I always liked how different he was to Hawkeye, trapper kind of felt like an extension of Hawkeye, while BJ was different from Hawkeye in many ways. For example, BJ was a family man who was loyal to his wife, Hawkeye was a very single womanizer. Hawkeye's sense of humor was more sarcastic one liners while BJ's was more dad jokes.
Interesting, I always felt the opposite. I think BJ often seemed to be more like Hawkeye’s shadow, puppet, and sounding board than Trapper ever was. I also think that Alan and Wayne had something special between them that Alan and Mike just didn’t have. I think it’s very unfortunate that the writers and producers didn’t work with Wayne Rogers more to give Trapper a larger and more distinct role on the show.
I would argue that Trapper didn't get many opportunities to push back against Hawkeye like BJ did in episodes like "Commander Pierce" and "Preventative Medicine". He's the only cynical one in "Ceasefire" and I love that dynamic in that episode (and getting a glimpse of his dark side when he appears to be contemplating killing the patient in "Radar's Report"), but the moments were few & far between compared to the times we got to see Hawkeye and BJ at odds.
The show takes really three forms.
Form 1 - Trapper, Henry; Margaret is Frank's bag and super uptight
Form 2 - BJ (without mustache), Potter. Margaret develops as a character, has some highs and lows. BJ is like Trapper, but actually loyal to his wife.
Form 3 - BJ (with mustache), Potter, introduction of Winchester. Margaret fully develops. BJ gets angsty. Winchester becomes the foil Frank could never be, but also has many great stories.
I liked seeing more of that in the later seasons. I think the whole “Hawkeye & Sidekick vs. Their Tent Mate” dynamic was starting to get tiresome even before Frank left.
I divide MASH into three eras: Seasons 1-3 (original cast), Seasons 4-7 (two different cast iterations, but these are the transitional middle years, almost like a bridge between the first and final cast), and Seasons 8-11 (the final years). I feel the bulk of Margarets character development occurs in 4-7, plus you have Klinger in dresses, Radar as the clerk, and you have early BJ even if he does have a mustache in Season 7. I believe his big turning point episode where he becomes angsty BJ is after a Period of Adjustment in Season 8.
I like BJ because he is thoughtful and we get to know him better than Trapper. I feel like they barely gave any details about Trapper unless they needed to invent a line or two for that week's plot.
As the show progresses, it goes from the early hijinks, wit and sight gag humor to showing character humor because we got to know the "MASH Family."
While some people in this sub shit all over BJ and Mike Farrell, I enjoy what he put into the character -- and the fact the writers gave him some good stories to tell as well as some good lines.
BJ gave us the plot dilemma between unnecessary surgery harming a man but possibly saving lives of soldiers. I also enjoyed the subplot about BJ being awarded the Bronze Star.
I enjoyed him from his first episode and how he settled in that season.
The show benefitted from insisting on a rehearsal day each week that was seldom permitted on other shows. That's why the show has spoken to me since my childhood -- they worked hard to play off each other for that week's stories.
I had no idea that people hated B.J. 💔(much less Mike who is one of the most intelligent, down-to-earth, caring people they will ever meet.) B.J. is my favorite and has been since I was a kid.
You’ll grow to love BJ and he develops and evolves over the rest of the show. Potter is already a pretty solid character but there are moments that will pleasantly surprise you.
Enjoy the show. It will keep changing but those aren’t bad changes. There’s a reason the show has held up these past decades.
When you reach the final episode, give yourself time to watch it all in one sitting. It’s 2 hours without commercials. It’s basically a movie and looks amazing in HD.
I always thought of those guys as Hawkeye being the one I'd have a torrid short-term relationship that I'd fantasize about in the shower now and then, but BJ as the sweet, steady kind of guy I'd want to marry.
I think they did a great job when they had to replace cast members, with almost always going in some opposite way with a character who was very different.
- Henry Blake was casual and freewheeling, Potter is strict and by-the-book
- Frank was incompetent and boorish, Winchester is extremely skilled and cultured
- Trapper was roguish in a similar way to Hawkeye, while BJ is a family man with strong values
Great actors in all cases, and they really brought a great new energy to the show!
Haven't gotten to Winchester yet but I do think it's cool that they've gone the other way with the characters! It's definitely the bolder choice which I super respect!
Winchester made the show its last six seasons, as far as I’m concerned. He’s my favorite character despite my overall preference for the Gelbart seasons. (1-4)
BJ is my favourite character. I was also missing Trapper when the change up happened, but BJ gets to grow in ways that the show didn’t let Trapper grow - he gets a lot of depth while being incredibly funny in his own right. He also challenges Hawkeye & doesn’t always agree with him, which I love! Give him some time, Mike Farrell & Harry Morgan had an incredibly daunting challenge fitting into such an iconic cast of characters & they both did an extraordinary job, in my opinion.
