I've been watching these Route 66 episodes in order from the beginning and this episode was the first one that I really enjoyed. (Granted i'm a hard to please viewer!)
I understood Buzz's angry feelings when Todd took the boy back to the orphanage but logically and legally it was something that had to be done. Even though I sided with Todd in the situation, because of Buzz's personal experience growing up in an orphanage I understood why he took his bags and went his own way afterwards.
After getting a job, he meets his trailer neighbor Hannah, a lonely, sad middle aged woman who gave up her son many years ago. Buzz is roughly the same age as her son would be and is a reminder of her loss. They quickly develop an interesting bond and I thought the scenes between the two of them were the best of the episode. I never heard of Sylvia Sidney before, but I really enjoyed her performance here as Hannah and now want to see her other stuff.
Todd arrives on the scene securing himself a job at the same place as Buzz. He and Buzz are still on the outs but are now tentatively communicating. Todd watches Buzz and Hannah and this is where I get confused. It appeared that Todd didn't approve of Buzz being around Hannah, because when he first came across her on his way to Buzz's trailer the evening before, I guess he realized she's a lady of the evening or at the very least, a loose woman.
I'm only assuming this because the meeting between Todd and Hannah was so brief and all she did was be a little rude to him in passing, but I guess her outfit and the way she talked and moved relayed to him what she was.
But still, I didn't understand why Todd seemed so concerned by that, or the friendship between Buzz and Hannah. There's a scene where he watches them like a hawk, but we aren't privy to what he's thinking. They were just friends as Buzz told him and Todd had no idea what their developing bond was even about, so what was his problem with it? Why did it apparently bother him enough to do what he eventually did?
Was Todd threatened by Buzz's budding friendship with someone else since they were still on the outs from their orphanage fight? Did he feel jealous? It's never really made clear just what motivated Todd to do what he did and I just think it was such a low and nasty thing to do.
He doesn't just tell Buzz that he suspects she's a "lady of the evening" (and even that's not made 100% clear in the episode so he's really still assuming) He has to actually take Buzz to the roadhouse where she apparently gets her customers, and shoves it right in his face with no prior warning, embarrassing the two of them in the process. How low can you be to do something like that to a friend? Buzz of course is hurt, but not by what Hannah is, but what Todd did to him and they fight it out in the parking lot....and then....they make up?! What?! You'd think something like this would tear them further apart.
It appears the message here is that Hannah being a lady of the evening, or loose woman was unworthy of Buzz's friendship and Todd the savior pulls Buzz safely back from her wanton clutches. I realize it was 1961 and these were the very conservative mores of society back then, but it's so archaic and silly watching it through 21st century eyes. I mean, so what if that's what she was? How on earth does that affect Buzz's platonic friendship with her? Or threatens Todd in any way? It's so weird.
I felt incredibly sad for Hannah afterwards because she was a really lovely woman under that hard, bitter exterior and Buzz empathized with that and felt she was worthy of his friendship...which she was.
Why Todd felt she wasn't worthy makes me think much less of his character now which is ironic because up till this point it was Buzz who usually got on my nerves with his annoying sarcasm and tendency to provoke fist fights with people all the time. Till now, I always felt Todd was the level headed one of the two.
But here I was now liking Buzz and not Todd anymore because I think he had no right to interfere in a relationship that he knew nothing about, and it really wasn't his place to do what he did at the roadhouse. And not only that, it was just downright mean.
I only wish it had a better ending and Buzz was able to say a proper goodbye to his friend because she deserved it and I wish Hannah had opened the door when Buzz knocked on her trailer before leaving, but I guess she was too embarrassed and ashamed to face him. It only made me even more angry at Todd for ruining that friendship the way he did out of his own jealousy or insecurity or whatever the heck his motivation was.
Was hurting and embarrassing both Hannah and Buzz like that really worth it just to get him away from her?
