Little House on the Prairie
Summary
This article contains mention of sexual assault , ferocity , and death .
Little House on the Prairiehad a lot of dismal and distressing episodes that sometimes seemed out of place in a show that was normally as wholesome as the fib of the Ingalls family . Little House on the Prairiepremiered in 1974 , an American diachronic drama series base on the small fry ’s novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder . The Holy Writ were based on her puerility in the American Midwest in the late 1800s . However , for a video show based on children ’s novels , Little Housenever feared decease dark .
The chief account was about a good , everlasting family led by Charles Ingalls ( Michael Landon ) , someone who get up his family to be God - fearing and well - meaning . However , through the nine seasons , the show sheer into the kingdom of darkness more than once . There were murderers , rapists , children ’s deaths , and addiction issues all on display , and no one was safe from these dreary musical theme . Looking back on these sad episodesand the form of dependent matter that was feature is a disgraceful reminder of how grimLittle House on the Prairiecould be .
20Plague
Season 1, Episode 18
Little House on the Prairiewasted no clip in including fantastically colored episodes , with one of the most harrowing arriving in the show first season . The eighteenth instalment ofLittle House on the Prairieseason 1 is titled " Plague " , which severalize viewers all they require to know about the plot . In " Plague " , Walnut Grove experience a fatally deadly epidemic of Typhus . This episode is dark not just because of the result of the disease itself , but also because of the reactions of the other Walnut Grove resident , who succumb to paranoia and forcefully quarantine the sick in the township church .
Multiple pocket-sized persona die in " Plague " , and this darkLittle House on the Prairieepisode does n’t hold back from evince just how brutal disease outbreaks in the late nineteenth century could be . It was one of the first time the show displayed how easily it could switch from wholesome to terrible , and to this day many fans remember it as one of the most hard episodes to get through .
19The Aftermath
Season 4, Episode 8
There are several instalment ofLittle House on the Prairiethat focus on outlaw , be they malefactor , rapists , and everything in between . However , one of the darkest is time of year 4 ’s " The Aftermath " . The episode centre on the reaching of Frank and Jesse James to Walnut Grove . The pair take on false name and manage to blend into the universe , hiring Mary to work for them in the procedure .
The instalment is especially tense since there ’s no guarantee Mary will survive , peculiarly when the twosome take her surety . While this episode is also regarded as one of the best by those who savour the westerly elements ofLittle House on the Prairie , the incessant dread as Mary gets unknowingly close to two confirmed vicious killer also makes it one of the most nailbiting . gratefully , Mary outlast , but the sense of dread throughout is tangible .
18The Reincarnation Of Nellie
Season 8, Episodes 1-2
Not all of the darkestLittle House on the Prairieepisodes are violent or tragically sad . Some stick with viewers simply because they ’re so weird that they surround on disturbing , which is definitely the case with season 8 ’s " The Reincarnation Of Nellie " . This is also the sequence where Nancy Oleson is introduce to the show . She is embrace by Harriet , who proceeds to attempt her good to turn her into a ringer of Nellie as a child . This on its own is creepy enough , but it ’s not the only dark chemical element of the two parter .
Nancy soon proves herself to be beyond a smattering . She gets up to a good deal during her debutLittle House on the Prairiedebut , including locking Belinda in an trash shed so she could get the lead part in a schooltime melodic . Then , to make the episode blue still , the townsfolk of Walnut Grove decide that the respectable penalty for the lilliputian lady friend is public mortification , so she ’s made to be the queen of the dunk army tank at the fete . To add another layer of tragedy too , it emerges that Nancy was yield up for adoption by her grandmother because of her doings .
17The Enchanted Cottage
Season 5, Episode 21
" The Enchanted Cottage " arrives inThe Little House on the Prairieseason 5 , and while the entire sequence is n’t necessarily one of the darkest , it does comprise a few of the most harrowing moment in the show . Specifically , it ’s the scenes where Mary seek to come in to terminus with the fact that she may not ever retrieve her sightedness that make this such a hard watch .
While Mary being unreasoning eventually came to be the grounds she was considered one of the strongest and most endearing theatrical role on the show , " The Enchanted Cottage " was unquestionably the most tragic point in this particular bow . The scene where Charles has to inform Mary that she ’ll never get her sight back is genuinely hard to watch , and actress Melissa Sue Anderson draw Mary ’s response to the news so convincing that it ’s almost unimaginable to forget .
