I felt so bad for him. First, he's all alone in the world, and then his glasses break, making it impossible for him to ever read again. It's such a bleak ending.

So did I Phasmo. I hold out hope that he eventually found another pair of glasses.

after he had been struggling to get by "looking for a spark in the ashes of a dead world" that is such a heartbreaking ending i find myself looking away as he drops them (yes, i watch the episode frequently). the episode reminds a bit of the "the lonely" episode which was later made into an amazing (perhaps my favorite) twilight zone radio drama episode.

"that's not fair..." - henry bemis

This is one of the quintessential episodes, but it's not one of my favorites. Most of the attraction is the ending twist, and once that's known, the fun is over for me. While most TZ episodes are known for the ending twist, many of them feature more interesting lead ups.

Yes, Meridith was great in every episode he was in.

I think Glady's Cooper was possibly TZ' s reigning thespian though Meredith was a boss.

@tjerj1 said:

So did I Phasmo. I hold out hope that he eventually found another pair of glasses.

Exactly my thoughts!

@DorianGrey said:

@tjerj1 said:

So did I Phasmo. I hold out hope that he eventually found another pair of glasses.

Exactly my thoughts!

Yeah, but another pair of glasses would totally eliminate the very reason for the story, which is why they were made so thick (no chance of finding any in the rubble with that prescription). Either he goes on alone and without the thing he most wanted in life, or he makes his way back to and manages to find the gun...

Great episode of TWZ. I can relate to how knowing the end twist puts a damper on one's enjoyment of it. However, I like to see how they managed staging the end of the world all of those years ago. I actually haven't seen this one in its entirety in many years, and would be delighted to do so.