MovieChat Forums > M*A*S*H (1972) Discussion > The Life You Save - Season 9, Episode 20

The Life You Save - Season 9, Episode 20


This episode always seem out of place to me. It's the one where Charles is almost killed and he becomes obsessed with dying. He just never seemed very introspective.

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By this point in the series, the writers had changed the character of Charles from a buffoonish antagonist to someone much more sympathetic. While the over-arching theme of the series is that ALL of the characters are only just barely hanging on to their sanity in the horrific situation they find themselves, this was an opportunity for Charles to be "shaken up" and humanized.

The show had pretty much "jumped the shark" by the time Radar left, but this is actually one of the better episodes of the last 3 (weak) seasons. I agree that only a few years previously, Charles would have shrugged off a brush with death as his divine right and another sign of his assumed superiority.

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