A good look at post-traumatic stress disorder before it was diagnosed. As Tod says, "when you return from war you have to 'un-train.' As per the often odd way Stirling Sillaphant looks at violence, Tod's beating of Linc gets Linc to think about life's meaning without violence! When asked why Tod came looking for him, Tod says, "I thought I knew, but I don't know now." This story also introduces the strain between Linc and his father. This is eventually worked out in future episodes. The "main squeeze" actress plays a passive, poetry spewing female role for Linc, though there does not seems to be any attraction between the two. She 'mommies' Linc after the fight between Tod and Linc. Linc talks of a dead Vietnamese nurse who is dead, hinting to his experience in war. Linc explains to his 'girl' that he is "just not settled." He might even reenlist! Linc feels a strong desire to see his "ma" and drives off with Tod to do so (apparently Tod owns the convertible! "Thank God they send my boy home in one piece," says mom. "But you're too thin." Linc explains to his mother that the town is honoring "the killer," not who he really was or is. Linc has a heart to heart with his mother explaining the vicissitudes of war. Linc explains that he has to find "the same kind of meaning that I found on the other side of the world." He promises to be back, "one day soon." Tod and Linc drive off onto the "Route."
Review of Fifty Miles from Home
