Whenever you consider Little Home on the Prairieyour thoughts in all probability goes to the opening sequence the place the Ingalls ladies run down the grassy hill chasing their canine, Jack. It’s the form of cozy, all-American nostalgia Netflix is betting on, too, since its upcoming adaptation has already been renewed for Season 2 forward of its Season 1 premiere on July 9. However properly earlier than that new model arrivesit’s price remembering that not each episode of Little Home on the Prairie is especially uplifting.
Some function harsh and unthinkable moments that may make the blood boil and the center sink. One such episode comes from the sequence’ sixth season, a two-parter titled “Might We Make Them Proud.” Longtime followers may acknowledge this one instantly, however for the uninitiated, put together for the present’s most horrific deaths — and it is not even shut.
“Might We Make Them Proud” Presents the Most Horrific Deaths within the Sequence
What begins as a heartwarming episode about elevating cash for the native blind faculty — run by Mary (Melissa Sue Anderson) and her husband Adam Kendall (Linwood Boomersure, the man who made Malcolm within the Center) — full with some enjoyable and lighthearted character moments, rapidly turns into the night from hell. After a full day of elevating cash and having fun with the corporate of these round Walnut GroveMary, Adam, Hester-Sue (Ketty Lester), and Alice Garvey (Hersha Parady) spend a while enjoyable on the dinner desk. However unbeknownst to them, earlier that day, Matthew Labyorteaux‘s Albert Ingalls and one other native boy had been sneakily smoking a pipe within the basement, and it quickly caught hearth. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the blind faculty started to burn down, and whereas that is a tragedy by itself, it is a lot worse when Mary realizes she left her child.
Hoping to avoid wasting Mary and the infant, Alice Garvey sends Mary exterior and heads again in for the kid, solely to get distracted by saving one other. As heroic as her actions have been, this resulted in Alice being trapped in an higher room with no escape, as she and the infant have been burned alive. Mary, Adam, Hester-Sue, and the kids can do nothing however hear her scream. That is one second the place Mary and Adam are doubtless grateful to be unable to see, although we, the viewers, are uncovered to a few of Alice’s last moments as she tries helplessly to interrupt via the window. The entire thing is extremely laborious to look at and is arguably one of many extra ugly deaths on the present, leaving the end result as much as the creativeness. You would not discover this in the actual Ingalls story.
Due to the tragedy, Mary is left grief-stricken and for weeks says nothing however sits quietly buzzing a lullaby to herself. This hits particularly laborious once we recall that that is now the second child boy that Mary and Adam have misplaced. The primary was misplaced through miscarriage within the Season 5 episode, “The Sound of Kids,” so this child’s loss of life is a selected blow to the Kendall household. Although Mary Ingalls did not get married or have kids in actual life, Little Home aimed to provide her a happier ending, although “Might We Make Them Proud, Half 1” rips a lot of that away from her. For fairly a while, Mary cannot even acknowledge that she misplaced a baby, that’s, till Albert presents her a music field that performs the identical lullaby, snapping her out of it and revealing that Albert believes himself liable for the hearth.
Regardless of the Tragedy, This ‘Little Home’ Episode Ends With Hope
The primary hour of “Might We Make Them Proud” is miserable. Other than Mary’s ensuing situation, Jonathan Garvey (Merlin Olsen) takes his grief out on his son, Andy (Patrick Labyorteaux)and actively blames God for the catastrophe. It appears as if this horror will perpetually mark the lives of the Kendall and Garvey households. However, fortunately, the two-parter does not finish on such a bitter be aware. Because of the efforts of Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon), Jonathan and Albert can come to phrases with what occurred. Actually, the previous even exclaims to the latter that the hearth was no one’s fault. Having been forgiven, Albert returns dwelling to his father, identical to the prodigal son.
This two-parter touches on the hardships of frontier dwelling and thrives when waxing philosophical in regards to the nature of why unhealthy issues occur. Jonathan’s battle along with his religion and in the end discovering it once more (which feels akin to episodes like “The Lord Is My Shepherd”) is a strong motivator for the person in his last batch of episodes. It would not be lengthy earlier than Jonathan and Andy have been written out of the present utterly, shifting to Sleepy Eye to seek out new work and begin over. Merlin Olsen would go on to steer his personal sequence, Father Murphywith the assistance of Michael Landon, although it will solely final two seasons. In any case, “Might We Make Them Proud” stays a strong two hours of Little Home on the Prairieforcing our characters to reconcile such tragedy with the true adage that life does certainly go on, even when it is laborious.