I liked the final scene where Buzz left the plant at her trailer before leaving. Even though she couldn't face him, the affectionate gesture let's her know that she was still considered a friend of his and I was glad for that. Shame on Todd though for metaphorically taking a knife and selfishly slicing through a very touching connection that was made between two lonely souls. He had no right to do that.
After getting a job, he meets his trailer neighbor Hannah, a lonely, sad middle aged woman who gave up her son many years ago. Buzz is roughly the same age as her son would be and is a reminder of her loss. They quickly develop an interesting bond and I thought the scenes between the two of them were the best of the episode. I never heard of Sylvia Sidney before, but I really enjoyed her performance here as Hannah and now want to see her other stuff.
Todd arrives on the scene securing himself a job at the same place as Buzz. He and Buzz are still on the outs but are now tentatively communicating. Todd watches Buzz and Hannah and this is where I get confused. It appeared that Todd didn't approve of Buzz being around Hannah, because when he first came across her on his way to Buzz's trailer the evening before, I guess he realized she's a lady of the evening or at the very least, a loose woman.
I'm only assuming this because the meeting between Todd and Hannah was so brief and all she did was be a little rude to him in passing, but I guess her outfit and the way she talked and moved relayed to him what she was.
But still, I didn't understand why Todd seemed so concerned by that, or the friendship between Buzz and Hannah. There's a scene where he watches them like a hawk, but we aren't privy to what he's thinking. They were just friends as Buzz told him and Todd had no idea what their developing bond was even about, so what was his problem with it? Why did it apparently bother him enough to do what he eventually did?
Was Todd threatened by Buzz's budding friendship with someone else since they were still on the outs from their orphanage fight? Did he feel jealous? It's never really made clear just what motivated Todd to do what he did and I just think it was such a low and nasty thing to do.
He doesn't just tell Buzz that he suspects she's a "lady of the evening" (and even that's not made 100% clear in the episode so he's really still assuming) He has to actually take Buzz to the roadhouse where she apparently gets her customers, and shoves it right in his face with no prior warning, embarrassing the two of them in the process. How low can you be to do something like that to a friend? Buzz of course is hurt, but not by what Hannah is, but what Todd did to him and they fight it out in the parking lot....and then....they make up?! What?! You'd think something like this would tear them further apart.
It appears the message here is that Hannah being a lady of the evening, or loose woman was unworthy of Buzz's friendship and Todd the savior pulls Buzz safely back from her wanton clutches. I realize it was 1961 and these were the very conservative mores of society back then, but it's so archaic and silly watching it through 21st century eyes. I mean, so what if that's what she was? How on earth does that affect Buzz's platonic friendship with her? Or threatens Todd in any way? It's so weird.
I felt incredibly sad for Hannah afterwards because she was a really lovely woman under that hard, bitter exterior and Buzz empathized with that and felt she was worthy of his friendship...which she was.
Why Todd felt she wasn't worthy makes me think much less of his character now which is ironic because up till this point it was Buzz who usually got on my nerves with his annoying sarcasm and tendency to provoke fist fights with people all the time. Till now, I always felt Todd was the level headed one of the two.
But here I was now liking Buzz and not Todd anymore because I think he had no right to interfere in a relationship that he knew nothing about, and it really wasn't his place to do what he did at the roadhouse. And not only that, it was just downright mean.
I only wish it had a better ending and Buzz was able to say a proper goodbye to his friend because she deserved it and I wish Hannah had opened the door when Buzz knocked on her trailer before leaving, but I guess she was too embarrassed and ashamed to face him. It only made me even more angry at Todd for ruining that friendship the way he did out of his own jealousy or insecurity or whatever the heck his motivation was.
Was hurting and embarrassing both Hannah and Buzz like that really worth it just to get him away from her?
I liked the final scene where Buzz left the plant at her trailer before leaving. Even though she couldn't face him, the affectionate gesture let's her know that she was still considered a friend of his and I was glad for that. Shame on Todd though for metaphorically taking a knife and selfishly slicing through a very touching connection that was made between two lonely souls. He had no right to do that.