Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts.
“Point of View” (#154, 7×10)
Originally Broadcast: Monday, November 20th, 1978
Written by Ken Levine & David Isaacs
Directed by Charles Dubin
Capsule Summary: An entire episode shown from the point of view of a soldier rushed to the 4077th for surgery after being wounded while on patrol.
It’s hard to discuss this episode without talking about what an exceptional half-hour of television it is and how ambitious the cast and crew were to attempt it. “Point of View” wasn’t the first time M*A*S*H pushed the boundaries of the traditional sitcom format. Earlier examples include “Hawkeye” and “The Interview” during Season 4.
Likewise, “Point of View” wasn’t the last “high concept” episode. “Dreams” followed in Season 8, then “Life Time” and to a lesser degree “A War for All Seasons” in Season 9, plus “Follies of the Living–Concerns of the Dead” in Season 10. Out of all 251 episodes, I think it’s safe to say “Point of View” was the most challenging for the cast and crew.
The story takes a backseat to the visuals but it’s simple and solid. Private Billy Rich is wounded while on patrol and, after being treated by a medic, is sent via chopper to the 4077th for surgery. He has shrapnel in his neck and requires a tracheostomy to insert a tube to help him breath.
The surgery initially appears to have been a complete success but later Hawkeye and Charles are forced to perform a second, very tricky, surgery. Rich pulls through and is able to thank Hawkeye before leaving for Seoul and, eventually, a trip back home to Texas.
There’s a minor B story involving Colonel Potter, who is acting angry and moody because he forgot to call Mildred on their anniversary. Rich is able to help by letting Hawkeye know why Potter is upset. Radar calls Mildred on Potter’s behalf and everything works out.
The point of the episode is to allow the viewer to experience the 4077th through the eyes of a wounded soldier. The camera stands in for Private Rich, seeing everything he sees: the explosion that wounds him, the chopper ride to the 4077th, traveling via jeep from the chopper pad to pre-op, getting x-rayed, preparing for surgery, waking up in post-op, enjoying a sponge bath, visiting the Mess Tent, choking in post-op, going back in for surgery, waking up for a second time in post-op, and finally being loaded onto a bus.
I love the scene in post-op between Charles and the wounded soldier in the bed next to Private Rich. Charles jokingly insults the soldier for pretending to be in a lot of pain:
Charles: “By the way, that was the worst performance I’ve ever seen in here. It lacked sincerity, depth. You’re lucky I stayed through the whole show.”
He then laughs and walks away. It’s a nice, human moment for Charles.
Ken Levine has written about “Point of View” several times at his blog. He considers it his favorite episode out of the 19 he co-wrote with writing partner David Isaacs. In a June 2006 post, Levine recalls how the two realized the concept only worked if their wounded soldier couldn’t speak:
It seemed to us the key to making this device work was not having the soldier talk. And that sparked our story. What if the patient is hit in the throat? He can’t speak. He must undergo a series of tricky operations (the suspense) until finally he is able to utter only two words –
“Thank…you”.
He praises director Charles Dubin and the cast for pulling off the unusual script:
So much credit for the success of the episode goes to director, Charles Dubin. And remember, he had only three days to film this, not three weeks…or months. And this was 1978, before steady cams. I think D. W. Griffith used this camera to shoot BIRTH OF A NATION. It couldn’t have been heavier or more unwieldy.
The cast was marvelous, really rising to the occasion. It’s hard enough to relate to fellow actors, but to play highly emotional scenes looking directly into a camera has to be nearly impossible. Additionally, scenes all had to play out in one take. We couldn’t cut back and forth between characters and angles and takes. To this day I marvel at their skill.
Levine recalls how horrified he was when he first watched the episode in a screening room. Radar’s head filled the screen. It was gigantic. Later, when the episode aired on CBS, he decided Radar’s head didn’t look quite as humongous on a small TV set.
In a December 2007 post, Levine shared a portion of the script. In an April 2009 post, he answered two questions about the episode, revealing how ceilings had to be built on several sets and a special camera mount devised. He also mentions spending two seasons lobbying before Burt Metcalfe agreed to let them write the episode. Finally, in a December 2011 post following the death of Charles Dubin, Levine recalls how Dubin “coaxed wonderfully subtle performances from every member of the cast” while filming “Point of View.”
Jamie Farr picked “Point of View” as one of his favorite episodes during MeTV’s 2016 “The Best By Farr” marathon and remembered how difficul it was filming every scene in one take:
“Point of View” earned a slew of writing and directing nominations:
- Primetime Emmy Awards (1979) – Outstanding Directing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series
- Primetime Emmy Awards (1979) – Outstanding Writing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series
- Directors Guild of America Awards (1979) – Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
- Humanitas Prize (1979) – 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television
- Writers Guild of America Awards (1979) – Episodic Comedy
It won none of them.
According to the letter Private Rich is writing in post-op, most of this episode takes place on September 12th, 1951.
The chopper ride provides a wonderful look at the 4077th.
