Was the character of Dr. Sidney Freedman created with Hawkeye's final breakdown in mind?
Sidney Freedman was a somewhat enigmatic recurring character on M*A*S*H, who started out his stint on the show examining Max Klinger during one of his "Section 8" claims. Dr. Freedman then shifted his emphasis more to being a counselor to Hawkeye Pierce, but still continued to serve as general psychological support to the 4077th when his character recurred.
During the final episode, when Hawkeye has had a breakdown and is in treatment, he is seen by Dr. Freedman.
Was this the plan for the character all along, to be the ultimate outlet for Hawkeye's frustrations in the final hour, or was Freedman worked into the script as a means through which the writers could funnel the "war is Hell" message long before the ending of the series was planned?
Best Answer
I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that the Sidney Freedman character was just a counselor to Hawkeye. Sidney was called in whenever there was a case needing pyscho-analysis, from a medic suffering amnesia to a patient who thinks he is Jesus. Yes, on a few occasions that even included Hawkeye.
But he first debuted in season 2, back when the episodes were much more light-hearted. I doubt the writers would have kept the character around for the next 10 years, just to have him be a dramatic hook in the final episode. Couldn't any (unknown) psychiatrist have functioned as Hawkeye's doctor in the end? Yes, it was more effective because we already knew of Sidney, and he already knew of Hawkeye's past, but presumably any shrink would have been able to help Hawkeye with his self-analysis.
UPDATE
According to the trivia entry on IMDB, when Gary Bughoff left the series, the producers wanted to make Sidney a regular character, but actor Allan Arbus turned down the offer, preferring to appear only sporadically. So the producers may have wanted Sidney around more, but again I just don't think it was part of a master plan to setup the final episode. I think he was just an interesting occasional character (like Colonel Flagg or Rosie) that the writers used to make the episodes more interesting and also to help delve into the psyche of the different characters.
Pictures about "Was the character of Dr. Sidney Freedman created with Hawkeye's final breakdown in mind?"
How many times was Sidney Freedman in mash?
Sidney Freedman on the MASH TV series. He appeared in 12 episodes between 1973 and 1983.When Major Freedman first appeared on the American TV show MASH What was his first name?
In this first appearance in the series, Dr. Freedman's first name was Milton, not Sidney. However, he is not addressed by his first name by any character during the first appearance; the first name Milton only comes up once, in a voice over as Radar reads out his report. In future episodes, Dr.Who played Dr Sidney Freedman on MASH?
Allan Arbus, best known for his recurring role as psychiatrist Sidney Freedman on the hit television comedy M.A.S.H., has died at age 95, his family says.Bless you, Hawkeye - MASH
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: cottonbro, Anete Lusina, Ivan Siarbolin, RODNAE Productions