16A Child With No Name
Season 9, Episode 18
It ’s not difficult to excuse why season 9 ’s " A fry With No Name " is one of the darkest episodes in the entirety ofLittle House on the Prairie . Even from the premiss it ’s clear it ’s a difficult installment to stomach , since it ’s rivet on the death of a babe . At the start of the instalment , Laura ’s newborn son dies in mysterious and unexplained fate . The grief she sense is palpable , but this incredibly dark episode does n’t arrest with the going of such a untested life .
Laura blame Doc Baker for the death of her youngster , cite his incompetence as the reason the infant did n’t make it . The multitude of Walnut Grove all buy into this account and Doc Baker is almost trace out of town . If it were n’t for the fact that Rose amount down with variola major — which can be fatal — and needed Doc Baker ’s helper , it ’s highly potential he would have never been grant to return .
15The Monster Of Walnut Grove
Season 3, Episode 5
It is true that " The Monster of Walnut Grove " is a sillierLittle House on the Prairieepisode than many of the other truly coloured ace . However , it is still one that deals with darker ideas and could be particularly fearsome to unseasoned audiences of the unremarkably mild show . It is also a special sequence asLittle House on the Prairiemight not seem like the form of series to do aHalloween - theme installment .
The installment embrace the vibes of the time of year as Laura seems to find a neighbour behead his own married woman . While the whole affair turn out to be a funny misunderstanding , that is n’t reveal until the end of the sequence , and the approximation of Laura think she ’s find a horrible law-breaking is a pretty gloomy idea . This also contribute to a memorable final minute when some of the frightened child suppose find out the Headless Horseman righting to get them .
14Raccoon
Season 1, Episode 10
Even the first time of year ofLittle House on the Prairiedealt with some heavy subject . “Raccoon " was one other episode that ended that also dish up as an exemplar of how the show sometimes lead the story down a dark path only to conclude things in a peaceful way before the remnant . The episode deals with Laura getting a pet racoon which ends up scratching both her and the family dog , Jack .
Things get much more serious when the raccoon return and tone-beginning , impel Charles to vote down it only to discover that it is rabid . Not only does the installment look to be mimic theclassic heartbreaking dog movieOld Yellerwith Jack looking as though he ’ll have to be put down , but Laura ’s life sentence is in danger as well . gratefully , it is reveal that the rabid racoon was not the same one who scratched Laura and Jack .
13I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away
Season 4, Episode 21
The wholesome Ingalls family find a lot of the darkest moments in the series , but they were often spared the most fell moments for the sake of the audience who loved these characters . However , that does not mean everything was okay for them as this installment prove . Itdeals with the grievous realization that Mary is going blind . Mary was an ambitious and determined youthful woman with her lifetime ahead of her , but this news show struck a devastating blow to her .
The dark moment in the sequence comes when Mary wakes up in bed to feel that she is completely unsighted and screams in anguish for her father to help her .
While the diagnosing is shuddery enough , the dark bit in the episode come when Mary wake up in bottom to find that she is all unsighted and screams in anguish for her Church Father to facilitate her . While the storyline would prove to be a powerful one for her character , finding new strength and resoluteness while starting a new lifetime for herself , this episode dealt with the fear she face with the unknown life history forward of her .
Custom Image by Colin McCormick
12The Lord Is My Shepherd
Season 1, Episodes 13-14
While the stoical and noble Charles Ingalls is often seen as the lead character for the serial , much of the show is seen through the centre of young Laura . This include second when she realise mistake , act as egotistically , and is filled with guilty conscience . All of these things and the lessons she learns because of them play into the emotional first season sequence of " The Lord is My Shepherd . "
The installment get the Ingalls household welcome a newfangled small fry with the birth of a child boy . Young Laura speedily grows jealous of the baby and the attention it is receive from her parents . She call for God to take the child away only for her newfangled baby brother to get sick and die . Torn by guilt over think she was responsible , she lean away to a nearby brow to ask God to take her or else of the baby . While it terminate with Laura returning home , it is a heavy example for a young girl to deal with .
11The Lost Ones
Season 7, Episode 21
Many the great unwashed might not have been cognizant thatJason Bateman ’s acting unveiling was onLittle House on the Prairie . Before becoming a big name as part of the cast ofArrested Developmentor leadingOzarkto great acclaim , Bateman was introduced in Season 7 of the show as James Cooper . However , it was a deep tragical intromission forthe young character as he witnesses both of his parents kill in an accident right before his eyes .
James is then adopted by the Ingalls kinfolk , becoming a strong part of their family . However , his first episode deals with his heartbreak over his loss and having to start over with a fresh family line . Young Batemen gives a powerful performance in the purpose that is devastating as he deals with his newfangled realness , despite how friendly the Ingalls are .
