Nostalgia Tripping

 Since "Walking Distance" is such a marathon staple, there are plenty of times it comes and goes like so many other iconic episodes, leaving behind a tear and nodding head as I once again agree with its truth even though that part of me that does want to go back understands the past is the past. But if I could see my father, speak to him, share a conversation, or just tell him I love him, that possibility the Twilight Zone confronts really lands with me. If I could just hear his voice, be within his presence, much like Marty Sloan, I could see how leaving that behind could be difficult. Homewood is like any other place that seems lost in time...yes, the town or city might be as active and still around, but the time and place of youth isn't what it once was. It is good to see "Walking Distance" outside marathon time. Being allowed to dwell on the episode, not rushing into the next episode, so that it can linger a bit on the mind, "Walking Distance" can really hit those buttons. No matter how many times I bring it up on the blog, and I have aplenty, I can watch it again and still feel my heart swell up and my eyes well up. I guess because 2021 seems to just have plenty of miseries seemingly everywhere except for that precious few who seem to have it all, thinking about the past, tripping nostalgically to my youth, I can understand why Marty needed to do so. The pandemic sure seemed to create its share of Marty Sloans, taking a step back to dwell on the past and think about the future.

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Fleeing from New York City life to avoid the stress for a while, Martin Sloan (Gig Young) arrives near his old home town, Homewood, just walking distance from a gas station. While some minor one hour repairs to his car are underway, Martin arrives, just a mile walk, realizing he can return home again…to when he was a boy! As only the Twilight Zone could do, Martin is able to warp back in time to his childhood as it was at that particular point in his life, even seeing himself cutting his name into a post. To be able to do that, experience the very time of his childhood as an adult, and relive what it felt like at a simpler time, is tenderly, warmly, reflectively, and astutely presented with Gig Young never better (in my opinion) as this man nearing towards 40 during a gruelingly exhaustive point in his life. As he takes in the past so alive, even visiting his parents who respond perplexed and rather bothered at Martin's persistent claims of being their son twenty-five years later…imagine such a situation if you are parents of a six year old boy being visited by your adult son from the future! I think Frank Overton (I know him from the Star Trek episode, This Side of Paradise) has all the right responses when Gig's Martin comes up to his doorstep and wants to talk to them. Overton's talk with Gig at the merry-go-round about letting go of the past and looking for a better future after an unfortunate incident that leaves Martin with a bum leg limp is a scene of real power, poignant, ruminative, and perceptive. The show's ability to tell such a story is why TZ was always so unique and imaginative…it could provoke a response when it hit home with relatable subjects (yearning for the days of our youth, escaping the hustle and bustle of current adulthood) generations of viewers could understand. To apply a magical spin on such subjects as the TZ did, characters could literally be transported back in time and be enlightened by the experience. Walking Distance does that quite well. The music is perfect, embodying the melancholy and awe that Martin feels while responding to all the wonders he beholds. It all comes down to where you ultimately belong and what you must eventually let go of...and doing so might not be easy, but necessary. -- January 4th, 2017