As far as I’m concerned, M*A*S*H is one of the greatest tv shows of all time. After eleven seasons, the show finally ended in 1983 when Goodbye, Farewell and Amen aired as a feature length conclusion to the show. Fittingly, this movie is one of the best conclusions to one of the best tv shows of all time. 

What makes the show so great is its ability to tackle real world issues related to war while having fun characters and entertaining scenarios.  This group of people that are forced to be together in this MASH camp because of the Korean War form a family with one another. They pick on each other, sometimes they don’t get along but they truly care about one another. You care about each of the characters for different reasons. Even the most ornery character, Charles Emerson Winchester, is likable in his own way. 

Like the rest show, this movie explores the horrors of war and the toll it takes on everyone involved. This is explored with Hawkeye’s character arc here where we see that the war has deeply broken him. He’s normally a fun and rebellious character but his PTSD  has finally made him crack. This leads to one of the most gut wrenching moments in the entire show with the chicken story. Not only is it tragic to see such a fun character fall to such a depressing state but it also touches on some of the feelings that many soldiers experienced at the time. Thinking about all the other war veterans that experienced similar stories is horrifying and it just makes this show feel so real. 

As I said, this show is also known for its fun shenanigans and there are plenty of fun moments here too. It perfectly captures the anti-war sentiment and fun of the show. All of this builds to one of the great tv show finales of all time where all our characters say goodbye to one another. It’s a bittersweet moment because all of these characters get to go home and see their families after living through hell. However, that also means that their makeshift family must disperse. Watching all of these characters that we’ve watched and grown to care about for eleven seasons say goodbye to each other is what makes this one of the most emotional moments in television history for me. 

Bottom line, go watch M*A*S*H. The original movie directed by Robert Altman is pretty good but the show is phenomenal. It can be really fun and silly but it’s also rather poignant at times. It’s also a show that never got bad and was consistent from beginning to end. Just make sure to be near a box of Kleenex whenever you get to this finale.