This Milestone MASH Episode Covered An Entire Year (& It’s A Total Continuity Nightmare)

A very special episode of MASH took place over the course of a whole year – and created a lot of continuity holes in the process. MASH ran for 11 seasons, and later series had to get downright experimental with certain episodes just to keep things interesting. Alan Alda’s divisive “Dreams” was a horror-infused dive into the dreams (and nightmares) of the 4077th, while season 8’s “Life Time” took place entirely in real-time.

Some of these efforts were more successful than others, but they often resulted in the most unique episodes too. Of course, another problem the show often ran into was the passage of time. The Korean War lasted for three years while MASH ran for eleven, which resulted in some big timeline errors towards the end. MASH’s 200th episode decided to throw caution to the wind with its unique premise that had to break continuity into pieces to function.

“A War For All Seasons” Marked MASH’s 200th Episode

MASH celebrated a major milestone in style

MASH was almost canceled after its first season, with the show tanking in the ratings. Luckily, viewers caught up with it during re-runs. It quickly became one of the most viewed shows in America – though even the most optimistic prediction couldn’t have foreseen it lasting for 256 episodes. The 200th episode arrived during the ninth season, with “A War for All Seasons” having a killer hook that also sums up the wartime experience for most of the 4077th, where it can be hard to tell one day (or even one year) from the next.

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MASH’s “A War for All Seasons” was a total victory lap for the show and its amazing success. Even during its final years, the dramedy was a ratings success, to the point where it only ended due to a majority cast vote. Thus, the 200th outing had to be a major event, giving all the main characters a spot and largely stowing the drama in favor of comedy. The result is one of the best episodes from MASH’s final years – though its premise creates some glaring timeline faults.

MASH’s “A War For All Seasons” Takes Place Over The Entirety Of 1951

From New Year to New Year, not much changes at the 4077th

“A War for All Seasons” opens on New Year’s Day 1951, where the beloved Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan) states “Here’s to the New Year: May she be a damned sight better than the old one, and may we all be home before she’s over.” During this span of time, Margaret (Loretta Swit) takes up a knitting project, Father Mulcahy (Christopher George) grows some corn while Hawkeye (Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell) decide to build a kidney machine by themselves.

Between their various antics and saving lives, time passes quickly, with “A War for all Seasons” hopping through time every couple of minutes. Having to cover a year in 23 minutes is no mean feat, and while MASH’s 200th episode moves fast, it never feels rushed. It’s a very warm episode too, lacking the heavy and overly somber tone that later MASH seasons could carry.

On the contrary, most of the characters are having a great time. Even the snobbish Charles (David Ogden Stiers) is having fun betting on sports with Klinger; at least until that goes very wrong. MASH’s “A War for All Seasons” still ends on a real bittersweet note, with Potter restating the same New Year’s speech word for word, underlining the repetitive nature of the 4077th’s time in Korea.

How “A War For All Seasons” Completely Breaks MASH’s Timeline

MASH’s 200th episode is a dream for goof spotters

The showrunners behind MASH must have been aware that “A War for All Seasons” was going to be a total nightmare in terms of the timeline. The 200th episode is infamous among the fanbase in this regard, since the appearance of certain characters doesn’t match up at all. In early seasons – when writers were less concerned about the timeline – certain dates and years were referenced. For instance, Potter definitely arrived at the 4077th during September 1952 – meaning he should be absent from “A War for All Seasons,” as the late Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) was still in command.

Charles also arrived sometime after Potter, meaning his presence is also a mistake. For MASH’s “A War for All Seasons” to fully make sense, it would have had to bring back original cast members like Wayne Rogers’ Trapper, who left the camp in September 1952, with B.J. arriving to replace him shortly after. In short, the show really had to fudge MASH’s timeline and ignore certain dates to make “A War for All Seasons'” premise function in the slightest.

Back when the 200th episode aired, viewers were less concerned about such details, however. Looking back on MASH’s timeline there are some glaring logical gaps, but it ultimately doesn’t matter much. “A War for All Seasons” was the perfect way to celebrate such a large important milestone, and the concept was just too good to let something silly like continuity get in the way.

M*A*S*H is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.

Cast

Alan Alda , Loretta Swit , William Christopher , Jamie Farr , Harry Morgan , Mike Farrell , Gary Burghoff , Larry Linville , David Ogden Stiers , Wayne Rogers , McLean Stevenson , Jeff Maxwell , Kellye Nakahara , Odessa Cleveland , Johnny Haymer , Patricia Stevens

Release Date

September 17, 1972

Seasons

11

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Apple TV+

Writers

Larry Gelbart , Richard Hooker

Showrunner

Larry Gelbart

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