Was this their "Jump the Shark Moment?" Why did everybody move from the country to the big city? Were ratings in the tank or something? Just curious...

I really don't remember - it's been a long time since I've seen Season 5 (when the locale changed to Winoka). That's where the Ingalls family meets "Albert". In any case, the big move didn't last long - only 5 episodes later, the characters were all back in Walnut Grove as if nothing had happened.

I've never read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books -- maybe there was a storyline in one of those that was followed for the TV series?

Anyway I did find those episodes interesting.

The Railroad bought the town or something.

I know that after the first season, there was actually little resemblance to the books. From what I remember, Mary had gone blind, (true in real life, although she never married or had children.) and after the Ingalls sent her to an Iowa Blind School, she meets Adam and both decide to teach there. However, Adam leaves the Iowa school to fund and teach in the Winoka School. Mary who made such progress in the beautiful two-parter "I'll Be Waiving As You Drive Away," although believability is strained going from "PA!!!!!! I Can't See!!!! I can't see!!!! to baking and cooking and having the ability to teach in just TWO episodes!!!! A little too unrealistic here! LOL!

In the course of coming home from settling Mary at the Blind School, Walnut Grove faces financial ruin. (Although everything gets worked out by the next episode in most cases.) Despite Charles hating the city, the Ingalls move to Winoka for about three weeks worth of episodes. Mary sees how unhappy Pa is, as part of the reason why Charles was willing to go to the city so that his family could be together and Mary could teach. However, Mary is now able to function independently and she and Adam begin building a life of teaching the blind children at the school. Mary convices Charles that, "As Long As We Are Together" (in love and support) it will be like we were never apart." He than bids a tearful farwell to Mary and the city.

The producers than wisely decided to limit the city episodes to specific issues with Mary and Adam, or occasional visits from the Ingalls for special occasions. But remember that this was the time when Albert came into the series and this in the opinion of many started the downfall of too many kids, too many lapses in continuity. Little House became less and less about a sensitive farm family and its community problems became more of a "Crisis of the Week." Albert lead to the God-Aweful Cooper kids, and the stereotype that said, "If you could make Pa cry, you were part of the family!" LOL!

Despite my hatred of Albert, there is one absolutely cry your eyes out episode that was so emotionally draining and painful it was hard for me to rewatch it. It's called "The Craftsmen."

Jack

Yeah, I think moving to the city was definitely the turning point, because the first 4 seasons had remained somewhat faithful to the books. Then they went crazy with the Adopt-a-Brat Syndrome. :dizzy: