2. SO LONG, HENRY

Thanks to Hawkeye's temperament, "M*A*S*H" always had an ironic streak. But the irony was never so tragic and haunting as it was in this episode, which found the lovable Henry Blake finally heading home to his family. He boards a chopper after fond farewells; "You behave or I'm gonna come back and kick your butt" are his last words to Radar. But later Radar delivers the horrible news to the operating room: Henry's plane was shot down. The doctors and nurses continue their triage work in silence. The viewers cry. The show refuses to romanticize war.