While I do like this episode for how creative and inventive it is, I feel like it would have been slightly more authentic if it lacked the cinematic effects, such as cuts and dissolves . . . but then again, I know that would be impossible, because if the camera rolled the entire time without such, we’d see film crew and equipment in the shots, and that would break the reality of the episode. But I mean it bothers me in Post-Op when Rich is writing on his pad, then when Hawkeye walks in and sits down, we cut to a tighter shot of the pad where the handwriting is different.
Not to mention the voice of Rich sounded suspiciously similar to the camp announcer (which I’m pretty sure it was). And I know he had a throat injury but was it really necessary to make him sound like ET?
Imdb credits a character The Soldier but not Private Billy Rich.
Fandom says he was played by David Stanford. So maybe imdb is wrong.
I’ve always felt that this episode should have been an hour so they could show more. Then again, if it was then whenever it’s shown it’d be cut into 2 parts and wouldn’t seem real.
One thing I just noticed..after the bit about”everyone should have a chart” Hawkeye quickly wipes his nose with the same finger he (out of camera range) uses to block off Rich’s breathing tube.
The look on the face of the guy who first comes up to see if Rich is alright was very realistic. He comes up looking all hopeful and sees the wound and his face completely changes. Very good acting from a guy who is only in it for a minute.
This was immediately followed by a very unrealistic reaction from the medic called to the scene. It’s as if the actor didn’t understand that he was supposed to look at the camera. A medic would have immediately focused on the wound to assess the damage. Also, his line ,”take it easy” did not seem like it was directed at Rich.
Very bad acting from a guy who is only in it for a minute.
Maybe that’s the actor imdb credits as playing The Soldier.
The only thing that bothers me is the Potter storyline-he’s angry about being away from Mildred (again) and it seems unlikely that he’d talk about his problems with a wounded private whom he didn’t know.
The episode is technically brilliant, although the camera work might look odd and somewhat unconvincing to modern viewers used to steadicams.
Thank you
My favourite part of this episode is that we get to see Margaret the nurse, when she gives him the sponge bath. That’s rare on MASH. She really was good at her job.
There are two tiny moments in this which make me emotional. The first is seeing the MASH hospital emerging through the clouds when on the helicopter. The second is when Hawkeye wanders onto the screen, talking to someone off camera in pre-op and you know he will be the doctor. By this point in the series, we know both the place and the people so well, and both symbolise safety, you know that everything will be fine.
Everyone gets a good share of the episode, and it’s lovely to see the familiar from an outsider’s perspective. I thought it was exceptionally well done.
I think it is an exceptionally fine episode and a high point of season 7.
Two quibbles – the first is not really its fault, but it is notably set in September 1951 (the date on the notepad on the bed) whereas Season 2’s “Radar’s Report” is notably set in October 1951. Oh the continuity joys of an 11 season show about a 3 year war!
The second quibble is why did Hawkeye do the first operation other than he was the star of the show?
After all, for his entire duration at the 4077th, Charles frequently mentioned that he was in line to be head of thoracic surgery at Boston General Hospital (apologies if I got the name of the hospital wrong) and was to be head hunted in this area. Very frequently mentioned!
So in “Point Of View” we specifically have a patient requiring throat surgery and, despite the future head of thoracic surgery in Boston being in the room, the job is given to Hawkeye, not Charles. Only when things go wrong is Charles brought in.
I have often wondered why the producers and script writers so often mentioned Charles being in line for head of thoracic surgery at Boston General Hospital yet never gave Charles much thoracic surgery to work on in the show. Here was an opportunity to showcase Charles, and they did not do it.
Another quibble (not a criticism) is that this is a very unusual case of an episode where the decision as to what to do with a patient is made in the ante room adjacent to the O.R. by Hawkeye wandering around. In virtually every other episode the wounded are triaged out in the compound or on the arriving bus, then magically appear in the O.R. delivered by corpsmen. I am not criticising the episodes, but I wonder why they chose such an unusual plot device for this episode?
Curiously, the only other episodes I know of to do this are “Fallen Idol” re the injured Radar, the Halloween episode of season 11 and perhaps a few later ones, but overwhelmingly they used the bus or the compound.
When complications develop and a thoracic surgeon is in need, Charles is right there to step in, becoming the hero. One of the highlights in this episode is watching Charles quickly drop his anger (and Hawkeye the smart aleck comebacks) . . . one minute mad as hell (and sassy), the next calmly working together. A well developed scene in this excellent episode.
But, first they needed someone who could carry fun lines with the nonverbal patient (Hawkeye type lines).
I believe chief of thoracic surgery is mentioned just three times:
* When Charles is introduced in S6 he mumbles about practically being chief of thoracic surgery, helps form his character as a good surgeon and thinking he’s too good to be there.
* In Major Topper he’s topping everybody with his superior accomplishments.
* In The Billfold Syndrome it’s the comedy relief (masterfully woven in).
If anyone knows of another I would be interested in knowing which episode (or episodes).
In the last episode where he mentions that he will be head of thoracic surgery so his life will go on almost as planned with one exception, that music will forever be a reminder of that place (after seeing those musicians killed)