In this perceptive episode, a door-to-door potato=peeler salesman turns out to be Jim's old college roommate, the one that everyone expected to become a great doctor. Through a series of initial mishaps, he manages to conceal his true status from Jim & Margaret at first, desperate to get away from them because he's ashamed of his failure to succeed. But when Margaret insists that he & his wife come to dinner, and his wife insists on going, just to spend a few precious hours of happiness with old friends, the truth inevitably comes out.
As might be expected, Jim & Margaret are compassionate, not mocking. And as it turns out, they'd already figured out that their old friend Henry wasn't a doctor, but a door-to-door salesmen. They were just going along with him to spare his pride & self-esteem. Yet Jim's glad for the truth to come out, as he continues to show his honest admiration & respect for his old friend, and to give him some much-needed encouragement to face himself at last.
For any older viewer, looking back on college days & dreams of great success that never happened, this can't help but be a poignant episode. After all, just about all of us have dreams that never came true for us. It's what we do after those dreams fail that matters, as Jim points out to Henry. Jim himself hoped to become a stage actor, only to flop in his first minor supporting role. Yet he found his niche & is happy with his life.
My only reservation about the episode? It really needs more than half an hour to explore its story more fully. But that was the format for the show, so they had to make it fit into a somewhat restrained framework. Even so, it's one that should strike a chord with most older viewers.
As might be expected, Jim & Margaret are compassionate, not mocking. And as it turns out, they'd already figured out that their old friend Henry wasn't a doctor, but a door-to-door salesmen. They were just going along with him to spare his pride & self-esteem. Yet Jim's glad for the truth to come out, as he continues to show his honest admiration & respect for his old friend, and to give him some much-needed encouragement to face himself at last.
For any older viewer, looking back on college days & dreams of great success that never happened, this can't help but be a poignant episode. After all, just about all of us have dreams that never came true for us. It's what we do after those dreams fail that matters, as Jim points out to Henry. Jim himself hoped to become a stage actor, only to flop in his first minor supporting role. Yet he found his niche & is happy with his life.
My only reservation about the episode? It really needs more than half an hour to explore its story more fully. But that was the format for the show, so they had to make it fit into a somewhat restrained framework. Even so, it's one that should strike a chord with most older viewers.