This entry very much reflects the button-down collar of the 1950's when success was identified with rising in the corporate world. I suspect Serling was reaching deep within himself with recollections of an uncluttered childhood as contrasted with the pressure of TV advertising surrounding a successful writer-executive.
Daly both looks and acts the junior executive part perfectly. And I like the traveling train as a metaphor for time passage. In a sense, Williams must depart the real world train to find the contentment he seeks. One thing to note – a 30-minute time frame doesn't leave much leeway for character development of supporting players, so Williams' "push, push" boss and grasping wife become shorthand caricatures for the pressures he faces. Nonetheless, it's a particularly poignant entry, deftly handled, with what I suspect is near universal appeal.
Daly both looks and acts the junior executive part perfectly. And I like the traveling train as a metaphor for time passage. In a sense, Williams must depart the real world train to find the contentment he seeks. One thing to note – a 30-minute time frame doesn't leave much leeway for character development of supporting players, so Williams' "push, push" boss and grasping wife become shorthand caricatures for the pressures he faces. Nonetheless, it's a particularly poignant entry, deftly handled, with what I suspect is near universal appeal.