Ten or Twenty Greatest Episodes
It seems that MovieChat is becoming a playground for snarking this show up like WalnutGroovy and Television Without Pity. So instead of focusing on the negative, why don't we create a list of what we consider the ten or twenty greatest episodes and performances.
(This list has no specific order)
1. The Lord is My Shepherd
2. Christmas at Plum Creek
3. The Raccoon
4. If I Should Die Before I Wake
5. Child of Pain
6. Haunted House
7. At the End of the Rainbow
8. Remember Me
9. His Father's Son
10. Going Home
11. The Collection
12. Journey in the Spring
13. The Bully Boys
14. I'll Ride the Wind
15. The Hunt
16. The Music Box
17. Gold Country
18. Be My Friend
19. I Remember, I Remember
20. A Most Precious Gift
You're probably wondering why I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away isn't on my list. It definitely has a great premise (existential crisis, getting accustomed to a new normal and finding one's calling through suffering) but there were a few clumsy moments in the script that should have been corrected to make it a more perfect episode since the story in itself is a perfect note to end Season 4 on.
1. The opening scene is too cheery. Just an ordinary day with the children playing in the schoolyard and perky music. I would have done the opening with a slower, more bittersweet musical theme like "The Lord is My Shepherd" "Remember Me" or "Journey in the Spring" and shown shots of nature to emphasize the seriousness and importance of the episode to prepare the audience for what is to come. 2. The Seth plot was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story. Mary falls in love and he disappears after visiting her in her blindness and he's never mentioned by the Ingalls again. It's like the screenwriters added Seth, during their first draft of the script when they were putting the episode together (trying to figure out what works and what doesn't) and then forgot to take him out for the final draft. To me, that's what turned a great episode into a good episode. 3. Who in the world puts mirrors in the dormitory of a blind school?
However, the episode is still a strong one overall because of the premise and the scenes with Mary and Adam at the blind school and the final with Mary reading the braille bible at church were A+. I also liked how Reverend Aldrin addressed the subject of finding one's calling through suffering. That was a great way of looking at Mary's plight--she may be blind, but because of her handicap she can give hope to all blind students who come to her, so they will know their misfortunes needn't deprive them of happiness within the kingdom of Heaven.