The Road Less Traveled
Jeff McDowell and his wife Denise (Cliff DeYoung and Margaret Clenck) are disturbed by their young daughter Megan (Jaclyn Bernstein), who claims to have seen a man in her bedroom. Even after tucking his daughter into bed when he sees that there's no man in there, Jeff has a sudden flash to the Vietnam War. These visions continue the next day, growing more vivid to the point where Jeff fully envisions himself as a soldier in the jungle, leading him to believe that they're connected to the time where he fled to Canada to avoid the draft. Denise also encounters a man who looks just like Jeff, only sitting in a wheelchair and missing his legs, and when Jeff sees the legless man for himself, he learns that the man is an alternate version of himself who actually went overseas, who has come to witness what he could've had if he had went to Canada.
Tropes
- Affectionate Nickname: Jeff used to call Denise "Denny" when they were in high school together. His military counterpart still does this, since his Denise died in a motorcycle accident. Additionally, this version of Jeff was called "Spaceman" by his fellow soldiers during the war.
- Alternate Universe: A version of Jeff who went to Vietnam and lost his legs crosses over to the normal universe after having spent years wondering what his life could have been like had he not gone to Vietnam, since the normal Jeff dodged the draft and went to Canada with Denise in 1971. While regular Jeff and Denise eventually married and had Megan, the alternate Jeff's Denise was killed in a motorcycle accident. Interestingly, the alternate Jeff isn't angry or resentful as normal Jeff fears, but is content after sharing memories with him and getting the chance to see the life he could have had, while Jeff experiences the alternate self's memories of fighting in 'Nam.
- An Arm and a Leg: The alternate version of Jeff he and his family meet lost both of his legs in Vietnam, having stepped on a landmine.
- Beard of Sorrow: The alternate Jeff has a thick mustache-beard combo, demonstrating how disheveled and traumatized he is from 'Nam.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Both versions of Jeff have their respective pros and cons. The Jeff that went to Canada has Survivor's Guilt and wishes he had gone to Vietnam to experience the glory and honor of fighting for his country. The Jeff that went to Vietnam is paraplegic, traumatized, and dearly wishes he had skipped out on the war that ruined his home life. Needless to say, each Jeff is content to find closure in the other's memories.
- Celebrity Paradox: Jeff and Denise watch The Thing from Another World on television in the opening. Kenneth Tobey, who previously played Sheriff Haskin in "A Day in Beaumont", is seen in the featured clip.
- Dead Alternate Counterpart: The alternate Jeff reveals that his Denise was killed in a motorcycle accident while he was fighting in Vietnam. When he crosses over to the regular universe, he's delighted to see her alive and married to his counterpart.
- Draft Dodging: Jeff was drafted in 1971, but he went to college in Canada with Denise instead of going to Vietnam. A version of him from a universe where he did go to 'Nam and lost his legs appears throughout his house, aiming to take a peek at what could've been his life.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Both versions of Jeff are given closure for their guilt and despair by sharing each others' memories.
- Flash Sideways: Jeff begins experiencing what he thinks are hallucinations about being attacked by the Viet Cong. He attributes them to survivor's guilt as a result of dodging the draft, but he later discovers that they're the memories of an alternate version of him who fought in the war. The two Jeffs hold hands, allowing the alternate Jeff to experience the happy moments from his counterpart's life that he missed out on, such as his wedding to Denise, their honeymoon, and Megan's birth. The regular Jeff is willing to receive further memories of Vietnam so that the alternate Jeff can see the life that could have been his.
- Literary Allusion Title: The title comes from a notable line from Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken".
- Nice Guy: Jeff treasures Denise and Megan with all his heart, and is worried his alternate self might try to harm them before they meet. Before that, it's shown that he has a lot of guilt over not answering his country's call to arms in Vietnam, wondering if the man who went in his place died.
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Jeff first thinks his alternate self isn't real, but he soon finds tire tracks in the carpet and experiences a flashback to the jungle.
- Old Shame: Jeff is shown to have some pretty clear hesitation and guilt regarding his skipping to Canada, at first believing that the alternate Jeff is the spirit of someone who died in place of him in Vietnam.
- Shellshocked Veteran: Jeff's alternate self is one, as his life was ruined by the traumatic experiences of fighting the Viet Cong, especially losing his legs from a landmine.
- Shout-Out: Jeff and Denise open the episode watching The Thing from Another World before Megan calls for her father.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Jeff and Denise's daughter Megan, who is the first to meet the alternate version of her father and alert Jeff to his whereabouts.
- Survivor's Guilt: Jeff dodged the draft in 1971 and he still feels guilty about this decision 15 years later, often wondering whether the person who went instead of him was killed or grievously wounded in his place. Denise, who went to Canada with him, assures him that he has nothing to feel guilty about, as it was a "dirty little undeclared war" that he helped to stop. Jeff manages to come to terms with the guilt when he makes physical contact with his alternate counterpart, who went to war at the cost of a happy domestic life with Denise, and sees his memories of fighting the Viet Cong.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: Megan tells her parents that there was a strange man in her room. When Jeff goes to investigate, he tells her that she just saw a pile of clothes on a chair, promising that there's nothing to worry about. It turns out that Megan saw a version of her dad from an alternate timeline whose life was ruined after he fought in Vietnam, wanting to see the daughter he never had.
- Transferable Memory: Jeff and his alternate self exchange memories when they touch hands, getting to see the wartime perils and happy family they respectively missed out on before merging into one person.
- The Vietnam Vet: The alternate Jeff went to fight in Vietnam instead of dodging the draft, losing his legs when he stepped on a landmine. He has spent most of his life since then in a VA hospital, wondering what his life could have been like if he went to Canada to avoid the draft.
- War Is Hell: The version of Jeff who went to 'Nam was traumatized by his experiences overseas, especially losing his legs. He tells his counterpart that he regularly has unspeakably horrific nightmares about the things that he saw there.
"We make our choices, and afterwards wonder what the other road was like. Jeff McDowell found out, and paid the toll. A lesson in courage and cartography, from the mapmakers — of the Twilight Zone."
