Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Thursdays, I will be reviewing Highway to Heaven, which aired on NBC from 1984 to 1989.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi and several other services!

This week’s episode made me cry.

Episode 3.10 “Man to Man”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on November 26th, 1986)

As so often happens on this show, the episode begins with Mark visiting an old friend.  Luke Morgan (Joe Dorsey) grew up with Mark but, while Mark became a blue collar policeman, Luke went on to become a fabulously wealthy tycoon.  That actually seems a bit odd to me.  I mean, why has Mark never mentioned having a millionaire friend before?  All of the times that Jonathan and Mark have had to deal with other millionaires, Mark has always acted like he’s had no experience being around wealthy people.  Now, suddenly, we discover that Mark just happens to have a millionaire friend?

Anyway, Luke invites Jonathan and Mark to stay at his mansion and that’s a good thing because Luke is their mission for the week.  Luke devoted so much time to building up his business that he often wasn’t around when his son, Gary (Lee Montgomery, the kid who got crushed by the chimney in Burnt Offerings), was growing up.  Now Gary is in his twenties and his relationship with his father is strained.  Gary spends all of time lifting weights and working with his computers.  Luke wants to take a road trip with Gary but Gary refuses.  Mark makes a bet with Gary.  If Mark can lift more weight than Gary, Gary will go on the trip.  Jonathan temporarily gives Mark “the stuff.”  Mark wins the bet.  Gary goes on the trip!

Luke, it turns out, is dying.  He has Leukemia and he doesn’t have much time left.  He wants to patch things up with his son before he dies but he doesn’t want Gary to know that he’s dying.  Mark, realizing that Gary needs to know, tells Gary anyway.  Gary accuses Mark of lying but then he realizes that his father actually is dying.  Gary stops being a brat and he and his father enjoy their last road trip together.  Eventually, Gary reveals that he knows the truth.  He knows that Luke is dying.  Gary finally says that he loves his father and Luke says the loves his child.

And that’s pretty much the episode!  This was a pretty simple episode but it still made me cry.  It makes me think about all the people in my life who have passed on.  Every moment that you have with someone is precious and I think that people tend to take those moments for granted.  You never know when someone could get into a wreck while trying to drive home from the store.  I know when my Dad was in his car accident last May, I never expected him to die in August.  I’d give anything to have those final moments back.

This episode is sentimental and earnest and heavy-handed but it is also an example of what Highway to Heaven does so well.