Overlong and poorly characterized (and, quite frankly, cast) episode seems more fitting as a back-end late season thirty minute exercise in futility. I like the general outline: a grown man has never escaped his childhood, forgetting the bad stuff and only remembering the good, with a TZ twist allowing him to see both. Pat Hingle was a strong actor but he just wears out his welcome as this temperamental brat in adult clothes. His disgruntled loudness towards his very polite, hospitable, and reasonable boss (Vaughn Taylor) doesn't help us relate to him or respond with an understanding of his frustration. Asked to redesign his robot toy design, Hingle's Horace instead yells at his boss! Then there's Nan Martin as his wife, a direct polar opposite of Horace. Sophisticated, mannered (unless talking to Horace's mom!), and just too classy for Horace, Nan's Laura seems more fitting for Horace's coworker (Philip Vine) than him! Anyway, the episode has Horace returning to his old street on Randolph reliving a childhood birthday memory soon to reveal a nasty bullying.
Repetitive scenes that reinforce the obvious, Hingle's shouting, and one hilarious scene after another of Nan pleading with Horace to communicate (she's more big sister than a realistic match as a wife), this episode might have worked better condensed. The dynamic of Horace, wife, and mom is amusing just in how they talk to each other. Nan running to her phone book when Horace heads back to his street had me cracking up...probably not the intention.
Repetitive scenes that reinforce the obvious, Hingle's shouting, and one hilarious scene after another of Nan pleading with Horace to communicate (she's more big sister than a realistic match as a wife), this episode might have worked better condensed. The dynamic of Horace, wife, and mom is amusing just in how they talk to each other. Nan running to her phone book when Horace heads back to his street had me cracking up...probably not the intention.