YMMV / M*A*S*H S11 E16: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

• Ho Yay: Hawkeye and B.J.'s final conversation drips with it, particularly Hawkeye's "I'll never be able to shake you" speech.
• Narm: It's been hotly debated over the years, but the general consensus is that there's something just a little... off about the way Alda plays Hawkeye's "chicken/baby" breakdown scene. When he finally has the gut-wrenching realization, his tone of voice (and his facial expression) sounds less like crying and strangely like he's trying not to laugh.
• Vindicated by History: A lot of viewers initially were baffled by the finale of a comedy series taking such a solemn tone, and in particular the then-extreme storyline involving Hawkeye having a mental breakdown and being committed to a mental hospital. But in recent years, the writing and Alan Alda's performance are more likely to be praised as having an understanding of trauma and mental illness that was ahead of its time.

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