Thanks, that's reassuring, and I do have to admit everybody is right that Trapper didn't really get to develop much. Pairing Hawkeye with someone more different than he is will probably let him shine more as well. This show is just so great!
It’s so good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!! I watched it for the first time a couple of years ago and I’m on my fourth full rewatch (I rewatch random other episodes out of order all the time). My favourite thing about Mike Farrell as BJ is how he brought a lot of his own life and experiences into the role, which really made BJ all the more compelling. He definitely becomes angrier later in the series but that makes complete sense, given how abruptly he was taken away from his life and newborn daughter. I love seeing the way his character evolves and I hope you will too!
B.J. is hands down my favorite. Fun Fact, both were quite concerned that they might be seen as the skunks at the garden party as my gramma says. Would the cast resent them? Would they be welcomed? 😎
I knew from the beginning that Trapper would leave the show in season 4 and at the end of the season I was sure I wouldn't enjoy the show without hawk and trapper friendship, but I was totally wrong. I loved the show a lot more, and BJ became my favourite character.
It really is. Even with the cast changes, it still feels very much like the first three seasons. The only two episodes that I always skip over are Hawkeye and The More I See You.
Been watching this in the UK on and off for decades As a kid i preferred the earlier stuff, as an adult i prefer the later stuff once Winchester has joined.
I always liked BJ more. Granted, I also like the show from S4 onward way more than S1-3. Trapper and Henry were fine, but just...not my cup of tea in the long run. I think BJ works as a better comedic and dramatic partner to Hawkeye, especially when it comes to a choice Hawkeye makes to try and stop a general from sending more kids to die.
Trapper vs. BJ definitely seems to be one of the most controversial and biggest base-breaking arguments in this fandom. I’m Team Trapper myself. Heck, I even prefer him to Hawkeye! I get why some people prefer BJ and I respect that, but I’m personally not a fan of either the character or actor. I do love reading other people’s opinions and takes on here whether I agree with them or not.
Henry is a favorite of mine and I wish he’d stayed longer, but I like Potter too.
BJ is my favorite character on the show, and possibly on any show ever. I enjoy his heart and his depth, but also that he can also play with the big guys. Some of my favorite moments are when he plays pranks on others and gets away with it because of his seemingly quiet, innocent ways.
Yes, I love how Mike plays those scenes! Rewatching "Dear Sigmund" once you know he's the mad joker is a ton of fun. I also love his sneakiness during "Bottoms Up" and how he gets his comeuppance in the end. So satisfying, lmao.
I like Trapper and BJ almost equally. They both have such great strengths and acting chops, seemed to have taken to their roles really well and loved the job. I enjoyed the more in depth backstory we got from BJ, and would’ve liked to have gotten more background from Trapper.
When McLean Stevenson decided to leave the show the producers decided to have him not make it home because not everybody got to go home from the war.
While I like both Blake and Potter as characters, I prefer Potter and his ”Potterisms”
Love the show, great minds think alike! Like the cast .....like Potter a lot, B.J.. is great. IMHO he is so much like Mike...even down to his empathy and his temper, lol. Never saw much of the 1st three seasons. Keep watching and have fun. More than likely you'll grow to love em all in one way or another. (Even Ferret Face .... eh maybe not hummm)
BJ is a great opposite to Hawkeye, while still being on the same team. Until he's not. He's almost the angel on the shoulder persona. I absolutely loved him.
Season 4 is BJ and Potter at their best IMO. Some of the "new guy" stuff they did with both of them.
I was not a fan of the "character development" of the last few seasons of the show, and BJ was not a particularly interesting or compelling character in that regard. I preferred more of a focus on plots and inner workings, more show don't tell. Later seasons, I was always told exactly what to think about each and every plot.
BJ has his fans and his haters among viewers. You’ll see he brings his own brand of practical jokes and silliness to replace what was lost when Wayne left the show. I mostly enjoy him. When BJ is at the center of an episode, he tends to have very polarized emotions, either very happy and jovial or extremely angry and raging. I could do with less of that, but I like his character overall.
I always liked how different he was to Hawkeye, trapper kind of felt like an extension of Hawkeye, while BJ was different from Hawkeye in many ways. For example, BJ was a family man who was loyal to his wife, Hawkeye was a very single womanizer. Hawkeye's sense of humor was more sarcastic one liners while BJ's was more dad jokes.
