Home Again

this is the episode where Albert is suffering from a morphine addiction. I was not able to see all of both parts of this episode because I did not like some of the acting that Matthew Laborteaux (sorry if I spelled that wrong!!!) had to do. in the end, what happens to Albert? I know that he winds up being okay, but I'd like to know how the episode ends! :idance:

The episode ends with a very memorable speech given by Albert to the class in the schoolhouse. The words were priceless.

It was so sad to see something horrible like this happen to Albert! his Pa was great in helping him get through such a tough time

I watched both parts of this episode this weekend. I felt so bad for Albert, something so bad happened to him at such a young age. I have to say that both Michael Landon and Matthew Laborteaux did some incredible acting in this episode! and I agree with you david, Albert's speech at the end was priceless!

Can anyone quote the speech or even part of it here?
I remember watching this episode as a kid and it has stuck with me all these years.

silent-partner wrote:

Can anyone quote the speech or even part of it here?
I remember watching this episode as a kid and it has stuck with me all these years.

I'll see if I can this weekend

Something like, "I acted that way because of a drug, a drug called morphine. I started taking it to be one of the boys. I thought it was real grown up. Well, don't fool yourself. Nothing that makes you steal and hurt your family is grown up. I could have died from it. I was lucky. A lot of people aren't that lucky. All I'm saying is don't be dumb. You're better off just being you."

david wrote:

Something like, "I acted that way because of a drug, a drug called morphine. I started taking it to be one of the boys. I thought it was real grown up. Well, don't fool yourself. Nothing that makes you steal and hurt your family is grown up. I could have died from it. I was lucky. A lot of people aren't that lucky. All I'm saying is don't be dumb. You're better off just being you."

that sounds like what his speech was. I should be one to remember it, look at my keepership!

"Home Again" was an all-around terrific episode--from Father Murphy's Mr. Rodman's cameo appearance to that wonderful aforementioned speech at the end--with all of the lessons learned in the exciting between. A beloved chapter.

Such a powerful episode and one of my favorites.

Such a powerful episode and one of my favorites.

One of my favorites too. Matt Laborteaux had some great scripts to work with.

great esp...great lesson in it.great acting.

I haven't seen this one for a long time, but I remember thinking it was too much "1980s" - Just Say No campaign and everything. I don't know that a school back then would really even allow someone who had been addicted to drugs come and talk to the kids like that. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have the impression that things like that would have been more covered up.

I think the writer (was it ML?) was trying to do a good thing for kids in the 1980s, but I just remember thinking this episode was "dorky" when it was first aired. No offense to those of you who really love it. As I wrote, I have not seen it for a long time, and now that I'm "grown up" maybe I would appreciate it a lot more. I may have felt like it was too preachy back in the day.

I think a better episode about drug addiction was the one where that one lady's son returned from the army....I think he had been in the Civil War? It was the guy who played on EMPTY NEST, if I remember correctly. But I have not seen that one for a long time, either.

I agree with you. I'm pretty sure Michael met with Nancy Reagan, and one of his children suffered with a drug addiction, so perhaps that influenced how the episode turned out.

While I don't watch it often, the episode (I think it's called Soldier's Return) where Mrs. Whipple's son, Granville, returns is very sad and powerful.

Well, if this episode helped even one kid to stay off drugs or to seek help for drug addiction, then I am still glad it aired, even if it not my favorite episode.

I lost a son at 6 years of age. I watched Albert grow up on Little House. This was one of Matthew Laboteaux's finest acting performances.
Some many of the episodes were centered around Albert and they were great stories. When he smiled his whole face lit up, and when he cried
it was all over for me. Home Again was a tremendous episode, and "A Look Back To Yesterday" when Albert comes down with Leukemia
was gut wrenching. The relationship Charles had with him was an example of Father-Son relationships should be. Adopted or not,
Albert will always be my favorite character on Little House. The sin is that Matt never won any Emmy awards for what he did on that
show. He certainly deserved them. To this day, in my opinion, he hasn't gotten the credit he deserves for a fine body of work.
Dave

This was always a hard episode to watch. Didn't Laura say at the end of the ep that he returned as Dr. Albert Ingalls...even though Landon decided to kill him off in one of the post series specials? It's nice to think that first version happened, instead of him dying and the town being blowing up.

Samantha wrote:

This was always a hard episode to watch. Didn't Laura say at the end of the ep that he returned as Dr. Albert Ingalls...even though Landon decided to kill him off in one of the post series specials? It's nice to think that first version happened, instead of him dying and the town being blowing up.

