The Mash episode was secretly an Alan Alda family reunion

A season 8 episode of MASH Was a real Alda family. When the sitcom debuted in 1972, it was intended that Alan Alda’s Hawkeye and Wayne Roger’s Trapper would be equal co-stars, just as the characters were in the Robert Altman movie of the same name. It soon became clear that Alda was the breakout star, and Hawkeye became the de-facto lead. Rogers was one of the first MASH Actors to exit the show when he felt that Trapper’s role was diminishing, while Alda would become a bigger creative voice behind the scenes.

Alan Alda is the only one MASH Actor to appear in each episodeWith season 4’s “Hawkeye” featuring none of the cast outside of the titular character. The star was also key in the show’s move from sitcom to drama and helped further underline MASH’s Anti-war subtext. Alda also directed over 30 episodes, with MASH’s Finale after the most-viewed scripted television episode ever broadcast. In short, he was a big reason it lasted so long and he invested a lot of creative energy into the series.

MASH Season 8 “Give a Hand” united Alan Alda with his father and brother

Robert and Antony Alda make special guest appearances in this MASH outing

The fanbase seems to have conflicting feelings towards Alda’s influence on the series and his episodes in general. The likes of MASH’s Detailed “Dreams” or “Follies of the Living – Concerns of the Dead” take large deviations from the standard formula, often eschewing comedy in favor of straight-faced drama. The same can’t be said for season 8 outing “Lend a Hand,” where Hawkeye is forced to work alongside overbearing surgeon Dr. Anthony Borelli. Despite Borelli getting on Hawkeye’s nerves in a big way, when both men are injured, They have to work together with their uninjured hands for an operation.

During “Lend a Hand,” Hawkeye and Borelli croon like an old comedy double act. They exchange rapid-fire quips and insults, but despite barely knowing each other, they act like squabbling family members. This is because Borelli is played by Alan Alda’s real father Robertwho was a former vaudeville performer. During Alan’s youth, the two performed in sketches together, explaining their on-screen comic chemistry.

“Lend a Hand” also saw Alan write a role for his half-brother Anthony Alda as Corporal Jarvis, who assists Hawkeye and Borelli during surgery. This is the first and only time in MASH Where the Aldas worked togetherWith their onscreen relationship supposedly mirroring their real-life one; Alan and Robert are sniping at each other, while Antony acts as peacekeeper.

Alan Alda claims that MASH’s “Lend a Hand” helped him reconcile with his father

The last scene “Lend a hand” has a couple of meanings

Alan Alda has made no secret that he sometimes has a strained relationship with his father, with the two having a strange rivalry. Alda wrote and directed “Lend a Hand” as a way to work with his father again, and It was Robert’s idea to have the two surgeons literally work hand-in-hand during “Lend a Hand’s” finale.. Alan himself was originally against the idea but included it in the script to make his father happy. The visual is certainly on the nose, but Robert was reportedly moved to tears while filming the sequence.

Alda said in his memoirs Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned That Hawkeye and Borelli’s relationship was a reflection of how the Aldas were in reality. This makes sense in “Lend a Hand,” where Borelli is obnoxiously paternal to Hawkeye, suggesting he open his coat to get warm or remarking on how he washes his hands. It’s strange behavior for a character who, within the reality of MASHDoesn’t have much of a relationship with Hawkeye.

Still, father and son enjoyed working together on the series, even if “Lend a Hand” wasn’t a highly regarded outing. Knowing the familial relationship between Alan, Antony and Robert gives their scenes a fun metatextual element tooRight down to how they work out their interpersonal tensions with their characters.

“Lend a Hand” was Robert Alda’s second appearance on MASH

MASH Season 8 was Dr. Borelli’s second visit to the 4077

Hawkeye and Borelli’s relationship can be somewhat explained by the first appearance of the latter during MASH Season 3 When Robert Alda made his debut in “The Consultant.” This version of this character is quite different from the one seen in “Lend a Hand”, however, being a sadder figure who lets his alcoholism get the better of him. This results in a heartwarming scene between Hawkeye and Borelli, who admits that he has a problem, but that the same thing could happen to Hawkeye in the future.

Indeed, MASH’s “Fallen Idol” sees the prediction come true, where the surgeon is so hungover during an operation that he is forced to step off. Of Robert Alda’s two appearances, “The Consultant” is the best, but “Lend a Hand” is worth viewing for its meta elements alone.

Source: Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned