As Long As we're Together

I just watched this episode yesterday! I hadn't seen it in years and it's one of my favorites. Someone please direct me if it's already been discussed and if it hasn't, then I'll say more...

This is the episode that introduces Albert.

Wow, I thought surely with all the Albert fans around here that this episode would have been discussed.

I was so teared up when Caroline went to say good bye to Harriet (before they moved).
And of course they were teared up too but then they wondered why! Ha! That's how it can be in real life.

I think it's so funny how Nells and Harriet go to work in a bar and Jonathan becomes the bouncer! What a change from sleepy little Walnut grove, eh? How about the gun shots through out the night?

My absolute favorite scene is when Albert winks at Laura. :CoolSign: How adorable he was!

I think it's because we started the episode reviews with Season 9 at the old forum and we just haven't gotten this far yet.

I didn't enjoy the Winoka episodes as much as when they were in Walnut Grove, just as I didn't like it when they were in California. This also meant the end of Mrs. Simms as the teacher and soon the death of Lars Hanson when they return to WG, so I don't usually watch these DVDs.

I think the Ingalls family--and the others--did very well in adjusting to their new life in Winoka, but it's sad to think that they had to give up the life they had (though that was the way it was back then).

Carrie had some cute scenes in this episode, though, and it's great to see Albert introduced and to hear Mary say that she has nothing to wish for on her birthday, so it's not a total loss for me.

I hope it was okay that I introduced an episode... :think:

Prairie Wind wrote:

I hope it was okay that I introduced an episode... :think:

Oh sure, others have done it. It's no big deal.

Okay- great- thanks!

I'm a country girl for sure and would live in Walnut Grove over Winoka any day. I did think it was interesting to see all the characters out of their element though. They all seemed so out of place and awkward. I know just how that feels since I've moved around the USA so much.

I hate the way so many TV shows seem to feel like they need to start introducing more children onto the show once the other ones start to grow up. In this case I don't think it was even needed. Season 4 was the best season in my opinion and I didn't see the need for any major cast changes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! (I know this probably isn't the most popular opinion)

I can't say I entirely disagree with you, but I did enjoy Albert. Albert gave Laura a partner in crime that had even funnier antics than Laura and Andy, though they did it by sacrificing any relationship Laura could have had with her sister Carrie.

I wish the additional children had stopped with Albert. I didn't want to see the Cooper children as part of the Ingalls family and I had no interest in Jenny Wilder either.

bethandmanly wrote:

I wish the additional children had stopped with Albert. I didn't want to see the Cooper children as part of the Ingalls family and I had no interest in Jenny Wilder either.

:DittoS:

By having Mary move out, I felt the writers missed an a opportunity to develop Mary and Laura's relationship the way the books did when Laura began "seeing" for Mary and would occasionally forget how much Mary could sense even without seeing. I thought that one scene toward the beginning where Laura tells Mary that Ma looks sad and Mary says "I know" was the most powerful scene in the whole episode.

teenwerewolf wrote:

By having Mary move out, I felt the writers missed an a opportunity to develop Mary and Laura's relationship the way the books did when Laura began "seeing" for Mary and would occasionally forget how much Mary could sense even without seeing. I thought that one scene toward the beginning where Laura tells Mary that Ma looks sad and Mary says "I know" was the most powerful scene in the whole episode.

Michael Landon wrote both this episode and "I'll be Waving as You Drive Away", which he actually took from the personal experience of having to leave one of his children at rehab, so I must believe that Michael felt the only way to grow the character of Mary was to have her move out on her own. What would she have done in a town the size of WG as a blind person? There weren't any blind children to teach and no new experiences for the rest of the Ingalls family to partake in since the town was dying. Perhaps if they moved first and then Mary went blind, we could have seen some of those Mary and Laura moments that you mentioned.

the first episode I saw with Albert was "Back To School" and I fell in love with his character. He was the perfect addition to the Ingalls family. it was almost like he was Laura's sidekick, with all the scheming and joking and just having fun they did together. I was so happy when I finally got to see "As Long As We're Together" because I got to learn about how Albert met the Ingalls family

Perhaps they could have introduced Albert as a friend of Laura's. In fact I read somewhere that the real LIW did in fact have a playmate named Albert, but I think the Ingalls' adopting Albert was taking it too far. I know it would have been awkward trying to figure out what to do with Mary if she'd stayed at home, but that could have actually made it interesting. It would have made for some interesting conflicts in episodes like "Dance With Me". I know the writers would have had to get very creative, but I think having Albert conveniently show up in the very same episode where Mary moves out was a cop-out. It was almost like, why even bother having Mary go blind in the first place if they're not going to develop that storyline?

bethandmanly wrote:

I can't say I entirely disagree with you, but I did enjoy Albert. Albert gave Laura a partner in crime that had even funnier antics than Laura and Andy, though they did it by sacrificing any relationship Laura could have had with her sister Carrie.

I wish the additional children had stopped with Albert. I didn't want to see the Cooper children as part of the Ingalls family and I had no interest in Jenny Wilder either.

Oh! I loved Jenny, and James and Cassandra! They were so sweet! But my fav. part of this episode is Laura's face when she see's Any peeping through the wondow!

"Andrew Garvey! Pull down that shade!" It cracks me up everytime!!!!

"All the way!"

One of the things that I wish had been better written was the fact that Charles and Caroline had baby Grace to care for too. I know that her care feel to Laura alot of the time, but I would think that we should have seen Caroline trying to care for her more. This would have been VERY hard while cooking in a resturant.

I loved Albert and they couldn't have picked a better kid for his part. I think we did need another boy with his issues in the story. Charles didn't expect to ever have another son, but soon found his love for Albert was really deep.

Again....the adopted children I think were a big part of that time period. There were orphan trains coming through towns all the time. Yes, I do wish we had seen more of Carrie and Grace along the way, but I personally loved Albert, James and Cassandra. Its just one of those things about life that aren't always expected, but bring alot of joy.

I'm glad Winoka wasn't the Ingalls final home. Country life suited them better. After all where would Charles gaze at the stars while smoking his pipe?

Gin wrote:

One of the things that I wish had been better written was the fact that Charles and Caroline had baby Grace to care for too. I know that her care feel to Laura alot of the time, but I would think that we should have seen Caroline trying to care for her more. This would have been VERY hard while cooking in a resturant.

I agree. Even when she worked at Nellie's in Walnut Grove, you rarely saw Grace with her, and since all the kids were at school, where the heck was the kid?

Correct me if I am wrong, but didnt she say something about taking Grace over to Mrs. "someone's" house?

Not sure. Alice was teaching in the "barn" school. Mrs. Oleson...well she was working in not so childlike enviroment. SO not sure who else she would have known. It would have a least looked better if she had a bed sit up in the kitchen to have Grace with her.
Just one of those things that dont make sense to those of us that have followed the whole series.

I should have quoted there. i have no idea what happened when she was in the big city I thought when she went to work for Nellie she was talking about taking her someone.

I liked this episode the first time I saw it because I was glad to finally see how the Ingalls family met Albert!

I want to watch this episode again soon, its one of my favorites! I love seeing young Albert, and I have to agree with what Gin said above. they couldn't have picked a better actor to play Albert!

Wonderful episode