Bless you, Hawkeye - MASH 

It's hard to believe that Sidney was only in twelve episodes of M*A*S*H. His presence was so powerful that he felt like a regular character.

It's the little battlefields that can leave the worst scars...one of the best lines and truths said on film

Odor is the most powerful scent humans have connected with memory. ie: a smell or odor you have not smelled in 40 years and suddenly smelled again will inherently bring back a flood of memories from that time. Interesting it was brought up on this episode. Shows the intelligence of writers.

Allan Arbus tells an amusing story. He had been portraying Dr. Freedman on MASH for several years. He didn't realize how good his characterization was until he was at a hospital. His daughter had undergone some minor surgery and he was in the waiting room. The attending surgeon came in to tell him everything had gone well and started to speak to Arbus as if he was a real doctor! The surgeon was using terminology that Arbus didn't understand and he had to remind the fellow he was an actor, not a certified doctor!

Alan Alda is such a gifted actor. Not many could do a scene like this.

This scene and the one where Hawkeye recalled about the mother smothering her baby on the bus in the last episode always gets me.

The most profound and brilliant example of how a psychiatrist can unlock our traumatized mind. I love MASH for the growth. From satire to dramatic comedy to sitcom great show.

Hawkeye crying in this episode was one of the most moving scenes in this series. Even more powerful than when he cried in "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen."

I can't remember a single bad scene involving Sidney Freeman. Some were quite funny, others quite serious but all of them were straight up excellent.

Talk about great acting. I always thought Alan Arbus did an excellent job playing Sidney Freedman - so good in fact I could actually see him being a shrink in real life - very compassionate, warmhearted, level headed, and sharp as a tack. I can't rate this show highly enough.

I always loved it when Dr. Freidman would come by. He was always wise and insightful. Kind of like in Kung Fu when Caine would speak with Master Po.

Sidney's episodes were always some of the most profound on the series. I always felt they were a great commentary on the depths of humanity short of a psych class.

Prime example of gaslighting. Hawkeye's buddy pushed him into the pond, then pulled him out to be the hero and told Hawkeye, "You're so clumsy. You'd be dead if not for me." And though Hawkeye KNEW the truth, he didn't want to believe his best friend would do that to him, so he created a reasonable, acceptable alternative to help him cope with repressing his true feelings.

He was an amazing talker, he had a clever response for everything.

I am so grateful for Allan Arbrus & Alan Alda for the acting of this scene. So many times I have watched this and it helps me face the things I have locked away. It helps me embrace my pain so I can let it go.

What I needed to hear. A few years ago I was struggling with two unknown health crises. An undiagnosed concussion, from a bicycle accident, and undiagnosed Aspergers/Autistic. (since confirmed with DNA sequencing). The concussion made it even harder for me to initiate social interactions. Meaning, an increased inability to self-advocate, and not asking for help. I went to a friend (also my brother's brother-in-law) for help. I didn't totally trust him (he was psychopathic) but I didn't think I had any other choice. A few days later, I'm homeless, for 45 days. He called me during that time. I heard him laughing on the phone when he was asking where I was sleeping. The anger from realizing "he pushed me" is real. I'm good now. My health is stabilizing. I've received 70 hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions at 2.0 ATA to repair any damage from the concussion. Now that I know about being Autistic, I am starting to reframe past life events in their proper context. Also able to process present life events in their proper context.

hearing him wail after all these years is still hard to listen to

One of my favorite episodes is one where a wounded soldier gets a letter from his girlfriend saying she has married some rich guy and she wants her picture back and he is all broken up. And the Mash officers collect pictures of girlfriends and draft a letter saying " i can't really remember which one is yours. Please keep yours and mail the rest back."

Sidney was the most beautiful character, such an interesting person to watch and listen to. Such a fundamentally good person, who also happens to be wise and funny. One of my favourite moments is when Colonel Flag accuses him of being a communist or something and Sidney just responds with such contempt for the sort of man Flag is.

"You're so clumsy. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead." For some reason, that's the part of the monologue that I remember most clearly.

I don't think Billy was intentionally planning to kill Hawkeye. Otherwise he wouldn't have pulled him out! It was a practical joke that went too far. I don't blame him for hating his cousin. He looked up to Billy and he felt betrayed after what he did. Also the reason that Billy blamed Hawkeye was because he didn't want to get in trouble. I think the reason that Hawkeye altered the event in his mind was because the betrayal was too much to bear. And if he tried to tell any of the adults nobody would believe him because as Hawkeye told Sidney the adults thought that Billy could do no wrong.

A very insightful scene in a series chock-full of them. Alan Alda and Allan Arbus were so great together. Hawkeye was a thoroughly efficient surgeon, yet found many occasions to show his vulnerability.

Arbus was fantastic as a Freudian therapist. One would believe he was actually a doctor. The other great scene in this episode is when they run a battery of tests on Hawkeye and can’t find anything. Potter then says “Ok, we’ve looked at his body. Now it’s time to look at his mind” and calls in Sydney

It's easy to see why even Alda was convinced Arbus had to be a real psychiatrist. It just comes so naturally, effortlessly.

