Little House On The Prairie - General Discussion

[JAYJAY1979]

The season 2 episode 'A matter of faith ' was one of my favs..and gave Caroline a rare showcase dealing with a life threatening infection.

[debraran]

9 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

The season 2 episode 'A matter of faith ' was one of my favs..and gave Caroline a rare showcase dealing with a life threatening infection.

I know when Karen wanted more meat to her roles (she was saying "coffee?" a lot) Michael gave her this episode, a reprise of a Bonanza one and Handyman. She loved both and thought the latter let her ""lean into her femininity." I also thought the one with Dirk Blocker was more about Caroline too but not as much of a stretch from being a mother/teacher. There were a lot of episodes where Michael was dominant and she was the food preparer and coffee maker and reacted to what he did or the chidren. When you think about it even when Mary goes blind, it's 90% Pa and Ma is just there. She cries when he tells her, but he takes her to the docs twice, he notices her squinting, he talks to her by the creek, she calls for Pa when her eyes give out. Finally it's Caroline telling her she's going to the blind school.

We loved her but many times she wasn't prominent and I'm glad he threw her some crumbs although toward the end it started again I guess and she wanted to leave.

Edited April 26, 2021 by debraran

[alexa]

1 hour ago, debraran said:

I know when Karen wanted more meat to her roles (she was saying "coffee?" a lot) Michael gave her this episode, a reprise of a Bonanza one and Handyman. She loved both and thought the latter let her ""lean into her femininity." I also thought the one with Dirk Blocker was more about Caroline too but not as much of a stretch from being a mother/teacher. There were a lot of episodes where Michael was dominant and she was the food preparer and coffee maker and reacted to what he did or the chidren. When you think about it even when Mary goes blind, it's 90% Pa and Ma is just there. She cries when he tells her, but he takes her to the docs twice, he notices her squinting, he talks to her by the creek, she calls for Pa when her eyes give out. Finally it's Caroline telling her she's going to the blind school.

We loved her but many times she wasn't prominent and I'm glad he threw her some crumbs although toward the end it started again I guess and she wanted to leave.

It is funny because I think she was the prominent parent in many cases, so it always looked weird when she wasn’t very involved in Mary’s blindness.  I am sure that was due to ML, but it always seemed strange.  

[Egg McMuffin]

I agree. Since Halfpint was so close to Pa, I assumed Mary was closer to Ma and she would have been more involved in supporting Mary when she went mline.

But I don’t think Michael Landon was willing sacrifice a prime opportunity chew the scenery. And if he could have somehow tripped over Mary and broken his ribs so he could bare his chest, all the better. I think even if Nellie had gone blind, they would have found a way, somehow, to make it all about Charles.

[CountryGirl]

ITA ML wasn’t about to share the spotlight with KG, especially when she was his equal, if not his better, in the acting department. And didn’t have to show off her chest either to give a scene a boost. 

[debraran]

3 hours ago, alexa said:

It is funny because I think she was the prominent parent in many cases, so it always looked weird when she wasn’t very involved in Mary’s blindness.  I am sure that was due to ML, but it always seemed strange.  

Yes since Mary and Ma were close and he favored Laura. I think he wanted more time but it seemed odd 

[Egg McMuffin]

Landon had the showier role, by design, but it’s telling that we remember Grassle’s work so well especially since you can argue that she was marginalized throughout the series.

I’d love to know what went down behind the scenes when she left. I’m guessing they didn’t know she was leaving when they did the season finale for season 8. And then she didn’t show up for a farewell episode at the beginning of season 9. Was she not asked, or did she refuse? She did eventually come back for the series finale, but her abrupt departure without an onscreen farewell is odd.

[Pirpana]

^Just like her absence from the episodes where her son suffers from morphine addiction and later dies of leukemia. You'd think Caroline would be interested of his situation(s).

[Egg McMuffin]

Great point. Charles got to be close to Laura and Albert, who had the biggest roles of the Ingalls children overall. Caroline got to be close to Mary, whose role noticeably declined over her last three years; Carrie, who wasn’t even toilet trained and whose one episode where she got to be the lead was a creative disaster; and Grace, who couldn’t figure out how to get food in her mouth.

[jason88cubs]

Greta observations. I always found it weird that Caroline wasnt their for the premier of season 9. I guess Charles took em all to Missouri then came back to say goodbye?

[jason88cubs]

Back then it was very taboo for men to be seen crying, they just didnt do it in front of others or at all

 

but Charles had no problem lol

 

 

[Blergh]

16 hours ago, jason88cubs said:

Greta observations. I always found it weird that Caroline wasnt their for the premier of season 9. I guess Charles took em all to Missouri then came back to say goodbye?

  When did they go to Missouri? I thought the Senior Ingallses went to the big bad city of Burr Oak, Iowa!

Still, I thought it was odd that not only were no goodbyes from Caroline to Laura or any of her friends and others depicted but it seemed they were avoiding having her seen when she, Charles and the others were leaving. My guess is that ML didn't want to pay the former regulars any one-time salary for a 'goodbye' but had no problems paying himself! 

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

[jason88cubs]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

  When did they go to Missouri? I thought the Senior Ingallses went to the big bad city of Burr Oak, Iowa!

Still, I thought it was odd that not only were no goodbyes from Caroline to Laura or any of her friends and others depicted but it seemed they were avoiding having her seen when she, Charles and the others were leaving. My guess is that ML didn't want to pay the former regulars any one-time salary for a 'goodbye' but had no problems paying himself! 

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

maybe it was IOWA, I cant recall

[Zella]

8 minutes ago, Blergh said:

FWIW, I know it was the LIW and her own nuclear family who settled in Missouri to get a break from those brutal Minnesota winters (that barely got a mention on the TV LHOTP).

Yes, they ended up moving maybe about 3 hours from where I live in Arkansas. I have never visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder House in Mansfield, but it isn't too far from where my dad lives. After the pandemic subsides, I'd like to go visit it now.

I actually know the guy who gets to play Pa's fiddle yearly. (He was one of my English professors in college. He's originally from Mansfield, and there are some nice videos of him playing it on YouTube, I think.) I had never watched the show or read the books at that time, so I didn't pay much attention when another professor told me that tidbit about him. 

[Blergh]

I guess this is as good a place as any to mention it but, as of April 20,2021, Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue Terhune)  has released her autobio on Amazon entitled  Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

No, I haven't read it yet. However, this is only the 2nd  then-adult castmember (the 1st being Charlotte Stewart) to release a memoir that at least touches upon their experiences of working on the show.  Oh, it also needs to be mentioned that she had some notable success as a singer in the early 1960's and she was born in Hope, Arkansas (yes, President Clinton's birthplace- though I have no idea whether she details whether she/her family crossed paths with his).

FWIW, I understand that Karen Grassle (Caroline) is due to release her own autobio  in November (Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma). Again, I've haven't read it but it does have a more succinct title than Miss Lester's bio. 

[Zella]

I didn't know Hester Sue's actress was from Arkansas! 

[Blergh]

6 minutes ago, Zella said:

I didn't know Hester Sue's actress was from Arkansas! 

Yes. it's true. She didn't hide her Southeastern US accent in the character.

[Zella]

3 minutes ago, Blergh said:

Yes. it's true. She didn't hide her Southeastern US accent in the character.

Yeah for sure! I am in a different part of Arkansas, so her accent doesn't sound like what I hear up here, but she definitely was Southern. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I’ve always liked Ketty Lester in whatever she showed up in, even if Hester Sue helped kill Mary’s baby by flinging open the cellar door when the house was on fire.

I wonder if she touches on Hester Sue’s downward mobility, from blind school principal and teacher, to hash slinger at Nellie’s.

[BigBingerBro]

4 hours ago, Blergh said:

Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

I ordered it!  Thanks.  Now why did I think she had died? I must have her confused with someone else.

[jird]

I need to read that, too!

I've always had a soft spot for her because she reminds me of my mom.

[debraran]

6 hours ago, Blergh said:

I guess this is as good a place as any to mention it but, as of April 20,2021, Ketty Lester (Hester-Sue Terhune)  has released her autobio on Amazon entitled  Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on the Prairie: A Memoir.

No, I haven't read it yet. However, this is only the 2nd  then-adult castmember (the 1st being Charlotte Stewart) to release a memoir that at least touches upon their experiences of working on the show.  Oh, it also needs to be mentioned that she had some notable success as a singer in the early 1960's and she was born in Hope, Arkansas (yes, President Clinton's birthplace- though I have no idea whether she details whether she/her family crossed paths with his).

FWIW, I understand that Karen Grassle (Caroline) is due to release her own autobio  in November (Bright Lights, Prairie Dust: Reflections on Life, Loss and Love from Little House's Ma). Again, I've haven't read it but it does have a more succinct title than Miss Lester's bio. 

Since Karen was on show for a long time, I'm sure there will be more tidbits. She resisted doing one in the past, usually better within a certain length of time, but knows some fans will buy it. So many are dead now, it's sad. Maybe thought with so many coming out at once, it was better to wait. Ketty's book will have much less on LHOP but an interesting career. She will bring a new pair eyes as a black actress and singer which will be different.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Prarie-Dust-Reflections/dp/1647423139/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=karen+grassle&qid=1619733233&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/KETTY-LESTER-Nominated-Letters-Prairie/dp/0578662337/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ketty+lester&qid=1619733301&sr=8-1

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by debraran

[Zella]

I wonder if we'll get anything as juicy as Mr. Edwards and Miss Beedle were boinking after hours, like from Charlotte Stewart's memoir, from either of these books. I've still not recovered from that revelation. LOL

[Blergh]

13 hours ago, debraran said:

Since Karen was on show for a long time, I'm sure there will be more tidbits. She resisted doing one in the past, usually better within a certain length of time, but knows some fans will buy it. So many are dead now, it's sad. Maybe thought with so many coming out at once, it was better to wait. Ketty's book will have much less on LHOP but an interesting career. She will bring a new pair eyes as a black actress and singer which will be different.

https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Lights-Prarie-Dust-Reflections/dp/1647423139/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=karen+grassle&qid=1619733233&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/KETTY-LESTER-Nominated-Letters-Prairie/dp/0578662337/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ketty+lester&qid=1619733301&sr=8-1

 

Well, while Miss Lester's career sure has had twists and turns I doubt few if anyone in her Arkansas hometown could have predicted (and it should be interesting to see her viewpoint of how things went on LHOTP), let's not think Miss Grassle's life didn't have unexpected twists.

To begin with, she had been such a dedicated theater performer ( and noted Shakespearean) tha,t according to Miss Stewart, Miss Grassle had no idea who this Mr. Landon was who called the latter  to audition for the part of Caroline since evidently had been she'd been too busy to have ever seen Bonanza! One odd thing that ML complained about in interviews was that he claimed that critics said she was too plain to play his wife(?!). If true, what were these critics smoking since (on a shallow note), I always thought she was quite attractive while being as believable (despite what the scripts often threw at her) as possible playing this iconic pioneer wife and mother. I wonder if Miss Grassle will address that claim (or will she possibly say that he concocted that to stoke his own ego). 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Blergh

[Zella]

Whaaaaat? I also thought Grassle was a really attractive woman who still looked believable in a 19th century setting. I wouldn't be surprised if Landon and his manly chest felt a little threatened/intimidated by her background and threw that shade at her out of spite. 

[Snow Apple]

I admit I thought Karen Grassle was ordinary looking when I was watching as a kid. Remember this was the 70's with all the glamorous actresses dominating the airwaves, with Farrah Fawcett as reigning supreme.

As I grew older, I realized she was pretty but not "in your face" pretty. She was perfect in  looks and acting as the prairie wife Caroline. She was warm, loving, tough, practical, and gently humorous. 

I was quite disappointed when I discovered the real life Charles and Caroline didn't look like the actors. Yeah, shamefully admit that I was a shallow child.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Snow Apple

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I admit I thought Karen Grassle was ordinary looking when I was watching as a kid. Remember this was the 70's with all the glamorous actresses dominating the airwaves, with Farrah Fawcett as reigning supreme.

As I grew older, I realized she was pretty but not "in your face" pretty. She was perfect in  looks and acting as the prairie wife Caroline. She was warm, loving, tough, practical, and gently humorous. 

I agree, I would call her "not my type," but she's perfectly fine looking and looked appropriate for the role she played. 

She did look kind of hot with her hair down in a few episodes. This is not a show I watched for the "eye candy." 

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Landon and his manly chest felt a little threatened/intimidated by her background and threw that shade at her out of spite. 

If you read even the wikipedia article about him, my boy was neurotic as hell, and it sounds like his mother had a lot to do with it. 

[Zella]

1 minute ago, Superclam said:

If you read even the wikipedia article about him, my boy was neurotic as hell, and it sounds like his mother had a lot to do with it. 

Oh yeah I mainly know ML trivia from Bonanza in which I thought he was often an ass to my boy Pernell (who was his own special brand of ass but was a mighty handsome asshole). LOL

But I do have sympathy for Michael Landon based on his childhood. It undoubtedly really screwed him up. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by Zella

[Blergh]

It's odd that of the four  then 'girls' who wrote about their LHOTP tenures, while each had quite a bit to say about ML, they said very little about Miss Grassle- despite her playing the protagonist's iconic Ma. I can't recall Miss Francis (Cassandra) or Miss Gilbert (Laura) saying anything about her at all. While Miss Arngrim admired her professionalism and said her character was someone that Miss Anrgrim herself admire, Miss Anderson said the most in which she admitted that due to Miss Grassle wanting the series to deal with the actual issues of pioneers (including some that still are relevant) while ML wanted to somewhat avoid deeper issues (though, natch, wasn't above having warped episodes), there was conflict between the two but she didn't go into much detail apart from stating that one time, after Miss Grassle had been absent from the set for  some time, she was greeted by a crewmember with a 'good morning' and she replied with 'What's good about it?' 

I know that the series' focus was far more on Pa and Laura than on Ma (even more than the books did) but it does seem odd that none of them related more about her than that! I know that she was a thoroughly professional performer and one can't have expected any of the above to have considered her a second mother but still it's odd that their autobios were rather terse about her. 

Oh, yes, I know that ML had quite a few issues that he never quite moved past . I can't say I envy the late Dan Blocker for having to have been what appears to have been a sorely needed peacemaker for those two  Bonanza bulls- no coincidence when he (and Hoss) died, the show quickly choked its last despite efforts of  Ben (Lorne Greene) semi-adopting other characters.  And, it can't have been easy for the LHOTP cast and crew  to have had  no court of last resort re dealing with him at times.  Still he did star in three and star& produce two unforgettable and intriguing series (plural)- and was a valuable albeit flawed father-figure mentor to Miss Gilbert who, early on, had no real offstage alternative despite her mother's multiple marriages. 

I'm looking forward to hearing about what Miss Lester's LHOTP recollections were. I can recall Hester-Sue having dialogue with Mary, Adam, Harriet, Charles, Caroline, Nellie and Albert ( to say nothing of Joe Kagan) but I can't recall her having any dialogue with Laura. Of course, it also needs to be stated that none of the above mentioned 'autobio then-girls' brought up what it was like to work with Miss Lester despite the opportunities they gave themselves ( I also realize that Miss Stewart's time on the show was over by the time Miss Lester's started). 

[Katy M]

7 hours ago, Blergh said:

 

Oh, yes, I know that ML had quite a few issues that he never quite moved past . I can't say I envy the late Dan Blocker for having to have been what appears to have been a sorely needed peacemaker for those two  Bonanza bulls- no coincidence when he (and Hoss) died, the show quickly choked its last despite efforts of  Ben (Lorne Greene) semi-adopting other characters. 

Well, it couldn't have been all bad blood.  I noticed that Lorne Greene was in an episode of Highway to Heaven.

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Well, it couldn't have been all bad blood.  I noticed that Lorne Greene was in an episode of Highway to Heaven.

I think Michael Landon got along fairly well with both Lorne Greene and Dan Blocker. He butted heads with Pernell Roberts and TPTB, though. 

[Egg McMuffin]

Pernell Roberts butted heads with everyone on that show and was notoriously difficult. For years, he wouldn’t let news programs or other shows use his Bonanza clips in stories or retrospectives, let alone talk about it on camera. I remember Entertainment Tonight in the 80s doing a retrospective on Bonanza and explicitly stating at the end “Pernell Roberts wouldn’t give us permission to use clips he appeared in.” Wow.

The other three were pretty tight, but yeah - Dan Blocker was the one everyone loved and Greene and Landon had sharper edges.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I'm watching the 9th season episode where Mrs. Carter's dour caricature of a newspaperman father comes to visit. In the mercantile, he asks where the Carter farm is, and Nels says "2-1/2 miles straight up the road." So that solves one mystery, although I'm sure there are earlier episodes that contradict. 

The rest of my family is out, so I have the chance to watch the UpTV episodes this morning. All season 9, including the Older Brothers and morPHINE. 😥

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Kyle said:

Pernell Roberts butted heads with everyone on that show and was notoriously difficult. For years, he wouldn’t let news programs or other shows use his Bonanza clips in stories or retrospectives, let alone talk about it on camera. I remember Entertainment Tonight in the 80s doing a retrospective on Bonanza and explicitly stating at the end “Pernell Roberts wouldn’t give us permission to use clips he appeared in.” Wow.

