Review: 'The Bullet' - CBS Radio Mystery Theater

This time around, I listened to the episode called 'The Bullet' over on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater collection that you can find and listen to for free over on the Internet Archive. 

Episode Plot (Spoilers)

This guy called Jerry seems to have survivor's guilt and starts seeing, many years after his death, an old army buddy of his who died on a patrol that was supposed to be Jerry's. Only Jerry can see his friend, which prompts him to wonder if he's crazy. His wife tries to support him, and he sees a psychiatrist, but he keeps seeing this deceased soldier friend no matter what he does. 

When Jerry realizes that his friend has returned from the dead to fix the "Plan" - some fate-like construct where Jerry was supposed to die on his patrol and Marge was actually supposed to meet Jerry's friend and marry him, giving birth to a boy who would later become an important historical figure - Jerry has to make the difficult decision to go along with the "Plan" or fight against it.

Jerry ends up succumbing to the "Plan", walking out of a bar to get hit by a truck, and Marge, along with some other people, run out to the scene. A distraught Marge is comforted by a man we soon realize is Jerry's friend, back from the dead. The "Plan" is back on track.

Overall Thoughts and Review

This was an fun one, though more on the supernatural side than anything else. The idea of a bullet that was destined for you (metaphorically, anyway) was intriguing. My own beliefs aside, it was interesting to listen to a story where agents of the "Plan" actively try to correct mistakes that happen, though I do wonder why this whole situation of Jerry living when he was supposed to die (and his friend dying when he was supposed to live) wasn't corrected a very long time ago. Why not the very next day? Why not within the following months? Why did these "Plan" people wait until years later?

That being said, I think this is an interesting story to look at from the perspective of survivor's guilt and low self-esteem.