Season 7's "Our Finest Hour" as MASH's Only Complete Cast Episode MASH may have run for 256 episodes, but only one featured the entire main cast. Considering the impact it would have on the television landscape in the years that followed, it's strange to think MASH was almost canceled following its first season. The show adapted both the original novel and the acclaimed 1970 Robert Altman movie, but it consistently struggled in the ratings in its first year.

Thankfully, those numbers improved greatly during re-runs, and over time, the series evolved into a unique blend of sitcom and medical drama.

"Our Finest Hour": A Clip Show Contrasted with Experimental Episodes Later MASH seasons would get increasingly experimental in its later seasons, such as season 7's "Point of View," where the entire episode is shot from the perspective of a mute, wounded soldier.

Another notable season 7 outing is "Our Finest Hour," where a reporter named Clete Roberts visits the 4077th to explore life at the medical unit. "Our Finest Hour" is the only MASH episode to feature every major cast member from the show's run, but that's not because departed characters like Trapper John (Wayne Rogers) make surprise appearances.

Echoes of "The Interview" in "Our Finest Hour" Season 4's "The Interview" is considered one of the strongest and for good reason. It was the season that introduced Hawkeye's new bestie B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), saw the writers perfect the show's tragi-comic tone and it ended with an incredible finale. MASH's "The Interview" is maybe the best episode of the entire series, and follows Clete Roberts' first visit to the unit. The episode is made up of individual interviews with the main characters as they describe their personal experiences of the war.

Analyzing the Emotional Impact of "The Interview" versus "Our Finest Hour" MASH's "Our Finest Hour" may feature the entire cast, but there's not much else memorable about it. "The Interview" is a dark, emotionally charged episode that plays with the sitcom's format in a powerful way. "Our Finest Hour" instead offers a lazy recycling of "The Interview's" concept as a way to justify its clip show presentation.

It doesn't offer any fresh insights into the characters or the war and does the bare minimum not to feel like filler. The emotionality that powered "The Interview" is nowhere to be found in its season 7 sequel.