The Cheaters

I just watched this episode today, and thought it was good. I liked how Charles pointed out to Albert that you are also cheating if you are not doing your absoluter best.

Yeah, I like this one. I like it when a character does something wrong and then realizes what a relief it is to come clean rather than continue to dig themselves a deeper hole. This is what Andy did in this episode -- sort of like what happened to Laura in "The Music Box".

I only like this episdoe bc it stars Andy! I feel really sorry for him tho. i know how it feels to be in trouble and you dont know what to do and you just wish you had never done it in the first place and then you keep doing it and doing it and doing it until you have dug such a deep whole that the only thing you can di is........ Oh sorry. Poor Andy, he did the right thing tho! Three cheers for Andy! :cheer42:

a funny episode! one of the only ones where Nellie Oleson was in the wrong. she certainly got what she deserved when Mrs. Garvey told Harriet what Nellie had done

Mrs. Olsen almost always thinks that it was not a good idea to punish her children.

This was a good one.It really teaches you a lesson.

Yes, does teach you a lesson. I like this episode.

Nellie seemed smart enough not to have to cheat though.

I love the part at the end where Harriet is chasing Nellie out of the schoolhouse and whipping her with her jacket!!!!

It's great when Andy has the courage to tell the truth in this episode

Ruth wrote:

I love the part at the end where Harriet is chasing Nellie out of the schoolhouse and whipping her with her jacket!!!!

It's great when Andy has the courage to tell the truth in this episode

I just watched this one today, and also the interview on the same disc with Alison Arngrim. Did you know that Kathleen MacGregor was supposed to fold the jacket before she was to 'whip' Nellie down the street? It came unfolded and Alison said all those metal button were hitting her head She said those screams weren't acting at all!


You know, I've seen this episode many times, but it hit me how sorry I feel for Andy in this episode. I kind of want to give Alice Garvey a piece of my mind! I mean, I get it, she thinks her son should know more because he's the teacher's son, but forgive me, HOW long has she taught school??? Like, a year?? And, how can she possibly be this dense, to not realize that school comes more easily to some kids than others, like Albert (or Nellie, as she believed was the case). I mean, Caroline was a teacher. Can you picture her putting such unrealistic expectations on her girls, had she been their teacher? Would she have made them feel about 2 feet tall, as Alice Garvey did to Andy? It's all part o' the story, I know, , but it's still frustrating nevertheless.

Amy wrote:

I just watched this one today, and also the interview on the same disc with Alison Arngrim. Did you know that Kathleen MacGregor was supposed to fold the jacket before she was to 'whip' Nellie down the street? It came unfolded and Alison said all those metal button were hitting her head She said those screams weren't acting at all!

Oh wow. Oops.

Ehat a pain! Poor Alison!

Vanesa.

Ruth wrote:

I love the part at the end where Harriet is chasing Nellie out of the schoolhouse and whipping her with her jacket!!!!

It's great when Andy has the courage to tell the truth in this episode

very funnny

I really liked this episode......Nellie was just so gosh darned bad

I felt bad for Andy...and since he didn't live with the Ingall's, he was going to get hit. : )
I thought he was wrong but him Mom was too blame also.,..anyone who thought Nellie was a good tutor needs her head examined.
I like the episodes when Harriet is so disgusted she is the disciplinarian which doesn't happen often.

littlehouselover wrote:

I felt bad for Andy...and since he didn't live with the Ingall's, he was going to get hit. : )
I thought he was wrong but him Mom was too blame also.,..anyone who thought Nellie was a good tutor needs her head examined.
I like the episodes when Harriet is so disgusted she is the disciplinarian which doesn't happen often.

Yes, it's nice to see Hariet actually upset w/ Nellie.

haha Yeah that only happens occasionally!!

I liked the ending of this episode because when Harriet finally found out that Nellie was cheating and teaching someone else to do it, we saw a rare moment when young Nellie got the treatment that she deserved so often but almost never actually got!

Yes the ending was very funny!

I thought that this was a great episode! You really get to see the nasty side of Harriet and Nellie throughout this episode... I sometimes can't believe the gall that Harriet has to say some of the things she does.

I too think that Alice was expecting too much from Andy, and in too short of a time. When Nellie trapped Andy into cheating or telling on him, it sort of reminded me of how Laura was trapped by Nellie in "The Music Box". I think the only reason Nellie offered to "help" was because she wanted to get a copy of the final test from Andy. It was nice when Andy finally told his mom that he had been cheating. I really liked when Laura stayed to tell Alice why Andy had been cheating, and how Nellie had also been cheating and that Nellie showed Andy how to cheat.

The best part of this episode was the end where Alice exposes that Nellie has been cheating... and they way she did it! Alice got Nellie's jacket off, and kept it up front with her... Without her jacket, Nellie couldn't get the good grades she had been getting because she didn't have the answers to check. I love the scene where Laura, Albert, and Andy talk to Nellie while on break... Then how when Nellie says that Andy lied and told Alice that she had been cheating.. and Laura says "He didn't tell her, I did!" Then Harriet shows up because she "knows" that Nellie is going to get the blue ribbon. The look on her face when she hears that Albert was the one that had the perfect score, and it wasn't Nellie was great! Then Harriet storms up to Alice and accuses her of grading Nellie's paper incorrectly. I love how Alice responds.. "You may be right. You can check the answers if you want. They are right here, inside Nellie's jacket. The same jacket she has worn for every test I have given.. except this last one. I kept it up here on my desk... Have a nice day!"  

Then Harriet storms over to Nellie and says "What have you done to embarrass me like that!" And Nellie replies "You said I was just like you!" Then Harriet runs out chasing Nellie with her coat. The look on Alice's face was great. It was kind of her way of turning Harriet's previous conversation about her Andy being embarrassing around!

Well, here's  scene you didn't see! This took place right after Andy's Mom got all over him in class and kept him after school for flunking the test. She rubbed salt by reminding him how smart Albert was.
They are walking home from school and Andy wants to tear Albert's head off for making them look like idiots!

Wow, they keep cutting some good scenes! I wonder what their reason was for cutting them out? Thanks for posting that!

I just watched this again off of my remastered DVDs last night. That cut scene that you posted above was critical to the story, Dave! It explained why Albert stopped doing his best, and began doing poorly on the tests... it also explains why he so eagerly wanted to show Andy his poor grade. He wanted Andy to be his friend, and he thought that he wouldn't be as long as he continued to have one of the best grades in the class. Without that scene, I didn't understand why Albert was doing that.

There were a couple other good cut scenes in this episode as well.