Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Zella]

25 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Edwards and the blind girl? That one is hard to take. 

Yep, that one. It was very cringe-inducing, mainly because of Edwards' behavior. He is really hard to take this season. I just finished the episode where he socks the guy he thinks is Reverend Alden's replacement. (That story about the actor being murdered a few years later that came up on here recently is very sad, but I didn't comment on it before now since I'd never seen the episode.) I don't think they know what to do with Edwards now that Saint Pa is gone. They've really Flanderized the Olesons, but they're at least recognizable as the Olesons. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Did you get to feral-boy yet? That's on the low end. 

 

[Zella]

2 hours ago, Superclam said:

Did you get to feral-boy yet? That's on the low end. 

 

Yes, I watched those a couple of days ago, and it was bad. That was what prompted my initial comment about Edwards being retconned to be the new Pa because him suddenly making eloquent courtroom speeches was so out of character.

It also felt incredibly exploitative of the character of Matthew to devote 2 episodes to introducing him as a character who is deeply significant to Edwards, almost like he's being set up to be Albert 2.0, and then to just drop Matthew entirely from the next 4 episodes, even when they are focused on Edwards and his life. I checked IMDB, and apparently Matthew only appears in 3 more episodes after his introduction, despite there being 15 episodes remaining of the series from that point. I assume he's only brought in when more can be milked from the story instead. LHOTP, for all of its moralizing about not being cruel to the misfits of the world and people who are different, which often does seem to be quite earnest and sincere in its intentions, still treats them with a real freak show mentality itself. 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Zella

[Pirpana]

^Oh, you're in for quite a "treat" in that regard but I won't spoil it to you.

For me, being a massive James Bond fan, his two introductory episodes are a somewhat guilty pleasure. The actor who plays the man traveling and showing him off played one of Franz Sanchez' henchmen, Milton Krest, in Licence to kill.

[Snow Apple]

I hated what they did to Mr. Edwards in the later seasons. I hated that he and Grace broke up. Why did he never see or mention the children after that? He loved them and risked his life several times for them. Then all of a sudden, nothing?

[Pirpana]

One funny thing about that blind girl episode. When I first was it, when the show was released on Blu ray, I had gotten so used to this show only having a handful of directors, I actually thought the episode's director's name Victor Lobl was a typo and it should had been Victor French!

[debraran]

28 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I hated what they did to Mr. Edwards in the later seasons. I hated that he and Grace broke up. Why did he never see or mention the children after that? He loved them and risked his life several times for them. Then all of a sudden, nothing?

And she remarried pretty quickly as in the letter she wrote him about a good man who loved the children or something like that. No reason he felt to keep going. I think if they made her not move and get remarried, he would have seen them. Carl and Alicia had some bad memories but many good ones too.

I was surprised how many times "misfits" were used but then forgotten but also how many times men broke and wanted to kill themselves. Sometimes Savior Charles was there if the character was continuing but there was a lot of fire and suicide. The old guy in the gold country (who reincarnated a few times) ; )    There was his dad who thought he'd burn in intense pain and maybe take Charles with him to be with his dead wife. As Christians he still believed "she was there" and wouldn't move. I understand the sentiment but it's a memorial place not where she is. I thought the drama of that show was awful. Mr Edwards didn't care about himself more than once, trying suicide and then drinking himself into oblivion when before he met Charles, he seemed fine on his own after his family passed sadly. He had the crazy religious guy burn his home with his daughter who had the baby Laura found. Then he had child (which shocked me) try to drown herself because she missed her Pa.  The fire and death in the blind school although not suicide was just dumb.  If I forgot any more, let me.....lol

I loved the shows with humor or normal sadness and death, the Jewish woodworker for instance but he really loved fire and death combined for some reason.

Edited March 20, 2021 by debraran

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Pirpana said:

^Oh, you're in for quite a "treat" in that regard but I won't spoil it to you.

For me, being a massive James Bond fan, his two introductory episodes are a somewhat guilty pleasure. The actor who plays the man traveling and showing him off played one of Franz Sanchez' henchmen, Milton Krest, in Licence to kill.

Uh oh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I've not really watched James Bond, so I recognized the guy as Dutchy from Will Penny! 

[CountryGirl]

13 hours ago, Pirpana said:

^No way, we quite like it! 😄

That and your previous post are schoolbook examples of show's writers' way to write anything that would fit for given particular scene, no matter if it's in conflict with what's happened or said earlier. Mind you, it's not just for this show. Don't know if you guys have ever watched a Canadian series called Road to Avonlea. It had a character called Aunt Eliza who always remembered to say she's only had one beau in her life. Except the guy always had different name and completely different life story!

Which sounds like a ripoff of that Baldwin sister from The Waltons who was always blathering on about Ashley Longworth. Put a sock in it, lady!

12 hours ago, Superclam said:

Edwards and the blind girl? That one is hard to take. 

They called the episode “Love.”

I called it “Hate.”

[Mr. Sparkle]

I can't talk now, I'm watching Shannon Daugherty floating on the bottom of a lake. 

[Zella]

3 hours ago, debraran said:

And she remarried pretty quickly as in the letter she wrote him about a good man who loved the children or something like that. No reason he felt to keep going. I think if they made her not move and get remarried, he would have seen them. Carl and Alicia had some bad memories but many good ones too.

I was surprised how many times "misfits" were used but then forgotten but also how many times men broke and wanted to kill themselves. Sometimes Savior Charles was there if the character was continuing but there was a lot of fire and suicide. The old guy in the gold country (who reincarnated a few times) ; )    There was his dad who thought he'd burn in intense pain and maybe take Charles with him to be with his dead wife. As Christians he still believed "she was there" and wouldn't move. I understand the sentiment but it's a memorial place not where she is. I thought the drama of that show was awful. Mr Edwards didn't care about himself more than once, trying suicide and then drinking himself into oblivion when before he met Charles, he seemed fine on his own after his family passed sadly. He had the crazy religious guy burn his home with his daughter who had the baby Laura found. Then he had child (which shocked me) try to drown herself because she missed her Pa.  The fire and death in the blind school although not suicide was just dumb.  If I forgot any more, let me.....lol

I loved the shows with humor or normal sadness and death, the Jewish woodworker for instance but he really loved fire and death combined for some reason.

Yeah I like the less over-the-top episodes! Some of the earlier episodes I really enjoyed were quite sentimental in their own way, but I did find them emotionally moving. I'm not much of a cryer, but I got genuinely teary-eyed quite a bit in the first season or so. I'm kind of blanking on specific stories, but even as late as Mary turning blind, I got so caught up in the story that I didn't snark it. 

[debraran]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

Yeah I like the less over-the-top episodes! Some of the earlier episodes I really enjoyed were quite sentimental in their own way, but I did find them emotionally moving. I'm not much of a cryer, but I got genuinely teary-eyed quite a bit in the first season or so. I'm kind of blanking on specific stories, but even as late as Mary turning blind, I got so caught up in the story that I didn't snark it. 

Yes, the early ones will always be my fav. The formula was better.

[Zella]

6 minutes ago, debraran said:

Yes, the early ones will always be my fav. The formula was better.

They also seemed to be making an effort to be more historical. This was never going to be going for strict accuracy, but the dilemmas the characters faced in those early seasons did at least seem pertinent to a rural, agricultural community in the 1800s and less inherently over-the-top--harvest failures, awkward boarding situations for teachers, having to rely on credit to make it through to the harvest, etc. I think the most irritated I got about history in the earlier seasons was them trying to pass Bob Ford off as an enemy of the James Brothers. I guess that was season 4, but that made me roll my eyes hard. After some of the more recent episodes, it seems almost quaint that it bothered me as much as it did at the time! 😄 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Zella

[jason88cubs]

Charles to Caroline "Looks like I'll be gone for a month doing work"

 

Caroline "OH no!!!" (in her head thinking, looks like Chris the Handyman will have to try my..."apple fritters")

[Pirpana]

I watched the infamous May we Bake them Brown episode yesterday but won't say anything about the beginning because everything has been said already, hah. But besides that it's also a bit annoying and unrealistic how, when Jonathan is in depths of despair after losing his wife, the saint Charles is able to snap him out of it just like that by shedding his manly tears. Merlin Olsen's crying isn't as convincing to say the least.

But I do have to give credit to ML for using same actor as before as judge Adams. It's so rare a character returns in this show (and in same incarnation) it's worth mentioning. Even the actress playing his secretary is the same.

And watching Patrick Labyorteaux in emotional scenes it's a bit mindboggling to me he was able to pursue a career in acting. In those type of scenes it's almost as cringeworthy as Greenbush sisters. Uh! Especially compared to Matthew. But maybe Matthew didn't want to like someone of you said earlier. 

[debraran]

Watched this chat and found out Matthew got married for the first time.  Not much else but nice to see them. It's always more Melissa and Alison

 

[libgirl2]

On 3/19/2021 at 10:35 AM, Zella said:

I actually liked Mellow Nellie less than Bad Nellie! 😄 I couldn't stand her in the first couple of seasons, but I started finding her way more entertaining than Laura well before she turned nice. 

I liked that she was mellow but bad Nellie was still under the surface. 

[Zella]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I liked that she was mellow but bad Nellie was still under the surface. 

My biggest problem with Mellow Nellie is the reasoning given for why she became mellow. "He thinks I'm pretty!" made me roll my eyes hard. As if she hadn't just run off to elope a half season or so earlier with someone else who thought she was pretty and as if Nellie's only problem was she didn't get adequate attention. Nellie's problem wasn't that she was neglected and treated like an ugly duckling. Her problem was she was spoiled and entitled and nobody ever called her on her shit and held her responsible for it. It would have worked more for me if she had had some sort of weird respect for the fact that he wasn't a doormat for her and responded to that. I've met people like that who are terrible bullies, and my experience with them has been that they will often selectively not bully people who push back on them while still treating everyone like shit rather than just magically changing for everyone. 

Of course between Charles's magical healing ribs and Schlong of Healing, that train of believability left the station a while ago, so I realize what I'm expecting is not the show this is. 😄  

Edited March 21, 2021 by Zella

[libgirl2]

47 minutes ago, Zella said:

My biggest problem with Mellow Nellie is the reasoning given for why she became mellow. "He thinks I'm pretty!" made me roll my eyes hard. As if she hadn't just run off to elope a half season or so earlier with someone else who thought she was pretty and as if Nellie's only problem was she didn't get adequate attention. Nellie's problem wasn't that she was neglected and treated like an ugly duckling. Her problem was she was spoiled and entitled and nobody ever called her on her shit and held her responsible for it. It would have worked more for me if she had had some sort of weird respect for the fact that he wasn't a doormat for her and responded to that. I've met people like that who are terrible bullies, and my experience with them has been that they will often selectively not bully people who push back on them while still treating everyone like shit rather than just magically changing for everyone. 

Of course between Charles's magical healing ribs and Schlong of Healing, that train of believability left the station a while ago, so I realize what I'm expecting is not the show this is. 😄  

But see he didn't fall all over himself over Nellie, it was the classic Taming of the Shrew. It wasn't perfectly done but I got it. 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

But see he didn't fall all over himself over Nellie, it was the classic Taming of the Shrew. It wasn't perfectly done but I got it. 

My problem was never him. It was her acting as if nobody had ever told her she was pretty or found her beautiful. Like it was some revelation to her that she was attractive and that is why she changed.  

I think it would have worked a lot better actually as the Taming of the Shrew, but I didn't see that at all precisely because of the way she responded and what she latched onto. It reminds me more of those high school comedies where the awkward chick is shocked to find out she's hot rather than the bitch on wheels gets put in her place when she finally meets her match. 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Zella

[debraran]

Just now, Zella said:

My problem was never him. It was her acting as if nobody had ever told her she was pretty or found her beautiful. Like it was some revelation to her that she was attractive. 

I think it would have worked a lot better actually as the taming of the shrew, but I didn't see that at all precisely because of the way she responded and what she latched onto. 

Also, I felt some amnesia. Luke liked her. He really liked her. They were married for 10 minutes. If they sent Nellie to a women's college in the big (bad) city, she would have met someone with more money and been fine. She just didn't fit in Walnut Grove. I also think without her mom, she would have mellowed on her own with age and maturity.