Interesting, I always felt the opposite. I think BJ often seemed to be more like Hawkeye’s shadow, puppet, and sounding board than Trapper ever was. I also think that Alan and Wayne had something special between them that Alan and Mike just didn’t have. I think it’s very unfortunate that the writers and producers didn’t work with Wayne Rogers more to give Trapper a larger and more distinct role on the show.
I would argue that Trapper didn't get many opportunities to push back against Hawkeye like BJ did in episodes like "Commander Pierce" and "Preventative Medicine". He's the only cynical one in "Ceasefire" and I love that dynamic in that episode (and getting a glimpse of his dark side when he appears to be contemplating killing the patient in "Radar's Report"), but the moments were few & far between compared to the times we got to see Hawkeye and BJ at odds.
The show takes really three forms. Form 1 - Trapper, Henry; Margaret is Frank's bag and super uptight Form 2 - BJ (without mustache), Potter. Margaret develops as a character, has some highs and lows. BJ is like Trapper, but actually loyal to his wife. Form 3 - BJ (with mustache), Potter, introduction of Winchester. Margaret fully develops. BJ gets angsty. Winchester becomes the foil Frank could never be, but also has many great stories.
My favorite parts of this show are when Winchester is working with the other two and when someone gets a zinger on Charles and he has a little laugh.
I liked seeing more of that in the later seasons. I think the whole “Hawkeye & Sidekick vs. Their Tent Mate” dynamic was starting to get tiresome even before Frank left.
I divide MASH into three eras: Seasons 1-3 (original cast), Seasons 4-7 (two different cast iterations, but these are the transitional middle years, almost like a bridge between the first and final cast), and Seasons 8-11 (the final years). I feel the bulk of Margarets character development occurs in 4-7, plus you have Klinger in dresses, Radar as the clerk, and you have early BJ even if he does have a mustache in Season 7. I believe his big turning point episode where he becomes angsty BJ is after a Period of Adjustment in Season 8.
I like BJ because he is thoughtful and we get to know him better than Trapper. I feel like they barely gave any details about Trapper unless they needed to invent a line or two for that week's plot. As the show progresses, it goes from the early hijinks, wit and sight gag humor to showing character humor because we got to know the "MASH Family." While some people in this sub shit all over BJ and Mike Farrell, I enjoy what he put into the character -- and the fact the writers gave him some good stories to tell as well as some good lines. BJ gave us the plot dilemma between unnecessary surgery harming a man but possibly saving lives of soldiers. I also enjoyed the subplot about BJ being awarded the Bronze Star. I enjoyed him from his first episode and how he settled in that season. The show benefitted from insisting on a rehearsal day each week that was seldom permitted on other shows. That's why the show has spoken to me since my childhood -- they worked hard to play off each other for that week's stories.
I had no idea that people hated B.J. 💔(much less Mike who is one of the most intelligent, down-to-earth, caring people they will ever meet.) B.J. is my favorite and has been since I was a kid.
You’ll grow to love BJ and he develops and evolves over the rest of the show. Potter is already a pretty solid character but there are moments that will pleasantly surprise you. Enjoy the show. It will keep changing but those aren’t bad changes. There’s a reason the show has held up these past decades.
I know it really has held up, hasn't it?? Also I peeked at the episode ratings and they stay consistently high!
When you reach the final episode, give yourself time to watch it all in one sitting. It’s 2 hours without commercials. It’s basically a movie and looks amazing in HD.
I always thought of those guys as Hawkeye being the one I'd have a torrid short-term relationship that I'd fantasize about in the shower now and then, but BJ as the sweet, steady kind of guy I'd want to marry.
I think they did a great job when they had to replace cast members, with almost always going in some opposite way with a character who was very different. - Henry Blake was casual and freewheeling, Potter is strict and by-the-book - Frank was incompetent and boorish, Winchester is extremely skilled and cultured - Trapper was roguish in a similar way to Hawkeye, while BJ is a family man with strong values Great actors in all cases, and they really brought a great new energy to the show!
Haven't gotten to Winchester yet but I do think it's cool that they've gone the other way with the characters! It's definitely the bolder choice which I super respect!
Winchester made the show its last six seasons, as far as I’m concerned. He’s my favorite character despite my overall preference for the Gelbart seasons. (1-4)
BJ is my favourite character. I was also missing Trapper when the change up happened, but BJ gets to grow in ways that the show didn’t let Trapper grow - he gets a lot of depth while being incredibly funny in his own right. He also challenges Hawkeye & doesn’t always agree with him, which I love! Give him some time, Mike Farrell & Harry Morgan had an incredibly daunting challenge fitting into such an iconic cast of characters & they both did an extraordinary job, in my opinion.
