I can understand fans of The Waltons not listing this episode as one of their favorites. It doesn't have a plot that deals with any series regulars. The visitor this time is a cousin of Olivia's that she hasn't seen since she was 8, a 64-year-old lifelong bachelor named Cody Nelson, who for years has been an accountant for a bank in Cincinnati.
He arrives via bus on his "vacation" which comes during the national bank holiday during the spring of 1933. Cody is very well played by Eduard Franz, as a man used to being all by himself. He is polite, but not very talkative.
Matchmakers Olivia and Esther start talking about what sort of woman would be good for him to meet. John-Boy recommends Mrs. Cordelia Hunnicut, who is a widow, but who seems to have the qualities Cody would like. The women agree to an extent, but they are not fans of Cordelia, primarily because she has gone through four husbands, two of whom she divorced.
They work together to get Cordelia to accept a supper invitation and she and Cody do indeed begin spending time together. The script is a bit vague on how long Cody stayed, but we do understand that he and Cordelia seem to find something to do every day, or evening, including dancing.
We the viewers are treated to some nice scenes of this older couple developing a serious fondness for each other. Olivia and Esther's big fear seems to be that Cordelia isn't telling Cody about her past—expecting this will send Cody running away from her. Olivia tells Cordelia that it would be best for her to be truthful, and she agrees.
How she tells him and the way Cody reacts is the major part of the conclusion of the episode, which I won't spoil here.
I tried to put myself in Cody's place—at an advanced age, worried about whether he will have a job when the banks reopen, having lived alone all of his adult life, and now, unexpectedly, having a romance with someone who is quite different from himself.
Whether we are talking movies, TV, or songs, few of them ever concern themselves with romances of people beyond the age of 50. If they do at all, it's usually in a comical setting, or it is a setup where one of the two people is just after the other person's money. Although Cody is somewhat older than me, I could get "into" his character and thought this show examined his relationship in a very realistic way and I could fully understand why he reacted the way he did to Cordelia's revelations.
It was a really fine episode to me and I think anyone who tries to place him or herself in Cody's position will also find this a good episode to view.
He arrives via bus on his "vacation" which comes during the national bank holiday during the spring of 1933. Cody is very well played by Eduard Franz, as a man used to being all by himself. He is polite, but not very talkative.
Matchmakers Olivia and Esther start talking about what sort of woman would be good for him to meet. John-Boy recommends Mrs. Cordelia Hunnicut, who is a widow, but who seems to have the qualities Cody would like. The women agree to an extent, but they are not fans of Cordelia, primarily because she has gone through four husbands, two of whom she divorced.
They work together to get Cordelia to accept a supper invitation and she and Cody do indeed begin spending time together. The script is a bit vague on how long Cody stayed, but we do understand that he and Cordelia seem to find something to do every day, or evening, including dancing.
We the viewers are treated to some nice scenes of this older couple developing a serious fondness for each other. Olivia and Esther's big fear seems to be that Cordelia isn't telling Cody about her past—expecting this will send Cody running away from her. Olivia tells Cordelia that it would be best for her to be truthful, and she agrees.
How she tells him and the way Cody reacts is the major part of the conclusion of the episode, which I won't spoil here.
I tried to put myself in Cody's place—at an advanced age, worried about whether he will have a job when the banks reopen, having lived alone all of his adult life, and now, unexpectedly, having a romance with someone who is quite different from himself.
Whether we are talking movies, TV, or songs, few of them ever concern themselves with romances of people beyond the age of 50. If they do at all, it's usually in a comical setting, or it is a setup where one of the two people is just after the other person's money. Although Cody is somewhat older than me, I could get "into" his character and thought this show examined his relationship in a very realistic way and I could fully understand why he reacted the way he did to Cordelia's revelations.
It was a really fine episode to me and I think anyone who tries to place him or herself in Cody's position will also find this a good episode to view.