THis is one of the things that bothered me. I know that sometimes there are some inconsistences in TV shows writings but that's so much. The episode about drugs was not so far away from the one in which Albert dies...so, how it comes that writers just forgot about the whole "Doctor Ingalls" thing? Besides, "Home again" was a very strong episode , an episode that people could remeber very well since Albert was so out of character in it. Again...How could they forgot the fact that Albert should become "Doctor Ingalls" and return to Walnut Grove to work there? No; thei choose to kill the boy and distroy the whole town. Nonsense!

Vanesa.

Davetucson wrote:

I lost a son at 6 years of age.

I am so sorry Dave. I can't even imagine.

Davetucson wrote:

I watched Albert grow up on Little House. This was one of Matthew Laboteaux's finest acting performances.
Some many of the episodes were centered around Albert and they were great stories. When he smiled his whole face lit up, and when he cried
it was all over for me. Home Again was a tremendous episode, and "A Look Back To Yesterday" when Albert comes down with Leukemia
was gut wrenching. The relationship Charles had with him was an example of Father-Son relationships should be. Adopted or not,
Albert will always be my favorite character on Little House. The sin is that Matt never won any Emmy awards for what he did on that
show. He certainly deserved them. To this day, in my opinion, he hasn't gotten the credit he deserves for a fine body of work.
Dave

I could not agree with you more. Probably NO one's tears affected me in the way that Matt's did. He was so amazing in the role of Albert, and I agree, he deserved more acknowledgment for his performances. Michael Landon certainly knew what he was doing when he cast him!

Although this is a tough episode to watch, it was just SO good. They did a great job with the time that was allotted....it's a difficult enough subject that it could have been a three part episode or something, but of course that wasn't not going to happen. I always loved the powerful connection between Michael and Matt too. It was obvious how much they respected each other. I only wish Matt would have continued with more acting as he grew older. I can't help but think of a wasted gift.


Welcome to the board, Dave!

Welcome to the board, Dave!

Lossing a son at 6 years of age must be demolishing. I don't know if I would have your strenght to go ahead after it...

Vanesa.

I agree with amyk. While Albert's my favorite character on the show and I think Matt L. is an amazing actor, some of the scenes in Home Again are a little corny/preachy. Especially the end when he goes and talk at the school. I think historically they would of tried to cover his drug addition up and not have the whole town know about it. That said, in the context of the 1980s it was a good effort to keep kids off drugs.

prairiedances wrote:

I agree with amyk. While Albert's my favorite character on the show and I think Matt L. is an amazing actor, some of the scenes in Home Again are a little corny/preachy. Especially the end when he goes and talk at the school. I think historically they would of tried to cover his drug addition up and not have the whole town know about it. That said, in the context of the 1980s it was a good effort to keep kids off drugs.

I don't think it's preachy and I suppose that time to time people could do what Albert did in this epie, even back then...What bothered me is the kind of speech he gave. The WORDS he used were too modern for me.

Vanesa.

prairiedances wrote:

I agree with amyk. While Albert's my favorite character on the show and I think Matt L. is an amazing actor, some of the scenes in Home Again are a little corny/preachy. Especially the end when he goes and talk at the school. I think historically they would of tried to cover his drug addition up and not have the whole town know about it. That said, in the context of the 1980s it was a good effort to keep kids off drugs.

I guess for me this was no different than any other corny/preachy LH episode in a lot of ways. Most of them were. I totally agree with you about the talk at the school....people were not 'open' about their major personal issues back then like we are today. But yes, it served the purpose of the episode, and Michael Landon needed a 'final word' on the whole drug lesson he was trying to teach.

Vanesa wrote:

What bothered me is the kind of speech he gave. The WORDS he used were too modern for me. Vanesa.

Yes, totally....actually I thought that way OFTEN about the final two seasons of the show----the language (and some aspects) seemed far too modernized and unbelieveable for the era.

amyk wrote:

I think a better episode about drug addiction was the one where that one lady's son returned from the army....I think he had been in the Civil War? It was the guy who played on EMPTY NEST, if I remember correctly. But I have not seen that one for a long time, either.

I agree with this....that was very well done and more of the era, I think. Dr. Quinn did an episode on this too...I have wondered if they got it from Little House. But, that said, this was an older man, hardened by the war who became addicted. I think Michael Landon was looking for something more relatable to kids, like another teen who gets into the wrong crowd, such as Albert did. Yes, still a tad unrealistic, given the era, but considering Albert had gone from the country to the city against his will, not totally inconceiveable.