Freedom Flight

Season 4, Episode 13, Aired

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A Native American man arrives in Walnut Grove with his tribe, seeking medical attention for his ailing father. Doc Baker provides his best treatment for the Chief, but when certain community members to refuse to let them stay in town temporarily, Charles proposes a secret plan with Doc Baker to keep the tribe safe - but it could have deadly consequences for everyone.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

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  • I had so hoped for something better from this one but I was sorely disappointed on all fronts except the acting.

    3.0
    "Bad"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Dec 10, 2011
    Some Native American Indians turn up in Walnut Grove trying to find someone to give medical attention to their Chief, who is quite ill. Of course, Doctor Baker is willing to assist but many people in the town are very much against the idea. Naturally, Charles and his family and friends are supportive but there is a lot of bigotry and hatred surrounding the request until the good doctor and Charles hatch a plan to make assistance possible.

    I consider Michael Landon to have been an incredibly gifted man; as an actor, writer, director and producer and Kevin Hagen is always superb as Doc Baker but there was something really wrong with the way this episode was approached and it showed in the final airing. Sadly, there have been too many episodes in Season 4 which have this problem and the continuity of the show seems shot to pieces, something which is unusual for Landon who was always known as a perfectionist.

    Perhaps they need a little more historical research before they delve into areas which need accuracy.moreless

  • A small band of peaceful Indian’s come to Walnut Grove, seeking medical help for their sick Chief. They are greeted with hostility and hate from most of the town’s people.

    7.8
    "Good"
    By pisces_t, Oct 22, 2010
    A small band of peaceful Indian's come to Walnut Grove, seeking medical help for their sick Chief. They are greeted with hostility and hate from most of the town's people. The Ingall's family hide them to keep them safe from a prejudice man in town who wants to kill them all.
    Laura befriends a native Indian child yellow feather and Mary who first though the Indians were heathens, defends them to a local boy claiming he is unchristian in his beliefs.
    Charles and Doc Baker eventually have to the hide the Indians in the wagon and flee with them to safety when their location is discovered.
    There is a stand off between the Indians and the town's people assisted by the local army. With Charles' help the Indians are able to escape unharmed.
    moreless

  • Well-written and fairly realistic, but has some real problems fitting into series continuity and flow.

    7.7
    "Good"
    By Mac-Ale, Sep 13, 2007
    Charles and Doctor Baker take considerable risks to help a band of Lakota Sioux flee northward to a new life.

    Here is a weird episode, another head-scratcher in many ways that turns up in season 4. It is probably the best-written of all the "Native American episodes" of the series, the differences in culture and the the pride of the Indians comes through very well in the dialog and in the editing. Neither Charles nor the band lose any dignity even as neither totally understands the other. The rebuffing of Laura's interest and Caroline's concern are handled nicely. If this was a stand-alone episode or shot in season 1, I might even give it higher marks. The travel details are terrible, MacGregor runs his horse full speed over 100s of miles, the times and distances don't work at all - but on the other hand, the outdoor locations are among the better of the series, some unavoidable mountains in the background but often very flat with lots of grass.

    I just sense a real slippage in details and characterization here and it rarely gets better in the ensuing run of the series. Mary Ingalls gets the short end of the stick, spewing out anger at the Indians, calling them "a bunch of heathens". Where is this from? The Ingalls had encountered Indians in the pilot movie, and also had previous in-depth interactions with Lame Horse and Spotted Eagle and Mary never reacted remotely like this before. In season 4, Mary runs from sweet and heartbroken ("Times of Change"), to bossy and insufferable ("The Wolves"), to shallow and flirtatious ("Meet Me at the Fair"), to passionately driven ("Whisper County"), to intolerant and rudely pious (this episode). Its just the end for her character as far as I can see. Its also just plain odd that there is always a bunch of angry nasty men from Walnut Grove who show up in episodes just when a misunderstood person or persons is spotlighted in the story.

    But the oddest thing of all, to me, is that this is a good story on its own - it just doesn't fit the series.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (1)

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    • Hearing Mary refer to the Native Americans as "heathens" early in the episode is quite a shock. This is the first time we've ever heard her say such a thing. Still, it does show how she is taking after her mother, who has had a deep-rooted fear and prejudice against Native Americans since the pilot episode. Laura, however, is more like her father and is completely kind and accepting of the Native Americans she encounters.

  • QUOTES (4)

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    • Laura: (goes into the soddy alone to see the Native American tribe) How are you feeling? (the Chief speaks a different language) I hate being sick. Bet you hate it, too. (long pause) I brought something for Yellow Feather. Some people need more love than others. Sally's one of them. I think you'll love her more than I do, so I want you to have her. (gives doll to Yellow Feather)

    • Mary: They're all nothing but heathens! Charlie: Mary, they may not read the same Bible or worship God in the same way, but they are His children, too!

    • Laura: (to the two Native American children) Here, this bread ought to go good with the stew, and I brought some of my Ma's cookies. (the children just stare at her) Well, don't you want a cookie? My Ma makes the best. You don't have to be afraid of me. Older Indian Child: (about his sister) She's afraid of the people who killed her mother.

    • Laura: What's her name? Charles: The chief says they call her Yellow Feather. Laura: Yellow Feather. That's such a pretty name. Mine's so plain. Laura. Charles: Guess you'll just have to live with it. Laura: Guess so.

  • NOTES (1)

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    • This episode was written by two crew members: Ron Chiniquy (Prop Master), and Richalene Kelsay (Key Costumer), to whom Michael Landon gave the opportunity to display their hidden talents as writers. Richalene once told the story of how their episode was conceived: "Ron showed me a doll that was lying around in one of his prop cupboards, and we decided to write a story around it. We visualized the scene where Laura offers the doll to a little Native American girl, and so on. My own mother was Cherokee, and I put a lot of myself into this episode. And Michael gave us a great deal of support; he was so generous. When we had to rewrite some scenes, he gave us every latitude, instead of doing it all himself. It's really hard to imagine having a better boss than him."

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