Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Talk about all things M*A*S*H -- the novel, the film, the television series, even the play. Not to mention the spin-offs, merchandise, cast, crew and anything else you can think of to talk about.
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Big Daddy O'Reilly
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Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by Big Daddy O'Reilly »

One of the many things the show was always praised for was it's realistic and believable characters that just about everyone out there could relate to: I've known people who seem like direct descendants of Margaret and Frank (I don't mean the affair, I mean the woman who can have a short fuse, and the weasely twerp)... which character, or characters can you relate to?

Obviously it's Radar for me. By the time I was in middle school was when kids were "growing up too fast", all my peers knew things like the birds and the bees, masturbating, the facts of life, etc, and I didn't... my parents REALLY sheltered me when I was young, I was always the "dumb" and "naive" one as far as my peers were concerned, I even had that exact same moment Radar once had when Gage asked if it was true that he was a virgin, to which all Radar could say was, "Uh... I really don't know..." And as I've mentioned before, "Big Daddy O'Reilly" reminds me of when I was a D.J. in Grade 8, but listeners were never exactly jumping for joy whenever I was on the air, not necessarily because a teacher kept requesting "Sentimental Journey" over and over and over again (actually, we kids kept playing Jock Jams' "Cotton-Eyed Joe" so much our teacher banned it, as well as The Temptations' "Cloud 9" because someone believed the drug speculations), but because my middle school was in the ghetto, and all the kids wanted to listen to was rap, hip-hop, punk, trash, etc, and I kept playing 60s, 70s, 80s, popular non-rap songs from the 90s, etc. I didn't wear a Hawaiian shirt or sunglasses though, lol.
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Ranger
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by Ranger »

I relate to Nurse Kellye when she gives out to Hawkeye about him ignoring her because she's not blonde and 5ft9.

I'm also a bit like a tea-total Henry (if you can imagine such a thing) in that I'm basically well meaning and certainly not stupid but I'm easily bewildered and find it difficult to make decisions. I'm also always the last to know when anything is brewing.
GrapeNehi
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by GrapeNehi »

Ooh, great topic!

I'd have to say Radar as well. I also grew up somewhat sheltered, having great parents who provided for me and sheltered me from all things bad, as well as other things maybe I should've known by age 18, but didn't! I also grew up in a rural area; and like Radar, I was raised to understand the importance of manners and using "Ma'am" and "Sir" when addressing superiors/elders.

I've also got a temper like Houlihan.

I actually think that M*A*S*H helped me develop my sense of humor. The type of jokes I make are very much like the humor regularly used in episodes by Hawkeye, Trapper, and BJ. My husband said the other day (while watching the show), "I know why you like this show so much. It's totally your sense of humor." That's because I grew up watching it!
General Hammond: "Do you know what this star means?"
Hawkeye: "You're Tinkerbell!"
LucyFer
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by LucyFer »

Mine also would be Rader. Rader has some good behaviours of him and also i like the way how he talk.
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Zelmo Zale
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by Zelmo Zale »

I would say I am a mix of Radar for his naive lack of social smarts and early BJ for his dependability, rationality, and being a decent guy. If only I had BJ's looks, medical skill, and ability to afford Mill Valley, CA.
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Jeeter
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by Jeeter »

Well I guess I'll be the first to say Hawkeye. I said this two years ago in a post on BCA:

"To me, he was the most real out of all the characters because he wasn't perfect. And yet, he always stood up for what he believed in, and yeah at times he went to extreme measures (can't forget the time he went to the Peace Talks to tell them to end the war) but thats what made me realize how very little sense war made to people like him".

What I meant at the end there was that war is different for those who actually are a part of it. It's inspiring to see a character that is changed so much by a war but is still able to go out and try to change the war himself. It may seem easy to protest the war at home, but to be able to do it in Korea and to Hawkeye's extent is nothing short of amazing.

So how can I relate to this? Well, I've done the bare minimum in terms of action (Writing MPs, Petitions, etc.)...but like in Hawkeye, there's that strong desire in me to change the status quo. It's said that Hawkeye's character was more affiliated with Alda's views and I'm one of the few (I think?) that appreciated this further development of the character. It made me relate even more with him in how he dealt with certain situations.

That was a very difficult question to answer. Since there was 251 episodes of Hawkeye doing things, it's hard to generalize his character while trying to relate it to me. Also, I have to get up early tomorrow and it's past midnight. :shock:
prc1966
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Re: Who Was Your Most Relatable Character?

Post by prc1966 »

Just joined the group, nice to see a MASH fan club online.

Professionally speaking, I've had a couple of jobs in my earlier life in which I had to "be" Radar - the person who did all the paper work for a small company - one of my bosses, the President of the firm, used to jokingly call me Radar each time I brought several documents for his signature to our Board meeting. So I can relate to the job Radar had to do and the organizational skills he had to have.

On the other hand, I always related, personality wise, more to the easy going, laid back, B.J. of the earlier seasons, the one Sidney Freedman claimed "goes calmly on" in the face of all the isanity around him. This was the BJ of, say, Seasons 4-6 (BJ got a lot more uptight and cranky in the last few seasons). Also, like BJ, I am very fond of making puns.

But as I get older, never had been very tall and now going gray and wearing glasses - I am starting to relate more to Colonel Potter............
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