The Ninety-Nine Mile Circle

This warm, quiet episode of "Then Came Bronson" could easily have been expanded into a full-length film ... but it would have been a charming slice-of-life film, not an intense drama. And that's precisely why I like it so much.

Jim Bronson stops to help out Isidore Katz, a retired Jewish widower from New York, who's bought a van & is seeing the country in much the same way that Jim is. Before long, Jim's motorcycle runs into mechanical trouble, and Isidore is able to return the favor. Since the necessary part will take a couple of days to come in to the garage, the two men spend that time together, with Jim as Isidore's guest.

That's it. That's the plot, such as it is. And what follows is simply a contemplative, almost lazy story about two men of different generations, but with kindred spirits, getting to know one another & enjoying the beautiful country around them. They talk about dancing, about astronomy, about family, about the end of the Universe. They encounter an interesting mix of people along the way. And then they part with a real bond between them, leaving the viewer glad for the experience.

Today, of course, this story would never make it onto the screen. No action, no stunts, no screaming & yelling?!? But the premise of the series was to explore & experience life, to meet it on its own terms, with an open & humble heart. This episode fulfills that premise superbly. I'm just sorry we didn't get a second season of episodes like it.