Trapper John left MASH following season 3 and never said goodbye to his best friend Hawkeye; there are a few reasons his exit was so abrupt.
Trapper’s abrupt exit from MASH hurt Hawkeye, especially because his so-called best friend never said goodbye. The Korean War itself may have lasted three years, but MASH ended up running for 11 in total. MASH may have been tamer than the Robert Altman movie that preceded it, but it still carried plenty of bite. Its anti-war tone and mix of comedy and drama was groundbreaking for TV audiences during the ’70s, while MASH’s finale is the most-watched episode of scripted television in history, a record that’s almost impossible to break now.
This proves what a seismic impact MASH left on pop culture. The series got off to a slow start, however, with the ratings being so poor MASH was almost canceled after season 1. Thankfully, it caught on during re-runs and became one of the most popular shows of its era. Still, some notable characters exited MASH early in its run, including McLean Stevenson’s Henry Blake and Wayne Rogers as “Trapper” John McIntyre, who both left during season 3’s finale.
Trapper DID Try To Say Goodbye To Hawkeye On MASH
MASH’s season 4 premiere episode “Welcome to Korea” saw Hawkeye (Alan Alda) return from a break in Tokyo to the news that Trapper had been discharged in his absence. It’s left up to Radar (Gary Burghoff) to pass along the news since Trapper had already left by the time Hawkeye returned; Radar also passes along a kiss on the cheek from Trapper. What Trapper didn’t do was leave behind any kind of goodbye letter to his old friend, with the two having been almost inseparable since the start of the show.
What some MASH viewers tend to forget is that Trapper did try to say goodbye, and had Radar try to get through to Hawkeye while he was in Tokyo. It’s likely that in the sheer excitement of being discharged, the thought of writing a note didn’t occur to him. Previous episodes revealed how much Trapper missed his wife and children, to the point he almost went AWOL during season 2’s. The first part of “Welcome to Korea” ends with Hawkeye rushing to the airport to see Trapper off, only to miss him by minutes. He does, however, meet his future bestie B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) for the first time.
Trapper’s MASH Exit Hurt Hawkeye
When MASH began, Hawkeye and Trapper were equal lead characters and were both fond of partying and pulling pranks. While it’s plausible Trapper simply didn’t have time to leave any goodbye notes for his pal in his rush to leave, what’s less excusable is that he seemingly never tried to contact him after he left. This, in turn, wounded Hawkeye somewhat, and while he quickly made a new friend in Hunnicutt, the lack of closure with Trapper was mentioned several times in future episodes.
This includes MASH’s finale, where Hunnicutt’s seeming reluctance to say goodbye to Hawkeye when they’re about to be sent home brings back memories of Trapper’s exit. The final episode makes this a plot point, and even when Hawkeye is preparing to leave the camp via helicopter, Hunnicutt still doesn’t say goodbye. However, as Hawkeye’s helicopter is taking off, he sees that Hunnicutt has spelled out “GOODBYE” with rocks, which is also the final message viewers are left with.
Why Trapper Left MASH So Abruptly
Whereas Henry Blake’s death on MASH was scripted for maximum emotional impact, nobody realized the season 3 finale would be Trapper’s final appearance too. Rogers had been unhappy with how Trapper was being used for some time prior to his departure. While the character was supposed to be an equal co-lead – as depicted in the 1970 – Alda proved to be such a hit with viewers that Hawkeye increasingly became the main character, with Trapper acting as more of a loveable sidekick.
Towards the end of MASH’s third season, Rogers became so displeased with this turn of events he decided to leave. Needless to say, CBS wasn’t happy with his decision and decided to sue; unfortunately for them, Rogers hadn’t actually signed the original contract they had presented him with, leaving him free to exit. This is why Trapper leaves MASH so suddenly between the third and fourth seasons, and why Rogers couldn’t even make a cameo to say farewell to Hawkeye.
While this remains unconfirmed, it could explain why MASH portrayed Trapper’s departure in such an oddly negative light. It would have been easy to write a scene where Hawkeye received a letter from his old pal once he returned home or even an offscreen call. Hunnicutt was something of a Trapper substitute during his early episodes too, presumably to ease the transition between them. He became more of his own character in later seasons though, while mentions of Trapper faded into the background. While Rogers never returned to MASH following his exit, he later returned to screens with another medical sitcom called
