SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 25:00 Min.
First televised by CBS-TV on October 20, 1973, William Wiard directed this early Season 2 episode. Displaying a fatherly bond, Trapper becomes emotionally attached to a young Korean orphan. Having convinced his family to adopt young Kim, Trapper must risk his life to rescue his surrogate son, who mistakenly plays in a live minefield outside the 4077th.
Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda
Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre: Wayne Rogers
Lt. Col. Henry Blake: MacLean Stevenson
Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff
Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit
Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville
(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher
Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr
Kim: Edgar Miller
Kim’s Mother: Momo Yashima
Lt. Kellye Yamato, R.N.: Kellye Nakahara
Nurse: Lesley Evans
Private Igor Straminsky: Jeff Maxwell
Note: The actress portraying Sister Theresa isn’t the same as the one who appears as her in, for instance, Season One’s “Tuttle.” That actress is Mary-Robin Redd.
REVIEW:
Exploring the welcome poignancy of Trapper’s paternal instinct to have a son, Wayne Rogers makes the most of this dramatic opportunity. Considering that Rogers, as the show’s second-billed star, had so few chances (oddly enough) to escape Alan Alda’s considerable shadow, “Kim” delivers a minor gem for his acting resumé. Yet, any genuine character growth boosting Trapper’s presence is conveniently wiped out at the last minute, which means Kim is completely forgotten by the next episode.
“Kim,” at least, hints at what MASH scriptwriters might have done with Trapper to keep a disgruntled Rogers from abruptly departing between Seasons 3 and 4. Specifically, writing episodes more like this one would have evolved Rogers’ Trapper to better contrast/mature his personality from Hawkeye’s, i.e. as later done with Mike Farrell’s BJ Honeycutt.
As far as watchability, “Kim” isn’t one that will come to mind, but it represents Rogers’ finest MASH performance.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars