Friday, October 15, 2010

Thoughts on Little House Season 1

I haven't watched Little House on the Prairie in many, many years. But this past month, I've been able to watch almost all of season one. (And the ones I missed were by choice.)

A Harvest of Friends. Pa obviously didn't hear me telling him not to climb the tree to rescue the kite. Still. I liked this one. The ending is very emotional.

Country Girls. One of the best, best episodes ever. Laura's "essay" makes me cry every time.

 100 Mile Walk. I watched part of this episode. But not all of it.

Mr. Edwards' Homecoming. A good episode. Plenty of good moments! Though it's not my favorite Mr. Edwards' episode. That would be Ma's Holiday!

The Love of Johnny Johnson. Silly Laura! Why Johnny Johnson?! Mary has a funny line in this episode. I wish I could remember it but it was about there not being many cute boys to choose from in Walnut Grove.

If I Should Wake Before I Die. Not a favorite by any means. Though it is interesting to see how one woman can manipulate so many people. You could definitely see her point--to a certain extent--how sad it was that your own children and grandchildren could be so very, very distant.

Town Party/Country Party. I liked this one okay. But not as much as Country Girls or The Campout.

Ma's Holiday. I had forgotten how funny this episode is! I love Mr. Edwards as a babysitter! I loved how he "took care" of Carrie. I love seeing his friendship with the three girls--Mary, Laura, and Carrie.

School Mom. This was a good episode. I liked seeing Ma as the new teacher--even if it was always meant to be temporary. I sometimes forget how spirited/tempered Ma could be in the show.

The Raccoon. I skipped this one.

The Voice of Tinker Jones. Interesting to see the church bickering. In this episode, a suggested "improvement" or change of the church building causes fights to break out in the community. Neighbors and friends turning on one another because they see things differently. Some things never change.

The Award. In the books, Laura always thinks of Mary as perfect. On the show, not so much. This episode has Mary making a few bad choices. She's keeping secrets, lying, and setting the barn on fire.

The Lord is My Shepherd. This is admittedly an emotional two-part episode. A strange episode covering at least ten months. In the first ten or fifteen minutes, Ma goes from telling Pa she's expecting a baby to having the baby--a boy--safely delivered. But the baby fails to thrive. He's not gaining enough weight--no one knows exactly why. He dies and sends Laura to the top of a mountain. I have a few issues with this episode. It just doesn't seem very Laura like to me. I think Laura would have been smarter than this. Smarter than to think that she could die in place of her brother.

Christmas at Plum Creek. I liked this episode. I liked how the focus was on the real meaning of Christmas--Jesus.

Family Quarrel. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when Dr. Baker is trying to convince Mr. Hanson to court Mrs. Oleson. While this isn't a favorite--by any means--it wasn't without entertainment value.

Doctor's Lady. I liked this one. I didn't love it. But I liked focusing on Dr. Baker for an episode.

Circus Man. I didn't like this one much.

Plague. Skipped this one.

Child of Pain. Skipped this one.

Money Crop. I watched this one. And it's always interesting to see how the community acts/reacts. Sometimes they seem very kind and reasonable. And other times very silly and mob-like.

Survival. Skipped this one.

To See The World. Johnny Johnson. Did we really need another Johnny Johnson episode? Actually, this one is funny. Mr. Edwards has some great lines! I liked it because I could laugh at it.

Founder's Day. I liked this episode. But I can't help comparing it to Wilder and Wilder in season 6. I just love, love, love Wilder and Wilder. (Almost as much as I love, love, love Sweet Sixteen.)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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