Walking Distance

You know the saying "You can't go home again? Martin Sloan actually does. "Walking Distance" is one of the finest episodes in the entire series.I believe this is one Serling adores and you can tell so much about Serling from his writings. He poses an interesting question here "If you go back in time and meet yourself as a child, what would you say?.I doubt everyones answer would be the same although Martin's would be a popular one. This is a story of a man trying to escape the pressures of his life by going home again. I also have had fantasies such as this. What is it about our childhood that is so sacred? I assume someone with a happy childhood would like it revisited for hedonistic reasons.People who had depressing childhoods would go back with more of a purpose,maybe to correct those things that would cause hardship in the future. Martin Sloan realized he is not that little boy anymore but all of us carry with us that "Inner Child". What a brilliant piece of work.

Wow, what a treat. 'Walking Distance' is just one of those Twilight Zone episodes that you finish watching and you have to sit back and wonder how exactly something so fantastic could be dreamt up. Although admittedly a little overdone at times, this is the first real shining star for the series, making testament as to how it became the success it eventually did.

'Walking Distance' is an episode that explores the idea of leaving behind a home, whether it's a collective place, person(s) or event. Much like the previous episode, our main character Martin Sloan is caught up in the memories of his younger self, but the difference with Martin is that he didn't realise how much he missed home until he got back. Stuck in a stressful and demanding job, our troubled character goes for a drive away from the business and hustle of the big city in search for peace, and subconsciously it would seem, for his care-free childhood life.

The whole story has a tragic melancholy tone running throughout that works very well with our main character's reminiscent adventure. Everything else in the script from the dialogue to the great time-bending plot work just as well, running at a great pace, always holding the attention and imagination. Furthermore the cast does a very good job of handling the script, which failing to do so was the downfall of the previous episode. There are noticeable weak spots here and there with some over-acting and dialogue that seems a little forced (how about those 'band-concerts'!) but taken as a whole, 'Walking Distance' has a real class to it, full of professional ideas and implementation.

Aesthetically the episode is just as pleasing, if not more-so. Of special notice is a particular scene where Martin is left alone beside the merry-go-round; the dramatic change to spotlight lighting and cue of Herrmann's magnificent score fit perfectly with the mesmerising monologue that Young then goes on to deliver eloquently. The sets too are elaborate, being similar to that of the pilot, giving the episode a wide-open and fresh feel that is necessary when delving into the character's memories of childhood.

Taken as a whole this is simply a wonderfully realised episode that deals with some great themes in even greater ways. With exceptional photography, music, performances and writing, 'Walking Distance' is true classic Twilight Zone in every way.

The confluence of three factors make this a timeless masterpiece for me: Bernard Herrmann's haunting score that reaches secret corners deep within; the universal desire to escape one's ineluctable destiny, back to one's safe, sheltered past; and Serling's World War II experiences, which warped him into the master story-teller he became. Each of us dreams of a return to the paradise of childhood, however fanciful. In most of us, something gives, something snaps, and we reluctantly turn away, back to face our fate. Serling understood and accepted this natural process. Thanks partly to Walking Distance, I now understand it, too.

The busy and stress VP of a company Martin Sloan (Gig Young) stops his car at a gas station in a road and the attendant tells that he needs to change the oil. Martin sees a warning plate informing that Homewood is 1.5 miles away from the spot and he decides to walk to revisit his hometown. Soon he finds that he has returned to the past and he finds himself and his parents in the place.

"Walking Distance" is one of my favorite episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The idea of having a chance to travel back to your childhood or adolescence when the days were better and better is a dream of most elder people and the amazing journey of Martin Sloan is very nostalgic and makes the mature viewers think of what he or she would do if he or she would have the same opportunity. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação - Walking Distance" ("Beyond Imagination - Walking Distance")

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes, because it taps into the desire of all of us to return to that place (Real or imagined) where we were carefree and worry-free. The scene where Gig Young (Martin SLoan) realizes that he cannot stay in the past is masterfully directed and filmed, with all of the characters leaving the scene except young, who is left alone in the dark on the merry-go-round. Just a wonderful scene. Everything about this episode is well done. I agree that the scene with his father is very powerful as well. It is clear that Sloan will go back to his own time with a renewed sense of vigor and leave that summer to his 11 year old self. He will look for "merry-go-rounds" in his own way and his own place.