Thoughts on the Netflix Adaptation of Little House on the Prairie

 

Photo credit: IMDB

The internet has been abuzz with news, thoughts, and opinions on the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie since its July 9th premiere. Debuting its first week as Number 3 in the streamer's English-language television ratings, it jumped to the Number 1 spot in its second week. 

Some critics argue this new version will make you appreciate and watch the original series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, more. Others have claimed it woki-fied the source material. The TV critic for TIME stated it "fails the test of time." One opinion that has been made clear by more than one person is that Luke Bracey is no Michael Landon. Julianne MacNeill, Digital Assistant Editor for Woman's World, compared the two portrayals in this article. 

Given all the buzz, I’ll drop my own buzz‑worthy thoughts into the mix. I will do my best to keep spoilers to a minimum for those who haven't watched every episode. 

Laura narrates the opening of the first episode as viewers watch the Ingalls family (Charles, Caroline, Mary, and Laura) driving away from their house in the Big Woods. Lured by a railroad flyer to move west for "free land," the journey presents challenges, but they finally arrive in Independence, Kansas. If the journey was tough, getting settled will be even worse. I winced when Caroline got injured. As Season 1 progresses, they will settle, make friends, and become part of the Independence community. What Charles discovers, however, is that this "free land" is Osage land, and unless the government and Native Americans sign a treaty, the land and what they build on it won't ever be theirs. Wooed by the wealthy Eli and Jemma James, Charles and Caroline must stand up for what is right, and as they are driven deeper into debt, Mary and Laura find a way to help the family, which has since welcomed Baby Carrie. 

The first season of the new Little House on the Prairie covered a lot of ground, and I have to admit to being impressed with the acting, the cinematography, and how the team developed secondary characters like Mr. Edwards, Dr. George Tann, shop owner Emily Henderson, Caleb--who lives with Emily, and Mr. Scott. 

Like when Netflix adapted Anne of Green Gables into the three-season series Anne with an E, the Netflix adaptation of Little House on the Prairie explores subjects that might make people uncomfortable...but dark history can do that. It also provides different context for why the Ingalls family left the Big Woods, a deeper look into Mary and Laura's relationship, as well as Caroline and Charles' relationship, and establishes a friendship between the Ingalls family and an Osage family, the Mitchells. 

Scenes familiar to Little House on the Prairie fans have been reimagined in this new adaptation, like the Ingalls family crossing the river and losing Jack, Caroline and Charles working to build the house, and the Native Americans visiting the house while Charles is away. While this remains Laura's story, the proximity to Independence and the development of the secondary characters make you feel like the series is also about the community. 

As the season concludes, circumstances cause the Ingalls family to leave Independence behind to embark on their next adventure. They will do so with a friend they met while living in Kansas, who, in this adaptation, has a connection to their future hometown. 

While some have attempted to compare the Netflix adaptation to the original Little House on the Prairie series of my childhood, I don't feel it is fair to do so. Life, people, and television were different back then. The original existed in a world of episodic television, whereas now we expect story arcs and explore backstory. Landon and his team were shooting 20+ episodes a season, and viewers had to wait for the fall for a new season to start. The new series has 8 episodes that I can stream whenever I want. I also feel we must give the actors freedom to explore these beloved characters without comparing them to those who portrayed the Ingalls family in the past. The source material is now being tackled 94 years after Wilder's first book was published. The internet provides the ability to fact-check and research, allowing for greater authenticity and for creators to approach Laura's world from multiple points of view. 

Ultimately, this new adaptation of Little House on the Prairie gives fans of Wilder and her books another way to honor her legacy. Bring on Season 2! 

Five Most Traumatic Little House on the Prairie Episodes

 

This week, I was catching up on the Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary Podcast. Two months ago, Dean Butler, Alison Arngrim, and host Pamela Bob recapped one of the most traumatic episodes in Little House on the Prairie history, "My Ellen." Though I have shared the episodes that I find hard to watch in this post, today, we are going to run down five I feel are the most traumatic.

Five Most Traumatic

Little House on the Prairie Episodes

BEWARE: Spoilers ahead if you haven't seen these episodes. 

Number 5 - "My Ellen" (Season 4, Episode 3)

Photo credit: IMDB

While skinny dipping with Laura and Mary on a hot summer day, their friend Ellen Taylor accidentally drowns. Her distraught mother blames Laura, and when Laura seeks to make amends, she finds herself held against her will by a delusional Mrs. Taylor. In their frantic search for Laura, the men in town think the intellectually challenged Busby might be to blame, especially when they find Laura's schoolbooks on his property. 

Everything about this episode is traumatic. Ellen drowning. Mrs. Taylor blaming Laura. How Laura feels so guilty about Ellen's death that she tries to make it up to her friend's grieving mother. The men rushing to blame Busby because he is different. The tension between Mr. Taylor and Charles. How quickly Mrs. Taylor's grief leads to her delusions and the kidnapping of Laura. The thought of a young girl trapped in a root cellar, fearing she might never see her family again. I can't watch it. 

Number 4 - "A Matter of Faith" (Season 2, Episode 15)

Photo credit: IMDB

With Charles and the girls away on a camping trip, Caroline stays home to bake pies for a church fundraiser. An earlier cut on her leg soon develops a raging infection, and Caroline is forced to make a difficult choice in an effort to save her life. 

Think about this scenario: you are all alone with a life-threatening injury; you have a farm and house to manage and a family who depends on you; and you're too weak when the only people you have seen in a day arrive to pick up the pies you made, so they don't hear your cries for help. At this point, you know no one is coming to save you, and you must make a drastic decision and pray it works out. 

I am not quite sure I could ever have enough faith to open up an infectious wound with a hot knife. Well, not in the 1800s before penicillin anyway. The camera angles and the close-up of Caroline's face increase the intensity of this episode. Charles's face as he learns from the neighbor that Caroline never came by to pick up their escaped cow, how he rushes home to find her unconscious on the floor, and how the family keeps vigil as Caroline fights for her life are moments filled with fear and anxiety. There is one moment where Reverend Alden is rocking a sleeping Carrie in his arms as Charles walks back into the little house, where you wonder if Charles blames him for asking Caroline to bake. From Reverend Alden's face, you think he could feel guilty, too. People in despair believe odd things. At least the audience knew she had to survive. If they had read the books, they would have known Caroline was around to watch her daughters grow up. 

Number 3 - "Rage" (Season 9, Episode 4)

Photo credit: IMDB

When Thomas Stark's dark secrets catch up with him, the desperate man shoots his wife and daughter and runs off. Seeking shelter at the Wilder homestead while an unsuspecting Almanzo has joined the search for him, Thomas begins experiencing delusions, taking Laura, Rose, and Jenny hostage. Laura and Jenny must think quickly if they hope to survive this harrowing ordeal. 

Robert Loggia plays the part of the angry, distraught, and then delusional Thomas Stark so well. This will be the third time in the series that Laura is held against her will ("My Ellen," "Darkness is My Friend" from Season 6, and "Rage"). This is such a dark Little House on the Prairie episode. The banker calls Mr. Stark a liar and threatens to prosecute him. Constance Stark, who is well aware of how desperate their situation is, tries to reason with him, only to be shot. Doc Baker, with the help of Hester Sue and Etta Plum, must save Constance's and Elizabeth Stark's lives, and the men, led by John Carter, Almanzo Wilder, and Isaiah Edwards, take off to hunt down Thomas and bring him to justice. Watching Stark's mental state deteriorate, seeing the fear on Laura's face, and then the final words of Thomas as he heads outside to face the posse are all terrifying. 

Number 2 - "Plague" (Season 1, Episode 19)

Image featured on this Little House on the Prairie forum

When a typhus epidemic breaks out in Walnut Grove, Doc Baker struggles to treat everyone. Setting up the church as a hospital, Doctor Baker works around the clock as he and Charles desperately search for the source. An ill Mr. Edwards gives them their first clue to stop the plague in its tracks. 

This episode has so many traumatic scenes. Doc Baker announcing to the congregation that he fears Sylvie Boulton has died of typhus and that her son has it too. The center of town looking ghostly empty after the church is turned into a hospital and Doc Baker instructs everyone to stay home. Charles stumbling upon Eric Boulton as he cradles his deceased son in his arms under a tree, pretending his son is sleeping. Charles, with tears in his eyes, standing outside his house days after the outbreak and his exposure to typhus, telling Caroline he buried an old man whose name he didn't even know, upset he had no name to put on the cross. Charles's discovery of Isaiah Edwards on the floor of the church because he has also come down with typhus. Doc Baker admitting to Charles that if they don't find the source, there will be no way to stop it. The fire that burned down the only new-looking building in all of town when mice were seen crawling all over the cornmeal that made everyone sick. Yuck!

Number 1 - "Sylvia" (Season 7, Episodes 17 & 18)

Found this image on Reddit

Sylvia Webb gets attention from all the school boys because she is new and has developed more than some of the others. Albert, however, steps in to protect her, eventually falling in love with Sylvia. Her religious zealot of a father accuses her of having the devil in her, just like her mother had. When she is raped by a masked assailant, her father blames her and tries to keep it a secret. But once that secret is discovered, Albert's motives are brought under suspicion. When Mr. Webb decides to move away, Sylvia runs off, and she and Albert make plans to run away and get married. Putting his trust in the wrong person, Albert heads over to meet Sylvia at an abandoned barn, only to discover the rapist has found her first. 

