Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[Zella]

I actually need to pick the brains of the experts. I watch the last episode next and then it will be the 3 movies. I am confused by the order of the movies since it seems like the order they were aired is not necessarily chronological. I know I should watch the town exploding last. But recommendations for which of the other 2 movies to watch first?

[Mr. Sparkle]

You can watch Bless the Children and Look Back to Yesterday in any order, since they really don't have much to do with each other. Personally, I would watch Look Back to Yesterday first, just because it was made first and released first. I would watch Bless the Children next and then Last Farewell. 

[Zella]

7 minutes ago, Superclam said:

You can watch Bless the Children and Look Back to Yesterday in any order, since they really don't have much to do with each other. Personally, I would watch Look Back to Yesterday first, just because it was made first and released first. I would watch Bless the Children next and then Last Farewell. 

Thank you! I am adding them to my watchlist in that order to avoid confusing myself. 🙂

[Zella]

One other thing about the Blanche episode, is that the first time a sheriff is mentioned on the show? I remember several times it has come up that they had no sheriff, but they clearly had one in that episode who was gunning for poor Blanche! 

[BigBingerBro]

1 minute ago, Zella said:

is that the first time a sheriff is mentioned on the show?

In the early days, they didn't - Mr Sprague said he was going to report Laura and her dog to the sherrif of Walnut Grove and she she said he couldn't as there wasn't one.

[Zella]

11 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

In the early days, they didn't - Mr Sprague said he was going to report Laura and her dog to the sherrif of Walnut Grove and she she said he couldn't as there wasn't one.

Thank you! I remember that coming up a few times as them not having any law enforcement but couldn't remember which episodes. 

[jason88cubs]

I'm surprised we didnt get a random episode with a sherrif who was then never heard from again

[Zella]

I want to throat punch Sherwood Montague. He's set up as the smartest guy in the room, but he doesn't actually know when the Georgian Period is, despite being treated as an expert on everything, and of course, Laura and Almanzo are too dumb to know any better. Despite Laura having been a teacher. I'm hoping he's a scam artist, but I think the show was literally just too lazy to care. 

[Pirpana]

^Those kind of inaccuracies are indeed very annoying. It's same kind of carelessness I pointed out once about the sea-enthusiastic, leukemia-dying Dylan who didn't know that the sea god of Ancient Greece was Poseidon, not Neptune (S5E24).

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, Pirpana said:

^Those kind of inaccuracies are indeed very annoying. It's same kind of carelessness I pointed out once about the sea-enthusiastic, leukemia-dying Dylan who didn't know that the sea god of Ancient Greece was Poseidon, not Neptune (S5E24).

Yeah as a history buff, the Georgian Period isn't even of major interest to me, but as soon as he snootily dated the furniture as late 1600s Georgian, I was immediately like "Bitch, please." LOL

[Zella]

Now Edwards is mourning Matthew's departure, even though he seemed to forget he was there half the time?! I think the show spent more time bringing him to Walnut Grove and then just got bored with him. 

[Pirpana]

Well, now you know what I meant earlier when I said you were in for a treat, within quotation marks. 😄

[Zella]

Just for the hell of it I decided to start watching one of the movies. Harriet is missing from the credits?!?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! 

[Blergh]

58 minutes ago, Zella said:

Now Edwards is mourning Matthew's departure, even though he seemed to forget he was there half the time?! I think the show spent more time bringing him to Walnut Grove and then just got bored with him. 

Yep! And even when Isaiah was courting Laura's same age friend and considering marrying her, somehow not only was Matthew somehow MIA the whole time but none of them even  mentioned him.

Too bad because it would have been interesting to have pondered not only how this young woman would have reacted to this muted youth but whether she herself would have been in any way been ready or even willing to have helped Isaiah parent him- even though he'd never be able to speak a coherent word again and would have to rely on sign language and writing to communicate even if he somehow were able to eventually make the most of his life despite having been horrifically abused and exploited by so many for so long!  And would she have been   willing, able and/or ready to undertake such a responsibility  beyond just loving Isaiah for who HE was despite the age gap and his own troubled marital history? And how would Matthew himself have reacted  to her since(as it turned out) his own bio mother died shortly after his destitute parents entrusted him to this horrible couple who should have been imprisoned for having hideously and permanently debilitated  him via pouring lye down his throat and THEN sold him off to that wretched carnie who kept him hooked on morphine while taunting him in a cage for cruel folks' 'entertainment'. Would he have wanted her to be his new mother?  Sadly, he never got a chance to have another mother much less a female foster parent as his deeply remorseful father was widowed by the time he was reunited with Matthew! 

[Zella]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yep! And even when Isaiah was courting Laura's same age friend and considering marrying her, somehow not only was Matthew somehow MIA the whole time but none of them even  mentioned him.

Too bad because it would have been interesting to have pondered not only how this young woman would have reacted to this muted youth but whether she herself would have been in any way been ready or even willing to have helped Isaiah parent him- even though he'd never be able to speak a coherent word again and would have to rely on sign language and writing to communicate even if he somehow were able to eventually make the most of his life despite having been horrifically abused and exploited by so many for so long!  And would she have been   willing, able and/or ready to undertake such a responsibility  beyond just loving Isaiah for who HE was despite the age gap and his own troubled marital history? And how would Matthew himself have reacted  to her since(as it turned out) his own bio mother died shortly after his destitute parents entrusted him to this horrible couple who should have been imprisoned for having hideously and permanently debilitated  him via pouring lye down his throat and THEN sold him off to that wretched carnie who kept him hooked on morphine while taunting him in a cage for cruel folks' 'entertainment'. Would he have wanted her to be his new mother?  Sadly, he never got a chance to have another mother much less a female foster parent as his deeply remorseful father was widowed by the time he was reunited with Matthew! 

Yeah in that episode, he literally tells Laura that he lives by himself and is lonely. And I was just like, what about the kid you adopted 4 episodes ago? 

The movie I'm watching is the Albert has leukemia one. Why doesn't Albert get a Schlong of Healing like James?

[Katy M]

10 hours ago, Blergh said:

ven though he'd never be able to speak a coherent word again and would have to rely on sign language and writing to communicate

And she was blind, so communicating via sign language with her would be that much more difficult.

[debraran]

10 hours ago, Zella said:

Yeah in that episode, he literally tells Laura that he lives by himself and is lonely. And I was just like, what about the kid you adopted 4 episodes ago? 

The movie I'm watching is the Albert has leukemia one. Why doesn't Albert get a Schlong of Healing like James?

Admitting the writing was awful toward the end no matter who wrote it.  Mr Edwards wasn't alone his whole life and made choices. He never after loving them for so long, want to write or see his children. I know she remarried, but he was a part of their lives for a long time. Except for contractual issues and pay (maybe a cheaper show?) they never wanted other actors to stay, Matthew was an odd one being "adopted", Rev Alden's wife died later in real life but I doubt we would have seen her later. Doc had one young girlfriend but in all his travels, was alone every day of his life when not playing checkers with Mr Hanson. I never could understand why that was since he was so captivated by Kate. Ok, she was young, no one a little older in your travels who lost a husband or never married?

Matthew bothered me the most because he had so many issues and they had him missing a lot or not even mentioned and then conveniently gone.

[Blergh]

On 3/28/2021 at 7:44 AM, debraran said:

 

Matthew bothered me the most because he had so many issues and they had him missing a lot or not even mentioned and then conveniently gone.

I totally agree!

 

If they couldn't imagine how to incorporate a mute character as a regular on the show, they simply should have had his long-lost father show up at the end and reclaim him right then and there (especially since it only took about ten minutes in the 'exit arc' episode for Matthew to go from totally rejecting his heartwrenching side of the story to wanting to live with him) . 

But then, they didn't know what to do with challenged characters on a regular basis. They had Mary and Adam attend the circus with the Blind School, yet, oddly enough, they almost never had them or their charges (much less the perfectly sighted Hester Sue) attend a church service which every other family in Walnut Grove  seemed to do- nor did any of them conduct business at Oleson's Mercantile- all this despite the blind school being in a large house in easy walking distance from the town center. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Blergh

[Zella]

I just watched the movie where the woman kidnaps Rose and was absolutely appalled that at the end they thought it was a good idea for her and her husband to adopt Sam. And Laura goes batshit crazy on Almanzo for him not watching Rose but when she meets the woman who actually kidnapped her daughter, she's just fine with her?! She was madder at Doc Baker for "killing" her son!

Before the end, I was thinking, "Now if you hoodlums give Edwards this kid after you already took away Matthew, I am going to go postal," but I think that ending would have actually made me less mad. 

I was so mad it took me three times to spell Almanzo's name correctly in this post. LOL

[Mr. Sparkle]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but for me, I couldn't get past that magical star. Edwards was really playing the Charles role there. 

[Zella]

5 minutes ago, Superclam said:

I'm not saying you're wrong, but for me, I couldn't get past that magical star. Edwards was really playing the Charles role there. 

Oh yeah that episode was a pile of shit for many reasons! But that was the one I couldn't get past! 

[Mr. Sparkle]

They were pretty nice to the woman who stole their child and would have kept her if they didn't find her. 

[suev3333]

On 3/22/2021 at 10:42 PM, Zella said:

Yes it was that one! As much as I like to pick on Pa and Michael Landon, I will admit that episode was certainly more dynamic than most of season 9. And Charlie kept his shirt on! I was proud of him for that.

I could have done without Albert vomiting. I am very sensitive about puking scenes. They make me puke, so I kept covering my face until that was over. I didn't think Morphine Vesuvius would ever end. 

Yep... I cant watch the morphine one to this day.  It scared me when i was young.  And I'm 51 now. Lol

[debraran]

7 hours ago, Blergh said:

I totally agree!

 

If they couldn't imagine how to incorporate a mute character as a regular on the show, they simply should have had his long-lost father show up at the end and reclaim him right then and there (especially since it only took about ten minutes in the 'exit arc' episode for Matthew to go from totally rejecting his heartwrenching side of the story to wanting to live with him) . 

But then, they didn't know what to do with challenged characters on a regular basis. They had Mary and Adam attend the circus with the Blind School, yet, oddly enough, they never once had them or their charges (much less the perfectly sighted Hester Sue) attend a church service which every other family in Walnut Grove  seemed to do- nor did any of them conduct business at Oleson's Mercantile- all this despite the blind school being in a large house in easy walking distance from the town center. 

Also they were supposed to be getting used to being in the " real world" so it would be good to see them at the store or church. I never thought of that and church was so important back then. Did Hester Sue? I vaguely remember a show with Joe Kagan and not wanting him in the church. So Christian and nice of the town. I also on a personal note didn't find it funny when in an outtake shown later on youtube etc, Michael knocks on Joe's door as he does on the show to tell him "sorry" they voted no again about him attending, but he's dressed like the KKK. I'm sure everyone laughed, he was the star of the show, known for bad practical jokes, but being part of a mixed family, thought it wasn't something to joke about. Maybe too sensitive but it really isn't something of the past.

I thought the blind school and Mary etc could have been used much more. He already had her married, but I felt could have had her adopt a blind child rather than have their own. Why give Adam his sight back? It seems like someone at that point was just winging it which maybe is why Melissa Sue thought it was a good time to leave.

Edited March 29, 2021 by debraran

[Blergh]

5 hours ago, debraran said:

Also they were supposed to be getting used to being in the " real world" so it would be good to see them at the store or church. I never thought of that and church was so important back then. Did Hester Sue? I vaguely remember a show with Joe Kagan and not wanting him in the church. So Christian and nice of the town. I also on a personal note didn't find it funny when in an outtake shown later on youtube etc, Michael knocks on Joe's door as he does on the show to tell him "sorry" they voted no again about him attending, but he's dressed like the KKK. I'm sure everyone laughed, he was the star of the show, known for bad practical jokes, but being part of a mixed family, thought it wasn't something to joke about. Maybe too sensitive but it really isn't something of the past.

I thought the blind school and Mary etc could have been used much more. He already had her married, but I felt could have had her adopt a blind child rather than have their own. Why give Adam his sight back? It seems like someone at that point was just winging it which maybe is why Melissa Sue thought it was a good time to leave.

Yes, (even factoring ML's notoriety for playing practical jokes) for ML to have done that to the late Moses Gunn was incredibly tacky and insensitive. I'll give more points of view on this as well as how they treated Joe Kagan and Hester Sue in the 'Race and Ethnicity' Subforum if you'd like to view it.

I agree! Why did they give Adam his sight back- especially since he proved to be a totally insensitive and ungrateful jerk to Mary after the fact (and NONE of her family or friends attempted to call him on that).  And, with him thinking that he had become  somehow too good and talented to waste his 'gifts' teaching blind children, that they just scattered all of them to the wind without  a backwards glance ( and they had treated these students as though they were their de facto children). And why  couldn't Mary herself still taught them even if Mr. Legal Eagle Wannabee couldn't be bothered? Would it have killed him for her to still be helping guide blind children? 

Yeah, it seemed that apart from a few 'Very Special Episodes' in which some disaster was threatening the blind kids' safety or it was used for a plot point to link a newbie with the others, Walnut Grove more or less treated the school like a leper colony once they finished renovating the building! 

[Zella]

45 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yes, (even factoring ML's notoriety for playing practical jokes) for ML to have done that to the late Moses Gunn was incredibly tacky and insensitive.

Wow, that "joke" was appalling. Michael Landon was half-Jewish, and something tells me he probably wouldn't have been amused if someone would have done the same thing to him with a Nazi uniform. 

[CountryGirl]

On 3/27/2021 at 8:44 PM, Zella said:

Yeah as a history buff, the Georgian Period isn't even of major interest to me, but as soon as he snootily dated the furniture as late 1600s Georgian, I was immediately like "Bitch, please." LOL

Montague was an insufferable asshole. The only time I liked him was during the final Christmas episode (i.e. Rose gets kidnapped) and he showed up at the Carters home after being, what else, an insufferable asshole, and he's dressed as Santa and bearing gifts. 

But outside of that, when I break down and watch some of the S9 episodes, I constantly think STFU, Montague! whenever he's onscreen.

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, CountryGirl said:

Montague was an insufferable asshole. The only time I liked him was during the final Christmas episode (i.e. Rose gets kidnapped) and he showed up at the Carters home after being, what else, an insufferable asshole, and he's dressed as Santa and bearing gifts. 

But outside of that, when I break down and watch some of the S9 episodes, I constantly think STFU, Montague! whenever he's onscreen.

I cannot even describe my anger upon realizing he was in the movies and wasn't just in that last bit of season 9. LOL 

[CountryGirl]

14 hours ago, Blergh said:

I totally agree!

 

If they couldn't imagine how to incorporate a mute character as a regular on the show, they simply should have had his long-lost father show up at the end and reclaim him right then and there (especially since it only took about ten minutes in the 'exit arc' episode for Matthew to go from totally rejecting his heartwrenching side of the story to wanting to live with him) . 

But then, they didn't know what to do with challenged characters on a regular basis. They had Mary and Adam attend the circus with the Blind School, yet, oddly enough, they never once had them or their charges (much less the perfectly sighted Hester Sue) attend a church service which every other family in Walnut Grove  seemed to do- nor did any of them conduct business at Oleson's Mercantile- all this despite the blind school being in a large house in easy walking distance from the town center. 

Or why not magically heal Matthew from being mute. Pa could have built another Schlong of Healing like he did for James, although he sure didn't for Albert. 

You know, I had totally forgotten that Mary/Albert/Hester Sue never attended church when they lived in Walnut Grove. Nor did I ever see them in church in Winoka or Sleepy Eye, except that time when Hester Sue ditched her would-be husband (not the ex she almost remarried but the other guy) and all because Jackie Coogan's grandson wouldn't stop singing "Go Tell It On the Mountain."

14 hours ago, Zella said:

I just watched the movie where the woman kidnaps Rose and was absolutely appalled that at the end they thought it was a good idea for her and her husband to adopt Sam. And Laura goes batshit crazy on Almanzo for him not watching Rose but when she meets the woman who actually kidnapped her daughter, she's just fine with her?! She was madder at Doc Baker for "killing" her son!

Before the end, I was thinking, "Now if you hoodlums give Edwards this kid after you already took away Matthew, I am going to go postal," but I think that ending would have actually made me less mad. 

I was so mad it took me three times to spell Almanzo's name correctly in this post. LOL

So batshitcrazy lady kidnaps your kid and they think the best course of action is to pawn off poor Sam on her and her husband?

[ctlady]

Just finished watching Wave Of The Future for the first time.  The very last scene was gold.  Imagine the ridiculousness of building a restaurant empire only serving friend chicken ;)  I just wish Harriet had asked him his name before he drove away.

[jason88cubs]

To me, Michael was dressed as a ghost

[Zella]

1 minute ago, icemiser69 said:

I just watched that episode myself (Cozi).  Was that the original Colonial Sanders?

This series is on a whole bunch of different channels at different points in the series.

I didn't watch it when it first aired back in the 70s and into the early 80's.  I started watching the series over the past month on Cozi.  The one thing I don't understand is how Harriett ever made it this long into the series without her husband burying her down by the creek.   The woman is a horrible witch, she just never changed. 

I am constantly amazed when the Ingalls are shocked when Harriet does something awful. Like, how dumb do they have to be to know her for years and constantly witness her being awful--and be on the receiving end of her awfulness--before they get that she's awful.

Having said that, I think Harriet is one of my favorite characters. She at least livens things up and is a refreshing change of pace from Martyr Pa. LOL 

[ctlady]

3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

31 minutes ago, ctlady said:

Just finished watching Wave Of The Future for the first time.  The very last scene was gold.  Imagine the ridiculousness of building a restaurant empire only serving friend chicken 😉 I just wish Harriet had asked him his name before he drove away.

I just watched that episode myself (Cozi).  Was that the original Colonial Sanders?

I just had to go back and look it up (which is what I should've done first).  It couldn't have been because Harland Sanders was born in 1890 and the Little House era was in the 1870's so he wasn't even born yet.  Harland's father died in 1895 so I thought it may have been started by him, but there was no mention of it

[Zella]

I think the joke was it was Colonel Sanders, but with the show's typical sloppiness on historical dates and facts. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, jason88cubs said:

To me, Michael was dressed as a ghost

Me too. I didn't catch what he was saying. Did he specifically say the Klan? 

[debraran]

29 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Me too. I didn't catch what he was saying. Did he specifically say the Klan? 

"It went that bad Joe" it was implied, sheet over head, was he Klan. I've seen many posts over the years, some thought it was horrible but many laughed, thought it was hilarious. I agree, when a group murders and tortures people in cold blood, innocent people, it's not a joke, I'm sure a Hitler reference would not be funny either. He had a hard sense of humor, not all were enamored with it. I met Moses Gunn, never wanted to talk much about LHOP, but Father Murphy. I did note sometimes it is what is not said that is important. Seemed like a nice man and I found out he lived in Guilford CT at the time, about 20 min from me.

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by debraran

[Katy M]

5 minutes ago, Superclam said:

Me too. I didn't catch what he was saying. Did he specifically say the Klan? 

It sound like "you weren't that bad, Joe."  Or "you want that banjo."  First one probably makes more sense

But, yeah KKK have pointy tops, not eyes cut out like a ghost.  But, maybe he didn't want to go far with the joke?  Or maybe he's a ghost?  

[debraran]

18 hours ago, Blergh said:

Yes, (even factoring ML's notoriety for playing practical jokes) for ML to have done that to the late Moses Gunn was incredibly tacky and insensitive. I'll give more points of view on this as well as how they treated Joe Kagan and Hester Sue in the 'Race and Ethnicity' Subforum if you'd like to view it.

I agree! Why did they give Adam his sight back- especially since he proved to be a totally insensitive and ungrateful jerk to Mary after the fact (and NONE of her family or friends attempted to call him on that).  And, with him thinking that he had become  somehow too good and talented to waste his 'gifts' teaching blind children, that they just scattered all of them to the wind without  a backwards glance ( and they had treated these students as though they were their de facto children). And why  couldn't Mary herself still taught them even if Mr. Legal Eagle Wannabee couldn't be bothered? Would it have killed him for her to still be helping guide blind children? 

Yeah, it seemed that apart from a few 'Very Special Episodes' in which some disaster was threatening the blind kids' safety or it was used for a plot point to link a newbie with the others, Walnut Grove more or less treated the school like a leper colony once they finished renovating the building! 

Sub forum? Where is that?

10 hours ago, Katy M said:

It sound like "you weren't that bad, Joe."  Or "you want that banjo."  First one probably makes more sense

But, yeah KKK have pointy tops, not eyes cut out like a ghost.  But, maybe he didn't want to go far with the joke?  Or maybe he's a ghost?  

No it was talked about, it was just handy, some non official Klan members in other areas didn't have official hats, but this was a joke, he thought was funny. They had a meeting about him, a black man, lol . (sarcasm of course)

Edited March 30, 2021 by debraran

[Pirpana]

To be fair to Hester-Sue, she did attend church services twice (!), or three times as in one episode she attended twice. Episode being the one where Toby Noe visits Walnut Grove and falls for that spinster lady (and of course we never hear from them again!). First she sings Rock of Ages and next time they sing Amazing Grace. This episode was also the only time we see Mary in church after she goes blind. Funny how the only time the blind ones of town attend Sunday services is when they sing "was blind but now I see". Maybe they thought that was a bad joke and got upset.

The third time Hester-Sue, Mary and Adam attended was when service was held by the smouldering ruins of blind school. Hester-Sue sang once again Rock of Ages in that strange stre-e-tching style of hers.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Pirpana

[Zella]

I took the lack of the pointy hood to be more of a logistics issue than him pretending to be a ghost. 

The line I heard was "It went that bad," meaning the meeting about whether or not to allow Joe to be in the church went bad enough that the Klan was visiting now. 

Maybe he intended it as a ghost and this is a regional thing in how it is perceived, but I'm from the South and would never have guessed ghost.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Zella

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

Sub forum? Where is that?

No it was talked about, it was just handy, some non official Klan members in other areas didn't have official hats, but this was a joke, he thought was funny. They had a meeting about him, a black man, lol .

It's in the Beyond TV SHows/ / Everything Else TV Forums! It has quite the discussion about race and ethnicity as depicted on TV (and includes behind the scene stuff). It's near the bottom of the Homepage display!

Yes, it doesn't surprise me that the late Mr. Gunn wouldn't have wanted to talk about LHTOP considering that they elevated his character from a punch-drunk ex-boxer to a landowner but THEN had him virtually never be seen in town again apart from a Very Special Episode in which his barn got burned down and then decamped for Sleepy Eye to ostensibly help out at the relocated Blind School .Then,  just when it seemed that he and Hester Sue were about to become a permanent item (after she ditched the bogus undertaker for not liking the future Mr. Coogan's singing), he disappeared altogether- leaving Hester Sue to consider remarrying her ex. ..before becoming Mrs. Oleson's cook. 

Edited March 30, 2021 by Blergh

[Zella]

FWIW, if you use the right search terms on Google Books, there is material that you can see snipped views of that relate the story as Michael Landon intending the joke as a KKK hood. One is a bio of him from 1991 and one is a TV Guide article from 1991. 

