MovieChat Forums > Highway to Heaven (1984) Discussion > The WEIRDEST episode

The WEIRDEST episode

posted 13 years ago by DonnaLevin
44 replies | jump to latest

I just finished watching "The Smile in the Third Row." No, I don't have the title just right, but you'll know it: Lorne Greene plays an actor who sees G-d in the theater. (spoilers follow if you haven't seen this one) There at least two very odd elements: first, Jonathan says more than once than *he's* never seen G-d. But in at least one other episode he talks about "touching the face of G-d." (With a blindfold on?) Now, I don't imagine that a soul/angel/whatever "sees" G-d in the same way that humans see anything: an image that travels to the brain through the optic nerve, but then, Jonathan seems to "hear" G-d in some fashion.
Second: Lorne Greene rises up above the stage without wires (okay so far) and then apparently keeps rising? Is assumed into Heaven like the Virgin Mary?
That Lorne Greene is supporting his greedy sister and nephew is a reach since they're such caricatures, but television often relies on such caricatures. As for the other elements, I'd really love to hear others' thoughts.

"I've loved you my whole life."
"You've only known me three days."
"That's when my life began."

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] crockett_john 12 years ago

I found a lot of the episodes to have some elements that were really weird.

In "One Fresh Batch of Lemondade," the paralyzed guy, Deke, becomes a gymnast. How can you hold your legs out straight on the pummel horse if you're paralyzed?

In "Friends," the episode treats the fat girl with sympathy, but at the same time, it makes it look like she should lose weight so people will like her.

In "For the Love of Larry," it's strange how they're looking for the missing man and boy, but when they find out about the dog being found, they want to be taken to the dog, rather than where the dog was found. What good was it supposed to do to see the dog?

In "The Secret," the episode treats the father like he's wrong for being mad when he finds out the secret. He gets no sympathy for being angry about something that any living human being would be angry about.

In "Man to Man," a kid is good at just about everything he does. For some reason, Jonathan has to prove to him that winning isn't everything and resorts to using his angel power to make him lose.

[–] thivai-1 12 years ago

In "One Fresh Batch of Lemondade," the paralyzed guy, Deke, becomes a gymnast. How can you hold your legs out straight on the pummel horse if you're paralyzed?

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Just watched this one, he isn't paralyzed, he only had an amputation of both lower legs. Bad enough, but he still can use the muscles in his upper legs to hold them out.

Still I found it very cheesy that he got both legs cut off (by his own fault) and despite of all got a cute clever girlfriend and his family reunited and all was way better than before.

The girl was a nerdy shy one who had liked him before, but he was too popular and didn't notice him. It gave me a very bad feeling that she was like "now with your feet gone, you're finally in my league and I can approach you." Eeew. Highschool baseball star minus his legs equals suitable future husband of the geek girl.

[–] crockett_john 12 years ago

I'll have to watch that again, but I don't think he had his legs amputated.

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

He has his legs amputated from the knees down

[–] speechless1961-564-488484 11 years ago

I just finished watching both parts of the "Lemonade" episodes, and I'm confused. His legs get paralyzed, right? If that's the case, then prosthetic legs would not help him to walk, much less be a gymnast, would they? Those are for people who actually lose their limbs, not that they're paralyzed. Also, when he falls off the horse, nobody rushes out to help him, and why? Because he's disabled? That makes no sense. If an able-bodied person fell off the horse, you can bet SOMEONE would have rushed out to help! It had some good parts, especially the parts with Eleanor, but it's still a weird one.

[–] crockett_john 11 years ago

Yep, I agree with you on that. It makes no sense that he can be a gymnast when his legs are paralyzed. He doesn't have prosthetics as far as I can remember, and yeah, it's kind of mean to not go help him when he falls off.

[–] speechless1961-564-488484 11 years ago

I watched it yesterday, and yeah, Jonathan tells him that it's time for him to use his prosthetics, when he watches the video of the guy on the horse. And yeah, you're right. He wouldn't be able to do gymnastics at all. Jonathan says that it's all upper body work, and the legs just sort of fly around..or something like that. lol I just watched it and already forget the words!

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

Again, his legs weren't paralyzed. They even show him putting on his prosthesis

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

He wasn't paralyzed. His legs were amputated from the knees down. The one that was paralyzed from the neck down was Scottie

[–] jsalden 11 years ago

Yeah, never even noticed that (but not sure I saw all those episodes), seems strange.

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

In One Batch of Lemmonade the character wasn't paralyzed and became a gymnast. He had his legs amputated from the knees down.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] mistermycroft 12 years ago

The 4th season episode "The Correspondent", which is more like a Twilight Zone episode. This is the one where the guy gets a chance to do his life over, to heal the wounds between him and his wife and son.

[–] cyclgrrl 10 years ago

Agreed on all points. Not just like a TZ episode, but like the best of the TZ episodes. Seriously, the writer of this (admittedly weird, but very poignant) episode could give Rod Serling a run for his money!

[–] chiluvr1228 12 years ago

The Smile in the Third Row is my least favorite episode of Highway to Heaven.

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"Let's not ask for the moon, we have the stars".

[–] irunnfunn 12 years ago

I agree, that episode is not a favorite...but neither is the Bird..when Jonathan dresses like a bird. Kind of strange.... almost laughable when he's being so serious.

[–] ScootFla 11 years ago

All of you who are complaining about Highway To Heaven for being silly and unrealistic need to realize its a show about an angel going to lengths to make the world a better place for others. Its sad that you're over-analyzing it so much. Either enjoy it for its message or go watch reality TV if you want a different type of realism.

[–] LetsPoddy 11 years ago

It's up there on my top of least favorites, too.

