Here's another of those blink-and-you-missed-it gems lost among the tide of ridiculous, cotton candy TV shows that were insulting to both adults & children alike in the mid-1960s. Rod Serling crafted something rich & meaningful in his series about a former Union officer in search of himself - and maybe America too - in the wake of the Civil War. While it clearly addressed the divisions widening in 1960s America, it's just as applicable today, when those divisions have not only reappeared but widened all the more.
But let's make one thing clear: like everything Rod Serling did, this is solid entertainment that stirs the heart as much as it engages the mind. A wonderful example of the humanist tradition in early TV its concerns are[t just social, they're very much personal. How does a man who has seen the horrors of war, participated in them himself, begin to find peace, understanding, and a place for himself in the world? For that matter, how does anyone who has lived through turmoil, hatred, death, whether in the military or not? What is a life really all about?
Wisely, "The Loner" offered no pat answers. If it offered any at all, it was that the seeking was what mattered, the continual struggle to confront both outer & inner darkness & despair, to strive for some sort of meaning in an uncertain, unmoored world.
In Lloyd Bridges, the series found its perfect lead. Capable of showing both stoic strength & revealing fears & doubts as well, he embodied a basically good & decent man with both strength & sensitivity - a man of character & soul. And he wasn't afraid to show the weaknesses that beset all men, but are seldom revealed by many, to their own further wounding. And all the while, he's searching & learning ...
Finally released on DVD, this sadly short-lived series is a treasure waiting to be discovered by anyone who loves quality TV.
