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199 of 204 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
FULL EPISODE LIST & DESCRIPTIONS W/ ORIGINAL AIR DATES, April 4, 2005
First, please let me say that MICHAEL LANDON WAS A GENIUS, without him there would not be this series.
"Little House On The Prairie" Season Eight was the final year of the traditional series; Season 9 and the following TV movies revolved around the new(er) cast after Charles and his family moved to the city. As a result, most fans of this beloved program consider this to be the final season and the best of this long running family friendly dramatic program.
Mary and Adam move to New York in season eight and return for a Christmas visit with the entire family in the Ingallses little house. Nellie also moves and Mrs. Oleson adopts a new daughter who is even more warped (believe it or not) than Nellie ever was. Cassandra and James' uncle strikes it big and tries to steal his niece and nephew away from Charles and Caroline on the eve of their legal adoption. Caroline teaches Laura's class a very humanitarian lesson when Almonzo is away. ...These, and many more classic eps are just waiting to be viewed from Season 8!
Here is a detailed list of ever episode from Season 8:
The Reincarnation of Nellie (part 1) (October 5, 1981)
Percival and Nellie move New York so that Percival can run the family business. The Olesons decide adopt a girl named Nancy who is even more spoiled than Nellie ever was. Suffice it to say, Mrs. Oleson falls in love with her new adopted daughter.
The Reincarnation of Nellie (part 2) (October 5, 1981)
Coincidentally (because Nellie moved there in the previous episode), Adam and Mary move to New York at the beginning of the episode. Where Nellie was simply a spoiled brat, Nancy proves to be a demented creature hell-bent on causing trouble. With the help of Albert and Willie, Mrs. Wilder's students devise a plan to teach this monster a lesson.
Growin' Pains (October 12, 1981)
The entire Ingalls home is in disarray with all of the children living under one (small) roof. Albert is especially annoyed, especially with James. Charles takes the time to remind him that Laura and Carrie never made him feel unwelcome when he first came to live with them. James runs away because he feels he won't be missed. Albert goes after him and the brothers learn to get along before they come back home.
Dark Sage (October 26, 1981)
Dr. Baker gets a new associate, Dr. Caleb Ledoux. Dr. Ledoux finds that the town of Walnut Grove could use a lesson in tolerance, especially his new associate Dr. Baker. A women in labor needs immediate medical attention and her bigoted husband refuses to allow Dr. Ledoux to help her because he is African-American. Charles has to punch the ignorant bigot out so that his wife can get proper medical attention. In the end, Dr. Baker sees his mistakes and Dr. Ledoux agrees to stay in town.
A Wiser Heart (November 2, 1981)
Laura meets up with her sister-in-law, Eliza Jane at a literary conference in Arizona. The ladies get in a nasty fight because Eliza Jane thinks that Laura is keeping her from their teacher who Eliza has a crush on. Come to find out, the teacher wants to get closer to Laura who doesn't want to have any part of him. There's also a couple of funny scenes when Laura took a part-time job as a dishwasher (Leslie Landon-Etta Plum in season 9 - Michael Landon's daughter has a cameo as another dishwasher).
Gambini The Great (November 9, 1981)
Charles and Nels worry about the dangers of emulating a traveling circus performer who comes to Walnut Grove.
The Legend of Black Jake (November 16, 1981)
Although not one of my favorites, this episode is sort-of a screwball episode. It was not the usual drama; it was more humorous. Crooks come to town and kidnap Mr. Oleson trying to get Mrs. Oleson to pay ransom. They also kidnap several other people but leave town without hurting anyone.
Chicago (November 23, 1981)
Charles goes to Chicago to be with Mr. Edwards (a longtime Ingalls family friend, since the original pilot movie) because his adopted son John, Jr., died. The cause of John, Jr.'s death was a mystery and Charles and Mr. Edwards enlist the help of the newspaper that John worked for.
For The Love of Nancy (November 30, 1981)
Mean-spirited Nancy is at her most devilish in this episode. Elmer, an overweight schoolmate takes a liking to Nancy and foolishly thinks she befriended him. Elmer learns a priceless lesson in self-respect.
Wave of the Future (December 7, 1981)
Mrs. Oleson buys into a restaurant franchise causing Hester-Sue and Caroline to nearly quit because of all the extra work.
A Christmas They Never Forgot (December 21, 1981)
The entire Ingalls family, including Laura, Almonzo, Adam, Mary and Hester-Sue recall past Christmas memories around the Ingalls table. This is also Mary and Adam's final appearance.
No Beast So Fierce (January 4, 1982)
James makes friends with Gideon Hale, a schoolmate that stutters. There are hurt feelings when Gideon overhears James cruelly making fun of him. A wolf that follows James and Charles on a delivery trip may hold the key for bringing Gideon out of his shell.
