“Whatever Happened to the Class of ’56”

The Big Chill, Walnut Grove-Style; or The Name’s Charles Ingalls, Motherfucker (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: “Whatever Happened to the Class of ’56” [sic] Airdate: January 14, 1980 Written by John T. Dugan Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Where do I begin? The Midwest regional Grange meeting in Milwaukee has overlapped withContinue reading ““Whatever Happened to the Class of ’56””

“Back to School,” Part One

Love is a Manly Splendored Thing; or Flippin’ Awesome (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: “Back to School” [sic], Part One Airdate: September 17, 1979 Written and directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Walnut Grove experiences an outbreak of immortal TV moments when a grown man named Almanzo Wilder comes to town. RECAP:Continue reading ““Back to School,” Part One”

Blind Journey, Part Two

Joe Versus the Volcano; or “How Do I Look?” “Like You’re Gonna Kill a Baby and Alice Garvey, Now Go to Bed.” (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Blind Journey, Part Two Airdate: December 4, 1978 Written by John T. Dugan Story by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella, and John T. Dugan Directed by William F.Continue reading “Blind Journey, Part Two”

Blind Journey, Part One

Whoa, We’re Halfway There; or When Ames the Heart (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: Blind Journey, Part One Airdate: November 27, 1978 Written by John T. Dugan Story by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella, and John T. Dugan Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: RECAP: ROMAN: Sixteen-plus??? What’s happened to this showContinue reading “Blind Journey, Part One”

The Wedding

“I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Back Into Town for Our Wedding”; or Stupid Mary’s Revenge (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Wedding Airdate: November 6, 1978 Written by Arthur Heinemann Directed by Michael Landon SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Mary gets married, but not before having a royal freakout. RECAP: Welcome to our 100thContinue reading “The Wedding”

“Here Come the Brides”

Midnight in the Garden of Simms and Beadle; or Le Nozze di Pigaro (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: “Here Come the Brides” [sic] Airdate: December 5, 1977 Written by John T. Dugan Story by Robert F. Metzler and John T. Dugan Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Nellie forgets she’s evil,Continue reading ““Here Come the Brides””

“Meet Me at the Fair”

Mehwwy in the Sky With Diamonds; or What Did Fake Irish People Ever Do to Michael Landon? (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: “Meet Me at the Fair” [sic] Airdate: November 28, 1977 Written by Arthur Heinemann Story by Bradley and Ray Berwick and Arthur Heinemann Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL:Continue reading ““Meet Me at the Fair””

EXTRA: Alison Arngrim: The Walnut Groovy Interview

After a number of unfortunate scheduling fails, I’m delighted to report we finally connected with Alison Arngrim, who proved to be a spectacularly entertaining and animated interview subject. (You’re shocked, I know.) Enjoy! – WK *** ALISON ARNGRIM: You don’t want, like, the laptop and the headphones? This is fine, right? WILL: Oh no, we’reContinue reading “EXTRA: Alison Arngrim: The Walnut Groovy Interview”

The Fighter

The Strongest Smaller Person in Walnut Grove; or You Know, I’ve Never Been With a Black Man Before (a recap by Will Kaiser) EDITOR’S WARNING: This episode contains racist language and images of (barely) covered human penises. Thank you. Title: The Fighter Airdate: November 21, 1977 Written by Michael Landon Story by Lawrence M. KonnerContinue reading “The Fighter”

The Aftermath

Solomon Wept; or The Calamitous Return of Cap’m Beadle (a recap by Will Kaiser) Title: The Aftermath Airdate: November 7, 1977 Written by Don Balluck Directed by William F. Claxton SUMMARY IN A NUTSHELL: Two murderers on the run come to town and hire Mary, who’s revealed to be a Confederate sympathizer, as a servant.Continue reading “The Aftermath”