The other three were pretty tight, but yeah - Dan Blocker was the one everyone loved and Greene and Landon had sharper edges.

He was difficult, but he has also said some of it was exaggerated and invented by the press. The Bonanza showrunner has also said that though Roberts was difficult, he himself felt like he contributed to the problem by not giving him time off to do the stuff he wanted to do, and if he had it to do over again, he would have kept Pernell on a much looser leash. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Zella

[debraran]

8 minutes ago, Zella said:

He was difficult, but he has also said some of it was exaggerated and invented by the press. The Bonanza showrunner has also said that though Roberts was difficult, he himself felt like he contributed to the problem by not giving him time off to do the stuff he wanted to do, and if he had it to do over again, he would have kept Pernell on a much looser leash. 

Back then it was easier to do because you only went on rags like the Enquirer or an occasional TV shot. I think bonanza forums have interviews with him. Didn't seem so bad.

One interview said  "All I cared about was my emotional well being. That job was very unpleasant, and I never regretted leaving.” Roberts also didn't enjoy his character, who was in his 30s, to always seek approval and direction from his father and called this part of the storyline “silly.” He gave up a million but didn't get along with Michael either. Lot of egos in one room.

[Zella]

2 minutes ago, debraran said:

Back then it was easier to do because you only went on rags like the Enquirer or an occasional TV shot. I think bonanza forums have interviews with him. Didn't seem so bad.

One interview said  "All I cared about was my emotional well being. That job was very unpleasant, and I never regretted leaving.” Roberts also didn't enjoy his character, who was in his 30s, to always seek approval and direction from his father and called this part of the storyline “silly.” He gave up a million but didn't get along with Michael either. Lot of egos in one room.

Yeah I love Bonanza, but a lot of the things he complained about were valid. It is interesting to me that in later years Michael Landon was given more creative control of the show. I have wondered if that was the showrunner learning his lesson from the blowout with Roberts and giving Landon an incentive to stay.

FWIW for all of the bitterness Roberts had about the show, in his later years, he did say he watched reruns to see old friends. 

[Blergh]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

I'm watching the 9th season episode where Mrs. Carter's dour caricature of a newspaperman father comes to visit. In the mercantile, he asks where the Carter farm is, and Nels says "2-1/2 miles straight up the road." So that solves one mystery, although I'm sure there are earlier episodes that contradict. 

 

I HATED how   Mrs. Carter was excused from her part re letting her father and Harriet drag a townswoman's name through the mud by spilling the beans in what was supposed to be Mrs. Carter's paper that she was a grass widow instead of a sod one!  Truly, Laura should have said it WAS her fault since she'd known her father was a muckracking tabloid king so she should have never let him anywhere near her paper and,as a wife and mother of two,she was WAY too old for him to send up to bed without supper for standing up to him. 

 

As for Pernell Roberts and Bonanza, I think since he wound up outliving the rest of the Cartwrights by quite a few years, he likely enjoyed having the 'final word' re who said what and what went down. 

Yes, Lorne Greene didn't openly clash like Mr. Roberts  and ML (and, yes, Mr. Greene and Mr. Landon's friendship lasted the rest of their lives) but Mr. Greene wasn't the cast fave like Mr. Blocker had been. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Blergh

[alexa]

Question about episode with Ma with the leg infection.  I haven’t watched the whole thing for years until yesterday as it is not a favorite for me and difficult to watch.  Doc said at the end she opened the infection just in time.  Did she actually do something with the knife?  I always thought she got it out to cut off her leg but then passed out and Pa came home.  
 

Plus it really annoys me how they somehow thought Caroline baked all of those pies but still had time to leave with Charles.   

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, alexa said:

Question about episode with Ma with the leg infection.  I haven’t watched the whole thing for years until yesterday as it is not a favorite for me and difficult to watch.  Doc said at the end she opened the infection just in time.  Did she actually do something with the knife?  I always thought she got it out to cut off her leg but then passed out and Pa came home.  
 

Plus it really annoys me how they somehow thought Caroline baked all of those pies but still had time to leave with Charles.   

I can't remember exactly because I thought that scene was a little too intense for me. But I remember being so pissed off that Alden and whoever was with him just thought she left the pies for them and didn't make any effort to do a little more legwork into making sure she was okay before they swiped the pies and went on their merry way. What a bunch of assholes! If I were Caroline, I'd never have made another pie for the community of Walnut Grove as long as I lived. 😂

[BigBingerBro]

7 minutes ago, alexa said:

Did she actually do something with the knife?

Yeah she sterilized it in the fire and then used it to cut open the wound, but we didn't actually see that, it was implied.  She got the strength and widsom from a bible verse.

[debraran]

1 hour ago, alexa said:

Question about episode with Ma with the leg infection.  I haven’t watched the whole thing for years until yesterday as it is not a favorite for me and difficult to watch.  Doc said at the end she opened the infection just in time.  Did she actually do something with the knife?  I always thought she got it out to cut off her leg but then passed out and Pa came home.  
 

Plus it really annoys me how they somehow thought Caroline baked all of those pies but still had time to leave with Charles.   

Yes she lanced it, got the puss and infection out to some degree and time did the rest. No penicillin sadly. I don't think she could literally cut her leg off of course, but she could have bled to death if she cut any deeper.

Yeah, that horse flew that Charles was on, I was thinking it probably was like "what's going on?" Then the "nice" neighbor wouldn't return the cow, like it ended up in his yard daily. They did have some doozy neighbors in their town. Didn't seem like the "Ingall" name had him all aflutter. ; )

Yeah Rev Alden was made clueless, him and the Misses he was with.

[alexa]

8 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

Yeah she sterilized it in the fire and then used it to cut open the wound, but we didn't actually see that, it was implied.  She got the strength and widsom from a bible verse.

Well I saw that but the verse kept talking about not needing two feet and to cut off the leg.  So I had never thought that equaled opening the infection until Doc said it later.  I guess I wish it was more clear, as I always thought she had really planned to cut off her leg which is obviously insane.  Weird episode...

[Zella]

Just now, alexa said:

as I always thought she had really planned to cut off her leg which is obviously insane.

That was how I interpreted it, too, and one reason I stopped paying attention during that scene. LOL

[alexa]

1 minute ago, Zella said:

That was how I interpreted it, too, and one reason I stopped paying attention during that scene. LOL

I think for me too, and then I would skip the episode most of the time because it is a difficult one.  But I always remembered thinking she wanted to cut off her leg!  lol

[Egg McMuffin]

10 hours ago, Blergh said:

I HATED how   Mrs. Carter was excused from her part re letting her father and Harriet drag a townswoman's name through the mud by spilling the beans in what was supposed to be Mrs. Carter's paper that she was a grass widow instead of a sod one!

I hated Mrs. Carter, period. Get out of Ma’s clothes, and get the hell out of the little house.

[Zella]

The Carters were like the equivalent of watching paint dry. Actually, that might be an insult to paint. 

[Blergh]

In the Season Nine opener 'Times Are   Changing', Jenny nearly deliberately drowns herself to attempt to reunite with her dead parents but the non-swimmer Jeb Carter manages to pull her out in a nick of time almost at the expense of his own life!

OK, when Jenny awoke in her bed, what does Laura do? Totally chew her out for what she did and do her best to guilt trip her without Manly (Jenny's uncle and next of kin) doing more than standing there next to his screaming spouse  and being a logbump- much  less asking her to consider that eviscerating a deeply troubled and depressed preteen will NOT  get them to forever put all thoughts of suicide out of their head.   I mean, Laura's lucky that Jenny didn't hang herself in the barn the first chance she got after all that! 

Also, even though Jeb suffered from Carter Dishwater Dullness, I wish there had been some more acknowledgement and appreciation for HIS heroism for having put his OWN life on the line to successfully  save another person's life when he himself hadn't been able to swim. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Blergh

[BigBingerBro]

In the first season Christmas episode, Pa barters with Nels to produce a set of wagon wheels in exchange for the stove.  Nels exclaimed that Charles was no wheelwright, but Charles insisted he didn't know unless he tried and ended up producing some pretty good looking wheels.  

I recently watched a victorian documentary which featured someone who is expert in making wheels from that period, and there was a whole lot more intricate "technology of the time" and experience required to create and repair wagon wheels.  Far more than what Charles could muster up in his barn at nighttimes.  

[Blergh]

I wonder if Charles put together his wheel skills  from Christmastime to use when making Nellie's unneeded wheelchair- or could he have been gifted at that skill solely due to having been a Cartwright in another incarnation?