#charles deserves to be picked apart and studied under a microscope

[stxrmcloud]

Charles Winchester: A study in Boston snobbery

(warning for spoilers from episodes in seasons six through eleven, including GFA, under the cut)

We're all aware of the Boston Brahmin Charles Emerson Winchester III, the Major that takes over after one Frank Burns after he gets to the loony bin. But Charles is no Frank Burns, and he shows his growth throughout the series.

Starting in season six, Charles makes his debut in the episode Fade Out, Fade In parts one and two. Almost immediately, he's shown to be an upper class snob who actually hates the idea of spending time in a MASH unit, calling it an "inflamed boil on the buttocks of the world". He shows his distaste for Colonel Potter's keeping him in the 4077th through getting onto Radar - "Corporal, I assure you, no one in Korea is madder than me." - and seemingly flaunting his abilities to Hawkeye and BJ in the Swamp - "Practically Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Boston General in this godforsaken...dump." Despite him not being thrilled at the idea of staying in the 4077th, he shows just a hint of vulnerability under the bloody scrubs. He talks with BJ, Hawkeye and Potter after a stint in OR, saying "I felt like an intern in there" and "I can't adjust to this." He isn't one to show emotions, especially not this soon into his debut. However, he does end up going along with a small prank of his own. The snake Hawkeye puts in his bed - "I wish you would have told us that before we put the snake in his bed!" (Hawkeye) - somehow finds it's way into his own. The only thing from Charles is a small, sly smile and a "Please.. Mozart."

His actions throughout seasons six and seven are more of the same, the same inflated ego and sharp wit. However, Major Ego in season seven gives a slight bit more dimension to the Charles character. He saves a life and ends up being very humble about it, telling Hawkeye that "[His] performance in OR today was inexcusable. I hesitated far too long before springing into action." However, seconds later, he's back to his usual inflated ego and 'higher than thou' thinking. He's still trying to get out of the 4077th, even now. And when someone comes along to write an article on him, he seizes the moment. "When the brass in Tokyo read this article about me, I shall be delivered from this muckhole and placed in a proper facility." he tells Hawkeye, wanting to finally have a way back to his lavish job in the hospital in Tokyo where he started. In a turn of surprise for almost everyone, Charles ends up rejecting the article that was supposed to be his ticket out of the "fetid and festering sewer" he called the 4077th, his dream. He won't let the reporter publish a lie after his patient mentioned in the article had complications after surgery. This could be something about not tarnishing the Winchester name, but I can't help but think that it's something more.. that maybe the façade Charles puts around himself is starting to crack.

His personality really starts to change in seasons eight and ten, with the episodes Morale Victory and Sons and Bowlers. In Morale Victory, Charles helps a pianist soldier gain his legs back, at the cost of a hand. He shows genuine concern for the patient, David, after he was told that he was a concert pianist. Charles goes out of his way to talk to Mulcahy about his feelings, feeling that he failed the patient. Mulcahy guides him to help him, telling him that "[He] can't let him waste that precious talent that God has given him." This is one of the very few times we see Charles actually speaking to Mulcahy about anything important. He finds - through Klinger - pieces that he can play, showing care and compassion that we see similarly in the season eleven episode Run for the Money with the patient that has a stutter like Charles's own sister. Like that episode, Charles ties this patient's experiences to his own, saying that he never had the gift to play the piano, but David does. Whenever Charles gets vulnerable in any of these episodes, he always ties it back to his own experiences and family. He does the same in Sons and Bowlers, letting down his walls around Hawkeye and telling him about his father. Charles has never let himself feel vulnerable around anyone, especially Hawkeye. "But where I have a father, you have a dad." - Charles

"Charles, you've never told me anything like this before." - Hawkeye

"Actually, Hawkeye, I've never told you anything before." - Charles

Charles being open about his own experiences and just being there for Hawkeye throughout the episode helped Hawkeye get closer to him at the end of it. They might not be friends, but they're closer than they were before the episode.

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen is the ending of MASH, where all the characters in the episode go through it as the war comes to an end. Charles ends up meeting a batch of Chinese musicians and attempts to teach them Mozart, a semblance of home in this war. However, things change when they get sent off in a POW wagon for the trade between Korea and America. They come back wounded, breaking Charles even more. He ends up smashing one of his records near the end of the episode, the same record as the one he tried to teach the Chinese soldiers. "My life will go on as expected... with one exception: For me, music has always been a refuge from this miserable experience. And now it will always be a... reminder." Charles says when asked about his future. Throughout his appearance on MASH, Charles has used records and music as a respite, just like he mentions. As he leaves Korea at the end of Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, he leaves behind a piece of him.. the music he once cherished lies broken on the floor of his temporary home.

Charles is a character that grows plenty in his time in Korea, showed throughout the series in bits and pieces. I really cherish this character, Boston prick though he is, and I hope this helps you to do the same. Thank you to @discocaptain for arranging this little Masholes Meta and I had such a fun time picking apart my little blorbo.