines. That's one thing MASH did really well is a bunch of the characters for the final episode who actually stand up and give speeches like, here's what I'm doing after the war were background actors that had been there for 10 or 11 years that they literally started giving storylines to. It's like you've been here forever. We're going to write an entire episode about your character, which I thought was. Is really cool for an actor. And Jeff's a great guy. Shout out Jeff Maxwell and Ryan Patrick, by the way. Yeah, go watch MASH Matters or listen to MASH Matters Matters. Great podcast. We're now back at base camp. Honeycutt, Hawkeye, and Ralph come speeding in on the motorcycle right where Winchester is hanging the linens to dry. He realizes they're headed right for him, and Honeycutt can't stop it. They end up tearing right through the clean linens and crashing into some metal cases. Winchester screams at them, you brainless twits. Look what you've done to my laundry. And then he notices the Korean man who's joined them on the bike, now waving his arms in the air again. Honeycutt responds, shame on you. Don't you recognize the international signal for touchdown? The major points out the obvious. The man's a North Korean soldier. Hawkeye quips, right, he's here to pick up his laundry. Good thing it was ready, or he'd have to shoot you. And then everyone else comes to greet them. Major Houlihan retrieves the antibiotics, while Colonel Potter asks, what took them so long? Did they stop at the beach? Ralph motions to surrender once again, and the colonel simply asks, who's this? They say, it's Ralph and go back to life as normal. Hawkeye begins his spiel. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor broken jeep, Honeycutt continues. Nor kidnap, nor surrender, nor dark of lost. And the colonel cuts them off. The jabbering lamp is on their way to post op. Hawkeye tells Winchester to come along in case any of the patients need fluff and fold. Ralph continues to surrender, and Honeycutt calmly tells him to come along, too. They've come this far. There's no need to Be strangers. Hawkeye adds, there's a whole ward of people you haven't surrendered to yet. Ralph jumps up and down with excitement. Then we're in our tag, which is in Klinger's room. Klinger desperately fumbles around for a phone, finally grabbing one to connect to Sparky. Sparky is the guy who's always on the other end of that phone when they call. Has been for 11 years. One time you see Sparky, and one time only, he tells them, hook me through to HQ Supply, and hurry. It looks like Klinger's in rough shape. Just as he's about to speak with Sergeant Thermopolis. When he's finally connected, he angrily tells the sergeant, you know that turkey you sold me? Stuff it now. It ends on his face in a gasp. What did you think that meant?

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, I have no idea. What do you. I just. I was like. It's just Klinger. I have no idea. I was literally like, at the this point. What? Why?

[Will Friedle]

No, because there's some people that think. I've had conversations about some people that think Thermopolis said something that makes him go. Whereas I think he himself. And that's why he's like, hurry up, hurry up. And then he says, stuff it. And then that. And then he's like, because.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah, that makes sense. I was literally like, what's the joke? I don't understand what's happening. Did it always end on a freeze frame? Yeah, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And then the music kicks in and the funny. Oh, you could also. You would tell. They would dictate the tone of the show by the way the show ended. So either it ends like this on a laugh and it's frozen then. Or it would freeze and it was a somber note, and it would go. And they'd slow it down, or it would freeze and there'd be silence. And that's when you knew it was a big, tough episode.

[Ryder Strong]

So the only. Only characters who changed or grew at all. Well, Winchester cares about laundry.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Cares about laundry by the end. I like that storyline. Right.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Anybody else? Ralph. Ralph surrenders. He gets his goal, which is to surrender and join the Americans.

[Will Friedle]

It's a romp rider. It's a Korean War romp.

[Ryder Strong]

What changed? Did anything?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, God, nothing. I can't. Oh, my God. When you see. Sometimes you hear the bullet, which, again, first season show. You're gonna call me and be like, this show's brilliant. Why wasn't this like this the whole time?

[Ryder Strong]

I'm sure.

[Will Friedle]

But one of the reasons is one of the reasons Is because think about how few shows in history, literally in television history got better the longer they went on.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

And I used to argue Boy Meets.

[Ryder Strong]

World was six seasons, I feel like is where you start maxing out.

