Charles, Joe Kagan and Mrs. Oleson help Adam and Mary lead a group of blind students on a journey from the Winoka School for the Blind to the outskirts of Walnut Grove, where they help establish the Harriet Oleson School For The Blind inside Lars Hanson's old house. During the episode, a key supporting character learns to deal with her own racist attitudes – thanks to the wisdom of a blind young African American boy, and Adam learns to deal with a profound fear of water.
This episode originally aired as a two-part episode. A feature-length version is available in syndication; the fully story – i.e., both parts – are covered here in this single episode recap.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Blind Black Guy: Several of the young children who are on the journey are indeed blind and African American, as the blind school mends with another one consisting of Black kids under Mrs. Hester Sue Terhune's care.
- Heel–Face Turn: In a sense, as one of the black students - a winsome boy named Samson - who was on the journey to rural Walnut Grove asks Mrs. Oleson why she hates blacks. Mrs. Oleson, try as she might, fumbles around for an explanation but finds she cannot justify her own attitudes, much less coherently put them into words … and then sees that the black children are just like her. Nothing really different at all, just kind, innocent, loving, caring, intelligent … and clueless as to why anyone hates them. That "in a sense" is stated because even though her attitude softens toward black people – and in fact, Hester Sue does become somewhat of a close friend and confidant to her as time passes – Mrs. Oleson is never truly 100 percent comfortable around black people during the rest of the series. In real life interviews, Katherine MacGregor has spoken highly of Marcus Chong, the actor who played Samson, stating that she thoroughly enjoyed working with him, calling him "the sweetest boy"; additionally, she – and others in the cast – also became close friends with Ketty Lester.
- Henpecked Husband: Averted here; while Harriet can usually coerce Nels into reluctantly going along with her wishes, he breaks rank this time and casts the deciding vote allowing Joe Kagan to become a member of the church. Afterwards, Rev. Alden commends Nels for his decision, promising the latter will get his reward in Heaven, to which Nels replies, "I hope so, Reverend, because it's going to be Hell on Earth when I get home!".
- Hidden Depths: Joe Kagan, the only other recurring black character in the series (a former boxer turned pig rancher whom Charles drafts to help lead the journey) is usually (at least within the course of this episode) depicted as somewhat of a comic foil who tries to court Hester Sue (but is rebuffed because she thinks he's uncouth). But at one point during the journey, when Samson asks him why white people hate blacks and call them mean names, Joe explains why, in simple terms that the kid can understand. Charles, incidentally, listens in and is not only impressed by Joe's wisdom, but it puts to rest any lingering discomfort he might have had about his friend.
- N-Word Privileges: While strongly bigoted and even harboring hints of racism – especially when she learns Hester Sue Terhune is not an elite social lady as she had hoped, but simply a teacher's aide who was black – Mrs. Oleson somehow never utters the n-word. That duty falls on racist farmer Jud Larabee when he sees the Ingalls and other Blind School folks treating Hester Sue as a friend … and it is Mrs. Oleson who acts to shut Larabee up!
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Joe Kagan, usually a bit of an irreverent jokester and Deadpan Snarker, uses a rare serious moment to explain to Samson about racism when the latter asks why Mrs. Oleson doesn't seem to like him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: This is the first episode to showcase Jud Larrabee's blatant racism, as he's part of the church council that bars Joe Kagan from joining the church, and later scolds Mrs. Oleson, who'd previously agreed with him when he sees her getting along with Hester Sue and the black kids.
- Put on a Bus: Winoka hotel owner Mr. Standish makes his final appearance; true to his character, he was not only the one who bought the Blind School just to turn it into another hotel, but initially tries to rip Adam off by renting him a sub-par team of horses for the journey to Walnut Grove, only to relent when Charles and Joe Kagan barge into Standish's gambling den (with the emaciated horses in tow) and call him out for it. Additionally, Winoka Blind School principal Mr. Ames is likewise seen for the last time; understandably, as he reveals to Adam that he has a terminal ailment (though David Hooks, who played the role, would later appear as Luther Abbott in the season 9 two-part episode "The Wild Boy").
- Why Did It Have To Be Water?: Adam has an extreme fear of water and crossing rivers, and during the journey panics when he learns the entourage is approaching a river crossing. Former prizefighter Joe Kagan knocks Adam unconscious before they cross the river, and keeps him that way until they are well clear. The group later learns that, when he was a teen-ager, Adam, while crossing a river bank, slipped and hit his head on a rock, causing him to lose his sight.