[Cara]

I watched the orangutan episode today. I think for the first time. Although, I could have seen it years ago and forgotten. Anyway, all things considered I didn’t think it was too bad. I thought it was kind of cute!

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, debraran said:

Also, I felt some amnesia. Luke liked her. He really liked her. They were married for 10 minutes. If they sent Nellie to a women's college in the big (bad) city, she would have met someone with more money and been fine. She just didn't fit in Walnut Grove. I also think without her mom, she would have mellowed on her own with age and maturity.

I really enjoyed that episode of Nellie's marriage to Luke. It was hilarious! 

And yes Harriet was definitely a big part of why Nellie was the way she was. Any time Nels tried to step in to correct that or counter it, Harriet shot him down. It would probably have done her a world of good to go somewhere else, away from her mother's influence, for awhile.  

[debraran]

That was one of the funniest shows, Nellie's marriage. I remember Laura asking her for advice since she had been married and Nellie saying "not for long".

Melissa Sue has always said how shy Alison was when she first came on set, during Country Girls, she said in interview:

 Melissa Sue Anderson was asked about Arngrim: “It was interesting working with Alison because she was so shy... she couldn’t look at you and deliver her lines. The director, Bill Claxton [ Episode 103: Country Girls ], had a terrible time getting her to actually look at you and say her lines. And she grew... she got it eventually but she was just so shy and so scared... maybe it wasn’t because so was so shy, but she was so scared. She was petrified I think, and you know, she became the little kid you loved to hate and she did a great job with it.”

She really did, when she got comfortable, she ran with it and still does. 😉

[Zella]

1 minute ago, debraran said:

That was one of the funniest shows, Nellie's marriage. I remember Laura asking her for advice since she had been married and Nellie saying "not for long".

Melissa Sue has always said how shy Alison was when she first came on set, during Country Girls, she said in interview:

 Melissa Sue Anderson was asked about Arngrim: “It was interesting working with Alison because she was so shy... she couldn’t look at you and deliver her lines. The director, Bill Claxton [ Episode 103: Country Girls ], had a terrible time getting her to actually look at you and say her lines. And she grew... she got it eventually but she was just so shy and so scared... maybe it wasn’t because so was so shy, but she was so scared. She was petrified I think, and you know, she became the little kid you loved to hate and she did a great job with it.”

She really did, when she got comfortable, she ran with it and still does. 😉

I definitely think Alison was one of the more talented kid actors on the show! And she seems to have stayed consistent with it. I've mentioned on here before that Melissa Gilbert started out as a really impressive child actor on the show but got lazy as the show went on. I never noted that with Alison. And actually I didn't note that with Melissa Sue either. I thought she was pretty consistent.

[debraran]

45 minutes ago, Zella said:

I definitely think Alison was one of the more talented kid actors on the show! And she seems to have stayed consistent with it. I've mentioned on here before that Melissa Gilbert started out as a really impressive child actor on the show but got lazy as the show went on. I never noted that with Alison. And actually I didn't note that with Melissa Sue either. I thought she was pretty consistent.

I agree with you , Melissa Sue and Alison were pretty consistent although Alison got better episodes as time went on. When you think about it, Melissa Gilbert never had the meat MSA had to deal with with Emmy material type of shows. She was pretty much doing the same thing with different older men or teens in various shows. lol  She did seem bored later and the scripts weren't very good. I guess she did what she could with them.

Richard Bull mentioned "Willie" was very smart, he thought the smartest on the show, but acting was probably not the same as Alison's. I think if he wanted too, Jonathan could have handled much better scripts.

I like how in a few of these chats online, Melissa will bring him up, at least not to have him completely forgotten. When Matthew couldn't remember any other "adoptees", Melissa did remind him her brother was. Last chat, Alison looked uncomfortable when she mentioned she had a sibling on show too, but no one followed up on her mentioning him because I think they all know he's MIA in a way. He was part of the show the entire time though and I'm glad he gets some credit.

