In Love and War Voted Least Favorite Episode from Season 6

9 Comments

Last month, visitors to MASH4077TV.com voted “In Love and War” their least favorite episode from Season 6. The episode received 30 votes, or 18% of the total vote. A close second was “Fallen Idol” with 27 votes, or 16% of the total. In third place was “Comrades in Arms (Part 2)” with 13 votes and 8% of the total. Then came “Change Day,” “Images,” and “The M*A*S*H Olympics” with 10 votes each or 6% of the total vote.

170 votes were cast, down considerably from the 226 votes for June’s Least Favorite Episode From Season 5 poll. Every single episode received at least one vote.

Here are the full results:

Great 2017 M*A*S*H Episode Poll: Pick Your Least Favorite Episode from Season 6

In Love and War (18%, 30 Votes)
Fallen Idol (16%, 27 Votes)
Comrades in Arms (Part 2) (8%, 13 Votes)
Change Day (6%, 10 Votes)
Images (6%, 10 Votes)
The M*A*S*H Olympics (6%, 10 Votes)
Temporary Duty (5%, 9 Votes)
Dr. Winchester and Mr. Hyde (5%, 8 Votes)
The Smell of Music (4%, 7 Votes)
The Grim Reaper (3%, 5 Votes)
Comrades in Arms (Part 1) (3%, 5 Votes)
Potter’s Retirement (3%, 5 Votes)
What’s Up, Doc? (2%, 4 Votes)
Major Topper (2%, 4 Votes)
The Winchester Tapes (2%, 3 Votes)
The Light That Failed (2%, 3 Votes)
Patent 4077 (2%, 3 Votes)
Mail Call Three (2%, 3 Votes)
Fade Out, Fade In (1%, 2 Votes)
Last Laugh (1%, 2 Votes)
War of Nerves (1%, 2 Votes)
The Merchant of Korea (1%, 2 Votes)
Your Hit Parade (1%, 2 Votes)
Tea and Empathy (0%, 1 Votes)

Total Votes: 170

For the record, back in June 2015, “Dear Sigmund” “The Smell of Music” was voted the favorite episode from Season 6.

Personally, I voted for “Fallen Idol.” The idea behind the episode is a good one. The execution is flawed, as I discussed in my review of the episode back in April 2016.

As always, there’s a chance some votes were mistakenly cast for FAVORITE episodes rather than LEAST FAVORITE episodes. Is that why “In Love and War” came out on top? Or do many fans truly dislike it?

Which episode did you vote for and why? Hit the comments with your reactions to the poll results.


Be sure to vote in this month’s poll. Pick your least favorite episode from Season 7.

9 Replies to “In Love and War Voted Least Favorite Episode from Season 6”

  1. I can’t really remember which episode I voted for. This was back when I first started browsing this site, before I registered. But if I had to guess, I think it would have probably been “Change Day,” because of how out of character it was for Charles. However, I’ve since rewatched it, and I didn’t mind it as much this time. It certainly was out of character, and wasn’t really one of the best ones, but it did have some pretty enjoyable moments IMO.

    Now that I’ve rewatched the entire season, I’d probably go choose “The Grim Reaper.” I generally don’t mind Hawkeye’s preachiness as much as some people do, but there are definitely episodes where it can be a bit too much, and this was one of them. Though I will say, I do like how it called him out on it, and his hypocrisy.

    I’m going through the 7th season now, and it will be interesting to see what I end up choosing. I’ve actually been finding it to be a much more consistent season than I remember (and that’s considering I did like the season before), but there are a few episodes that are well below average.

  2. Strange that everyone dislikes “In Love & War”. I would think most would like that episode because it finally shows Hawkeye being humbled by a woman and impressed by one for reasons more than just that she looks good. I liked seeing this side of Hawkeye.

    I get that it’s a bit preachy and unrealistic that Hawkeye would fall in love so quickly, but it didn’t bother too much.

    And we all knew Donald was a little turd and was cheating on Margaret from the start, so no surprise there. Margaret of course was a bit annoying in her screaming all the time about it, but that’s what Margaret does basically the whole series.

    All in all a pretty solid season especially with the introduction of Charles, and awesome character, but Comrades in Arms Part 2 is far worse IMO, again because of Hawkeye and Margaret.

