The Return of Nellie & Harriet's reaction

Maybe at this late hour I am just imagining this happened, but in the episode The Return of Nellie, Nancy pulls some "You hate me" stunt at the table or something and Nellie says, "I was never that bad...was I?" And her parents look at her for a second, Harriet rolls her eyes or something and purses her lips to stay silent as she clears the table.

I really don't remember all the details because I haven't watched it in a while, but isn't Harriet's reaction a bit silly since she is the one who created the Nellie monster by spoiling her?

But, being Harriet, she would probably never admit that she created the Nellie monster... not even to herself.

Actually Harriet knew very well what she had done - perhaps not that she created the Nellie monster, but that she did nothing to change her nasty daughter.
Remember what she told Nancy through the closed door in the orphanage in The Reincarnation of Nellie (1): Harriet admitted that she knew how mean and spoiled Nellie was, and that this was the true reason why the other children hated her, even if she always had told her daughter, it was because of the others were jealous of her things and beauty and cheerful habit of mind. Harriet also explained that she was exactly the same when she was a child and she would understand Nancy as well as she had understood Nellie. Then she promissed, that Nancy wouldn't have to change, she would be loved and spoiled anyway.

I'm not Dr. Phil, but it seems that for Harriet "good breeding" in the first place meant to love her daughters unconditionally ... perhaps because she didn't felt beloved (or accepted) when she was a child herself?

Harriets reaction was kinda fake for her. I'd like to take Nancy and bend her over my knee for a good spanking.....them she'd have a reason to say You Hate Me..:Hahaha: I tried to do a video clip...still no luck So I made this....Sorry it's not very good...:shy: but you can see what Cheryl is talking about.

Yes...Harriet's gestures were illarious when she was reluctant to admit what she had done...But did you notice Nels face when he is thinking about his spoiled girl? PRICELESS!!!! :woohooo: :woohooo:

Vanesa.

I certainly know that Nellie could be somewhat bratty as a child but I don't think she was ever as bad as Nancy!

I didn't think she was quite as bad as Nancy either, but Nellie was BAD... It amazes me how she was able to do such a turn about face when she met Percival. I guess that is just the power of love...

Docfan wrote:

I didn't think she was quite as bad as Nancy either, but Nellie was BAD... It amazes me how she was able to do such a turn about face when she met Percival. I guess that is just the power of love...

What I think that proves, is that Nellie would not have been the spoiled brat she was without Harriet spoiling her. If both the Olesons had enforced rules, Nellie would have been a different person right from the start. Percival's actions basically told Nellie up front that he wasn't going to take what she was dishing out.

Agreed...I think that Percival taught her a valuable lesson about respect, boundaries and love. Harriett and Nels had the love part down but the boundaries and respect part ...not so much, not so much at all...

Nellie Was a very mean girl!..She did a lot of nasty things to school mates! She was a brat!...She was just like harriet!....She got everything she want!!...... but Nancey was still just a little bit more meaner! And i agree Harriet did the same thing with nancy! But least Nellie Changed and come to think how she acted has a child was very wrong!!!....She grew up!!!! So now her own children won't be like that!

i love Nancy, but I hate her. She is just fun to hate. She is sooo annoying!!! But I enjoy watching Nancy. I NEVER enjoyed watching Nelly. She and Harriet just made me downright mad. Nancy makes me laugh!

Willie was not exactly mean. A little bratty, yes. He was always following Nellie who influenced him very much, but that's all. Just notice that when Willie grew older, he began to become nicer and nicer. As early as in Winoka episodes, he wanted to play baseball in Albert's and Andy's team inestead of the one of expensive Winoka School. Later, as a teen he is shown as one of Albert's better friends, if not the best.

Vanesa.

Vanesa wrote:

Later, as a teen he is shown as one of Albert's better friends, if not the best.Vanesa.

That's true, Vanesa. Part of that was because there really weren't any other boys his age--at least not regulars on the show--but they ended up sitting together as time went on, and in the episode, Stone Soup, where Laura is pregnant with Rose and does too much while Almanzo is away, Willie is a big help. Doc Baker calls him a hero.

Willie wasn't really that mean. He was just a very annoying child that did childish stuff.He grew out of it...Nellie was just a little brat.....She took afther her mother. She was just you know very spolit rotten.But in this esp you see how much she changed & became a nice person.being a mother & married changed how she acted. Don't get me started on nancey.She was just too annoying and nasty child.

I think Nels had a strong influence on Willie, in a quiet, unassuming way. They really did end up having a good relationship, and I think that is part of the reason that Willie turned out the way he did. Willie did not actually seem to like being spoiled, and since he obviously wasn't his mother's favorite, she probably did not go so overboard with him like she did with Nellie (and later Nancy). I think Willie became more embarrased about his mother as time went on, too.

This is one episode where I actually feel sorry for Nancy, at least for a while, especially when she is so sad she runs away and when she wanders through the woods crying after spending the night in a dilapidated shack and being threatened by a wild dog. By the end of the episode, though, she's back to nasty Nancy.

jes9 wrote:

This is one episode where I actually feel sorry for Nancy, at least for a while, especially when she is so sad she runs away and when she wanders through the woods crying after spending the night in a dilapidated shack and being threatened by a wild dog. By the end of the episode, though, she's back to nasty Nancy.

Same here!

Harrietfan wrote:

jes9 wrote:

This is one episode where I actually feel sorry for Nancy, at least for a while, especially when she is so sad she runs away and when she wanders through the woods crying after spending the night in a dilapidated shack and being threatened by a wild dog. By the end of the episode, though, she's back to nasty Nancy.

Same here!

Yes. But when you sees her smile at the very end of the episode, you understand she is playing - at least, a little - and not being really bad. At least, this is the way I understood the message underlying in this beatiful smile. She MUST be "mean Nancy", like "mamma loves mean Nancy"...Maybe this is too confusing, but I just can't explain myself in English very well. When I saw Nancy's smile at the end of the episode, I understood she was "playing to be bad" without being really bad. THis makes sense?

Vanesa.

Well I think she enjoys being bad.

I never feel like Nancy is just playing bad. I feel like she is rotten to the core! I don't feel that way with Nellie. For me, Nancy has no redeeming qualities. And that is why I really cannot stand her character.