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, Lee dies.

Episode 4.22 “A Dolphin Song For Lee Part 2”

(Dir by Michael Landon, originally aired on March 23rd, 1988)

Remember how, last week, Lee (Bess Meyer) was told that her cancer had gone into remission and she was going to live?  Well, this week, the cancer comes back and Lee dies after a month.

What a depressing episode!

Lee gets to do a lot in that month.  She goes out on a boat and saves a group of dolphins from some hunters.  She testified before Congress and, through emotional blackmail, gets them to pass a bill protecting the dolphins.  She swims with a dolphin!  And then she dies and its suggested that she’s been reborn as a dolphin.

Normally, I would complain about how shamelessly manipulative this all is but you know what?  I like dolphins.  I’ll forgive a lot when it comes to dolphins.

And, also, I am going to give some credit where is credit is due.  Not every story has a happy ending.  Sometimes, people die.  It’s not fair but it happens.  Highway to Heaven admitted that in this episode and I was in tears by the end of it.