Why Not A 'Dear...' Letter Episode With Frank or Margaret?

Not exactly the same thing, but Radar got to narrate an episode while typing his weekly report.

IIRC Charles taped a letter to his parents, but they just had scenes of him talking into the tape, not narrating MASH happenings.

That's a good observation.

I could see an episode where Frank writes a letter to his wife and then exaggerates everything to make himself look good, like in the 'Novocaine Mutiny' episode.

It was one of those days that, more than most reminds us that war, however much we may enjoy it, is no strawberry festival.

Henry and Trapper never got a 'Dear' episode either. The closest Trapper came was 'Bulletin Board', I think.

But yeah, a 'Dear' episode for Frank, seeing the 4077th from HIS point of view would've made for an interesting episode.

Frank: - I suspect that there was little love in Frank's marriage. It was a marriage of convience for Frank. A single doctor, in the 1940s, was ultra rare. She was also a major tax write-off. The house and car were in her name so his insurance, mortgage, and more were probably a lot lower, since his salary would make all that higher.

He was married for the image of being married. The home movie of his marriage shows that she, as well, wasn't likely deeply in love and was rather ordinary looking, She may have felt that he may have been her only option.

Margaret - Being military, she didn't write her dad because she probably saw her duties at the 4077th as her duty with little there worthy of writing home. Little, aside from a bit of her non-military duties, were worty of note to a military veteran of several wars.

You also saw just how critical her father was of everything. I suspect Margaret might have felt that he would have been unhappy with her relationship with Frank, poker games, drinking, and more.

Remember how her father felt about Hawkeye and B.J's attire and attitude. If she'd written about their antics, especially the womanizing, he would probably have given her grief about the nurses, and more.



Destroying an empire to win a war is no victory and ending a battle to save an empire is no defeat

Frank "sort of" had a letter scene when he was writing that newsletter to his former patients. IIRC he was quite the hero.

Novocaine Mutiny gave us a brief glimpse of Frank as Dr. Superman. Would that have been able to carry the "a" part of the episode? I don't know.

The closest we got to Frank writing a letter was in a phone call to his wife and later on in another episode to his mother.
He lied and was deceitful to his wife when he convinced her not to divorce after she found out about Margaret. (She looks like an old army mule. With bosoms. LMAO!)
Truthful to his mom at having a hard time there.

I could see his letters going either way. But it would be interesting if it was honest just like how everyone else is.

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Thanx!

I think what would have worked best for Frank would be a letter to his mother. I think it would have been a great look into Frank Burns' mind if they had an episode where Frank writes a rosy letter to his Mom while we see how the world really treats him.