First impressions are everything, but sometimes, so are mistaken ones.
In the end, the lesson is that sometimes, when there's trouble in your midst, you have to deal with it immediately.
Such as what happens when "The Bully Boys" come to Walnut Grove.
The bullies are the notorious Galender family, brothers George, Sam and Bubba. The three don't quite seem to fit in – indeed, not much is known about their past, except that they haven't found a place they can settle in, so everyone decides to go out of their way to welcome them. Mr. Hanson and Nels each extend them a generous line of credit, on the promise that once a bank draft arrives they'll pay their tab. Meanwhile, Bubba is enrolled in school; it's at a time when many of the older boys are working in the fields at harvest.
If only the townsfolk's generosity was repaid with gratitude.
Bubba quickly asserts himself as a troublemaker … big time. He's rude in class, and at recess, when he wants his turn and wants it now, he throws a ball way too hard, knocking over a little girl – A LITTLE GIRL!!! – and sends her sprawling. Bubba laughs, and this draws the attention of both Mary and Nellie. Nellie thinks Bubba's kind of cute and, so she can get her way in town and at school, she decides to befriend him. Mary, meanwhile, is rightfully aghast and calls out Bubba. Bubba licks his chops and smacks her hard in the face, blackening her eye.
George and Sam, meanwhile, begin to run up bills at both the Mercantile and Hanson's Mill, and there's no sign of the bank draft. Meanwhile, the two older Galenders learn that one of Hanson's customers is waiting for a load of lumber so, out of the "kindness" of their hearts, they sell it to him at a discounted rate. Lumber they don't even legally own, mind you.
Eventually, the town airs their grievances to the Reverend Alden, but he's talked with the Galenders and they've told him their sob story – their mother is seriously, possibly terminally ill, a fact they've been hiding from their baby brother Bubba, and the Galenders are just down on their luck. Alden buys the story lock, stock and barrel and suggests to the town to "turn the other cheek."
If only that were good advice (from a pastor who normally has given excellent advice) … .
Bubba accelerates his reign of terror at school, helping Nellie assert herself as the school's Alpha Bitch and pushing around everyone. Remember, no older boys at school, and none of the younger boys are able to come close to matching Bubba's size or strength. One day, when Mary – who is avoiding Bubba – has her homework done and Bubba doesn't, he wants to turn her work in as his own. Mary tells him no, and when she tries to walk away, Bubba punches her … hard! Laura tries to defend Mary, and she, too, gets socked!
One afternoon, Sam and George – whom Charles is already getting really frustrated with – meet Caroline as she's on the way into town. They get fresh with her and corner her, and Caroline tries to fight her way out of things, but Sam and George like feisty, fighting women. Caroline is able to get away but her dress is torn. Sam and Bubba snicker as Caroline runs off. Charles comes home and sees Caroline's disheveled look and demands to know what happened. An angry Charles goes to the Galenders to beat them up, but they scoff at him, describing Caroline as "handsome" and "soft." Those nearly homophobic words (usually, the term "handsome" is used in reference to men) really sets off Charles, and he initially gets the upper hand, but is soon overpowered and beaten into bloody unconsciousness. Mr. Edwards eventually finds a battered Charles, with three broken ribs, a broken arm and a hairline skull fracture.
Reverend Alden visits Charles, but Charles is not exactly in a good mood. He – and several of the others – finally vent everything about the Galenders. Alden finally decides to confront the Galenders about the accusations, and when he visits their home, he finds only the young Bubba, who reveals that their mother is not ill: she ran off with a drummer. The Reverend also concludes that there was never any bank draft and that he was totally wrong about the Gallendars … they aren't "misunderstood," but rather just three thugs that need to be dealt with severely.
At school, Mary and Laura again see Bubba asserting himself on the smaller girls and confront him, and again are sent away with violence. This time, the other girls – and yes, even little Willie(!), who as it turns out didn't like Bubba either – run en masse onto Bubba, and this time, he's unable to fight any of them off. Bubba is beaten into submission.
Then, at church the next Sunday, Alden begins his sermon by explaining that sometimes, you don't always recognize when trouble sits among you but once you do, you have to deal with it immediately. George realizes Alden is talking about him and his brothers, and tries to defend himself, but when Alden tells him he realizes who they are and that they are nothing but hooligans and thugs, Sam likewise tries to speak up. The Reverend swiftly snatches Sam up out of his seat, pinning him to the wall with an armlock. With Mr. Edwards and the other men in the front row ready to take George down if he tries to intervene, the normally even-tempered pastor tells them it's time for them to leave … and that they better never return, ever! "We are a congregation, and we stick together!" he shouts at them, meaning that they are "brothers" and will stick up for each other and stand up for what's right when others are bullied and pushed around.
As the defeated Galenders are escorted out of town by the men – indeed, they never do return – the women of the congregation sings, "Onward Christian Soldiers."
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Aerith and Bob: The Galenders consist of older brothers George and Sam, and their teenage brother Bubba, whose name Miss Beadle goes as far as to ask if it's really his given name.
- An Aesop: Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man … or in this case, a town.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: When she learns that she can use him to get her way at school, Nellie falls for Bubba, the youngest of the Gallendar brothers. This actually is a rare aversion for Nellie, as she'd usually have her heart set on "good" boys … usually (but not always) one that Laura is also making a play for.
- Alpha Strike: The final action the town of Walnut Grove takes against the Galenders is for every single able-bodied man to march the trio out of town immediately. Talk about guts!
- Attempted Rape: George and Sam Galender make their move on Caroline. She is able to get away.
Word of God is that they also tried to make a move on Miss Beadle, doing so when she tried to rat out the teenaged Bubba. - The Bully: Times three.
- Bullying a Dragon: Willie makes fun of Bubba's name and gets pushed off his chair. Even if Bubba weren't a nasty bully, provoking a much bigger boy wasn't the smartest idea.
- The Dog Bites Back: After weeks of being tormented, intimidated and even physically assaulted by Bubba, the kids from the school stand up to him after seeing Mary and Laura holding their own against the much bigger boy and, realizing that he can't bully them all at once, beat the living soul out of him.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Mrs. Oleson is pushed to the limit when the Galenders refuse to pay their tab at the Mercantile (they offer excuses) and learns that (at least) Caroline was nearly attacked by the two older brothers.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Charles receives one (off-screen) at the hands of the adult Galenders. To his credit, he was handing Sam his ass until the bigger, stronger George got back into the fight.
- The schoolchildren of Walnut Grove deliver one of these to Bubba after he pushes them too far.
- Pacifist: Reverend Alden initially comes closest to fitting the Thou Shalt Not Kill type, preaching patience and tolerance with the newcomers, thinking they merely are just coming across the wrong way and people just have to get to know them. His tune quickly changes when he learns that Caroline was nearly raped, they were stealing from local businesses, they pushed around respected townsfolk (the town's doctor, Doc Baker, mill owner Mr. Hanson and storekeeper Nels; even Mrs. Oleson is pushed around), they lied about a bank draft (that turned out to be nonexistent) and the teen-aged Bubba was slapping and shoving girls without anyone being able to stand up to him.
- Fire and Brimstone Hell: What Alden becomes once he understands the truth about the Gallendars.
- Practically Different Generations: The Galender brothers consists of George and Sam, who are clearly adults, and Bubba, who's somewhere around Mary and Nellie's age. One would mistake Bubba for being George and Sam's nephew rather than their brother.
- The Quisling: Nellie (naturally) is the only kid who likes Bubba, but only because she can bribe him with sweets from the Mercantile and get him in her good graces to help her have her way at school.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The residents of Walnut Grove are already annoyed with the Galenders, but what really gets them fired up and serious about taking action is the implication that they almost attacked Caroline.
- Ungrateful Bastard: The Galenders, in spades. The townspeople took Reverend Alden's suggestion to be generous and make them feel welcome to heart, and they repaid them by bullying their way. They get a load of lumber at Hanson's Mill under the promise to pay him once their bank draft comes, but sell it to one of Hanson's costumers specifically to screw him up, make excuses to not pay their tab at the Olesons' Mercantile when Nels extends them a generous line of credit and even break an item on purpose, then tell him to put it on their bill.
- Would Hit a Girl: Bubba brutally beans a small girl during a game at recess, and later punches Mary … and earlier, pushes Laura when she tries to calls him out.
- You Wouldn't Hit a Girl With Glasses: Oh yes, Bubba would – and he does when he tries to steal Mary's writing tablet.
- You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: What the Galenders learn the hard way when Reverend Alden calls them out at church on Sunday. When Sam tries to storm the pulpit after realizing the sermon is about him and the trouble he and his brothers have caused, Alden quickly puts his arm in a chicken wing while the men of the congregation restrain George (as a visibly-bruised Bubba looks on, clearly too scared to try anything), and very angrily tells him that he and his family had better leave Walnut Grove now and never return … or else. Even when Sam says that he and his brothers will "be out of here by nightfall", it's not good enough for the preacher, who demands they leave town immediately and only take the items they initially brought with them.
