It was fascinating to watch the transformation of Margaret from Hot Lips, a caricature that bothered me even way back in the day, into a fully realized and complex character. One of my favorite things that she said was once when she was being treated disrespectfully because women aren’t “real” majors was that the oak leaf on her collar is gold, they don’t come in blue for boys and pink for girls.
MASH elevated the sitcom, allowed that format to take on drama and pathos with more depth and regularity than any before it. Every dramedy on TV since owes them a debt.