Wednesday January 7, 1976
2015
Isaiah and Grace Edwards are both delighted with their new family, but trouble soon begins between Isaiah and his oldest adopted son John. Isaiah does not understand the boy's interest in books and poetry, and he would much prefer a son with whom he could farm and hunt. That clearly is not the kind of life John enjoys, but Isaiah keeps pushing it, and when the two go on a hunting trip together, the unthinkable occurs, placing their entire relationship on the line.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)It's better than most... hide show
John Jr. only appears in FIVE eps of LHOTP. Remember Me both parts, I'll Ride The Wind, the one with Mary in Chicago, and this one...His Father's Son. It's really covers an essence not genuninely covered until later "Little House" years and that is the essence of father/son relationships. I have viewed this episode on at least several occcasions and I never tire of it. The acting in this one probably supars other performances in this particular season (with the expection of the appearance of Richard Mulligan in a later ep). It's one of those eppys that you can view 220 thousand times and want to watch a dozen more. But be wary parents, this is a somewhat graphic episode.
Mr. Edwards tries to make his newly adopted son, John, more like him--with near fatal results. hide show
This episode tenderly explores the relationship between the grizzled, blustering Mr. Edwards, and his gentle, bookish, newly adopted son, John Junior. When John's birthday arrives, his new stepmother, Grace, fittingly presents him with books of literature and poetry. John, the budding writer, is thrilled. But when Edwards presents him with a shotgun, a horrified John barely manages to keep it together as he squeaks out a simple, "thank you". When Edwards announces that the two will go hunting that week, Grace tries privately to reason with him, to no avail. John even writes his stepfather a letter explaining his total inability to shoot another living creature, which Edwards brushes aside; unbeknownst to John, his stepfather can't read. Flash forward to the hunting trip: before the first shot can be fired, a bear tears out of the woods and savagely attacks Mr. Edwards while a terrified John stands by, frozen. As Edwards recovers, John blames himself for failing to act. The episode concludes with a father and son heart-to-heart about their love for each other, in spite of their differences.
It's nice to watch the fine example of male bonding in this episode. I also like that the writers didn't have Mr. Edwards "blame" John for his inaction; rather, they had him fault himself for forcing the boy into an impossible situation. Viewers be warned: the bear attack, while brief, is intense, realistic and frightening and should not be viewed by younger children.
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