Sayeth my friend's mother when I sat down with his family to watch this episode. I smirked a little, thought the ending was okay in a Spielbergian kind of way, but I have to admit it did seem somewhat disconnected from the larger story.
I think one of the issues is that there was a dramatic buildup to the ending, but there was no buildup to the "solution". No investment of a man and his dreams, or how Disney and other Hollywood types made fantasies come true. Because otherwise you get this kind of oddball finale that though in the spirit of the TV series, seems to be at odds with the overall story. I think a better script would have thrown a few hints here and there, and thus we could have had the payoff at the end without the kind of goofyness (no pun intended) that, again, though in the spirit of the series and Spielberg, is a bit of an odd duck.
But, as the contemporary expression goes, it is what it is, and you either accept it or not. I remember the buildup to this series, and it was a pleasant ride. Reading some of the other reviews I think people were expecting a bit much. After Jaws, Raiders, and Close Encounters, and I think Temple of Doom, people had pretty lofty expectations. But you know what people? Film makers can only do so much. When you're on the set "constructing" a film one scene at a time, and you're actually shooting the entire thing out of sequence, it's not like painting or sculpting. You don't have the luxury of standing back like other artists to see what you're making. Oh sure, you get to see the rushes, but even then you're only seeing bits and pieces.
And I think that's about as cruel and fair a criticism as I can offer about this episode of Spielberg's truly amazing series (pun intended).
Having said that, I think I can rightfully say that this isn't my favorite episode, but it still has that trademark Spielberg charm to it.