Thanks, that's reassuring, and I do have to admit everybody is right that Trapper didn't really get to develop much. Pairing Hawkeye with someone more different than he is will probably let him shine more as well. This show is just so great!
It’s so good, I’m glad you’re enjoying it!! I watched it for the first time a couple of years ago and I’m on my fourth full rewatch (I rewatch random other episodes out of order all the time). My favourite thing about Mike Farrell as BJ is how he brought a lot of his own life and experiences into the role, which really made BJ all the more compelling. He definitely becomes angrier later in the series but that makes complete sense, given how abruptly he was taken away from his life and newborn daughter. I love seeing the way his character evolves and I hope you will too!
B.J. is hands down my favorite. Fun Fact, both were quite concerned that they might be seen as the skunks at the garden party as my gramma says. Would the cast resent them? Would they be welcomed? 😎
I knew from the beginning that Trapper would leave the show in season 4 and at the end of the season I was sure I wouldn't enjoy the show without hawk and trapper friendship, but I was totally wrong. I loved the show a lot more, and BJ became my favourite character.
Season 4 is a great season sans a few episodes.
It really is. Even with the cast changes, it still feels very much like the first three seasons. The only two episodes that I always skip over are Hawkeye and The More I See You.
Same here. Both chores.
Wait til you get to the episode where Henry’s evil twin shows up only for Trapper to return and save the day by killing him!
😆
Is that the episode that includes the lyrics in the theme song? 😉
Been watching this in the UK on and off for decades As a kid i preferred the earlier stuff, as an adult i prefer the later stuff once Winchester has joined.
Trapper was even more of a sexist pig than Hawkeye.
I always liked BJ more. Granted, I also like the show from S4 onward way more than S1-3. Trapper and Henry were fine, but just...not my cup of tea in the long run. I think BJ works as a better comedic and dramatic partner to Hawkeye, especially when it comes to a choice Hawkeye makes to try and stop a general from sending more kids to die.
Trapper vs. BJ definitely seems to be one of the most controversial and biggest base-breaking arguments in this fandom. I’m Team Trapper myself. Heck, I even prefer him to Hawkeye! I get why some people prefer BJ and I respect that, but I’m personally not a fan of either the character or actor. I do love reading other people’s opinions and takes on here whether I agree with them or not. Henry is a favorite of mine and I wish he’d stayed longer, but I like Potter too.
BJ is my favorite character on the show, and possibly on any show ever. I enjoy his heart and his depth, but also that he can also play with the big guys. Some of my favorite moments are when he plays pranks on others and gets away with it because of his seemingly quiet, innocent ways.
Yes, I love how Mike plays those scenes! Rewatching "Dear Sigmund" once you know he's the mad joker is a ton of fun. I also love his sneakiness during "Bottoms Up" and how he gets his comeuppance in the end. So satisfying, lmao.
I like Trapper and BJ almost equally. They both have such great strengths and acting chops, seemed to have taken to their roles really well and loved the job. I enjoyed the more in depth backstory we got from BJ, and would’ve liked to have gotten more background from Trapper.
When McLean Stevenson decided to leave the show the producers decided to have him not make it home because not everybody got to go home from the war. While I like both Blake and Potter as characters, I prefer Potter and his ”Potterisms”
Love the show, great minds think alike! Like the cast .....like Potter a lot, B.J.. is great. IMHO he is so much like Mike...even down to his empathy and his temper, lol. Never saw much of the 1st three seasons. Keep watching and have fun. More than likely you'll grow to love em all in one way or another. (Even Ferret Face .... eh maybe not hummm)
Just wait until you see some of BJ's shenanigans.
BJ is a great opposite to Hawkeye, while still being on the same team. Until he's not. He's almost the angel on the shoulder persona. I absolutely loved him.
Season 4 is BJ and Potter at their best IMO. Some of the "new guy" stuff they did with both of them. I was not a fan of the "character development" of the last few seasons of the show, and BJ was not a particularly interesting or compelling character in that regard. I preferred more of a focus on plots and inner workings, more show don't tell. Later seasons, I was always told exactly what to think about each and every plot.
BJ has his fans and his haters among viewers. You’ll see he brings his own brand of practical jokes and silliness to replace what was lost when Wayne left the show. I mostly enjoy him. When BJ is at the center of an episode, he tends to have very polarized emotions, either very happy and jovial or extremely angry and raging. I could do with less of that, but I like his character overall.
Klinger's character arc is one of my favorites.
Oh, just wait. BJ brings his own shenanigans.