The Life You Save (TV series episode)

M*A*S*H Episode
The Life You Save
Winchester makes a horrifying discovery: a sniper bullet has missed his head by inches!
Season 9, Episode # 20 Number (#218) in series (256 episodes)
Guest star(s):	Val Bisoglio Andrew Parks G.W. Bailey Jim Knaub Arthur Taxier Jim Boeke Jack Kearney Paul Ventura
Network:	CBS-TV
Production code:	Z-418
Writer(s):	John Rappaport & Alan Alda
Director(s):	Alan Alda
Teleplay by:	John Rappaport & Alan Alda
Original airdate:	May 4, 1981
IMDb:	tt0638441
Episode ChronologyIn Broadcast Order
Previous	"The Foresight Saga" (Z‑422)
Next	"That's Show Biz, Part 1" (Z‑419) (Season 10 premiere)
In Production Order
Previous	"Bless You, Hawkeye" (Z‑417)
Next	"That's Show Biz, Part 1" (Z‑419)
Season 9 episodesList of M*A*S*H episodes

The Life You Save was the 20th and season finale episode of Season 9 of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H, also the 218th overall series episode. Written by John Rappaport and Alan Alda and directed by Alda, it originally aired on May 4, 1981 and rebroadcast October 12, 1981.

Synopsis

Winchester goes on a spiritual journey when he undergoes a near-death experience. Pierce experiences the problems of being the officer in charge of food services.

Full episode summary

A batch of wounded arrive late at night, and everyone is out on the compound doing triage. But there's more trouble when bullets start flying, courtesy a sniper! As he fires away, B.J. and Winchester work on a patient underneath the Evac Bus. The patient technically dies for a few moments, but B.J. and Winchester manage to bring him back.

After the sniper is shot by a nearby patrol, Hawkeye, B.J., and Winchester are in Post Op. B.J. tells Hawkeye what happened, and Winchester notices a bullet hole in his cap - he came within centimeters of taking a bullet in the head, and never realized it. As Hawkeye and B.J. talk, Winchester sits there, stunned at his brush with death.

Col. Potter comes in and assigns everyone a set of rotating, mundane camp duties - Hawkeye is now in charge of the food, B.J. the laundry, Winchester the motor pool, etc.

Later, Winchester starts spending an inordinate amount of time with the patient that came back from the dead, sitting with him in Post Op for long periods of time. When the young man wakes up, Winchester peppers him with questions about what it was like for him to be actually "dead."

The young man really can't answer, despite Winchester's pleadings. He reveals that he had a younger brother who passed away, and for a long time afterwards he couldn't pass by the young boy's room without feeling a deep sense of unease. B.J. finds Winchester hovering over the young man, and takes him outside, demanding he leave the young man alone. Winchester accuses B.J. of not wanting to deal with "The harshest reality of all."

Winchester, still haunted by what happened, has Rizzo take apart a jeep, and lay each and every part of it on a sheet. Winchester marvels at the power Rizzo has to reduce a jeep to a pile of inert junk, and then put it all together again and have it "Roar back to life." Later that night, Winchester (via an off-hand suggestion by Margaret) decides to head off to Battalion Aid, to better see death up close.

He ends up taking care of a young soldier (Andrew Parks) who is gravely wounded. While laying there, the young man, not able to feel Winchester holding his hand, realizes he's going to die. Charles asks the young man, in his last moments, what he's feeling. He answers, not to anyone in particular, "I smell bread." Winchester doesn't understand, and tries to get him to talk more. But the young soldier passes away.

A tearful Winchester then leaves to go back to the 4077th, leaving his bullet-ridden cap behind.

Research notes/Fun facts

• This epsiode is rehash of two previous episodes where MASH 4077 comes under enemy sniper fire: The Sniper (TV series episode) and Hey, Doc (TV series episode).
• This episode was meant to be broadcast on March 30, 1981. However, on that same day, American President Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt. CBS covered the story until Reagan was safely out of surgery, resuming regular programming at 9 p.m. Eastern time. One of the major plot elements of this episode involved Major Winchester having a close brush with death when a sniper's bullet passes through his hat! Because of the uncomfortable similarity of the plot to the real-life assassination attempt, CBS hastily substituted a retelecast of “Cementing Relationships” instead, and "The Life You Save" was finally broadcast on May 4th as the ninth season finale.
• The 4077th cook makes his first appearance here but his name will not be given until we see him again in Season 10 "‘Twas the Day After Christmas". Ironically "Twas The Day After Christmas" is nothing more that a rehash of this epsiode when Potter get the "bright"idea of having the MASH 4077 switch Jobs for a day....even if they are not qualified to do so!
• In one of sillyist subplosts Hawkeye tries to have the MASH 4077 cook make Gourmet Food....which simply isnt practiable in a field camp near a battlefield!
• Lots of bit players make their appearance in this episode, many with generic titles like "soldier" and "enlisted man". Identifying who is who is going to take some deep research.
• This episode also has good shots of seldom seen areas of the camp like the kitchen, laundry tent, garbage dump, and motor pool.
• Winchester at a Battalion aide station - apparently The Battle of Pork Chop Hill - mentioned in 10/16. Which meant that this episode probably takes place in mid-1953; the Korean war is winding down.

Guest stars/Recurring cast

• Val Bisoglio as The Cook (see Sergeant Salvatore Pernelli)
• Andrew Parks as Dying Soldier
• G.W. Bailey as Sergeant Luther Rizzo
• Jim Knaub as Private Markham
• Arthur Taxier as Surgeon
• Jim Boeke as Sergeant Chiaverini
• Jack Kearney as Soldier
• Paul Ventura as Soldier
• Wayne Morton as Enlisted Man
• Meshach Taylor as Orderly
• Shari Saba as Shari
• Roy Goldman as Roy
• Gwen Farrell as Gwen
• Dennis Troy as Dennis

Gallery

B.J. and Winchester are jubilant when they succeed at reviving Private Markham, heedless of the sniper bullets around them.

Nice wide angle of the kitchen. Val Bisoglio is the cook holding a sack of powdered milk.

Wayne Morton as an enlisted man in the laundry tent with B.J.

Two soldiers, played by Jack Kearney and Paul Ventura who don't think much of Hawkeye's ideas for food in the mess tent.

Meshach Taylor (foreground) as the orderly at a Battalion aid station.

Andrew Parks plays the dying soldier at the battalion aid station. Winchester stays with him until the end, wanting to know what he is experiencing.

Arthur Taxier (right) plays a battalion surgeon at the battalion aid station. He doesn't understand why Winchester has come up from the MASH to help although he is grateful that he has.