I was eight-years-old when this episode first aired. The scene with the fire were especially vivid and poignant for me. Even seeing the episode in re-runs didn't make it any easier. Alice screaming from the room where she's trapped in and then inadvertently smashing the baby into the window as blind panic sets in, are still to this day, not an easy thing to watch.
This was an especially powerful episode that dealt with shock/denial, depression, and guilt surrounding the loss of family members due to a tragedy.
Mary is finally pushed over the edge. Having already lost a child due to a miscarriage, she suffers the loss of yet another child. Rather than being able to accept what has happened, she believes that everyone is conspiring against her.
Jonathan is so hurt by what has happened, that he uses alcohol as his means of dealing with the incredible pain and depression that he's bearing. Not to mention taking out his anger on his son due to his inability to grieve and let go of the pain.
Still, the incredible performance of this, and the subsequent episode must go to Matthew Labyorteaux. For a young actor, to so deftly show us a young man wracked with immeasurable guilt, is truly something to behold. Virtually the entire cast, in a number of interviews, have talked about Matthew's ability to show any emotion when asked.
People are quick to blame Albert. He's a kid, and yeah, kids have all done some pretty dumb things. Perhaps not all kids have done what Albert did to that magnitude, but I'll bet there are some who could tell stories.
Just stop and imagine for a moment what it would be like to be in Albert's shoes; to know that you are partly responsible for what happened. How does a kid that age, deal with something of that magnitude?
I agree with other reviewers about one of the glaring problems of this episode. No mother would ever knowingly leave their baby behind. It just wouldn't happen. The set-up might have worked better if Mary and Adam were both somehow stuck downstairs and unable to get up to their bedroom. Something of that nature would have worked better than what was ultimately used.
In any case, this is easily one of the most memorable episodes that the series produced.
This was an especially powerful episode that dealt with shock/denial, depression, and guilt surrounding the loss of family members due to a tragedy.
Mary is finally pushed over the edge. Having already lost a child due to a miscarriage, she suffers the loss of yet another child. Rather than being able to accept what has happened, she believes that everyone is conspiring against her.
Jonathan is so hurt by what has happened, that he uses alcohol as his means of dealing with the incredible pain and depression that he's bearing. Not to mention taking out his anger on his son due to his inability to grieve and let go of the pain.
Still, the incredible performance of this, and the subsequent episode must go to Matthew Labyorteaux. For a young actor, to so deftly show us a young man wracked with immeasurable guilt, is truly something to behold. Virtually the entire cast, in a number of interviews, have talked about Matthew's ability to show any emotion when asked.
People are quick to blame Albert. He's a kid, and yeah, kids have all done some pretty dumb things. Perhaps not all kids have done what Albert did to that magnitude, but I'll bet there are some who could tell stories.
Just stop and imagine for a moment what it would be like to be in Albert's shoes; to know that you are partly responsible for what happened. How does a kid that age, deal with something of that magnitude?
I agree with other reviewers about one of the glaring problems of this episode. No mother would ever knowingly leave their baby behind. It just wouldn't happen. The set-up might have worked better if Mary and Adam were both somehow stuck downstairs and unable to get up to their bedroom. Something of that nature would have worked better than what was ultimately used.
In any case, this is easily one of the most memorable episodes that the series produced.