"Nightsong" is an episode tailor-made for someone like me, who is a sucker for a tragic, romantic story. While it's not a story of great dramatic depth, it is well-done and sustains the suspense for its entire running time. The first time I saw this I didn't expect the ending, so it also does a good job of covering its tracks so the viewer is never sure exactly what is going on, which is essential to this kind of story. This segment is my guilty pleasure.

"Nightsong" was written by Michael Reaves, who has written for TV and animation, and also has done a lot of short stories and novels. He also did one of the third season stories, which I'm not covering. While this is one of my favorite episodes of the series, I don't know that many others feel the same way. I haven't received much email about it, but the email I do get on "Nightsong" is filled with praise. I do think it's one of the most overlooked of the new Twilight Zone segments, but that's just my opinion.

Lisa Eilbacher stars as Andrea, a woman so scarred by a past relationship that she can't move on to a new one. She tackles the role handily, and does seem truly crippled emotionally by it. Eilbacher never seemed to be an actress of immense emotional capacity, but that could just be the parts she was given. Here she shows more depth than I've seen in her other roles, and she's near perfect in the part. It seems like she's retired from acting and hasn't done much since 2000.

Anthony Hamilton plays Simon Locke, the man who mysteriously disappeared and makes a very sudden return to Andrea's life. He's also very effective in his role, and certainly handsome enough for a rock star; he had been a model for ten years before becoming an actor, and actually started out in ballet in Australia. I remember Hamilton from the "Mission: Impossible" remake series that ran for a season or two, and he was also great in that. He was only 42 when he died from complications of AIDS, and that was way too soon. I think that he might have become a fairly accomplished actor if he had lived. Here, he is suitably vague as Andrea's old love, and we don't discover his secret till near the end of the episode.

Kenneth David Gilman, who is known today as Kip Gilman, played Ace, Andrea's co-worker at the station and the man who wanted their relationship to become more than it was; we're left with the idea that after she has put her past to rest, it might actually happen. Gilman's few minutes on-screen in this episode really shine. He had the big 80's hair, and his costume in conjunction with the hair are vintage 80's. He makes you want to see more of him, and I would have enjoyed having him come back into the episode at the end.

The song from this episode, "Nightsong," was written and performed by Stephen Stills, who needs no introduction. It fits the tone and mood of the segment, and while it's not one of his best songs it's easy to listen to. My only quibble is that Anthony Hamilton has a much lower voice than Stills. I think there is a disconnect when listening to the song because it's obviously not sung by Hamilton, but in the end it doesn't harm the story.

In some ways, this reminds me of the great 1947 film "The Ghost and Mrs Muir," though I can't really think of a good reason why. It could be the idea of an epic love lost, or of a ghost appearing to help a human, but they always seem to be connected in some way, in my thoughts.