He Was Only Twelve (2)

Season 8, Episode 22, Aired

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As James lies in a coma at the Ingalls house, Charles increases the distress of his family by denying the child's impending death. Angry that nobody--not even Doc Baker--offers any hope for James' recovery, Charles takes his son away to the mountains, where he builds a temple and prays fiercely for a miracle.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (8)

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  • Refusing to accept the impending death of his adopted son, Charles takes the comatose boy out into the wilderness, builds an altar and awaits the miracle that ultimately saves him.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By BMeskunas, Dec 10, 2011
    I loved this show until this episode - at which point Michael Landon completely destroyed the show's credibility and I never watched another episode. I remember, the first time I saw it, wondering why Charles - who was never the religious rock of the Ingalls family in previous episodes - was suddenly willing to believe in miracles. Where was the altar when he was told his own daughter was going blind? This was completely out of character for Charles Ingalls.

    And, while I'm the first to admit that miracles DO occur, this one just wasn't plausible to me. This episode's second half would have been much more meaningful if the boy (who was shortly going to be off the show anyway) had died. Michael Landon (complete with the whole Moses beard and moustache look) really blew it with this one.moreless

  • James, in a coma after being shot, hovers near death. Charles builds an alter, grows a beard and prays. Miracle of miracles, James lives.

    3.0
    "Bad"
    By DrCook920, Dec 10, 2011
    This episode made me begin to question whether or not Michael Landon had lost his marbles.(Just check out the beard and you'll know what I mean) I still cannot accept that after all the adversity he had faced in the past (Mary went blind for crying out loud) he's going to fall apart now over a child that's not even his!! He's only known him for a year!
    OK, Freddie died, Laura ran away, Mary had an operation, Ma nearly died, Mary went blind, etc, etc, etc...And through it all Charles had his faith to comfort him. Think of the lovely scene in Part one of "The Lord is My Shepard" when he and Ma say the Lord's Prayer together. His faith was there to help him get through the tough times, not to circumvent them.
    I never liked the addition of James and Cassandra in the first place, so I don't think I would have cared for this episode even if Charles' behavior wasn't so radical. Why couldn't it have been Albert? There is nothing here that makes any sense or adds to the series as a whole.
    Dreadful.moreless

  • Michael Landon revives his "I was a Teenage Werewolf" days by growing a beard and scaring audiences.

    3.0
    "Bad"
    By millerem99, Dec 10, 2011
    His character's facial growth isn't the only frightening thing about this episode. The plotline combined with Charles' slightly mystic religious connotations take the viewer on a surreal experience out of Walnut Grove and into The Twilight Zone. Charles professes that he's heard a message from God that his son, James - who is in a coma - will be healed. The whole family flips out under the stress of being told James is bound to die, but Charles' insistence that he'll live. In a bizarre coincidence, Doc Baker happens to have a buddy who is a psychologist who happens to be in Walnut Grove (even though personal psychology was a relatively new phenomenon in the United States in the 1800's) who stops by to psychoanalyze Charles after Doc Baker happens to overhear in the mercantile Charles' plans to take James away for a miraculous healing. Charles gives the docs the brush-off, packs up comatose James in his wagon, and goes off to set up camp, nurse James, and build an altar. In the process, he grows a beard that would terrorize small children, coaxes James into moving his eyes, and meets a strange man who is of course some sort of an angelic figure. Miracles do happen and people I know have been suddenly healed, but this plot was just too gimmicky. Charles' theology comes off more as quirky than touching, and that beard just enhanced the sentiment. Charles has never been known not to be perfectly clean-shaven throughout the worst of the prairie epidemcis. Couldn't he have packed a razor on this trip?moreless

  • Charles hopes for a miracle to heal a comafied James and Shockingly succeds

    3.0
    "Bad"
    By lhotpdisney, Dec 10, 2011
    James is in a coma and Charles keeps on insisting that he's going to live. Cassandra is hurt by seeing her brother like this and them hearing Charles talk anout it. She begs to go stay with Laura. Charles insists that god has told him that James will live/survive. He starts telling eople about it and Doctor Baker over hears charles talking and his coincdentally in town phsychaiatrist friend is in town. And then he tries to talk to charles about this. Charles then leaves with James and the family is at home with out those two. Mean while, while out with James in his camp, Charles adds new thingss An alter to heal James and a big ol'beard. (He looks as the real Charles would have.) The alter works as a "light beam" thing goes through the alter and heals James. Caroline Coincidently happens to be looking for them the same time and She sees them and that James actually survived. Wow that is A LOT of cheese.moreless

