S1E06 - MASH!!

Hi friends,

Some shows come into your life when you least expect it, and they end up staying with you forever. For me, that show is MASH.

I first stumbled across it one summer, I think I was 10 or 11, and I was bored and had nothing to do. I started watching a couple of episodes and was instantly hooked. The humor, the heart, the way the characters became my friends — it all drew me in. Over time, it became one of my all-time favorite shows.

Fast forward to 2019, when I discovered a podcast called MASH Matters*, hosted by Ryan Patrick — a longtime fan of the show — and Jeff Maxwell, who actually played Private Igor on MASH. I was thrilled to find people talking about this show I loved so much. I even wrote them an email, and they actually ended up reading it. Here’s a bit of what I said:

“I’m not your average MASH fan. I’m a 33-year-old South Asian-Canadian woman, and my love for MASH goes back many years, to before I even started high school.

I started watching it on TV, then slowly collected all the DVDs. I never knew anybody else who watched the show, so it became a very personal connection for me. In a way, it isolated me from my peers, but it also gave me happiness and comfort. Whenever I was sick, visiting the doctors and nurses at the 4077th was just as good as any medicine. The characters feel like family to me, and they’ve been a source of comfort whenever I’ve gone through something difficult in life.”

That was part of my email, and I’ll never forget the day they read it on their show. It was during Covid, shortly after I got married and I was sitting on the couch listening to their episode with my headphones. Suddenly, I heard Ryan start to read my words. My jaw dropped and I had to pause the show. I rewinded and heard them say my name again! It was so exciting to hear my own words shared “on air.”

And it didn’t stop there. In that same email, I had mentioned one of my favorite episodes, Morale Victory, which has a scene where Charles convinces a soldier, a concert pianist who’s lost the use of his hand, not to give up on himself. That episode really touched me, and I had even written a blog post about it. Ryan actually passed my blog along to John Rappaport, the writer of that episode, and John responded with appreciation for my words! I couldn’t believe it. Knowing that the writer of one of my favourite scenes of television heard about and understood how deeply it affected me. That was such a powerful moment.

Later, when MASH Matters started a Patreon, I signed up right away. One of the perks was a Zoom call with Jeff and Ryan, and I was soo excited to chat with them. We talked about my love for MASH, about their podcast, and just about life in general. And after moving from Ontario to BC, I launched my own editing/proofreading company. And I offered to create transcripts for MASH Matters. They gave me shout-outs on the podcast, which felt surreal! Hearing my name on a podcast I admired so much!

I’ll admit, with life being busy, I’ve only made it through transcribing up to episode eight, but the fact that I get to contribute something to a show that has given me so much joy means a lot to me.

When I think about it, MASH has been with me through so many different stages of my life. From being a teenager watching DVDs, to a “front-line worker” as a registration clerk in the emergency department for many years, (made me feel like Radar) to newlywed during the pandemic hearing my email read out loud, to now…finding community through the podcast and even contributing in my own way.

For me, MASH is more than just a TV show. It’s comfort, it’s family, and it’s a reminder of how stories, whether they’re on the screen, or they’re written, or they’re in podcasts, can connect us across generations and across the world.

Are you a fan of MASH? Have you tried watching it? Do you have a favourite episode? Favourite character? Let me know, I’d love to hear about it. And until next time, take good care of each other.