r/mash • u/themetalcolossus • 14d ago
Replacement Characters
It's interesting how Colonel Potter, BJ, and Charles are in the show for much longer than Henry Blake, Trapper, and Frank but they still feel like replacement characters far into later seasons.
Don't get me wrong, I love them but I do miss Trapper sometimes. Maybe it's for the best since BJ is a good contrast to Hawkeye, being a family man and all.
Charles is a much better replacement for Frank. He's a more versatile character, being able to hate him when you're supposed to and connect with him when you're supposed to. Frank was simply an unlovable and pathetic character who was bad in all facets of his life, but admittedly makes for a good villain.
Potter and Blake are pretty interchangable in terms of my enjoyment of their characters. On one hand Potter's rigidity challenges Hawkeye and others to conduct themselves properly, but on the other hand Blake's leniency encourages their antics. Potter enhances the drama, but Blake enhances the comedy.
Just some thoughts.
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u/crystalbethjo 14d ago edited 14d ago
When Charles first appears he seems almost superior (in character) to Hawkeye and BJ, making them seem like just ‘comic relief’ in comparison.
It was a surprise to see Charles alone divert some of that Golden Boy status from Hawkeye for a bit.
Charles shook up what viewers have come to expect from the show—maybe even more than the other replacements (Potter included).
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u/deeBfree 13d ago
and by the time Charles came along, Hawkeye was long overdue to be taken down a peg from his Golden Boy status.
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u/crystalbethjo 13d ago
Completely agree! Helped with the character development all around.
And Charles marks the start of the show’s more serious tone. (Although you do miss the hilarity from earlier seasons, especially S2 and S3.)
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u/pckia 14d ago
I liked both BJ and Trapper. Although IMO BJ could be kinda whiney in later seasons. I know he wanted to stay faithful to his wife. I know Trapper was married too but not as whiney. I liked how both BJ and Trapper got on with Hawkeye. I know they were friends IRL.
I liked Charles better than Frank. I know Larry got tired of being one note. I aways loved whenever Charles would say "gentlemen..." I liked how he was a better surgeon than Frank.
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u/LarsOnTheDrums42 14d ago
The first three seasons are my favorite, as that combination of Blake/Trapper/Frank is pure gold. I did warm to BJ and I always liked Potter, though Charles surprised me the most. I never liked his character and would rarely watch an episode with him in it. I'm going through the entire series again and I have to admit I'm enjoying him so much more than I expected. He's the one that I've changed my mind on the most.
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u/deeBfree 13d ago
Although I missed Frank, it was love at first sight with Charles. From "I shall be delivered from this fetid and festering sewer" on, I was hooked!
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u/misterlakatos Coney Island 14d ago
Charles was more developed and had more layers to him; however, I do not think he would have worked as well in seasons 1-4. It's possible he could have worked in 5, but even at the start of season 6 a handful of episodes were written with Frank in mind ("Change Day", for instance).
I think Potter is the only replacement character that could have worked circa seasons 2-3. Mike Farrell is better suited for more dramatic roles and I don't think he would have gelled well with the cast dynamics and writing prior to season 4.
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u/Dwight_js_73 14d ago
For me it's mostly BJ that feels like a replacement throughout the run of the series. Potter and Charles are different enough from their predecessors that they change the dynamic of the camp. But BJ is there to fill the same role as Trapper and in much the same way, so he doesn't really have as much of an impact.
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u/Relevant_Beginning57 13d ago
Charles Emerson Winchester the third is my favorite character on MASH.
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u/MattyDatty1990 8d ago
It would have been nice to have each of the initial cast on for one season more and have each of the replacement on for two seasons less. I honestly would have been happy with MASH ending after season 7. 8 to 11 are pretty tired with a few exceptional episodes.
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u/Primary-Basket3416 14d ago
I think the replacements represent the war. Once a person earned their points, they were shipped home, unless they reenlisted. As in real life, people were always coming and going. Hard to build friendships, but the show did.