Edited March 21, 2021 by debraran

[Zella]

21 minutes ago, debraran said:

I agree with you , Melissa Sue and Alison were pretty consistent although Alison got better episodes as time went on. When you think about it, Melissa Gilbert never had the meat MSA had to deal with with Emmy material type of shows. She was pretty much doing the same thing with different older men or teens in various shows. lol  She did seem bored later and the scripts weren't very good. I guess she did what she could with them.

Richard Bull mentioned "Willie" was very smart, he thought the smartest on the show, but acting was probably not the same as Alison's. I think if he wanted too, Jonathan could have handled much better scripts.

I like how in a few of these chats online, Melissa will bring him up, at least not to have him completely forgotten. When Matthew couldn't remember any other "adoptees", Melissa did remind him her brother was. Last chat, Alison looked uncomfortable when she mentioned she had a sibling on show too, but no one followed up on her mentioning him because I think they all know he's MIA in a way. He was part of the show the entire time though and I'm glad he gets some credit.

I didn't think Jonathan was the best of the kid actors when he was little, but I did think he improved as he went along! I have such a soft spot for Willie actually. He's a terrible little shit a lot of the time, but I still end up feeling sorry for him. 

 

[debraran]

21 minutes ago, Zella said:

I didn't think Jonathan was the best of the kid actors when he was little, but I did think he improved as he went along! I have such a soft spot for Willie actually. He's a terrible little shit a lot of the time, but I still end up feeling sorry for him. 

 

And dang, he was just so cute in the beginning. I also think he was very handsome later and if the show wasn't canceled, ?

[jird]

I can hear Jenny (Jinny!) in my head happily announcing, "You're not a wild boy, you're just a mute!" in my head, and it's making me cringe. Thankfully both she and Laura had the amazing gift of being able to both learn and teach sign language in approximately 3 1/2 minutes, probably from the huge variety of books on the subject at the mercantile.

[Pirpana]

^Yeah, it's strange how even when they say it's been weeks or months I rarely actually believe it. Maybe it got something to do with the fact that the characters always have exactly the same clothes on. Mr. Edwards has his red checked shirt etc... and Charles has his nipples.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Now I'm watching the town go Boom! 

The Rev. does a good quivering lower lip. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Now they're singing "Onward Crispin Glover." 

[Zella]

Last night, I watched the episode where Laura becomes disillusioned after a publisher tries to make her stories about Ma's pie baking more action-packed. I laughed so hard at the show coming down on the side of not tampering at all with Laura's precious vision when they, you know, repeatedly added stuff to include more melodrama and action. Michael Landon's voice emerging specterlike at the end startled me. 

Also the alcoholic editor is Ursula's dad on George of the Jungle, and I couldn't unsee that when I figured out who he was. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Zella

[Zella]

2 hours ago, Pirpana said:

^Yeah, it's strange how even when they say it's been weeks or months I rarely actually believe it. Maybe it got something to do with the fact that the characters always have exactly the same clothes on. Mr. Edwards has his red checked shirt etc... and Charles has his nipples.

In the episode where Edwards is suicidal and Saint Pa saves the day (of course), Edwards is in a new shirt for awhile, and I am ashamed to admit how proud I was of him for changing up his wardrobe. But by the end, he's back to the same nasty shirt. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Zella

[jird]

19 minutes ago, Zella said:

 

Also the alcoholic editor is Ursula's dad on George of the Jungle, and I couldn't unsee that when I figured out who he was. 

And Matthew Perry's dad. He also plays one of the James brothers in the episode where they kidnap Mary, I think.

[Zella]

8 minutes ago, jird said:

And Matthew Perry's dad. He also plays one of the James brothers in the episode where they kidnap Mary, I think.

Oh I didn't recognize him on that episode! Last night, I also watched the Older Brothers episode--they really liked going to that James Gang well, didn't they LOL--and I noticed they reused Geoffrey Lewis for Cole Younger after he was one of the Bully Boys a few seasons ago. 

Had no clue the other guy was Matthew Perry's dad either. Mind is blown. (And apparently Keith Morrison is Matthew Perry's stepdad?!)

Edited March 22, 2021 by Zella

[Mr. Sparkle]

The Older Brothers episode is bottom tier for me, so bad. But it did have a few classic tv character actors. 