    1. I kind of agree. I do think it’s a good example of an episode which would benefit from being longer, so that the love story could play out more naturally. However I did like seeing a different side to Hawkeye’s character, and thought it was well acted, written, and directed by Alan Alda IMO.

  3. Ummm RJ, ‘Dear Sigmund’ is from Season 5. Remember “Air Raid, Air Raid!!”

    I voted for ‘In Love and War.’ Season 6, IMO, is the best season of the show. Great writing, fresh new character in Charles. It was like the writing team was revitalized, and it shows in that all episodes of the season except this one are excellent.

    This episode was written by Alan Alda to showcase the talents of Kieu Chinh. He had nothing but praise for her when asked about this episode, and he counts it as one of his favorites. Nothing about this episode is even remotely enjoyable and seeing Hawkeye go through this “heartbreak” was just not believable especially after he’s back to his usual self by the next episode, and we never hear about her ever again. Meh episode overall.

  4. Season 6 is a tad odd: it’s my personal season, however, it has more than enough shares of weak episodes, and to me, “In Love and War” is the weakest of those weaklings . . . it just does absolutely nothing for me. I think it’s because Alan Alda wrote it impulsively based on a story about an aristocratic Korean woman he never met and knew nothing about. Other than that, I probably would have voted for “The Light That Failed’ (just an overall weak episode), “The Grim Reaper” (Hawkeye getting in trouble with visiting brass was already done in “Of Moose and Men,” another weak episode), “Comrades in Arms” (just . . . just off), or “Patent 4077” (pretty forgettable).

    “Fallen Idol” is a polarizing episode, either people love it or hate it, with very little middle ground, but I’m kind of middle ground about it: with Radar being my favorite character, I have a bit of a bias towards the episode, but his hero worship of Hawkeye seemed really left field, and it was never touched on before or since.

    Now, I have to say, I strongly disagree with the rest of the results. How is “The M*A*S*H Olympics” in the top ten? That episode is hilarious, one of my personal favorites of the entire series! “Images”? What’s bad about it? Radar wanting a tattoo (despite getting one in “Check-Up”) or Margaret being bitchy toward a squeamish nurse? “Temporary Duty”? Come on! That’s a fun episode! Goober as a boorish surgeon visiting from the 8063? And it’s the one episode where Hawkeye has the smallest role ever. “The Smell of Music”? That’s considered one of the best/fan favorite episodes of the entire series, how did it end up so high on the list? Now for the bottom-tier: “Tea and Empathy” is at the very bottom of the list? Please. Bernard Fox’s guest appearance is the only thing that saved an otherwise forgettable episode.

  5. I voted for “Comrades in Arms, Part 2” for one simple reason: Hawkeye and Margaret spending the night together. Call me a crackpot but I think Margaret was borderline bi-polar. I especially hated when they sniped at each other at the 8063rd. Nothing could make me watch this episode again.

  6. I voted for Grim Reaper. I don’t like the way the writes were trying to push a Charles/Margaret romance on us when it was obvious they didn’t have that kind of chemistry and I just find the episode a bit depressing generally.

  7. I voted for “Comrades In Arms, Part 2”. Margaret’s almost saccharine behavior after a night with Hawkeye is hard for me to digest. Also, after she goes from one extreme to the other (furious), she becomes downright detestable at the 8063rd. Margaret, not Hawkeye, always preaches throughout the series about how she is so professional and complains constantly about the lack of discipline of others, and then she behaves like this? Also, that song that B.J. and the chopper pilot sing makes me cringe. How did everyone have so much time to make up songs, create “funny” passports, and fry chicken, anyway? Finally , when Hawkeye tries to make up with Margaret in her tent, it is Hawkeye (again!) who shows the initial maturity to try to patch things up. Just really dislike this one!

    On a different note, I was shocked to see one of my all-time favorite episodes, “The M*A*S*H Olympics”, here. So light and funny. I even love the footage of the actual 1952 Helsinki Games used in the episode. I was in Helsinki last year, and that tower still exists while the Stadium is being renovated. If it wasn’t for that episode, I probably would not have taken so many pictures of that tower!

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