[–] crockett_john 12 years ago

In the episode, there's a man and boy who are missing. They had had a dog with them when they went missing. When the dog is found, someone takes the dog to a hotel or somewhere similar. When Mark and Johnathan find out that the dog has been found, they want to be taken to where the dog is. This is the part that doesn't make sense to me. If they're looking for the man and the boy, why do they want to be taken to where the dog has been taken instead of where the dog was found? What good would that do? I don't think they ever ask where the dog was found, which would have made more sense. If you have a man, a boy, and a dog missing, finding the dog is fine, but you're really looking for the man and the boy, so wouldn't you want to know where the dog was found? Mark and Johnathan don't seem to want to know this. If you go to where the dog is and start searching from there, you might have a better chance of finding the man and the boy. Instead, they go to where the dog is supposed to be. When they get there, the dog is missing again and they start looking for the dog again rather than asking where the dog had been found and starting from there.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] crockett_john 12 years ago

Yeah, the dog had a big part in the ending of the episode, so it was necessary to the plot that they follow the dog, but in real life, who thinks like that?

There were a lot of movie and TV plots in the 1980s that had those "trading places" plots or movies like "Big." I liked "Maid to Order." I didn't like it hte first time I saw it, but I liked it the second time after I warmed up to it. Those were some really recyled plots. There was one with Fred Savage and Judge Reinholt and one with Kirk Cameron and Dudley Moore, too.

A few years later, they did the same exact thing in the remake of the Twilight Zone where a hobo and a millionaire trad places. If that isn't a predictable plot, I don't know what is.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] crockett_john 12 years ago

I thought the funniest part was when she was swimming naked and she told the guy to turn around so she could put a towel on, then when she told him he could turn around, she'd wrapped the towel around her head.

I'd forgotten about "18 Again." That one was kind of sad because the young guy got switched with his grandpa (I think), so a young guy is stuck in a crappy, old body while the old guy sets out to fix the kid's life. Was that the same guy from "Back to School?"

I always thought it was funny in those movies where people switch places that no one ever calls out the obvious things people would notice, like "Ugh, my teeth feel funny. Don't you ever floss?" Or something like that. I think they did that in one of the more recent versions where a guy and a girl are neighbors and they switch places for some reason. When they switch back, the girl says, "What happened to my bush?" I didn't see the whole movie, so I'm not sure what that was about.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] gwenhazelstone 11 years ago

I just watched the dog episode "The Love of Larry" and you need to rewatch it because you are remembering the story all wrong.

[–] kris-gray 11 years ago

My main problem with this is doesn't Johnathan and Mark work for God and doesn't he know where the man and boy are?

[–] nicoledesapio 11 years ago

I think the OP is Jewish, and in Judaism the word God is usually written as G-d. In my opinion, those complaining about it should learn to respect others' traditions, even if they don't agree with them.

It's been years since I've seen it, but the one where the elderly man played by Ron Moody thinks he's King Arthur seemed bizarre to me. "A Divine Madness" is the title of it, I think.

[–] Stephen-287 11 years ago

I love this thing that you're doing with the word God. Much like Him not caring about the Oscars and touchdowns, I'm pretty sure that you typing his name doesn't offend Him. Silly doctrine.

Stephen Alexander Davis

[–] CountOroku01 11 years ago

"All of you who are complaining about Highway To Heaven for being silly and unrealistic need to realize its a show about an angel going to lengths to make the world a better place for others. Its sad that you're over-analyzing it so much. Either enjoy it for its message or go watch reality TV if you want a different type of realism."

You are the only one who does understand.

"I love this thing that you're doing with the word God. Much like Him not caring about the Oscars and touchdowns, I'm pretty sure that you typing his name doesn't offend Him. Silly doctrine."

Most things in religion make no sense, saying God's name in vain is a sin yet it has to be mentioned. Even being against The Devil or acknowledge he exists is consorting with him... like breathing air is a sin.

Weirdest episode was the werewolf one.

[–] cs-clinton83 11 years ago

The werewolf episode was a nod to Michael Landons breakout role in I was a teenage werewolf great movie and for every ond who think God minds or even gives a flying fox about his name please watch this http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IZeWPScnolo

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

typing G-d for the Jewish people is a way that they were taught to respect Him.

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

You are offending the Jewish people. Are you just a bigot towards Jewish people or just a bigot?

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

You are an anti Semite. Jewish people are taught to write it this way as respect. I suggest that you learn how to respect all of His children.

[–] Stephen-287 10 years ago

Ok, so where did your teachers get the idea that you can't write God's name on the internet or He gets offended?

Stephen Alexander Davis

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

Rabbi's have told students about not writing God that way. how about reading some info about the Jewish people, that could help.

[–] Stephen-287 10 years ago

Do Rabbi's have a supplemental Bible that non-Jews don't have?

Stephen Alexander Davis

[–] hasheart 10 years ago

It's in the Torah, which are laws and commandments in which a Jewish person are to follow. Check it out on the internet or contact a Rabbi

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] fcabanski 10 years ago

Corinthians 14:3

One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.…

[–] powermetal 10 years ago

IT is spelled, "GOD". I just thought you should know that.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] snickerdoodle68 9 years ago

This episode was kinda weird bit I still liked it even if it wasn't at all what I was expecting from a Lorne Greene cameo.

I remember this episode being hyped in the 80s as being a Bonanza reunion of sorts.

The other episode I remember is the dog who kept pestering Mark and Jonathan to come help his family who were in a car accident. The dog turned out to be the angel spirit of the family dog who died in the car accident. That revelation kind of freaked me out because I wasn't expecting it.