great start fades
It's November 1967. Nurse Colleen McMurphy (Dana Delany) is going home to Kansas after a year of difficult service. Pvt. Samuel Beckett (Michael Boatman) is the overwhelmed morgue technician ostracized for his work. Dr. Dick Richard (Robert Picardo) is lecherous head surgeon. Maj. Lila Garreau (Concetta Tomei) is the head of special services and a true believer in the military. K.C. Kolowski (Marg Helgenberger) is the prostitute and local hustler. Cpl. Boonie Lanier is the lifeguard. Sgt. Evan 'Dodger' Winslow is the harden, haunted soldier. Cherry White is a naive Red Cross volunteer aka "doughnut dolly" from Iowa who is looking for her MIA brother. Orphan Laurette Barber (Chloe Webb) is a USO entertainer looking for some short term fun and men. In season 2, McMurphy is stuck with roommate Armed Forces reporter Airman Wayloo Marie Holmes. Private Frankie Bunsen works in the motor pool which is run by Master Sergeant Bob Pepper.This is a Vietnam TV show led by its female characters. The first season is founded on the triple-foundation of McMurphy, Cherry, and Laurette. McMurphy is the weary veteran and the central pillar of the show. Laurette is the newcomer and Cherry has the mission. The mission is achieved in the first season and Laurette does not return for the second season. The show never fully recovers from the lost of these two characters. Cherry is killed off in season two. Laurette never had a long-term premise, and frankly, she's the perfect character to kill off. Cherry's mission could have lasted a lot longer. Her death is a direct result of her running out of story runway. McMurphy is left alone with K.C. giving some occasional help. K.C. is a good foil but she is too similar to McMurphy in that they are both jaded veterans. The show tries to replace Cherry and Laurette with new female characters. The reporter had her moments but never fully fit. Pvt. Frankie Bunsen may as well be an extra. They even tried Ricki Lake in season three. Cherry and Laurette represented innocence which was never found again on the show. It started out with the supernova of Dana Delany and an intriguing concept. It loses the smaller orbiting stars, and the show could not help but fade over time. Love the theme song.
score 7/10
SnoopyStyle 14 May 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5736676/14242
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