[Zella]

18 minutes ago, Superclam said:

The Older Brothers episode is bottom tier for me, so bad. But it did have a few classic tv character actors. 

It had a good cast, but it was definitely part of the frenetic trying very hard to be funny trend. I did laugh a few times, though, unlike some of the others that are trying so hard to be funny, so I'll give it a point for that. 

I was sort of puzzled by the decision to make the Younger Brothers bumbling crooks. Beyond it being a well they've retuned to many times, the real guys were a pretty rough bunch. But I should know better than to ponder that too hard. LOL

Edited March 22, 2021 by Zella

[CountryGirl]

5 hours ago, jird said:

I can hear Jenny (Jinny!) in my head happily announcing, "You're not a wild boy, you're just a mute!" in my head, and it's making me cringe. Thankfully both she and Laura had the amazing gift of being able to both learn and teach sign language in approximately 3 1/2 minutes, probably from the huge variety of books on the subject at the mercantile.

Now, now Laura did have all that practice teaching Daniel back in the day.

At least Jinny had a cuter boy to mentor.

 

[jason88cubs]

I always wanted a real scary drama episode. Like one of a starnger going around stealing stuff robbing people. Episodes that went that way ended up being comedy or sympathy

[jird]

Most episodes that I can't watch are because they're stupid, but that Daniel episode is one that I can't watch because it's so cringey.

[CountryGirl]

26 minutes ago, jason88cubs said:

I always wanted a real scary drama episode. Like one of a starnger going around stealing stuff robbing people. Episodes that went that way ended up being comedy or sympathy

Well, there is that one with Robert Loggia shooting his wife and daughter and holding Laura, Jinny, and Rose hostage but it's from S9. 

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Well, there is that one with Robert Loggia shooting his wife and daughter and holding Laura, Jinny, and Rose hostage but it's from S9. 

And it's such a shockingly boring episode! I think I posted on here earlier that the most exciting moment of the whole episode was me having a delayed realization that that man was Loggia. 

I do like seeing the random people who pop up as guests in episodes, whether they aren't famous yet or were pretty well-established. But that's true for me in general with TV shows from any era.

[Snow Apple]

I thought Daniel was unfortunate looking but he wouldn't be so bad if he got a hair cut. Cover his long hair with your fingers in the picture and check it out.

[Zella]

Daniel is a god compared to poor Johnny Johnson. I know Mary got knocked for being prissy, but I had a soft spot for her ever since Laura got jealous over Johnny Johnson liking her and Mary was just like "Whaaaat?" 

[libgirl2]

The actor who played Daniel, Alban Branton, died in 2016. 

[Zella]

Pa has showed back up, and he is stuck in another miserable job in the evil city. He's kept his shirt on so far, but it's early days. Also I think I've read warnings about this episode on the internet and I'm bracing myself. 

[RedbirdNelly]

On 3/21/2021 at 4:52 PM, Zella said:

My problem was never him. It was her acting as if nobody had ever told her she was pretty or found her beautiful. Like it was some revelation to her that she was attractive and that is why she changed.  

I think it would have worked a lot better actually as the Taming of the Shrew, but I didn't see that at all precisely because of the way she responded and what she latched onto. It reminds me more of those high school comedies where the awkward chick is shocked to find out she's hot rather than the bitch on wheels gets put in her place when she finally meets her match. 

I always read the scene differently--that she was falling for him and the fact he was interested in anyway thrilled her. I agree, there was nothing to suggest her issue was ever lack of confidence that she was pretty.

[Zella]

7 minutes ago, RedbirdNelly said:

I always read the scene differently--that she was falling for him and the fact he was interested in anyway thrilled her. I agree, there was nothing to suggest her issue was ever lack of confidence that she was pretty.

So less "He called me PRETTY" and more "HE called me pretty"? That makes sense. I'll have to rewatch it and see if my reaction changes. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

Pa has showed back up, and he is stuck in another miserable job in the evil city. He's kept his shirt on so far, but it's early days. Also I think I've read warnings about this episode on the internet and I'm bracing myself. 

morPHINE? It's a classic. Charles' boss is such a dick in that one!