The peak episode was when Mary went blind, which was the two parter I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (season 4, 1978), but right after that we meet Albert and Mary starts teaching. It goes downhill very rapidly after that and Laura becomes a teacher they get married, etc. So really it stopped being worth watching right after Mary goes blind, but it lasted another 6 years! FYI this was based on the real journal of Laura Engels Wilder and most of it is true.
shareThere's lots of great episodes.
It's a classic.
I think when Michael Landon left the show at the end of season 8 and NBC foolishly retitled the show at the beginning of season 9.
It was toast!
It's awfully hard to breath new life in a show after 9 seasons...
It's hard even now!
Combine that with a ballooning budget...
It was time to pull the plug.
Sounds about right. As much as I like the characters and the premise the show only had about 3 good seasons in it. It needed new blood but not what was brought in. Walnut Grove needed a farmer that was the envy of all so Charles could have a friendly rival to compete with. The banker played by Ted Gehring should have been 2-3 times a season character but maybe Gehring did not want to do the show beyond the few appearances he made. Not the show's fault that Karl Swenson aka Mr Hansen died but he needed a replacement. Maybe a rival for Olson's Mecantile as well. Nelly and Percival did not work for me and was a clear sign of the show's decline. Nelly needed to be taken down a notch by marrying a gruff farmer.
shareYes, Nelly was the one everyone loved to hate. But that plotline only goes so far.
sharewhen the brought in albert
shareThis is true Jason. But since we live in an age in which we’re only supposed to try to see the good in everyone, I’ve decided to compile a list of Albert’s positive attributes. So here’s a list of improvements that came to Walnut Grove, in large part, thanks to Albert.
Walnut Grove received its first official firehouse. This provided full time employment for 15 fire personnel.
A new Hospital-including burn unit. Again, many more jobs created. This was a significant improvement over “take two pills and call the undertaker in the morning”, Doc Baker.
A new blind school: This time made from brick. This provided temporary employment for 15 masons.
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic, specializing in Morphine abuse (Which increased significantly, after Albert had went into business full time, synthesizing the stuff).
A Bordello founded by Albert. This employed an additional 40 residents.
So as you can see, from a fiscal perspective, Albert was a significant boost to the economy of Walnut Grove.
So, pimp, arsonist, drug peddler, conman, health guru, economy booster [Parental Advisory Explicit Content]Sylvia fucker; call him what you will, but Albert was truly a man of many occasions :D
I did NOT realize how many fine qualities Albert possessed! haha
Don't forget that Jonathan Garvey had the opportunity to become a carefree bachelor and play the field again, thanks to Albert. It was the fire he started which killed Jonathan's wife Alice.
And Mary was free of childrearing responsibilities and could teach full time if she wanted to as a result of that same fire.
I wish the writers had allowed Mary to have another kid. She and Adam were a sweet couple.
sharein real life Mary never had kids. She never married. She spent her whole life under care of her parents and other relatives after they passed.
shareI think I read that somewhere. Do you know if Carrie or Grace married in real life? Did Grace have a bigger role on the show as she aged? I don't recall seeing her much.
shareI don't believe Grace ever really spotlighted. Michael Landon & Caroline Grassle left the show before Grace really matured and her character left with them.
All the girls except Mary married and had families. Ironically for such a large family there is not one living descendent remaining.
Wow, I figured there would be a few great grands out there. Did Rose have kids. Do you know how many kids Carrie and Grace had?
shareIn real life:
• Rose had one stillborn child: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Wilder_Lane
• Carrie had stepchildren (at age 41, she married a widower), but no actual descendants of her own: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Ingalls
• Grace was married but had no children: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Ingalls
Thank you. I had forgotten about Carrie stepchildren
sharelol man you are awesomw
shareDon't forget how Albert gave the undertaker Hiram Baker plenty of business!
shareYes, Albert is my Walnut Grove hero!
shareI'd say it was the episode when Charles jumped over a record 14 garbage cans with a horse and buggy. And even though he made it, the landing was pretty rough and the buggy broke apart. Luckily blind Mary was able to put it back together by feel.
shareYup, and then the doctor made her see again, so she left Adam and ended up running a homeless shelter. She then consulted with FDR and convinced him to stay out of WW2. That enabled the Nazis to get the A bomb first and the rest is history.
shareWell, it was until some time travelers from outer space showed up and caused her to get hit by a car...
sharePersonally I do not think it ever jumped the shark . Even in the very last season there was some real quality episodes. I think the very last episode/TV film is one of my favorite final episode of any shows in fact.
shareThank You. I agree.
Were all episodes great? No.
But as far as Jump the Shark, I just don't see it.
I agree mostly. Season 5 is still more good than bad but it did certainly fade after season 4. Season 8 has only three good episodes. Season 9 has absolutely nothing to offer.
shareSeason 5 has some really wobbly episodes though it isn't the fault of Matthew Laborteaux as Albert. He was actually a capable child actor. The obsession with blind children in Season 5 and such notoriously bad episodes as "The Godsister" make it a very uneven effort, though the show bounced back in Season 6 with its engaging arc as Laura tries to attract Almonzo. Season 7 shows a dip in quality though Season 8 had some truly terrible episodes. The best thing about it is that it gave Jason Bateman a chance to work around seasoned pros which benefitted his career later. Season 9 shows the show sputtering along toward an anticlimactic finish, though it did have enlarged roles for Richard Bull and Scottie MacGregor so that's at least one positive. I would say season 7 is when the show began to lose its way though even amongst those lackluster seasons you can occasionally find some entertaining episodes.
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