Blergh

Yeah, it's sad that the TV movies turned the closest multimensional non-John Boy sib into a caricature AND seemed to revel into transforming Toni's life into a nightmare.

I liked how each of these characters evolved over time. Ike started out as a rather complacent businessman who was perfectly happy with how the store and his life had turned out. Moreover, his store was regarded by all the Waltons as a nearly magical place stocked with exotic foods and goods, the center of the community AND with its Post Office and telephone, their only link to the outside world. Yet, it wasn't just the Waltons become more worldly and sophisticated that knocked down Ike a few pegs even though they had mutual admiration to the end. Corabeth entered the picture. However; she started out as the Waltons' sheltered cousin who was suddenly jolted to the outside world with her mother's death and considered the stay at Casa Walton a pitstop before she was ready to venture to Richmond to try her hand at joining a secetarial pool despite no experience. Then she met Ike and despite crying over her saying yes to his proposal, married him and the rest was history. It's interesting that Corabeth was supposed to be a one-shot character but Ronnie Claire Edwards impressed the suits enough to have them change the episode's ending AND have her become a regular once they could write her into more scripts. It didn't take long for Corabeth to transform herself from a frumpy wren into wanting everyone else there to believe that she was more sophisticated and genteel than everyone else including her family. Yet, despite her being often unfair to Ike and often treating their adoptive daughter Aimee as though she was a toy to be neglected unless Corabeth was bored with other stuff, Corabeth was not entirely unsympathetic and did bring some needed comic relief to the show. With their sumptuous mansion and comfortable pension, the Baldwin Sisters seemed to have the least problems of any of the community yet they couldn't help but make mischief via The Recipe. They supposedly were ignorant of it being moonshine despite themselves and the other [most men] partakers getting hammered by it. Yet, even though Miss Emily often mourned the departure of Ashley Longworth, they never became 'mean drunks' or self-pitying but merely sillier with the consumption. It's interesting,too, that they regarded the Walton children [especially John Boy and Jason] as having potential that they were happy to help nurture. Earl has said that these characters were based on female moonshiners he knew [which was virtually unheard of for that time and place] yet, unlike the TV characters, they were mother-and-daughter rather than sisters, wore overalls and knew EXACTLY what they were brewing.LOL

As the kids outgrew the cuteness, the show relied on the other characters more and more to the point of listing them as regular cast members the last season or so. So here's a place to discuss them

What was the deal May 13th episode in which these squatters kept coming BACK even with cameras filming them, new doors,etc.? It seems they considered the place MORE important than just a spot to crash, smoke and drink in.I wonder if the buyers knew about these squatter before buying the place. Odd that they treated Christina's reaction to seeing the first one spotted as though she'd just seen a spider and nothing more.

Somewhat relieved that Alex actually got Hailey to be sure she REALLY wanted to be with Andy instead of just seeing if she COULD break him and his blah girlfriend up. Yeah, Andy took the cab all the way there for nothing but if Hailey's not sure she wants to more than banter with Andy, it's better he be alone than get himself into a nothing unbalanced deal. Also relieved that Phil just performed the ceremony without actually attempting any magic tricks [as I could easily imagine him bungling one up when push came to shove at the alter]. Nice speech by Claire in the end. Also happy that Alex just had a good 'inside joke' laugh with Lily and nothing more at Luke and Manny's expense after spending this whole episode seeming to try to frame them into making it look as though THEY were a gay couple getting married. Best of all, Jay saving the day for Mitch and Cam even if he likely risked bankrupcy having his own country club transformed instantly into a wedding venue [and almost certainly risking getting endlessly heckled by his country club cronies until the day he dies]. Nice tasteful but realistic clench by Cam and Mitch at the end,too.

Yet, in the TV movies they REALLY dumbed down Jason by making him into a yahoo honky-tonk player. Then again, they also dumbed down all the OTHER Waltons by having them be ignorant of Elvis in 1963! Who had NOT heard of Elvis in 1963?