  • Charles invokes the power of God to heal Justin Bateman.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By PennFarms, Dec 10, 2011
    Everyone else seems to hate this episeode, but for some reason I find these God episodes great. Im not religious by any means, but I enjoy watching Charles test his faith, esp when it pays off BIG TIME. Another great God episode was that one where their son dies and Laura goes to the mountain to talk with God and to trade her life for that of her brothers. I also like this episode because you get to see Charles dispense some "Prairie Justice" on the hooligans that shot up his son James. Charles nearly strangles the gunman to death, but comes to his senses without killing the man. Maybe that was in part one....moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • TRIVIA (5)

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    • This episode marks the final appearance of Bandit, the dog. He is seen for a few seconds outside the Little House during Cassandra's final scene.

    • Doc Baker brings a friend and colleague by to see Charles named Dr. Stanfill, who is a psychiatrist and who just happens to be in town after Doc hears about Charles' plans to take James away for a miraculous healing. However, individual psychology was a very new idea during the late 1800's, particularly in the United States. Psychology at that time, especially in the West, would have been limited to committing a family member who was "touched" to an asylum.

    • Charles retorts to being told that it isn't necessarily God he's hearing by saying, "It's a good thing you weren't around 2,000 years ago" when Moses received the Ten Commandments. However, Charles is mixing up his Biblical chronology, as Jesus walked the earth 2,000 years ago, and Moses was alive 1,400 years before Christ.

    • Notice that the past four series finales have involved characters dying or being near death. There was leukemia-stricken young Dylan in Season 5's The Odyssey; diphtheria-stricken Almanzo in Season 6's He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, Part 2; the wagon accident that killed James and Cassandra's parents in Season 7's The Lost Ones; and now James is near death from a gunshot wound in this episode.

    • Charles' character goes down a road that we have not seen in previous episodes, at least not in this way. Although he was always extremely religious, Charles also knew when to accept reality and understand that not everything could be made better simply through prayer. In this episode, however, Charles detaches himself from all reality and clings solely to his faith, depending wholly and completely on a miracle to save his son.

  • QUOTES (2)

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    • Cassandra: Why does Pa keep talking like James is getting better? Why? Caroline: Because he wants it to be true. Cassandra: But it's not. And I can't stand to watch him anymore. Please, Ma, let me go away. Let me stay with Laura. I love James, but... I can't.

    • Doc Baker: What you're asking for is a miracle. Charles: I've spent my whole life believing in God's word. Why shouldn't I ask for a miracle?

  • NOTES (10)

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    • This episode marks the final appearance of Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls, so we don't get to see the character past the age of about 10. Less is known about the real Carrie Ingalls than Laura and Mary, but she married David Swanzey, the man who gave Mt. Rushmore its name, and lived out her life in the shadow of that mountain in Keystone, South Dakota. She and her husband are buried in the Keystone town cemetery, which bears a historical marker in honor of the town's two most famous residents. Their graves are just a 10-minute walk from Mount Rushmore.

    • This is Carrie Ingalls' last episode. It should be noted that when asked which Greenbush twin did more scenes over the course of the series, it was said that Lindsay did, because Sidney had a bone cyst in her left arm, which caused her to break her arm multiple times. Because Sidney was in a cast so often, Lindsay had to do most of the acting as Carrie.

    • Martin Rudy, who plays psychiatrist Dr. Stanfill in this episode, appeared in Season 7's Dearest Albert, I'll Miss You, also as a doctor.

    • This is the only time in the series that we see Charles Ingalls with a beard, and it really is a sight to see!

    • This the the final appearance of Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush as Carrie, Brenda and Wendi Turnbaugh as Grace, Jason Bateman as James and Missy Francis as Cassandra. The episode also marks the last appearances of Michael Landon, Karen Grassle and Matthew Laborateaux as regular cast members.

    • Part 1 of this episode was a re-write of the 1972 Bonanza episode, He Was Only Seven. The second part of this episode, however, is not recycled.

    • Featured characters: Charles and James

    • David Rose won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for He Was Only Twelve, part 2.

    • Ted Voightlander was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series for He Was Only Twelve, part 2.

    • Charles has a beard in this episode to show us of how time has passed.

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