M*A*S*H timeline
Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 6:32 pm
Years ago, I had a M*A*S*H timeline at my site. I cannot remember when I took it down (or why, exactly) but I have been considering bringing it back. Here is the most recent incarnation:
Thoughts? One episode not included in the timeline is "The Incubator" in which Hawkeye states "the war’s been running for two years."It's hard to believe that eleven years worth of stories were supposed to have taken place in the three years of the Korean War. To get around this time problem, the writers of M*A*S*H decided not to worry about it and concentrate instead on telling quality stories. Still, it is interesting to try to piece together a timeline for the series using dates mentioned in a variety of episodes.
Perhaps the most confusing issue involves when Colonel Potter and B.J. arrived at the 4077th. During the teaser at the end of "Welcome To Korea" (Season Four), Colonel Potter's arrival is said to take place on September 19th, 1952. However, in the episode "A War For All Seasons" (Season Nine), we see Colonel Potter and B.J. at the camp on New Years' Eve 1951, and in "Death Takes A Holiday" (Season Nine) Potter and B.J. are there for Christmas 1951. April Fools' Day 1951 finds Colonel Potter and B.J. there as well, seen in "April Fools" (Season Eight).
Also, the episode "'Twas the Day After Christmas" (Season Ten), should be set the day after Christmas 1952, seeing as Christmas 1951 was "Death Takes A Holiday." Christmas 1952 would be the last Christmas of the war, since it ended in September 1953. However, in "Trick or Treatment," which takes place after "Death Takes A Holiday," we see a Halloween party, meaning it is October 31st, and apparently 1953.
How is all this possible? The most likely solution is that the writers realized after "Welcome To Korea" that they had made Colonel Potter and B.J. arrive too late in the war, that Trapper and Blake shouldn't have been there for a year. That explains how Potter arrives in 1952 but is shown in 1951. It doesn't explain Halloween of 1953, which can't be explained as anything more than a simple mistake.
1950
June 25th, 1950
The North Koreans cross the 38th Parallel and start the Korean Conflict.
July 1950
The 4077th sets up near the front (in "Welcome To Korea," Hawkeye states that he had lived with Trapper for over a year and the day Trapper left was somewhere around September 12th so this does equal over a year).
September 10th, 1950
Margaret tells Klinger it is Independence day and he replies that it is September 10th ("Lil").
September 19th, 1950
Colonel Potter's last stint in surgery before coming to the 4077th (in "Welcome To Korea" it is stated twice that Colonel Potter hadn't been in surgery in two years, this could be a rough estimate).
1951
September 19th, 1951
Hawkeye stole a steamshovel from the Tokyo Provost Martial (according to his record in "Change of Command", Colonel Potter said that "a year ago..." which could be a rough estimate).
April 1st, 1951
Colonel Potter tries to keep the camp from playing any practical jokes during April Fools' Day, as a stiff-nosed Colonel is coming for a visit ("April Fools").
December 25th, 1951
B.J. works to keep a dying man alive until December 26th so that his children don't have to remember Christmas as the day their daddy died ("Death Takes A Holiday").
December 31st, 1951
On New Year's Eve, the 4077th looks back on 1951 ("A War For All Seasons").
1952
September 9th, 1952
Trapper receives his orders to be shipped stateside (this occurred 3 days before he left, as stated in "Welcome To Korea").
September 9th - 10th, 1952
Trapper got drunk (stated in "Welcome To Korea" that he was drunk for two days before ).
September 12th, 1952
Trapper John leaves the 4077th, B.J. Hunnicut arrives at the 4077th (if the next episode took place a week from this one).
September 19th, 1952
Colonel Potter arrives at the 4077th to take command from Frank Burns, replacing the late Henry Blake as commanding officer ("Welcome To Korea").
December 26th, 1952
Colonel Potter has the enlisted men and the officers switch places for a day ("'Twas the Day After Christmas").
1953
July 4th, 1953
Members of the camp hold a party on a beach in Inchon, on the way back they are almost spotted by North Koreans, in order to keep from being heard a Korean mother smothers her baby, which causes Hawkeye to become mentally unstable ("Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen").
July 11th, 1953
Hawkeye returns to the 4077th after being treated by Sidney (if he was gone for a week after July 4th).
July 27th, 1953
The Korean War ends when the cease-fire goes into effect 12 hours after the armistice was signed.
September 26th, 1953
In the first episode of AfterMASH, Sherman Potter writes a letter to Klinger informing him of his reconciliation with his wife after returning from Korea.
October 31st, 1953
The 4077th has a Halloween party, and Father Mulcahy performs a "miracle" ("Trick or Treatment").