As previous reviewers have said, here are two of the finest episodes of a TV series known for its exceptional quality & human insight. Both start at the same point: a man looking back on the past, one from midlife, one from old age. Both men have been disappointed, worn down -- their lives haven't taken them to the promised place of fulfilled hopes & expectations. And both are given a second chance, although in very different ways.In "Walking Distance," Martin Sloan (a superb Gig Young) finds himself yearning for his idyllic childhood, and suddenly finds himself walking through it as a grown man. It's a quiet but powerful story, one that any viewer should find evocative -- but if you're Martin's age, it'll resonate deeply indeed. Not simply a cautionary tale about living too much in the past, it also offers what so many grown men undoubtedly hunger for: the chance to speak with their fathers openly & honestly, man-to-man, each in the prime of life. If you've lost your father, this story will strike an almost unbearably beautiful, bittersweet chord.In "Kick the Can," Charles Whitley (Ernest Truex) waits out his remaining days in an old folks' home, abandoned by his son, feeling the weight of his years but unwilling to simply fade away. He also remembers his childhood -- but in his case, it's not an unhealthy flight from the present into the past. Charles remembers the energy, the joy, the wonder of experiencing the world for the first time ... and he's sure there's a way to recapture it. The well-meaning owners of the home only see him as an old man, the little that's left of a long life. Charles still knows himself to be the sum of that long life, with all of its sorrows & wisdom.On the face of it, two obvious lessons that everyone knows: don't live in the past, and remain young at heart. But the writing, the acting, the cinematography, and the music all combine to make these two stories something special, something that remains with you long after the closing credits. There's nothing mawkish or sentimental here, no easy clichés to make everyone feel better. This is the stuff of life, poignant & heartfelt. Most highly recommended!
