7.8/10518 votes#1 - The Best of Enemies
Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 11/17/1980
On his way to some R&R in Tokyo, a North Korean soldier forces Hawkeye to perform an emergency roadside operation on his buddy.
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: Sheldon Bull
8.1/10522 votes#2 - Letters
Season 9 Episode 2 - Aired 11/24/1980
Members of the 4077th share their impressions of war in response to letters from fourth graders in Hawkeye's hometown. Margaret writes about how there are some patients she will never forget, whilst the Colonel tells of his days as 'Hoops' Potter. Hawkeye: "Dear Ronnie, it's a shame to let the love you have for your brother turn to hate for others. Hate makes war, and war is what killed Keith. I understand how you feel. Sometimes I hate myself for being here. But sometimes in the midst of all this insanity, the smallest thing can make my being here seems worthwhile. Maybe the best answer I have for you is that you look for good wherever you can find it."
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: N/A
7.5/10500 votes#3 - Cementing Relationships
Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 12/1/1980
A jilted Italian soldier, Corpsman Ignazio De Simone, is smitten by Margaret; Klinger pours a cement floor in the operating room to fight the spread of germs.
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: N/A
7.3/10497 votes#4 - Father's Day
Season 9 Episode 4 - Aired 12/8/1980
Margaret has trouble pretending she's a chip off the old block when her dad, blood and guts "Howitzer" Al Houlihan, arrives for a visit. Also, Hawkeye fixes up a soldier who repays them with a large side of steak, but the general who it belongs to is really steamed.
Director: Alan Alda
Writer: Karen Hall
8.7/10695 votes#5 - Death Takes a Holiday
Season 9 Episode 5 - Aired 12/15/1980
Hawkeye, B.J., and Margaret try to save the life of a critically injured solider so that his family won't think of Christmas as the day that their father died. Meanwhile, Winchester fulfills a family Christmas tradition but has trouble maintaining the anonymity required to keep it a truly charitable act. Even Klinger lends a hand.
Director: Mike Farrell
Writer: N/A
8.1/10565 votes#6 - A War for All Seasons
Season 9 Episode 6 - Aired 12/29/1980
On New Year's Eve, the staff looks back on the highlights of 1951: The doctors invent an artificial kidney machine; Mulcahy plants a garden; Margaret takes up knitting; and Klinger and Winchester bet on which baseball team will win the pennant.
Director: Burt Metcalfe
Writer: N/A
7.4/10478 votes#7 - Your Retention Please
Season 9 Episode 7 - Aired 1/5/1981
Klinger is so depressed by news that his ex-wife plans to remarry, he reenlists for an additional six-year hitch. Meanwhile, a male nurse has a gripe against the army.
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: Erik Tarloff
7.4/10481 votes#8 - Tell It to the Marines
Season 9 Episode 8 - Aired 1/12/1981
Winchester takes command during Potter's absence; and B.J. and Hawkeye try to convince the Marines to grant a hardship discharge to an immigrant soldier, Private Jost Van Liter.
Director: Harry Morgan
Writer: N/A
7.2/10474 votes#9 - Taking the Fifth
Season 9 Episode 9 - Aired 1/19/1981
Hawkeye uses a bottle of vintage wine to lure unsuspecting nurses into his den; and Potter tries to secure a different sort of anesthetic when the army threatens to ban a painkiller.
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: N/A
7.3/10475 votes#10 - Operation Friendship
Season 9 Episode 10 - Aired 1/26/1981
Klinger saves Winchester's life when an explosion rocks the operating room; and B.J. is reluctant to reveal the extent of his injuries after the blast.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10494 votes#11 - No Sweat
Season 9 Episode 11 - Aired 2/2/1981
Margaret develops a case of prickly heat, Charles does his tax returns, and Klinger takes the P.A. apart - just some of the events, which occur during another unendurably, hot night at the 4077th.
Director: Burt Metcalfe
Writer: John Rappaport
7.6/10478 votes#12 - Depressing News
Season 9 Episode 12 - Aired 2/9/1981
Klinger's army newspaper reports on Hawkeye's monument to military stupidity; a giant tower made from a half million erroneously shipped tongue depressors.
Director: Alan Alda
Writer: N/A
7.6/10469 votes#13 - No Laughing Matter
Season 9 Episode 13 - Aired 2/16/1981
Hawkeye wagers that he can go a full day without a wisecrack, and Winchester finally confronts the major who exiled him to the 4077th. Charles: "I will not, even for a return to that pearl of the Orient, Tokyo, lie to protect you while destroying a friend's career."
Director: Burt Metcalfe
Writer: N/A
7.9/10533 votes#14 - Oh, How We Danced
Season 9 Episode 14 - Aired 2/23/1981
Winchester is sent to inspect sanitary conditions on the frontlines, while the rest of the camp plans a surprise anniversary party for B.J.
Director: Burt Metcalfe
Writer: John Rappaport
7.6/10500 votes#15 - Bottoms Up
Season 9 Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/1981
One of Margaret's nurses tries to hide her severe drinking problem, and Hawkeye is scorned after a practical joke he plays on Winchester backfires.
Director: Alan Alda
Writer: N/A
7.6/10472 votes#16 - The Red/White Blues
Season 9 Episode 16 - Aired 3/9/1981
Colonel Potter nearly blows his stack when his well-intentioned colleagues mollycoddle him in order to lower his blood pressure.
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Writer: N/A
7.3/10520 votes#17 - Bless You, Hawkeye
Season 9 Episode 17 - Aired 3/16/1981
When Hawkeye can't stop a sneezing fit that has no apparent cause, psychiatrist Sidney Freedman digs into the surgeon's past for a clue to this unusual malady.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/10643 votes#18 - Blood Brothers
Season 9 Episode 18 - Aired 4/6/1981
Hawkeye is overcome by the devotion of a terminally ill G.I., who has leukemia, for his critically wounded buddy, but he has trouble coming to terms with the fact that he can't cure the man. Meanwhile, Father Mulcahy is worried about the impending visit of a Cardinal.
Director: Harry Morgan
Writer: N/A
7.3/10476 votes#19 - The Foresight Saga
Season 9 Episode 19 - Aired 4/13/1981
The 4077th is given a gift of fresh-grown vegetables by a grateful Korean; and Potter questions the veracity of an upbeat letter from Radar.
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Writer: N/A
8.0/10520 votes#20 - The Life You Save
Season 9 Episode 20 - Aired 5/4/1981
After Charles is nearly felled by a sniper's bullet, he develops a philosophical obsession with death. Meanwhile, the officers have all been assigned new responsibilities.
Director: Alan Alda
Writer: Alan Alda, John Rappaport
The Best Episodes of M*A*S*H Season 9
Every episode of M*A*S*H Season 9 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of M*A*S*H Season 9!
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is stuck in the middle of the Korean war. With little help from the circumstances they find themselves in,...
Genres:War & PoliticsDramaComedy
Network:CBS
Season 9 Ratings Summary
"The Best of Enemies" is the best rated episode of "M*A*S*H" season 9. It scored 7.8/10 based on 518 votes. Directed by Charles S. Dubin and written by Sheldon Bull, it aired on 11/17/1980. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Letters".