Stone Soup (January 18, 1982)
Laura finds that balancing her career and managing Almonzo's orchard, while he and Charles are gone on a delivery trip to Arizona, too much to handle.
The Legacy (January 25, 1982)
The original episode shows a modern scene (from the 1980's) with a flashback to this episode. Charles beings making tables so that he could pass on a legacy. Charles soon realizes that memories of his family is a lot more important.
Uncle Jed (February 1, 1982)
Uncle Jed comes into a lot of money (he struck gold) and comes to claim his estranged niece and nephew. A court battle ensues with Jed telling Charles that he will never win.
Second Chance (February 8, 1982)
Hester-Sue's ex-husband comes to town trying to win her back. She reluctantly agrees to trust him again only to be let down.
Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (1) (February 15, 1982)
The Wilders' marriage is put to its first major test when Almonzo, soon after recovering from an illness, is stricken by a stroke. This was a ninety minute episode.
Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (2) (February 22, 1982)
Almonzo, bitter at his apparent life-crippling illness, nearly gives up on life, despite the birth of little Rose. His attitude nearly drives Laura to consider leaving her husband. A tornado that destroys the farmstead may hold the key to both of their futures.
A Promise To Keep (March 1, 1982)
Mr. Edwards comes back to Walnut Grove for good because Grace divorces him (he started drinking again and she and Alicia did not want to have anything to do with him). Mr. Edwards' longtime friendship with Charles is put to the test when Mr. Edwards risks Albert's safety while he's drunk.
A Faraway Cry (March 8, 1982)
A longtime friend of Caroline writes to her and asks for help. Her friend is pregnant and lives at a gold prospector's camp where there is an outbreak of influenza. With Dr. Baker's help, Caroline agrees to go because she knows that her dear friend wouldn't ask if she wasn't in need of dire assistance.
He Was Only Twelve (1) (May 3, 1982)
James joins Charles, Albert and Mr. Edwards as they travel to Sleepy Eye for a delivery. James is shot in a store robbery and goes into a coma.
He Was Only Twelve (2) (May 10, 1982)
When everyone has given up on poor James, Charles keeps his faith and hopes for the best. This is the final episode of "Little House On The Prairie" before it was renamed to "Little House: A New Beginning." This is also the last episode with the core cast of Charles and Caroline and their children, because they move away in the next season.
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67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little House grows up . . . , March 12, 2005
Season Eight features the introduction of Nancy, the birth of Rose, the kidnapping of Nels by two incompetent crook-wannabes, the investigation of John Jr.'s death in Chicago, Christmas reminiscing from our favorite characters, the return of Hester Sue's ex-husband, and the miraculous recovery of James in the season finale. By this season, most of the plots revolve around more "adult" matters than those of the earlier years, but it is no less wholesome and heartwarming. A priceless show to grow up on!
And now, the episodes, first aired from October 1981 to May 1982:
The Reincarnation of Nellie (pts. 1 & 2)
Growin' Pains
Dark Sage
A Wiser Heart
Gambini the Great
The Legend of Black Jake
Chicago
For the Love of Nancy
Wave of the Future
A Christmas They Never Forgot
No Beast So Fierce
Stone Soup
The Legacy
Uncle Jed
Second Chance
Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow (pts. 1 & 2)
A Promise To Keep
A Faraway Cry
He Was Only Twelve (pts. 1 & 2)
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The last season with Ma and Pa!! : (, April 1, 2005
This is last season with the Ingalls family (Pa, Ma, Albert, Carrie, James, and Cassandra), and in Season 9 the Carter family will move into the Ingalls' old house, while Pa moves his family to pursue other opportunites in a city (and we are left with just Laura, Almanzo, Rose, Mr. Edwards, and the townsfolk).
There is a lot of drama in this season (8): Almanzo gets hurt and cannot walk, then he and Laura lose their home, almost their relationship, and Eliza Jane tries to save the day and fails (all in one two-part episode). James gets shot and almost dies so Pa, slightly crazed, takes him away and erects an altar and prays for him out in the woods. "Stone Soup" is a touching episode where a very pregnant Laura struggles to look after the dying tree plot. We are also introduced to Nancy (Harriet, in her sadness over Nellie moving away adopts a replacement) and her famous line "You HATE me!!" Nancy creates a lot of drama as she is more evil than Nellie.
As a big fan of the show, and of the real Laura Ingalls Wilder, I enjoyed this season. It is definitely not true to the books, terribly inaccurate, but as a television show, it is great. Out of the whole series, the first season was the closet in authenticity to Laura's fiction books with more unique plot lines. As the series progressed through the years, it moved further and further from the literature. I also highly recommend the pilot episode to true fans; it is not found on any of the season disks, only separate.
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