M*A*S*H: Abyssinia, Henry

"Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the final episode of the series' third season. First aired on March 18, 1975, and written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, the highly rated episode was most notable for its shocking and unexpected ending. The plot of the episode centers on the honorable discharge and subsequent departure of the 4077th MASH's commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (played by McLean Stevenson). The title of the episode refers to the slang use of "Abyssinia" for "goodbye". ("Abyssinia", pronounced "ab-ee-SIN-ee-ah" can be understood as "I'll be seeing you". In the 1920s and 1930s Abyssinia was the name for the country now called Ethiopia.) It is mistakenly said that this slang was frequently used by the Henry Blake character throughout his years on the show. In fact, whenever Blake would bid farewell, it was usually by saying "goom-bye", though Blake did use this term at least once. The highly controversial ending to the episode, which has since been referenced and parodied many times, prompted more than 1,000 letters to series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from both CBS and 20th Century Fox. After the production of this episode, both Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, who played the character of Trapper John McIntyre, left the series to pursue other interests. While Stevenson's departure was announced prior to and written into "Abyssinia, Henry", Rogers unexpectedly left the series during the break between Seasons Three and Four, and so his character's departure takes place off-screen in the following episode, "Welcome to Korea", the first of the show's fourth season. These combined departures and their subsequent replacements also signaled the beginning of a major shift in focus of the M*A*S*H series as a whole with story and script focus emphasizing the character of Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda.