Most Favorite Episode from Each Season of Little House on the Prairie (Seasons 4 - 6)

Continuing to share my favorite episode of each season of Little House on the Prairie, this time covering Seasons 4, 5, and 6. 

Season 4 - "Here Come the Brides"

Adam Simms and his son, Luke, arrive in Walnut Grove. Nellie is quickly smitten with the barefooted pig farmer who has joined the one-room schoolhouse, much to her mother's dismay. Meanwhile, Adam and Miss Beadle's relationship blossoms into love. When Nellie and Luke run off to elope, Adam, Miss Beadle, and the Olesons race off to stop them before it's too late.

Why it's my favorite from Season 4: If you look at the rest of my favorites from this season, there is a ton of intense drama. The entire season is way more drama than comedy: Laura's dog dies; Mary finds out that John Jr. no longer loves her; Laura is kidnapped; Doc Baker quits when he loses a patient; the Garveys lose their entire crop; oh, and Mary loses her eyesight. Seriously, thanks to episodes like "Here Comes the Brides" and "The Creeper of Walnut Grove," viewers get a comedy break. 

Though watching Nellie fall in love for the first time is fun, it is the sometimes awkwardly developing relationship between Eva Beadle and Adam Simms that makes this a great episode. Miss Beadle has had a beau in the past ("Four Eyes" in Season 2), but mature single people in Walnut Grove don't seem to have much luck in the romance department. These two, however, fall in love, get married, and later in the season welcome a son ("A Most Precious Gift.") 

This episode is filled with memorable scenes, and I will share two. The first takes place at 42:05, as Luke is pacing the hotel room floor, waiting for Nellie to change behind the screen. He watches while she slings her dress over the top, growing more uncomfortable with each passing second. Then it is Luke's turn to change, and Nellie watches with wide eyes as his overalls appear over the top of the screen. You know they are already regretting their decision. 

Then, at 44:38, the now fully dressed Luke and Nellie are marched back to the Justice of the Peace. When he trudges to the front door and sees them standing there, he moans, "Oh no!" He opens the door and says, "Tell me, what's Walnut Grove got against me?" You can't help but laugh.

Season 5 - "The Wedding" 

Caroline and Charles receive word that Mary and Adam are going to be married. Because of the expense, Ma and Pa make the decision to leave all the children at home, and they journey by train to Winoka. As they sit down to dinner with Mary and Adam, Caroline shares stories of raising children. Suddenly frightened by the prospect of two blind people needing to care for a sighted child, Mary calls off the wedding. When Susan Goodspeed is lost during a sandstorm, Mary and Adam must search for her, giving Mary the confidence she needs to proceed with the wedding.

Why it's my favorite from Season 5: There are a ton of great Caroline moments in this episode: 

• When Charles brings her the telegram, she says, "Oh, my goodness. My baby's getting married." Then she is overcome with emotion, which doesn't often happen to Caroline.
• When Reverend Alden tells her he will go to Winoka to marry them, she is so excited that she kisses him on the cheek. 
• How she brings her wedding dress for Mary to wear, and the tender conversation they have.
• Her expression when Adam shows up at their hotel room after Mary has called off the wedding. 
• After the storm is over, as Caroline and Mary are in her room getting ready for the wedding, they have a laugh, and Caroline says that her old Mary is back. 
• Her expression, holding back tears, as Mary weds Adam, with Reverend Alden officiating. 

Another nice moment takes place in Walnut Grove at about 7:57. Nels calls Charles into the storeroom and asks him to give Mary a decorative box with a singing bird on it. When Charles argues that it costs too much, Nels tells him, "That little girl has been my pet since the first day she walked into the store." 

Season 6 - "Sweet Sixteen"

Laura earns her teaching certificate before her sixteenth birthday, so that she can teach in Curry while the regular teacher recovers. Almanzo helps Charles out by bringing her to Curry and picking her up a week later, which is enough time apart for Almanzo to realize she is no longer a little girl. Once home, Laura confides in Ma that she thinks what she has been dreaming of is finally happening between Almanzo and her, but his jealousy threatens their budding romance.

