LHOTP: A New Beginning

It's probably just me but I really didn't enjoy the episodes towards the end..where the Carters moved in, Jenny came to stay..even Nancy. I watch them occasionally when they're on but I never warmed up to these characters. They seemed to try and make the Carters the new Ingalls family. Nancy was nothing like Nellie..the whole "You hate me!!" drove me crazy!! And Jenny didn't contribute much.

I've been lurking for a couple weeks here and I noticed these characters are never really talked about.

It's not just you. I have a lot of the same thoughts about season 9. Although it's my least favorite season overall, there are a handful of really good episodes, like "Home Again", "A Child With No Name", and "May I Have This Dance".

Many people don't like season 9...there were some good episodes in that season though...but they just didn't measure up to episodes from previous seasons...

Hmm....I don't like this season very much. There are some good epies in it, but almost all of them are not very good.

Jenny is -for me -just unbearable... The writers wanted to make a "new Laura" from her, but Jenny has nothing of Laura's spunky character..and I don't know if LHOTP fans could really like her in any way. I think she is a little cheesy..I don't know why, but I don't like her and never could even if I tried hard to be fond of her.

However, I do like Nancy. Of course NOT as a Nellie's substitute. She was a certain kind of perverse, mean little girl that always excisted. Nellie has some kindness on her, Nancy was absolutely cold, evil, a beatiful angel-face with a demon heart... Well; I do like Nancy's character. It's a good add for the show. (I can't say the same about James and Cassandra)

And the Carters...Sorry, but I see them as sappy people. Mr. Carter wants to be like Charles...He does all that Charles did before him. And Mrs. Carter wanted to show herself as sweet and supportive as Ma Caroline was...whithout NEVER reaching it!

The other good add besides Nancy, was Mr. Montague. Sadly, he was on the show only one episode and the three final movies. Too bad they doesn't add him in more episodes.

Vanesa.

Vanesa wrote:

And the Carters...Sorry, but I see them as sappy people. Mr. Carter wants to be like Charles...He does all that Charles did before him. And Mrs. Carter wanted to show herself as sweet and supportive as Ma Caroline was...whithout NEVER reaching it!

I have heard in interviews that the Carters never meant to replace the Ingalls.. etc... BUT... what can they expect if they are put to live in the same house! I think that was the problem... they should have not lived in the Little House... maybe I would have opened up more to their characters if they had lived in a different house... but if you put them in the place where the Ingalls lived for years... you bet my brain will automatically compare the 2 families lol

Wait..............there was a Season Nine???




















:Hahaha: Okay.......so I know there *is* a season nine. I just dislike so much of it, that I tend to block its existence from my memory. Jenny makes me shudder......."The Carters" could easily have been named "The Cardboards" and some of the storylines were historically inaccurate - which always bugs me. But Nancy......for some reason I enjoyed her. (Oh dear........what does that say about me?? :Hahaha: ) Allison (Balsom? Something like that) seemed to have so much fun playing Nancy, that it was fun for me to watch her. But the rest of the season.......there are a couple of good episodes, but not enough for me to buy the whole season.

I like some of them like the ones with the wild boy. I would say I like the one when Albert is addicted to morphine, but that's to much for me to handle. If they wanted to bring him back for an epi, they could have made it a happier one, lol.

I'd rather watch seasons 5-8.

Beckie

Oh...and we must remember that Nancy apeared in the show at season 8, not nine.

vanesa.

Carol wrote:

Vanesa wrote:

And the Carters...Sorry, but I see them as sappy people. Mr. Carter wants to be like Charles...He does all that Charles did before him. And Mrs. Carter wanted to show herself as sweet and supportive as Ma Caroline was...whithout NEVER reaching it!

I have heard in interviews that the Carters never meant to replace the Ingalls.. etc... BUT... what can they expect if they are put to live in the same house! I think that was the problem... they should have not lived in the Little House... maybe I would have opened up more to their characters if they had lived in a different house... but if you put them in the place where the Ingalls lived for years... you bet my brain will automatically compare the 2 families lol

Melissa Gilbert did a good job of talking about the Carters, Jenny Wilder, and Nancy Oleson and dispelling the idea that they were trying to recreate what LHOP had with Charles and Caroline, and the rivalry between Laura and Nellie, but as you point out Carol, it is difficult to see that as a fan.

I think it must have been a huge challenge to have new writers for this season. I'm pretty sure Michael had taken most of his regular crew to work on Highway to Heaven (anyone can feel free to correct me if I am wrong). So, you have new characters and new writers, which can work sometimes, but in this instance it didn't do well.

The trials and tribulations of a young family growing up in the Little House on Plum Creek had already been done--very well, I might add. The rivalry between the country girl and the rich town girl had been done--also, very well. The storyline of the older man falling in love with the younger woman had been done and the story of a child falling down a mine shift (or in Season 9 a well) had been done. If they had taken these new characters and created very unique circumstances for them, perhaps Season 9 would have been accepted in a better way. Or, if the focus had been on Laura and Almanzo instead of so many characters, this season might have been easier for fans to swallow.

Unfortunately, Season 9 really did not seem to have any focus. The epsiodes hop all over the place and some of them are downright ridiculous--dare I mention For the Love of Blance.

The best writing seemed to be saved for the final three movies, as if to ensure that LHOP went out on a good note.

BTW, when we get to the Season 9 Showdown, it might be easier to go with the handful of episodes we liked instead of trying to beat one another out to eliminate all the bad ones. LOL! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Cheryl

I think Matt is the only one of that age that could have pulled it off. I know I probably couldn't have done that at 14 or 15. Now I'd love the chance to try and act something similar to that. But maybe not with all the puke, lol.

Beckie

I don't like the "morphine" episode, either. The script was wonderful, and Matt acted greatly, but I think the whole thing of morphine adiction was not to fit Albert's character. It was a hard episode..The vomiting part is disgusting (no need to show that), and I can't stand when he hits Miss Plum at the face. I know these things happens, but are too hard to swallow in images.

Vanesa.

You are so right. It was not right to do that to Albert's character. Totally not him. He was a lot smarter than that. And yes, the vomiting was extremely unnecessary imo. But if I had a child, I would totally sit them down to watch this. I know it would have scared the crap out of me when I was younger.

Beckie

I actually liked that episode very much. Matt did a great job and proof of that is that some times you want to turn away because of how real he made it look.
As for the part not fitting his character.... actually it goes to show that anybody can get into drugs... it doesn't matter if you have been a good person all your life.... if you get into the wrong crowd and start experimenting w/ stuff... you will become addicted... like Albert did in this episode.

I have seen two actors do a great job acting a tough scene like that... Matt & Leo DiCaprio.

Here is a clip of that scene I found in youtube.... it's in french but you can still see what's going on... Leo plays this kid who is hooked on drugs... a friend of his finds him all beat up on the street and takes him home w/ him to clean him up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNF35HfWeKY&mode=related&search=

All that aside ( from season 9) what about the absence of Mrs Oleson without so much of a explaination except that she was at some new fangeled "fat farm' for the time. trying to loose weight...deal with some health issues or whatever it was. Mentioned only once however and then *poof* it was like we were supposed to forget for the most part that she was ever there.

I did soo LOVe the interactions between Mr Edwards and Mrs Oleson. I think my favorite line between them was " and yer still ugly" said to Mrs O from Mr E.

It certainly wasn't the same without Mrs. Oleson, but she was around in Season 9, just not for the final three movies. She supposedly had some health issue (the character), but I don't think it was explained better than that.