So many oscar worthy performances in this show.

There are so many little ticks here that Sidney doesn't point out that are still so good. Hawkeye almost never stutters, but here, when he's talking about the lake and the boat, he is. Plus, he cuts himself off at parts. He speaks complete sentences when describing how he sank to the bottom and almost drowned, but he cuts himself off before finishing his statement that Billy saved his life.

Alan Alda was the heart and soul of that show... Don't get me wrong, the rest of the cast is incredible.... But it's hard to imagine the show without Hawkeye...

The moment he realizes, the moment when the truth is hitting him...absolutely brilliant acting job...

In all of MASH, this one particular scene ALWAYS drives me to tears. The realism of Hawkeye's revelation gets me every single time. I searched hard for this and just showed it to my husband. I WAS wearing coal eyeshadow, but, it's pretty well gone. This is, IMHO, one of televisions greatest moments. Back when the bar was high, not like the garbage that's on now. Thank you guys for pulling real emotion with superb acting! 😍

Alan Arbus made the perfect supporting character for Hawkeye. He was almost like a mentor.

I loved the Sydney Friedman character! Such insight!

The best scenes in this show aren't the funny ones. They're the ones that sink in deep.

My favorite Sidney moment comes from the episode where Frank Burns digs a "Foxhole" next to the swamp. One morning Sydney catches BJ filling it will water. Sydney realizes in that moment that BJ is the unknown practical joker and BJ offers to let him help. "What do I do," says Sydney. BJ tells him to yell, "Air Raid!" The look on Sydney's face when it dawns on him what comes next is priceless!

This episode is an excellent example of the how the mind works..Hawkeye's subconscious kept it hidden for all those years every since he was child...childhood traumas can last your entire life that's why it's important to talk about it..he held that pain in all those years..you never know what a person experiences in their life..great acting Alan Alda..good job

Reminds me of a lot of people I grew up around. Screwed up thing is that like Hawkeye, you do end up with repressed memory and it being convenient for others for you to just forget what they did to you. Happens more often than you think. Thing is though - sick people KNOW how to make you feel grateful when they help you after they hurt you. You don't need to feel happy for them.

Honestly one of the best pieces of acting I’ve ever seen, from both actors. I have PTSD myself and it’s interesting how perceptions of the event change over time, how the littlest things can trigger a remembrance while the big things don’t

It's really scary how he masks his memories so blatantly and they are just revealed. He's like the dad every kid is scared of snapping, but he's so human you feel for him. I remembered a repressed memory years ago - it felt like it was always there, and it really hurt to remember it. This was an interesting scene, and it made psychology seem a little bit convenient and magical, but at least it exposed me to the concept of what we do to mask painful things. Not a bad thing for a child to know - I feel sorry for children too embarrassed about a feeling to seek the needed closure at the time. I suffered the same thing as a child and repressed it. Unfortunately, this scene wasn't what broke it loose - a breakdown in my 30s did that.

Man, I wish Sidney Freeman was my therapist! I enjoy his scenes!

Just a brilliant scene the shrink is the best guess star in tv history such an amazing character and presence he has an actor .

MASH was without a doubt the most meaningful television show of all time, especially in the later seasons, and Alda was a big reason why.

Family betrayals are the worst and as the scene shows, sometimes the ones that we love the most, can also hurt us the most. It takes courage to forgive and understand the flaws, limitations and yes, sometimes the hurtfulness of family members. Very powerful and beautiful scene. We all need a Sidney Friedman at some point in our life.

I love this man. He's the best TV actor of all time. ALAN ALDA. TRUE TALENT AND HEART

MASH is one of those shows that I can honestly say that I have seen every episode at least twice and most I have seen countless times. It never gets old and still watch it to this day.

This is arguably one of the best scenes in all of mash ❤️

Sidney was a device so brilliantly executed. You could not not disagree or hate him. So he could could pull out the thorns (to use Christian imagery) and Hawkeye a childlike adult who had suffered self realization then has self redemption. This was excellent writing, direction and acting.

a superb story where the typically belittled and misunderstood elements of psychoanalysis are here explicitly presented in their step by step means to an end. Author/director Nicholas Myers put it best when he said of Freud "you are the greatest detective of all."

Yes Hawkeye suppressed and altered a lot of awful memories. Like replacing a woman killing her baby with the memory of it being a chicken.

I'm a fan of M*A*S*H since day one. A few years back Santa (my son) gave me 'the whole show on dvd'. After all these years and after watching the show several times, it is still the best show ever!!!!

It's ironic how smells or dejavu can bring back sleeping memories of bad things from the past

This is my favorite episode of M.A.S.H due to this very scene. I just love emotion in films, especially when a character breaks down like this. I dunno why, but I just love it.

The writing on this show was absolutely amazing.

This scene helped me put some things in my past behind me, too. Especially the talk about scars

The figure of Sidney Freeman had been one of my favorites in M.A.S.H. Yes, he is one of the main reasons I loved the reruns and bought for my self most of the later seasons on DVD. :) Besides being a fine actor, the stories about him contain a lot of truce to think about.

