"Times of Change"

Some things I wish they had addressed in this episode -
How did the Edwardses end up in California? Most likely they never made it back from Gold Country. Somewhere along the way maybe they changed their minds and decided to go to California instead - perhaps Mr. Edwards was still worried things wouldn't be so good in Walnut Grove, or that there was too much civilization around there (this was implied in "The Return of Mr. Edwards").
Also, I wish we'd gotten to hear what John said to Mary after talking to Charles. He probably would've had to admit he'd been seeing someone else, but I don't think that was the real issue - in fact I don't even think he like that girl very well. My impression is that he and that girl didn't last very long after that evening. I'd still liked to have heard how he phrased it though - I don't think people used the expression "seeing someone else" back then. I'd also like to know how long he'd been seeing that other girl and what possessed him to start seeing her in the first place. I got the feeling that maybe John's friend pressured him into it. It still seemed out of character for him to cheat on Mary, but I guess he was human and he'd probably been feeling guilty about it.
I think the main issue was just that long-distance relationships usually don't last.

Victor French did have other things to do, and for a while, they were not speaking, so that seemed like an easy thing to say, they could always bring him back.

I know the actor who played John, was disappointed that they wrote him off later and this seemed like the beginning of that. If he wasn't going to have a relationship with Mary, there wouldn't be any use for him. I know some were saddened by how they made him a louse, but it wasn't that unbelievable. He was there for a while, and became what was around him. He never would have wanted to move back to Walnut Grove and I couldn't picture Mary in that lifestyle. His lying was bad, leading her on, but he's not the first male or female to have trouble saying "It's over", although John had a way with words. He just kept putting it off. I felt sorry for her seeming so out of place and the shirt she made John seeming so out of place also.

I know it fits the plot, but they always made "city" people overall bad, the girls were not as proper, too fancy and the men, rude and not very Christian. I'm sure they had big differences in the atmosphere, but I'm sure nice couples and young men and women existed.

littlehouselover wrote:

I know it fits the plot, but they always made "city" people overall bad, the girls were not as proper, too fancy and the men, rude and not very Christian. I'm sure they had big differences in the atmosphere, but I'm sure nice couples and young men and women existed.

This is something that always bugged me too. I know that corruption existed back then, just like it does now, but everyone from the city is a devious scoundrel.

And towns like Walnut Grove depended on them for some of their income and things.