Little House on the Prairie

There were several unnecessary sub-plots in this episode which I choose to ignore in this review because, in truth, only one mattered a jot.



When Mary begins to have difficulty with her eyes, the family believe she needs new glasses so Charles takes her to see her specialist but instead of a new prescription, he tells Charles that Mary will soon be completely blind as a result of childhood Scarlet Fever.



The Ingalls' devastation is felt by the whole Walnut Grove community as Melissa Sue Anderson gives one of her finest performances as a terrified young woman plunged into a world of sudden darkness. Kudos to all the cast here. A fine job indeed.

When Charles Ingalls learns Mary will lose her eyesight, he is in denial, but in spite of that, she does go blind. At first, she is full of anger and self pity, as anyone would be in such a situation. She gives up doing anything and just sits in a chair, clad in her nightgown, not even brushing her hair. She believes her life is over. Her family waits on her hand and foot, but she is not grateful, she is simply angry and no one knows how to help her.



Doc Baker recommends sending her to a school for the blind. Charles & Caroline don't want to, but they realize it is for the best. Mary only makes it harder by begging to stay. Even though it's temporary, it's a difficult decision for her parents to make, but parents often do things for their children that aren't easy, but are right.



What I like about this episode is the way all the characters react the way we would in real life. How silly the episode would have been had everyone been accepting of the changes. That's just not how humans are. When faced with major life changes, we are sad, depressed, and afraid. It's an excellent episode.

I love this episode! Yes, it's fictional, but it's so well-written and well-acted. Even after watching it hundreds (thousands?? :) ) of times, I still tear up at the scenes where she wakes up unable to see, discovers her new teacher (and future husband) is also blind, and tells her parents she wants to go to Winoka, Dakota, to help him start another school for the blind.



The script, the acting, and the chemistry between MSA and LB is really good, and I really can't say anything bad about it except that, sadly, it's fictional. In reality, Mary lived a sad, isolated life after attending the college for the blind and died soon after her mother, having never learned to live functionally as a blind person and depended so much on her parents to see to her well-being. I wish her life had turned out this well.

I remember when this episode first aired. When Mary started screaming and whining I was SO angry. Laura (the real one) had stated - both in her books and in interviews and other writings - that the one thing that always stood out for her was how brave and patient Mary was through the whole time she was losing her eyesight, never once cried. She also worked to be self-suffient from the very beginning, learning to do minor chores around the house, like sewing. Making such a wonderful, brave character turn into a whiny chicken just for the sake of dramatic license infuriated me, even at the tender age of 13.

When Mary’s eye start to worsen, Charles decides to takes her to a specialist. He is devastated when the specialist tells him that Mary will lose her sight. An emotional Charles tells Caroline about Mary’s condition, but is unable to tell Mary for a while that she is going blind. When Mary’s sight continues to worsen Charles must tell Mary the truth. During this time Charles becomes very emotional and Mary becomes very angry and withdrawn, pushing the family away.

With Doc Baker’s help and guidance the Ingals decide it would be in Mary’s best interest to send her to a School for the Blind in Iowa.

This is the tragic episode where Mary goes blind. And in the second part she later meets Adam Kendall who would soon become her husband. To me this episode is about letting things go and seeing things in a new light. As one door closes another opens. The door of her sight and being a regular teacher closed, but the door of her being able to be a blind teacher and seeing something much more beautiful, love between her and Adam, opened. She just had to walk through it insted of feeling sorry for herself for the first door closing.

89. Mary (1/2) - I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away: Part 1 (6. März 1978)

Marys sehnlichster Wunsch ist es, Lehrerin zu werden. Deshalb nutzt sie auch jede freie Minute zum Pauken. Als ihre Augen beim Lesen schmerzen, suchen sie und ihr Vater einen Augenarzt auf. Aber auch trotz der neuen Brille kann Mary bald nichts mehr sehen...



90. Mary (2/2) - I'll Be Waving As You Drive Away: Part 2 (13. März 1978)

Nach einer Phase der Apathie bringt Charles seine erblindete Tochter Mary doch in eine Blindenschule. Wichtigstes Lernziel an dieser Schule: das Selbstmitleid der Erblindeten zu bekämpfen. Nach vehementen Anfangsschwierigkeiten wird Mary die beste Schülerin; mit Hilfe der Blindenschrift lernt sie sogar lesen...

Excellent episode! The deleted scene of Charles telling Caroline about Mary going blind is on the Region 4 sets that are sold in Australia. It is a really good scene. One of my favourites in this episode! I thought this episode was really well done and a bit of a tearjerker! This episode as well as part two of it really makes you understand how hard it is for someone who is blind. This is an emotional and heartbreaking episode as Mary and her family struggle to deal with her blindness. There is also some drama. This is one of the best Little House episodes!

Mellisa playing a blind girl! Shes the best in this episode! This show really shows what the actors are capable of! They all did a good job all of them are at there best. The introduction of addam was cool to! I think this is what got people into the showoriginionally!