Monday M*A*S*H Discussions offers fans the opportunity to offer their opinions on a wide variety of topics relating to M*A*S*H. Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. My hope is these discussion posts will continue to elicit comments in the weeks and months after they’re initially published. Have a suggestion about something you think might be worth discussing? Let me know and maybe it will become my next Monday M*A*S*H Discussion topic.
Today’s topic: Pitch your own Charles storylines.
If You Were a Writer on M*A*S*H
All month long, in honor of the late David Ogden Stiers, I’ve posted Monday M*A*S*H Discussion topics relating to Charles. Today, I’m asking readers to suggest storylines involving Charles they wish had been used on M*A*S*H. Imagine your were a member of the writing staff and share potential Charles storylines that could have been.
One immediate example that comes to mind is having Charles deal with a patient dying because of a North Korean prisoner lashing out in the OR. Trapper faced this in “Radar’s Report” during Season 2. How would Charles react? I imagine he’d feign indifference, telling everyone that his patient might have died anyway and this is what happens in war. Hawkeye is infuriated, of course. Later, Father Mulcahy learns that Charles is distraught but also disturbed by his hatred for the North Korean prisoner.
Another idea I think could’ve been interesting to see: Charles, still new to the 4077th, believes the latest ceasefire rumor and begins planning for the end of the war. He refuses to listen to anyone, and everyone, who tells him it’s just a rumor. Think of it as the opposite of “Ceasefire” from Season 1. In that episode, the entire camp, except for Trapper, celebrates the end of the war before the actual end of the war.
Finally, how about a storyline in which Charles becomes obsessed with trying to put together a makeshift orchestra at the 4077th. Two things could happen, one silly, one serious. Silly: the storyline culminates with a hilarious musical mishap. Serious: Charles pulls it off and the orchestra gives a moving performance, only for Charles to realize he can’t bring humanity to a war. The killing continues, no matter what.
Hit the comments with your thoughts.
Not sure if this counts, but in the Thanksgiving fanfic I wrote years ago, a minor subplot involved Charles feeling depressed about spending Thanksgiving at the 4077th, and receiving a care package from his parents that happened to contain a small, yet hefty personal-sized turkey. He runs off to share it with only Margaret, knowing that if anyone else in camp knew about it, all hell would break loose . . . which is does, when Hawkeye and B.J. discover it and began tearing it apart like wild animals, much to Charles’s outrage.
Another topic I had not really thought about.
One plot I’d come up with was what if Charles had been sent to an aid station to help out, and somehow a North Korea or Chinese unit had broken through, and he was forced to use his sidearm to defend his patients? If you’ve ever seen the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode The Siege of AR-558, where Quark killed a Jen’Hadar soldier to defend an unconscious Nog, you get the idea.
Would another doctor or character have done so? I doubt Hawkeye would. I’m also doubtful that BJ would, considering his reaction to cutting the rope in Bombshells. Margaret probably would have–after all, she was a professional officer. Colonel Potter would have done so without a qualm–after all, he started his career as a combat soldier. Would Klinger have done so? More than likely. He was a good, albeit reluctant soldier.
So, I think forcing Charles into this situation would be a good option. He could be shown talking to Father Mulcahy talking about it. Maybe Sidney Freedman would come and talk to him about it. Especially about his reconseiling himself with saving his patient or patients versus taking a human life.
Charles having a family member in the military visiting him at the 4077th. A cousin, uncle, or aunt who was called to serve or chose that career. Especially one that chose a career in the military as Potter had done since Charles didn’t seem to care for career military if recall correctly.