This particular episode tends to elicit powerful feelings -- for better or worse -- from a great many viewers. It was written, I believe, to drive home the horrors of war in a way that a conventional storyline might not. Is it a bit over-the-top? Check.
Is it discomfiting to a usually comedic sensibility, overall? True -- hence the absence of the laugh track usually layered over the onscreen action with this series.
My thinking is that the writers intentionally set out to move the viewer outside their "comfort zone" by revealing the inner struggles each character has with the war (or, in Winchester's case, with his ego), and show that, as with Henry's untimely demise earlier, that war is *not* a pleasant place to be! Side note: Potter's dream was the only one from which the dreamer was less-than-pleased to have been awakened.
I processed the essential premise of this important episode pretty quickly, and have shared my views with other fans.
Despite the presence of some disturbing imagery, I feel that, taken within the broader context of the overall zeitgeist of M*A*S*H, this episode should be revisited from time to time, to sort of "recalibrate" one's perspective on the intentions of the very, very talented cast and writers in crafting this quirky masterpiece! 😎