Why it's my favorite from Season 6: Choosing a favorite in this season was tougher than I thought it would be. "Back to School" is great because it introduces Almanzo Wilder, and Laura decides that she will make him see her as a woman one day. "Annabelle" is wonderful because we get some Nels backstory and a stunned Almanzo receives a kiss from an unknown clown. "Wilder and Wilder" is awesome because Laura teaches Almanzo a lesson not to underestimate her. But who can't appreciate Almanzo's change of heart toward Laura in "Sweet Sixteen?" 

As he admits to Charles, he always saw Laura as a young friend, but something changed after she went away. Suddenly, she doesn't seem like the young girl that he pulled off Nellie Oleson in the watering hole ("Back to School.") He's jealous when he thinks Chad Brewster is coming on to Laura, which she bites his head off for. And amazingly, throughout this episode, Laura is finally the one in control of her emotions, even as she is about to get a kiss from the man she has been pursuing since they first met. Almanzo is the one whose feelings are all out of sorts. This is a really good way to bring them into their married years, where Laura was more of an equal partner. 

Most Favorite Episode from Each Season of Little House on the Prairie (Seasons 1 - 3)

For a few months, I spent time outlining my five favorite episodes from each season. Now, let's narrow that list down to one favorite episode per season and share more reasons why each episode is a favorite. 

Season 1 - "School Mom"

Caroline Ingalls steps in to teach school when Miss Beadle is injured. She takes extra time to help an older boy, Abel, learn how to read. But when Mrs. Oleson interferes, all her work is ruined. 

Why it's my favorite from Season 1: To make a choice in Season 1 was challenging, because there were so many great episodes that season. However, one of the funniest early scenes happens in this episode. 

About 31 minutes into it, the school board arrives at the Ingalls place. Caroline had quit after Mrs. Oleson interrupted her class to complain about how she had changed her teaching methods to help Abel learn how to read. Mr. Hanson and Doc Baker, with the Olesons in tow, ask her to return. Instead of answering, she asks what Mr. Hanson would do if someone came into his mill while he was grinding wheat into flour and someone came in and tossed a rock between the millstones, ruining all his work. 

Mr. Hanson replies, "I would take that person by the back of the collar and the seat of the pants, and I would throw him right into the middle of the street."

"That idea did occur to me," says Caroline, "but unhappily, I am a lady. And this person was also a lady." 

It was also nice to see her reason with Abel and encourage him to return to school, which he does. 

Season 2 - "For My Lady"

Charles's work for the Widow Thurman gets Harriet's tongue wagging, which causes tension between Charles and Caroline. Because of some white lies Charles tells to hide a secret he is planning, Caroline worries the rumors might have some truth.

Why it's my favorite from Season 2: In addition to Charles secretly working for Mrs. Thurman to pay for her old china as a gift for Caroline, there are back-to-back scenes that make this a winner. 

The first is 14:30 into the episode. Earlier in the episode, Charles had asked the banker, Mr. Sprague, for a small personal loan. Sprague denied him for two reasons: 1) he hadn't yet paid off his current note (though Charles told him at least twice that he planned to do it the next day, and 2) he told him that if it wasn't essential, Charles shouldn't borrow the money. At 14:30, we see Sprague counting out money and stamping Charles's note paid. Within seconds, he says he would loan Charles the $8 he had previously asked for, to which Charles basically says thanks, but I'm all set. 

The next scene starts at 15:16 with Mary, Laura, and Willie walking out of the schoolhouse. Laura and Willie are arguing about whether the moon affects how the fish bite. They bicker like siblings, with Laura saying everyone knows fish bite better with a full moon, and Willie saying the fish can't see the moon, so how could they know if they were hungry or not? Mary tries to convince her to let it go, but Laura digs in her heels. Ultimately, since Laura can't prove she is right, she loses her best "agey" marble to Willie, but she jokes with Mary that she will just win it back from him anyway. Knowing that Melissa and Jonathan Gilbert are real-life adopted siblings makes this scene even more hilarious. 

Season 3 - "Little Girl Lost"

When Carrie falls down an old mine shaft, the town works together to save her. Mr. Hanson allows a past hurt to cloud his judgment, which impedes rescue efforts.

Why it's my favorite from Season 3: This was another season when the choice was tough. I ultimately chose this one because, despite how hard it is to watch, it is wonderful to see the town come together to help in a time of need. The minute Charles arrives in town and tells Nels what has happened, he instructs Charles to take whatever he needs from the storeroom and sends Willie out to ring the alarm bell. The men work into the night, and just when it seems all is lost, Carl and Loudy save the day. Listening to Charles shout for Caroline and watching Caroline's eyes light up once she sees a dirt-covered Carrie and runs to her releases all the pent-up tension viewers experience, and the thrilled shouts, cheers, and hugs from the townsfolk as they surround Caroline and her child make this a must-watch episode. 

Netflix Commits to Second Season of Little House on the Prairie

 

On the heels of the announcement that the Netflix Little House on the Prairie series will premiere on July 9, Tundum by Netflix has announced the show has been renewed for a second season. Citing the extraordinary work of showrunner and executive producer Rebecca Sonnenshine and the entire cast and crew, Netflix says it is delighted to renew the show for another season. 

Are you planning to tune in on July 9 to see the show? 

Character Profile of Albert Quinn Ingalls

Welcome to my latest character profile. While not an original member of the Ingalls family, Albert Quinn Ingalls endeared himself to fans. Matthew Labyorteaux joined the Little House on the Prairie world in Seasons 3 and 4, playing a young Charles Ingalls in two flashback episodes, before being invited to return for the role of Albert. Today, we will explore the character he brought to life for legions of fans. 

If you haven't seen all the seasons yet...

WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

In the Season 5 episode, "As Long As We're Together," hard times have fallen upon the residents of Walnut Grove. Charles and Caroline decide to leave their Minnesota town and move to the city of Winoka in Dakota Territory. Upon their arrival, a young boy in a cap saunters by Laura in the wagon. When he loses his dime in a hole in the boardwalk, Laura helps him retrieve it with a wad of gum and a shoelace. A friendship is born! 

Charles quickly takes a liking to Albert, and upon learning his situation, he makes a deal with him: he will pay him for work if he agrees to attend school with Laura and Carrie. From then on, Albert is an extended part of the family. When Charles and Caroline decide to give Walnut Grove a second chance, Charles is sad to be leaving Albert behind ("There's No Place Like Home"), but with a gentle nudge from Caroline, he asks Albert to join them. 

Getting the homestead and the town back in order requires a lot of hard work, and Albert digs right in alongside everyone. He also grows closer to Charles. So close that when Charles spends time helping him raise a calf for the fair, Laura feels like she is losing Pa to the son he always wanted ("Fagin"). Accidentally overhearing that he has caused an issue, Albert runs away. That won't be the only time, but things are soon settled, and the family is back together with Laura and her brother Albert. 

Laura, Albert, and their friend Andy Garvey enjoy fun times and antics, often at the expense of the Olesons, like when Laura and Albert alter the type in The Pen and Plow ("Harriet's Happenings") or when they create a fake sea monster to scare Mrs. Oleson and her children ("The Lake Kezia Monster"). They also band together to right wrongs, like when they crafted a plan to scare an older, bigger classmate so that Miss Wilder could stay the teacher in town ("The Werewolf of Walnut Grove"). Albert is also someone Laura can talk to. When she is trying to get a boy to ask her to a dance ("Dance with Me") or when she is struggling to get Almanzo to notice her ("Annabelle"), Albert is a sympathetic ear. 

A pivotal moment in Albert's life happens when Miss Wilder assigns a genealogy project ("Family Tree"). Teased by Nellie for not truly being an Ingalls, Albert asks Charles if they can adopt him. When the process uncovers his biological father, Jeremy Quinn wants Albert to help him run his farm. Using his quick wits, Albert devises a last-minute plan that allows him to become a forever Ingalls. 

While there are many happy moments for Albert in Walnut Grove, a town tragedy threatens the joy he holds dear. In "May We Make Them Proud," a fire destroys the town's blind school, killing Alice Garvey along with Mary and Adam's newborn son. Albert is devastated to learn that the fire started in the basement, caused by the discarded pipe he and his friend Clay had hidden earlier in the day. Riddled with guilt, Albert runs away. After Charles and Jonathan Garvey conduct a frantic search, they find Albert, tell him they know what started the fire, and head back to Walnut Grove to let the healing begin. 

Every adolescent experiences challenges, and Albert is no different. He struggles with being a boy while wanting to prove he's a man ("Men Will Be Boys"); he is beaten for befriending a Jewish craftsman ("The Craftsman"); he falls in love and experiences heartache ("Dearest Albert, I'll Miss You" and "Sylvia"); he feels frustrated when his newly adopted younger brother, James, constantly pesters him and tries to be like him ("Growin' Pains"), and he is critically injured when a drunken Mr. Edwards drives a wagon over him ("A Promise to Keep"). One of the most difficult obstacles he faces, however, is his morphine addiction.

At the beginning of Season 9, Charles moves his family to Burr Oak, Iowa. Albert falls in with a bad crowd, and with the threat of him being sent to a workhouse looming, Charles brings his son back to Walnut Grove ("Home Again"). But Albert is having none of it. A problem with one of Doc Baker's medicine shipments reveals that Albert has a morphine addiction. With the help of Charles, Albert endures withdrawal symptoms and returns to Burr Oak more like his old self.* 

Dedicating himself to academics, Albert works toward his dream of becoming a doctor. When Charles is sent to Minnesota on business, Albert joins him so they can visit the University of Minnesota and Walnut Grove to see Laura and Almanzo. That's when Albert begins experiencing chronic nosebleeds. He learns he is suffering from a fatal blood disorder and begs Charles to bring him back to where he became an Ingalls to live out his final days.

Albert's story is one of an independent orphan surviving by his street smarts, who stumbles upon a family that quickly considers him one of their own. While it might be said that Charles and Albert's relationship has the most profound impact on him, Albert and Laura's chance meeting allows all that unfolds afterwards. Through the years, they go from being friends to siblings, from plot hatchers to student and teacher, and most importantly, from occasionally bickering siblings to strong supporters of each other. Therefore, it seems fitting that the last moment we see Albert is him holding hands with his beloved sister, surrounded by the Walnut Grove schoolchildren who peppered their youth. 

* "Home Again" and "Look Back to Yesterday" are responsible for one of the most often discussed Little House on the Prairie controversies. At the end of the Season 9 episode "Home Again," Laura's final narration states that in the future, they welcomed Albert back to Walnut Grove as Dr. Albert Ingalls. However, in "Look Back to Yesterday," which aired after the completion of Season 9, Charles is told that Albert is going to die. Some fans believe that Albert miraculously survived and returned to Walnut Grove as a doctor, while others believe that he passed away after the events in "Look Back to Yesterday." What do you think? 

More character profiles:

Charles Phillip Ingalls

Almanzo James Wilder

Nels Oleson

Caroline Quiner Ingalls

Mary Ingalls Kendall

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Please let me know if you would like to see more character profiles at Laura's Little Houses by leaving a comment on this post.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

 

One hundred fifty-nine years ago, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. Besides Wisconsin, Laura and her family lived in Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota. After she married Almanzo Wilder, the Wilders moved to Missouri, where they lived most of their remaining years, and Laura wrote her famous Little House books.

Wilder's books and life have inspired television shows, musicals, pageants, museums, and numerous books--fiction and nonfiction--about Laura and her family. As fans await the latest Little House on the Prairie production from Netflix, we celebrate the birthday of the woman whose desire to preserve family memories inspired it all. 

Happy 159th birthday, Laura!