Here's what is visible for me from the TV Guide article: "He loved elaborate practical jokes . 'One of the more outrageous ones . she recalls , was the time black actor Moses Gunn was guest - starring in a Little House episode . Landon surprised him , while the cameras were rolling , wearing a KKK"

From the book, this is what I could see: "And that ' s because Michael was a very special guy . ... Other Landon intimates recalled the funny side of Michael Landon . ... while the cameras were rolling , by appearing out of nowhere , wearing a white KKK hood and carrying a rope."

I personally couldn't see a rope in the video, and I can't see enough of the source material to see who the story is attributed to, but it seems like it was well known on set that Landon meant it as a Klansman and not a ghost. 

[Zella]

I can't see all of it, but the KKK anecdote is sandwiched between quotes from Alison Arngrim in the TV Guide article, so I think she's actually the one telling the story. I don't see any reason to doubt her interpretation of the scene. 

[Blergh]

FWIW, I thought that Mr. Montague was a pompous, self-important bore but the ONLY time I liked having him around was when he praised his own 'Chicken Montague' to the hilt- only to have Mr. Edwards totally  to bury it in condiments and spices just to make it edible! Somehow, I don't think Laura's Cayenne Chicken could have made Mr, Montague's Chicken taste any zestier than cream of wheat! 

[Zella]

My watch has ended. They just dynamited the town. UGH. 

In theory, I should have really enjoyed that ending. It was a really petty thing to do, and as a really petty person myself, I often have an abiding respect for when other people are capable of extreme pettiness. 😄 

But it was also just so over-the-top. I recently watched another show where the final episode was a fuck you to both the network and the bad guy in the episode, and it was really well done. It managed to be pretty energizing while also very sad. This just felt manipulative, which is true of the last half of the show in general.

Also has Albert already died?!?! I love how the show managed to preempt Albert's ending of being a doctor and returning to Walnut Grove in the morphine episode by first giving him terminal leukemia and then by destroying the town. 

It's a shame because I actually did think the first 3 or so years of LHOTP was really good. It could be cheesy, but I overlooked it because I genuinely enjoyed the characters and the stories and even the next couple of seasons after that were still good. 

As frustrating as I find Michael Landon as a person and a showrunner, I will admit that the episodes he's in are more watchable than the season 9 stuff where he's absent. That shit was as turgid as constipation. Of course, the tradeoff with Landon being present is the show gets really off-the-wall and so self-righteous.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Zella

[debraran]

7 hours ago, Zella said:

I can't see all of it, but the KKK anecdote is sandwiched between quotes from Alison Arngrim in the TV Guide article, so I think she's actually the one telling the story. I don't see any reason to doubt her interpretation of the scene. 

Yes, and when I googled it in the past after seeing it, I was shocked (but shouldn't have been) how many people thought it was hysterical. We really don't need to "lighten up" that was a very ugly part of our nation that never should be made into a joke. Alison and others on the set talked more after show ended at some things that weren't funny he did but he was the boss. I remember the rope reference too which added to the hilarity. : (

The only time I remember Mary in church after being blind was when she came back to say goodbye and read a bible chapter in braille I agree with another post about a better script being leaving Mary in the blind school, having Hester Sue stay and marry Joe. They could have had more meatier roles. Even if Adam got sight back and wanted to be super lawyer, they could have had their children and better scripts and no killing babies for more tear filled shows.  I loved he happy tear shows much more, you got a great family, etc shows.

[Egg McMuffin]

I remember watching the show in its original run ‘til the bitter end (ah the days of the three-network universe). And even then, I knew that the Olesons were the only reason to watch the last season or two. And having Harriet missing from the movies just made them all the worse, and they were pretty bad to begin with. In the first one, they say she’s off on a buying trip. And in the other two, they says she’s in the hospital with some unknown malady. I’m glad the show didn’t go on another season, with more Mr Montague and less (or possibly no) Mrs. Oleson.

The Christmas movie is an abomination, with Laura and Zaldamo pawning that orphan off onto the crazy lady and her husband. And the kid immediately starts calling him Dad? Ugh. They weren’t even trying at that point - they filmed those movies in the summer of 1983, and they explain away the warm December weather with a montage of snow melting and talking about how spring came early to Minnesota that year!

Edited March 30, 2021 by Kyle

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Kyle said:

I remember watching the show in its original run ‘til the bitter end (ah the days of the three-network universe). And even then, I knew that the Olesons were the only reason to watch the last season or two. And having Harriet missing from the movies just made them all the worse, and they were pretty bad to begin with. In the first one, they say she’s off on a buying trip. And in the other two, they says she’s in the hospital with some unknown malady. I’m glad the show didn’t go on another season, with more Mr Montague and less (or possibly no) Mrs. Oleson.

The Christmas movie is an abomination, with Laura and Zaldamo pawning that orphan off onto the crazy lady and her husband. And the kid immediately starts calling him Dad? Ugh. They weren’t even trying at that point - they filmed those movies in the summer of 1983, and they explain away the warm December weather with a montage of snow melting and talking about how spring came early to Minnesota that year!

Yes, it was bad for Harriet to be missing especially since not only was Mr. Oleson somewhat rudderless (instead of relieved) but also the insufferable Nancy STAYED insufferable even though she technically was without the ONE person in the world who liked her for who  she was and for that reason alone  one felt a little sympathy for her (which sure went against the writers' intent). It's interesting to note that the late Katharine MacGregor would later claim (and no one would dispute it) that the reason she wasn't in the movies was that she was on a lengthy pre-planned pilgrimage to India. Yes, Miss MacGregor was a practicing Hindu! Can anyone imagine how shocked  Mrs. Oleson would  have  that a Western woman would have opted to become one?  Well, the Willie Wedding would prove Miss MacGregor's television swansong as she would never be in another production for the remaining 35 years of her life, though she did teach stage acting workshops for many years until age caught up with her (and it should be noted that for her entire time she was on LHOTP she actually had her very own home phone number listed in the LA phone directory and  happily chatted with fans who'd call the number). 

 

Yes, I agree that the movies are best forgotten for many reasons and the whole 'we'll blow up our own town to keep the railroad from having it' was incredibly bogus. In addition to the fact that it made virtually everyone in Walnut Grove homeless with few if any resources to fall back on, ALL that would have done was save the railroad the trouble of having to tear down any unwanted structures when building any freight yards (why else would they have needed the town's entire acreage ?).

[Egg McMuffin]

The last episode/movie was a huge downer. Why would you want to leave the show in people’s memories that way? Plus, aside from Charles and Caroline, we didn’t see any other former cast members return. No Mary, Adam, Nellie, Garveys, Hester Sue, etc.

Landon was certainly a talented man, but he tended toward melodrama and dramatic laziness. How many times did an episode center around some random friend who we were supposed to pretend existed in Walnut Grove all along? He liked to amp up the tragedies as the show progressed, like the two parter where hail destroyed the crops, Zaldamo had a stroke, and a tornado destroyed the house.

Landon’s contract for the land where the show was filmed stated that he had to remove the structures at the end of the lease. But it certainly didn’t need to be on camera. They could have kept the same basic story in place, but the townspeople gain the deeds to their land at the end and there is a celebration. And Charles and Caroline decide to move back to the Little House after the Carters are killed in a terrible wagon crash/fire/whatever, and raise the orphans themselves. Which is their favorite thing to do.

Now, isn’t that a much better ending?

[alexa]

Tough crowd here, lol!  I liked the last episode with the blowing up the buildings--I still enjoy watching it on repeats, and haven't really changed my mind.  I also don't mind Season 9 much at all.  I found there were a few episodes I loved, a few I didn't, and some in between.  I think part of it is that I like most of the seasons after Almanzo comes into the picture.  I like the earlier ones too, but I like Laura/Almanzo.  I think the only person I don't like is Nancy, but the rest of the cast I can deal with for the most part.