This episode also made my hardest-to-watch episodes list. It is one of the most traumatic episodes of the series. It's harsh. It's sad. It tugs at every heartstring because you know so many young women are blamed for what has happened to them. Mr. Webb is so abusive, and the loss of Sylvia when she dies of the injuries sustained in a fall as she tries to escape her rapist further traumatizes the audience and leaves the chance for forgiveness between Sylvia and her father unattainable. Little House on the Prairie offers us so many wonderful lessons over nine years and three post-series movies, and while they don't all end on a high note, at least they aren't usually so final and miserable as "Sylvia" is. I  have said it before and will also say it again: seeing that clown mask is enough to give you nightmares.

Who is Watching the Netflix Adaptation of Little House on the Prairie?

 

Photo credit: Netflix

How many of you have tuned into Netflix to watch the first season of their Little House on the Prairie adaptation? Want to share any thoughts? I am four episodes into the new show. In case any of you haven't watched it yet, I won't share many spoilers. 

Aspects I like:

• Great acting
• We see more of the town of Independence, Kansas
• Dr. Tann is a recurring character
• How they reimagined the crossing of the river and losing Jack and then him returning scenes 
• That there is more dedicated focus on the realities of living out West than the original show depicted

Struggling with:

• How self-centered and mean Mary can be
• Some of the dream sequences
• Making it seem like there was a different motivation for Charles and Caroline to leave the Big Woods
• Getting used to the new Charles 
• How naive Caroline is about certain people

With four more episodes to go in the first season, I look forward to discussing this new adaptation with you. 

Adoption on Little House on the Prairie

From the early seasons of Little House on the Prairie, adopted children played a role in daily life. From the Sanderson children (Season 2) through to Samuel in the movie Bless All the Dear Children, viewers watched as adopted children became family members and cherished loved ones. 

Photo from Radames Pera's (John Sanderson Edwards) Facebook page

The history of adoption in America isn't quite the rosy picture portrayed on Little House on the Prairie. Most adoptions were informal arrangements, leaving children with no formal rights. When a child or children lost their parents, family members or community members took them in as a matter of community responsibility or for labor needs.

Things began to change when Massachusetts passed the first adoption law in 1851, establishing child welfare as a factor in adoptions. The Children's Aid Society was established in 1853. It arranged trips, raised money, and obtained legal permission to relocate poor and homeless children from the cities to more rural areas of the country. These became known as Orphan Trains. 

Let's take a look at the adopted children from Walnut Grove, Winoka, Sleepy Eye, and Mankato as portrayed on Little House on the Prairie. 

John Jr., Carl, and Alicia Sanderson (Edwards)

In the Season 2, two-part episode, "Remember Me," Julia Sanderson discovers she is dying. Already a widow, she seeks Charles's help in finding a new home for her three children. After her death, Charles struggles to find a way to keep the children together. One family wants the two boys to help out on the farm. Harriet Oleson's rich cousin wants Alicia as a companion and heir. The thought of the children being split up leads Mr. Edwards to propose to Grace Snider to make a home for the Sanderson children in Walnut Grove. This is a move motivated by love, not necessity.

Albert (Quinn) Ingalls

In Season 5, the Ingalls family relocates to the city of Winoka in Dakota Territory, where their daughter Mary and future husband Adam Kendall will open a blind school ("As Long As We Are Together"). While there, they encounter Albert, a streetwise orphan who has decided to make it on his own. It doesn't take long for him to become part of the extended Ingalls family. When Charles and Caroline decide to head home to Walnut Grove in the episode "There's No Place Like Home," they invite Albert to join them. In Season 6, Miss Wilder assigns a project to the class ("The Family Tree"), which leads Albert to ask Charles to officially adopt him. After a few obstacles, Albert Quinn becomes Albert  Ingalls. 

James and Cassandra (Cooper) Ingalls 

Photo credit: NBC on Getty Images

Poor Charles is once again faced with the impossible task of finding a home for orphaned children when James and Cassandra Cooper lose their parents in a wagon accident while on a trip with Charles and Albert. Just like with the Sanderson children, it looks like James and Cassandra will go to separate homes until Charles and Caroline decide to fill their little house on Plum Creek with even more children. The official adoption is temporarily interrupted by rich Uncle Jed wanting to adopt them ("Uncle Jed," Season 8), forcing the case to court. Lots of crying from Cassandra and an unexpected medical issue have Uncle Jed reconsidering his plans. The Cooper children become part of the Ingalls family. Another adoption motivated by love and compassion. 

Nancy Oleson

Photo from Little House on the Prairie Facebook page

When Harriet and Nels receive word that Nellie and Percival are staying in New York after his father's passing, Harriet falls into a deep depression. With some encouragement from Doc Baker and after spending time with Cassandra Ingalls, the Olesons decide to adopt a child from the orphanage in Sleepy Eye. Harriet quickly turns Nancy into a similar-looking version of Nellie, but even Nellie at her worst wasn't Nancy. But Nels and Harriet loved that kid for sure, and who else could have put up with her antics? 

Jenny Wilder

Photo credit: Fandom

In Season 9, Royal Wilder returns to Walnut Grove. This time, he has his daughter Jenny with him. Now that his wife Millie has died (no hint of Myron and Rupert anywhere), and with a fatal heart condition hidden from his family, he wants Jenny to get to know Almanzo and Laura before he dies. After a hard period of adjustment and Jenny almost dying twice, Jenny remains with her aunt and uncle until they leave Walnut Grove for good when the town is blown up and move to Burr Oak to live with Charles and Caroline. While this adoption was one of necessity, the love the Wilders had for Jenny shone through in every moment. 

Sam (Norris)

In the last Christmas movie of the series, Bless All the Dear Children, Almanzo, Rose, Laura, and Mr. Edwards travel to Mankato to shop for Christmas. While there, Rose is kidnapped by Mrs. Norris, who has recently lost a baby. During the frantic search for their daughter, the Wilders discover a runaway orphan in their wagon. Samuel stays with them, but he knows the plan is to return him to the orphanage on their way back to Mankato. Once Rose is found at the Norrises' place, Samuel runs off to avoid going back to the orphanage. Patrick Norris helps with the search, which goes late into the night. The next morning, the Wilders and Mr. Edwards leave for home. The Norrises catch up with them on the road, offering to bring Samuel home to stay. Not a legal arrangement, but one that will bring much happiness to all of them. 

In the Little House on the Prairie world, adoption brought people together, expanded families, and brought much joy along the way. 

Favorite Little House on the Prairie Movie

After the series ended, three Little House on the Prairie movies aired between 1983 and 1984: "Look Back to Yesterday," "Bless All the Dear Children," and "The Last Farewell." The last two were aired out of order because "Bless All the Dear Children" is a Christmas episode. It aired the week before Christmas in 1984, whereas "The Last Farewell" aired in February 1984. Let's take a look at what these movies were about. Beware of spoilers if you haven't seen them. 

"Look Back to Yesterday" 

Charles plans a trip to Walnut Grove to help the local farmers organize an agricultural cooperative. With Albert planning to attend medical school, Charles decides he should join him to check out the University of Minnesota. Once in Walnut Grove, Albert's chronic nosebleeds worsen, and Charles brings him to Mankato, where they learn Albert has a fatal blood disorder. Albert begs Charles to bring him back to Walnut Grove to live out his final days. 

"Bless All the Dear Children"

While Mr. Montague rallies against the commercialization of Christmas, Jason Carter tries to earn money to buy gifts for his family. Meanwhile, Laura, Almanzo, and Mr. Edwards travel to Mankato with Rose to shop for Christmas. When Rose is kidnapped by a distraught woman who has lost a baby, the Wilders and Mr. Edwards frantically search for her. Along the way, they meet Samuel, a young orphan, hiding in their wagon. Back in Walnut Grove, Sarah and John Carter worry they won't have gifts for Jason and Jeb if the Wilders, who were also entrusted with their money, don't return in time. 

"The Last Farewell"

Charles and Caroline pay a visit to Laura and Almanzo, offering to stay at the little house on Plum Creek with Jeb and Jason Carter when their parents are away. When a ruthless land tycoon acquires the deed to all of Hero Township, the citizens of Walnut Grove are forced to either work their businesses for Mr. Lassiter or forfeit everything they have built through the years. This leads to a final confrontation between the townsfolk and Lassiter, with the Carters returning just in time to help. 

By far, my favorite of these three movies is "Look Back to Yesterday." Though it created one of the greatest conflicts in Landon's LHOP world (How could future Albert return to Walnut Grove as a doctor ("Home Again") if he dies and the town has been blown up?), it nicely, though tragically, wraps up Albert's storyline and reconnects him with his beloved sister Laura, the first member of the Ingalls family he met in Winoka, which eventually led to him becoming an Ingalls. 

While I wish we could have seen Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls in this episode, "Look Back to Yesterday" was an engaging storyline from start to finish. It seems odd she is not there, because Charles and Caroline were partners committed to each other and their children. Fans know Caroline would have wanted to be there.

Melissa Gilbert gives an amazing performance as Laura, a caring sister who struggles to accept her brother's fate. She and Dean Butler's Almanzo also share a sweet moment when Laura tells him about the blood brother badges. As a show that rarely focuses on the past, Laura's treasured memories give meaning to Albert's triumph and heart to the loving relationship that they created through the years. 

Which of these three is your favorite?