Dreams (M*A*S*H)
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| M*A*S*H episode | |
|---|---|
| “Dreams” | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 22 |
| Guest star(s) | Ford Rainey Robin Haynes |
| Writer(s) | Alan Alda |
| Director | Alan Alda |
| Production no. | 822 |
| Original airdate | February 18, 1980 |
| Episode chronology | |
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"Dreams" is an episode from the television series M*A*S*H. It was the 22nd episode of the eighth season, broadcast and aired on February 18, 1980 and repeated September 1, 1980. It was written and directed by Alan Alda. This episode was a hybrid that Alan Alda had been wanting to complete for years. Alda credits "Dreams" as one of his favorite M*A*S*H episodes.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
In this highly surreal episode, the cast undergoes 33 hours of surgery without sleep. A motor pool administrator refuses to send ambulances to the camp to evacuate patients (who are piling up rapidly) because they might be damaged by gunfire. In effect, they are forced to build bunks in Post-Op and move the wounded soldiers into every available space, including Klinger's office (thereby forcing him to sleep in the supply room.) The show centers around the dreams of the cast as they attempt to catch at least a little slumber in the midst of the crisis. Unfortunately, even their dreams offer no sanctuary from the war, as everyone eventually finds himself or herself glad to be awake (enough to substitute coffee for a well-deserved rest.)
[edit] Dreams
- Margaret Houlihan takes a nap in her tent. The dream sequence begins with the door opening and a white light spilling through. Houlihan finds herself in a wedding gown. She steps outside to find herself in an open field with Donald Penobscot (whom she recently divorced) in a tuxedo, and an ornate bed. This is an elating moment for her, as she and Penobscot kiss each other on the bed. That is short-lived, however, as a line of soldiers comes along and marches past the bed. Penobscot bluntly gets up and gets in line and step with the soldiers. A dismayed Houlihan stares at the leaving procession, then turns back to the bed, first seeing one wounded and bloody soldier laying next to her, which multiplies to three bloodied soldiers. The sequence ends with Houlihan standing alone in the field, with her hands and gown covered in blood.
- B.J. Hunnicutt falls asleep in Post-Op holding a photograph of his wife, Peg. His dream converts Post-Op to a ballroom, where he waltzes with Peg in elegant evening gowns. He and his wife dance their way into OR. Potter hands Hunnicutt a scalpel, and Hunnicutt instinctively proceeds to operate. One can see an expression of heartbreak on Peg's face, as she and two other men return to the ballroom.
- Sherman T. Potter has possibly the least distressing dream in the episode. He dozes off at his desk, and is roused with his horse, Sophie, entering the room. He grabs his hat and mounts Sophie, riding into the open field. A pair of Koreans in the shrubbery throw a grenade at Potter, who effortlessly knocks it away with a polo mallet, resulting in a spectacular fireworks display. Potter then witness a familiar site: his childhood home. A younger Sherman Potter is riding on a horse outside, and a female voice is calling him to dinner. At this point, Klinger abruptly awakens Potter, much to his annoyance.
- Charles Winchester is asleep in a room near OR, when the curtains rise and he finds himself dressed as a magician. He is greeted with applause as he enters the OR, chiefly from the staff. He proceeds with his act, but his attention (and soon everyone's) is drawn to a gasping patient in the front row. Winchester attempts progressively flashier performance, but to his horror, none of his charade does anything to improve the condition of the patient (alternatively, his inaction makes it worse). The dream ends with Winchester dancing with electric sparklers, with the crowd looking upon him as a fool.
- Father Mulcahy loses consciousness whilst listening to a rather droning confession from a patient. In his dream, Mulcahy is dressed as the Pope, and escorted to the mess hall, where he is met by the praises and adoration of the staff. Though surprised by the new attire, he welcomes his new important role, and ascends to the pulpit at the front of the room. Mulcahy motions everyone to sit down, and opens his Bible. He witness blood dripping onto the pages, so he looks up. The camera only reveals the feet of Jesus Christ as He is being crucified above the pulpit. Mulcahy looks away briefly, then looks back at the gruesome scene behind him, except Christ is replaced with a soldier. He turns to the crowd in front of him, who has resumed their normal tasks of operating, seemingly oblivious to Mulcahy's presence.
- Maxwell Klinger sneaks off to the supply room to take a nap. In his dream, the supply room is shaking, and a conductor's voice announces a train's arrival in Toledo. Klinger exits the supply room to find himself in the empty streets of his hometown. He approaches Tony Packo's Café (one of his favorite Toledan haunts) and wipes away the dust on the front window, only to see the OR back at the MASH. Potter spots Klinger and motions him to come in. The patient he is operating on turns his head to the surprised Klinger, revealing himself to be on the table. Nurse Kellye wakes Klinger up quite rudely, but he responds with glee that he is alive.
- Hawkeye Pierce dozes off in the mess hall, and undergoes the classic nightmare of being subject to a test he didn't study for (namely, reattaching a limb). The professor instructs Charles to remove both his arms, which are promptly thrown away. The scene shifts to a lake full of mannequins' arms and legs, with an armless Pierce in a rowboat. He lands ashore, where a Korean child with a belly wound is waiting on an operating table. He is offered a scalpel, which causes him to scream in frustration. At that point, Pierce wakes up to the sound of real helicopters.
[edit] Errors
- Potter told the general that a first lieutenant was withholding the ambulances, but when they were talking to him on the phone, he was wearing a second lieutenant’s rank insignia.
[edit] Trivia
- Catherine Bergstrom would again play Peg Hunnicut in the episode "Oh, How We Danced."
| Preceded by: "Goodbye, Cruel World" |
M*A*S*H episodes | Followed by: "War Co-Respondent" |
[edit] External links
| M*A*S*H | |
|---|---|
| Film: | MASH |
| TV series: | M*A*S*H | Trapper John, M.D. | AfterMASH | W*A*L*T*E*R |
| Characters: |
Hawkeye Pierce | Trapper John McIntyre | Duke Forrest | B.J. Hunnicutt | Henry Blake | Sherman T. Potter | Frank Burns | Margaret Houlihan | Charles Winchester | Radar O'Reilly | Father Mulcahy | Maxwell Klinger | Igor Straminsky | Luther Rizzo | Sidney Freedman | Col. Flagg | Spearchucker Jones | Ugly John | Walter Koskiusko Waldowski | Ho-Jon | Nurse Bigelow | Lieutenant Dish | Donald Penobscot |
| Episodes: | Season 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Books: | M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors | M*A*S*H Goes to Maine |
| Related material: | Guest stars | Differences between book, film and TV versions of M*A*S*H | Suicide Is Painless |