[Will Friedle]

That's the thing. I used to think Boy Meets World was getting better as we went on. And now that we're rewatch, I don't think that's true.

[Ryder Strong]

No, you just got better.

[Will Friedle]

No, I just got bigger. That doesn't necessarily mean that definitely you.

[Ryder Strong]

Were getting better progressively as the show went on. But.

[Will Friedle]

But the show itself.

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Think of all the best shows in history. I mean, Cheers.

[Ryder Strong]

So the Office Friends get stay pretty good all the way through the end. And Seinfeld obviously.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. But again, by the time on Friends, when now Rachel and Joey are dating, you're like, wait, they're together now? I mean, there's some times in the later episodes of every show I can think of and I would love for our fans to write in to Danielle Fishel to tell her. No, seriously, can you to say, what are some shows that you really believe got better the longer they were on? Now I could argue we got better but then dropped off.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. I mean, I think the smartest shows are the ones that say we have an end point in mind and we're pull the plug at a certain point. That's all very different.

[Will Friedle]

Gervais shows are so great.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, exactly. But there's always so much money on the line. You know, it's like that's the problem with something like Friends. All those people wanted to move on in their careers, but it's like, no, there's just too much to be made here. So they keep going to the death.

[Will Friedle]

Giving them a million dollars an episode. As much as you hated Boy Meets World, if they came back to you for a season eight and said, we'll give you a million dollars an episode, you would have stayed probably. Yeah, yeah, of course. It's just, it's life changing money. I mean, you had. You have to take though. No. God no. Are you kidding? I still owe Disney money for being on that show.

[Ryder Strong]

I have to pay them residual every time they, every time they hear an episode of Boy Meets World, I got to send them 20.

[Will Friedle]

I do. So for everybody out there who has never seen an episode of mash, if this is your first episode of mash, don't judge MASH by this episode is what I would definitely say It's a Thanksgiving episode of mash, which is why we did it. But don't judge this by. By go back and start with the Pop pilot and watch it forward. That's the way to do mash. And I promise you it's going to be a different show than it is here. Much like Dancing with the Stars, which apparently this first season's very different than the seasons that we have now. But we wouldn't know because we never saw it. See how I brought it right back to Danielle, since she's not here and we're the Dan Yets, and it's always got to end on a Danielle thing. So that's what we're doing. Thank you everybody so much for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on. What is it? Instagram. I've never done this once. You can.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, follow us.

[Will Friedle]

You follow us on Instagram World Show. That's right. At Pop MeetsWorld Show. And you can email, email us@pop meetsworldshow.com no pod me world show. Gmail.com. that's what it is. And also, we've got merch.

[Ryder Strong]

We got merch. I gotta lay down.

[Will Friedle]

This is where Danielle laughingly goes. Pod meets WorldShow.com writer. Send us out.

[Ryder Strong]

We you all. Pod dismissed. Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, Wilfred L And Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tara Subaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and boy Meets World superman Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram @podmeatsworld show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

Ah, greetings from my bath festive friends. The holidays are overwhelming, but I'm tackling this season with PayPal and making the most of my money getting 5% cash back when I pay in 4. No fees, no interest. I used it to get this portable spa with jets. Now the bubbles can cling to my sculpted but pruney body. Make the most of your money this holiday with PayPal. Save the offer in the app ends 1231.

[Will Friedle]

See paypal.com promoter points can be redeemed for cash and more. Paying for subject to terms and approval. PayPal Inc. And MLS 910457 the day begins at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by the club at Boston Logan Airport. You get the clam chowder In San Diego, it's tostadas New York espresso martini. It's 10am why not? It's the quiet before your next flight. The shower that resets your day, the menu that lets you know where you are. This is access to over 1300 airport lounges and every Sapphire Lounge by the club. And one card that gets you in Chase Sapphire Reserve, the most rewarding card. Learn [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase bank and a member FDIC, subject to credit approval. You know what a girl's best friend is?

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[Will Friedle]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

Showtime, ladies.

[Jensen Karp]

Stand up straight, then breeze into that room like a storm no one saw coming.

[Will Friedle]

Hulu Original Series All's Fair now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. For bundle subscribers. Terms apply. This is an iHeart podcast.