This has always been one of my favorite scenes...for the acting of course, but after I became a therapist myself, I really gained an appreciation for the scene with the interaction between client and mental health worker.

This scene was the single most emotional moment in all of MASH. Even more so than when Radar announced the death of Henry Blake. I think everyone has had something like this happen to them in their life, but many dont, or choose not to face their fears and deal with the trauma of the past. To be that innocent child, to love someone with all your heart, and then to be betrayed - to have your childhood innocence be violated by someone you love is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to anyone. Dr. Freidman helped Hawkeye through his trauma and come out the other side stronger than he was before. Hawkeye truly is a very strong person and hes one of my favorite characters of all time. If for nothing else - because of this scene.

This scene makes me cry every time. I can't help it. The pain is real.

I've wished for a long time Sydney was my doctor. He's such a damn good physchiatrist, I think my therapy would progress a lot better

Sydney is one of those characters that you relish every time you see him. And you can’t wait to see him again. They make such a big impact, in such a short time. I felt the same way about Reverend Snow on Three's Company and Buddy on night court. I don’t know how the networks could’ve missed it. Why they didn’t bring him back more. I don’t know how the networks could’ve missed it. Why they didn’t bring them back more. But if they did, Would we have gotten bored faster?

This is one of my most favorite episodes. It's really deep.

This was such a good show.

no other show in the history of TV made me feel the range of emotions that MASH did. the only thing that came even remotely close was Scrubs.

My favorite characters are all of them. I think MASH is a great dichotomy of human nature. That's what made it so successful. And why my stepdad who spent 24 months in Korea. Couldn't watch a show. His words, "It's to real".

Wish Sidney was in more episodes. He was a special part of tge MASH legacy.

Great acting by my favourite comedian, the great Alan Alda.

What an actor! I could imagine it as he was talking about it. I cried so much watching this show.❤️😲😭

Both great actors... awesome scene. Mash had so many great actors, a great TV show.

This was one hell of an arc for Hawkeye. Poor bastard.

Great depiction of a conversion reaction. The medical advisor for this series was a genius.

Such an absolutely perfect show. Most people refer to it as a comedy, but I can’t count how many times I’ve cried, and I mean sobbed. Such a beautiful scene and a beautiful show, with such talented actors and actresses.

Classic scene from the best show ever.

This episode was so good it made me downright uncomfortable.

Ladies and gents, One of the greatest actors of all time, Alan Alda.

This was one of the best from Hawkeye. The 2nd to me was the last episode when he lost his mind after the Korean woman had smothered her baby to death.

“It’s the little battlefields the ponds the schoolyards…” I can indeed verify, I still remember the guys fist on my face 8 years later

Great scene, well acted. Excellent writing!

That's some damn acting right there. The emotion. The pain. The suffering. The strain.

In addition to being so full of humanity, he had a little bit of Groucho in him.

Imagine having the skill set to help someone the way Dr. Freedman helps Hawkeye. I always wished I could do that.

The acting in this show has always been phenomenal, but the look of confusion on Hawkeye’s face right before he starts crying, then the inhale when he remembers, is almost chilling to see once you notice it.

Thumbs-UP, #603, Thursday evening 4 March 2019! Thank You! This scene brought back some important memories for me as well.

I find myself at a point in my life where I need a therapist. If only I could find a real life Sydney Friedman.

Yes, thank you so much, I've been looking for this

Some powerful acting in this scene.

Sydney was such a powerful caracter he should've been a regular

I could gush for so long about how this show dealt with mental health. But especially nowadays, with white-washed, over dramatized shows like 13 Reasons Why being the main representation for mental illness, I appreciate it even more. The fact that they let therapy be raw, ugly, and angry, but ultimately the solution so powerful to me. I've literally never seen that anywhere else.

this is a great scene, the writing was incredible

I read an article, about Alda asking Arbus for psychological help or sit down sessions in actual life after the show had finished. Even though Arbus wasn't an actual physician. He had left that much of an impact on Alda during the show, he wanted to continue that with problems Alda was facing after the show.

Hawkeye’s cousin, Billy, was a real jerk. If Billy can’t own up to what did, then Hawkeye should cut him out of his life forever.

I have never been so mad at a character who has never been seen on screen

Everyone needs a mental health pro like Sidney

First the boat, then the chicken. That's messed up.

Odours can be a powerful memory, I know that feeling

In 1983, the final episode of M*A*S*H aired and it was a big deal. More than a hundred million households tuned in to say goodbye. It was like saying good bye to a close friend and knowing that you would never see them again. It was perfect.

That chocks me up!

There was another episode where Hawk was at Sidney's facility. "She killed the chicken!". And actually the mother killed her own baby to keep it quiet. I wonder if it's on here?

This episode scared the shit out of me,did not know a man or male could cry,still does

Brilliant acting by Alan Alda and Allan Arbus.

Miss the days when TV shows were written with this kind of depth and intelligence.

The first time I ever saw this scene where Hawkeye starts crying at first I thought he was laughing and that I was like oh wait no he's crying oh

Masterful job of acting.