Thirtysomething: We'll Meet Again
We'll Meet Again
Season 2, Episode 1
Air Date
December 6th, 1988
Directed by
Scott Winant
Written by
Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, Richard Kramer
Starring
Mel Harris
Patricia Wettig
Polly Draper
Ken Olin
Timothy Busfield
Peter Horton
Winner of one Emmy Award
Outstanding Costumes for a Series.
Scott Winant was also nominated for best director.
Trivia
Richard Kramer also wrote the teleplay for Kent State (1981) and the play Theater District.
Edward Zwick later directed Leaving Normal (1992), a film featuring Mr. Von Dohlen.
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Hope (Mel Harris) finds a trunk in her basement filled with photos and mementos from a couple who lived in her house during World War II. She becomes fascinated with their lives. Hope's husband wants a second child, and she has conflicting feelings about it. She's just gotten back to work, but, as he points out, she can't bring herself to write. All she wants to do is read the diary she found belonging to the former occupant, whose story is shown in dream-like segments interspersed between moments from the present.
The diary begins with how Sally (Jo Anderson) and Roy (Lenny Von Dohlen) met at a party her mother gave for the USO. She was wearing a purple dress at a party of soldiers. Stardust was playing, and she backed against the fireplace, singing along, not paying attention to who was near. Suddenly, she turned and found a soldier staring at her. She stopped, at a loss for words.
He asks her why she stopped singing, she has a lovely voice. Her mother calls, interrupting them. He starts to leave, but she calls him back, giving him her name. He shares his. She reminds him he was speaking of singing. He becomes embarrassed and tries to dismiss it, saying it is crazy. She presses, telling him she wants to hear. He admits that when he heard her singing, it was as though he'd heard her before. She questions how that is possible, as they've just met. He tells her about his family and that it's odd that she's a nurse because he'd like to be a doctor when - if - he comes back. She reassures him he'll return. The intensity of their attraction can be felt during the awkward pauses in their conversation.
Sally finally asks him if he'd like to see the garden. They dance, though neither claims to be able, and she soon finds herself wed to a man she barely knows. When he is called away to war, she finds herself wondering, wherever he is, does he love me and miss me?
She was there when he came home on leave and then, just as quickly, he was gone. She prays that he will be there when their baby is born. Unfortunately, she miscarries their child. Her loss and longing for her absent husband are profound.
When he is reported missing in action, Sally becomes listless. The days fade into each other until the night he returns.
When we next see Sally and Roy, they are busy and ready to embark on a trip. As Roy takes the luggage to the car, Sally stays behind for a moment to look over the house one last time. Hope, breaking through time, comes downstairs and calls Sally, who seems to hear her. Hope tells her she's read her diary and needs to know what happened because it ended abruptly. Sally tells her they planted the roses in the garden for the baby.
When Hope says she's sorry, Sally replies that it wasn't just for what they lost but for what they found. Sally asks her to take care of the garden. Roy returns, and we can see that Sally is with child again. They walk out the door and fade away.
The main character and her husband resolve to tend to the garden, and Hope begins a diary of her own for someone else to find.
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