Dearest Albert, I'll Miss You

In this episode, Laura assigns penpals to the class. Albert corresponds with a girl and lies about himself to impress this girl. the girl does the same thing. I'm sorry but I don't remember the girls' name! when Albert manages to go to the city and goes to meet his penpal at her house, the girl refuses to see Albert because she doesn't want him to know she was lying about everything she told him and that she is really in a wheelchair.

I sort of didn't like this one because even though both Albert and his penpal lied to impress each other, I think Albert's penpal lied more because she couldn't trust Albert enough to tell him that she was in a wheelchair

I think the girl's name was Leslie, but I'm not sure. The first name that popped into my head was Penelope, but that was the girl that Albert liked at first but she liked Andy instead, and then Albert dropped the greased pig on her at the fair. Getting back to "Dearest Albert...", I believe there's a serious anachronism here, because I don't believe basketball had been invented at that time. If it had, I doubt it had spread to Minnesota yet.

Basketball began in 1891 in Springfield, MA. The Hall of Fame is only about 15 minutes from our house. So, you're right, no basketball yet because it was supposedly 1889 at the start of Season 9 when the Ingalls family left town (I'm trying to remember the date from Laura's narrative in "Times Are Changing" and I think that's the year).

Leslie Barton is the girl's name and I can't say that I really liked this episode either. This is just one of several episodes that focuses on Albert's inability to find love. While it's probably realistic of this day and age, I don't know that I feel it was time period appropriate for Albert to fall in love with so many girls and have it not result in marriage. And even if it were appropriate for that time period, I don't think I would have missed anything if they never showed this episode. If Carrie's famous line is, "I have to go to the outhouse," then Albert's should be "But Pa, I love her."

Not crazy about this episode. I don't know, why Leslie just tell Albert about her accident in the first place? When she wrote to him. Make more sense. Didn't the actress played on a different show or episode?

When you think about it. kids still do the lying.Expect this time kids do it online like to make them look good. So i guess my point it.Some things never change.

I don't think what either of them did was right. That's not a good why to start a friendship.

I thought this was a depressing episode. How could Albert fall in love with someone-he's never met?

easyt72000 wrote:

I thought this was a depressing episode. How could Albert fall in love with someone-he's never met?

Well, nowadays it's pretty common. Some people fells in love ...BY INTERNET! I don't understand it, but it happens. Sometimes they met and it works, sometimes not...

Vanesa.

Not the best LHOTP episode...

easyt72000 wrote:

I thought this was a depressing episode. How could Albert fall in love with someone-he's never met?

I always felt that way too. It's like they wanted to create an epsiode only for Matt--which is fine--but at least make it a good one.

bethandmanly wrote:

easyt72000 wrote:

I thought this was a depressing episode. How could Albert fall in love with someone-he's never met?

I always felt that way too. It's like they wanted to create an epsiode only for Matt--which is fine--but at least make it a good one.

But this is pretty common, believes it or not...Some people idolizes a pen pal much before he/she could meet him/her.

Vanesa.

Not one I like to watch.

I skiped this episode.today on my dvd, I agree ppl today fall in love with girls/boys. online. I don't get it either,

I didn't particularly care for this one......I didn't like the shows centered around Albert

I don't mind them being around albert.Just this esp sucked,

ChristineLovesLHOTP wrote:

I didn't particularly care for this one......I didn't like the shows centered around Albert

I get a kick out of the purest's that didn't like Albert.
The show would have been cancelled several years earlier
if Albert wasn't around.

HIGH FIVE Dave. I agree. That kid knew how to act and he touched our hearts.
BTW....I will email you. Got one drawing done and got some ideas for another of Albert. I haven't forgotten you.

Gin wrote:

HIGH FIVE Dave. I agree. That kid knew how to act and he touched our hearts.
BTW....I will email you. Got one drawing done and got some ideas for another of Albert. I haven't forgotten you.

Thanks Gin! I am looking forward to seeing the drawings. I normally don't react to posts like
that, but I don't understand people who fail to realize what Matt contributed to that show.
Great to hear from you!
Dave

Davetucson wrote:

ChristineLovesLHOTP wrote:

I didn't particularly care for this one......I didn't like the shows centered around Albert

I get a kick out of the purest's that didn't like Albert.
The show would have been cancelled several years earlier
if Albert wasn't around.

They definitely needed an older kid in the Ingalls family to keep viewers interested, especially since they decided not to develop Carrie at all. I think they overdid his trials in the love department, but he was a great character.

I don't think that Albert character was "needed" to keep the show around and that the show will be closed if he wasn't included. But I DO LIKE his character. And Matthew Labortheaux is a TERRIFIC actor. I like him as an actor and his character in LHOTP was beatifully choosen.

Vanesa.

Vanesa wrote:

I don't think that Albert character was "needed" to keep the show around and that the show will be closed if he wasn't included. But I DO LIKE his character. And Matthew Labortheaux is a TERRIFIC actor. I like him as an actor and his character in LHOTP was beatifully choosen.

Vanesa.

WELL SAID VANESA!

Vanesa wrote:

I don't think that Albert character was "needed" to keep the show around and that the show will be closed if he wasn't included. But I DO LIKE his character. And Matthew Labortheaux is a TERRIFIC actor. I like him as an actor and his character in LHOTP was beatifully choosen.

Vanesa.

I don't think the show would have been cancelled just because Albert didn't exist, but with Mary off in Winoka or Sleepy Eye (and married), Laura needed to have a sibling to create some of the rivalry that Albert brought, and the closeness that they shared. The decision not to make Carrie a bigger part of the show, meant the writers would have had greater challenges in coming up with storylines for the Ingalls family.

It's not any different than bringing in the Carters with their two boys to create some of the same dynamics once Laura was married, yet her child was too young to create many parenting problems.

I do wish Carrie had been developed more. Although Albert, was great especially along side his real life brother Patrick (who played Andrew).

Can you imagine what all could have been written about Rose? As I've read she was a little spit fire as a child. That might have made Nancy look good.

I may irritate some folks when I say this, but keep in mind, it is only an opinion. If Michael would have decided to really develop Carrie, I think they would have had to replace Lindsey and Sidney. Not the greatest actors in the world. I simply do not think they could have pulled it off. As sweet as they both were, I just don't think they were cut out for any heavy roles.
Rose must have been something Gin if she could make Nancy look good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!