MASH actor Loretta Swit reveals she disagrees with Margaret Houlihan's finale fate. In 1983, CBS' groundbreaking medical war comedy/drama wrapped up its 11 seasons with a feature-length send-off to 4077. With the Korean War ending, the doctors, nurses, and other personnel from the unit were excited to get back to their old lives in the United States. Wrapping up their stint in Korea forced her to contemplate what was next for her.
In the end, Margaret decided to also come back to America to work at a local hospital.
Four decades after the record-breaking MASH finale aired, Swit told Yahoo! Entertainment that she opposed Margaret's post-Korean war fate. She believed the 4077's head nurse was more likely to choose the next war to serve instead of coming back home, although she theorized that the decision was motivated by plans of a spinoff for her character.
Read her full quote below:
"I didn't think that was correct for my Margaret. For me, she was off to the next war. Margaret is military, just like Potter. I think her next move was Vietnam. So I didn't agree with that, but that's what they wanted her to do."
"Maybe they had some visions of another show with her in a hospital in America. I don't know, but I really felt that was not quite right for Margaret in my heart.
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"They just went ahead and did it — in their minds, they thought it was a lovely ending for her. I was consumed with writing that. And I still get letters from women all over the world who became nurses because of Margaret Houlihan. To have contributed to someone's life like that is remarkable."
Initially, Margaret was regularly referred to as Hot Lips — a nickname that she got for her passionate romances, including her affair with the bumbling Frank Burns.
Once Larry Linville left MASH, however, Swit's character also evolved by changing her initial image. The actor was passionate about this, with Alan Alda repeatedly crediting her for pushing Margaret to become a fully fleshed-out player instead of just a love interest. Soon after, she developed a more interesting dynamic with the rest of the 4077.
This is one of the best changes in MASH, as it proves that female characters are not one-dimensional.
Margaret never lost her passion for romance but also showed other attributes, including her genuine commitment to the job. While Hawkeye, BJ, and Klinger moaned about wanting to go home, she loved being the head nurse of the 4077. She consistently proved that being a war medical practitioner was her true calling. 
