Wednesday December 18, 1974
1009
Assuming responsibility for her baby brother's death, Laura runs to the mountains in the middle of the night. Atop the mountain with her is Jonathan, a kindly old man who helps her reaffirm her relationship with God as she comes to terms with her guilt. Meanwhile, Charles and Mr. Edwards search frantically for the little girl, and Charles is overwhelmed with pain as he recognizes his neglectful behavior toward Laura in recent months. Just when things are looking very dim, a miraculous sign reunites father and daughter for one of the most emotionally charged moments in the show's history.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)Best Little House on the Prairie episode My favorite!!! hide show
The only problem with The Lord is my Shepard part two
episode is their are no mountain ranges in south western Minnesota. Another thing about this episode is they look down from the mountain to see a large river. The largest river to Walnut Grove is the Minnesota River which is about thirty miles away. Are we to believe that Laura walked 30 miles to a area of Minnesota where their are no mountains or bluffs in one day. Clearly this episode was filmed in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Their is no
other Little House on the Prairie episode better then
this one. john@antihotmail.com
Laura meets a protective stranger in her quest for God in the mountains. As Charles and Mr. Edwards search for her, Laura learns from Jonathan in more ways than one. A true blue tear-jerker. hide show
I remember this episode when it first came out. I was about eight or so and I remember my father crying at the end. The spiritual message is particularly inspiring to me, yet not in a heavy-handed way. To think that Michael Landon wrote it really shows what an all-around genius that man was. They just don't make this quality of material these days and we need it badly! When you think about how Christianity is sometimes portrayed, it's nice to see something which deals about redemption instead of the usual stuff about punishment. And I think it's also important because this is a common mistake of parents: the favoring of one child over another, even if only due to a new birth. Parents need to be sensitive to the feelings of their other children. To the reviewer on here (Miller): your comments and observations seemed a bit insensitive. Laura needed a beating? A child never needs physical punishment. She was jealous and then she was guilty. She needed understanding.
Laura heads for the hills - again. hide show
This second of the two-part episode is the first Little House I can remember watching as a little kid, but that is perhaps it's only endearment to me. Seeing it again as an adult, it is painful indeed to watch, from Laura's perpetual self-centered behavior to Jonathan's questionable theology to watching an already grief-stricken Charles shoulder the additional burden his daughter places upon him with her flighty antics. Laura was selfish while her brother was alive, then self-focused in guilt and running away after his death. (Had she been like Mary and Carrie in understanding that a new baby would temporarily take some of the attention away from her, or if she had at least talked to her pa about her feelings, she would not have been struck with the overwhelming sense of guilt after her brother died. One thing I never cared for about Laura was how she never thought through how her actions would hurt others). Then there's the jovial celestial being, Jonathan. He's alright - a little overweight for an angel perhaps - but for someone claiming to be a messenger of God, he doesn't seem to know his Creator very well and makes some strange statements, such as "God doesn't have time" for certain things, etc. I know it's only fictional, but for a messenger of God to tell a little girl things about God that aren't true always kind of irked me. The roughest spot of the show for me, however, is the scene towards the end in which Charles is overcome with grief and buries his face in his horse and just sobs. I can't imagine being a parent and losing a newborn baby, then on top of it having to search the wilderness for another child who had heard the news and simply run off - and wondering the entire time if she'd been eaten by bears or mauled by a mountain lion, etc. Instead of a hug, I just wish ol' Pa would have taken a strap to her at the end, and Edwards too!
Little Laura's emotions shift from anger to unbearable guilt when the brother she thought she resented dies in infancy.Truly believing that she has robbed her beloved Pa of the one thing he wanted most in the world, Laura runs away with a desire to make t hide show
This is far and away the finest episode in the entire series--a favorite of Melissa Gilbert's and simply a landmark episode in the series' 10-year run.
This episode depicts the finest of childhood innocence and weaves a beautiful sense of faith into the plot that will no doubt leave you in tears. It's been said numerous times that Laura Ingalls Wilder's books--and this television series by extension--have one major underlying source: Laura's relationship with her Pa. The stories revolve around the entire Ingalls family, yes, but with episodes like this it is clear as day that it is really about Laura and her bond with her father.
Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert had phenomenol chemistry on-screen as father and daughter, and this very episode leaves you wondering how they managed to do it so beautifully. Melissa Gilbert was a gem of an actress, even at that young age, and we all know what a legendary talent Michael Landon was. I have grown to love this series and all its episodes, but if ever asked what my favorite is, nothing holds a candle to the emotionally charged and spiritually uplifting "The Lord is My Shepherd."
Get out the kleenex! hide show
Yes, yes, I have read (elsewhere) that having the high hills in this episode were ridiculous, as this part of the country didn't have high hills, and it's sappy and corny. Yes, yes.
Well, who cares, because this is one of the finest hour of television in the 1970's -- and possibly beyond.
This episode (the two-hour version) is one of Melissa Gilbert's favorites -- and I believe is probably a favorite for most LHOTP viewers.
Ernest Borgnine is perfect as the exasperated Jonathan (angel?!) trying to make sure Laura doesn't keep running away but back to her family.
Melissa Gilbert does a tour-de-force showing Laura's emotions from guilt to action to dismay to relief and everything in between.
And, I don't care who doesn't like some of the continuity issues in this episode. Who can keep a dry eye when Charles breaks down weeping by his horse (and even Mr. Edwards gets dewy eyed.)
I loved seeing this as a child when it first aired and I love seeing it now as a woman in her 40's.
Forget the naysayers; watch this episode and enjoy it to the fullest.
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