Season 5 of the Waltons

[wmfan/waltonsportwriter]

Season 5 of the Waltons
1) The First Edition A judge crashes into a restaurant John Boy starts his newspaper and Ben gets into trouble at a card game which John Boy has to publish along with the judge’s accident B.
2) The Vigil Mary Ellen Makes a wrong diagnosis about Grandma’s medical condition and gets a valuable lesson in her medical training. A.
3) The Comeback Jason meets up with musician Red Turner who is father of his friend Seth who died in the Gift Season 2. Jason tries to re-kindle Red’s music interest A.
4) The Baptism An evangelist comes to the mountain, preaches harshly, John gets hit by lightning and doesn’t get baptised. A.
5) The Night Walker A mysterious boy scares Waltons Mountain walking in the night until he’s found to be shy and harmless B
6) The Wedding Mary Ellen gets engaged to Dr David Spencer and then falls in love with a mining docor Curt Willard and marries him instead. A.
7) The Cloudburst John Boy sells John Boys Meadow a small piece of family land to a mining developer for money and later regrets it. A.
8) The Great Motorcycle Race Jim Bob enters a motorcycle race after Olivia initially objects and Ike & Corabeth adopt Aimee an orphan 10 year old girl instead of a baby. B.
9) The Pony Cart Martha Corrine family relative who is dying makes a final visit to the family, brings gifts and some final family heritage to John Boy and the family. A+ Excellent episode
10) The Last Mustang A wild rare mustang gets loose and the Waltons brand it so it wont get trapped and John Boy and the family get caught in a contoversial sherriff election. A.
11) The Best Christmas A wonderful Christmas episode and the last one with the whole family together A.
12) The Rebellion Olivia gets a bad and different perm and Grandma is challenged by Zuelika Dunbar for sharing to play the church organ. B.
13) The Ferris Wheel Elizabeth has nightmares about being stuck on a Ferris Wheel and John Boy helps her deal with her feelings about it A.
14) The Elopement Chad, Erin’s first love returns and Chad and Erin run off to elope before John and Olivia can stop them, but theChad and Erin stop the wedding first. A.
15) John’s Crossroad John having trouble with mill work applies for an office job and finds he hates the way it is run by the manager. A.
16) The Career Girl Erin graduates from high school but has trouble making a decision about college or a career. John Boy helps her think about things. Kind of a teenage adolescent episode for Erin. B.
17) The Hero John Boy finds out Sherriff Ep Bridges is a war hero and Ep meets ex war love Sarah Marshall who is also an ambulance driver that Jim Bob admires. A. Good war memorial episode.
18) The Inferno John Boy travels to New Jersey after winning a writing contest only to see the German hindenburg blimp blow up and it deeply affects him A.
19) The Heartbreaker Jason falls in love with Curt’s saucy sister Vanessa and I for one think she had a sexy charming Southern accent that’s my opinion. But she is more interested in going to Nashville to pursue music and breaks Jason’s heart. A.
20) The Long Night Grandpa can’t be near Grandma in the hospital so he has a vigil and sits outside the hospital to be close to her. A.
21) The Hiding Place An American woman, a Baldwin cousin returns from Germany and faces questions from John Boy a determined curious newspaper writer and that causes friction with the lady B.
22) The Go Getter Ben becomes a used car salesman and sells some poor lemon running cars to customers and makes a buck or two. The family and others question his judgement and selling techniques B.
23) The Achievement John Boy as Richard Thomas final episode as a regular cast member. In a lot of ways this was an end to the part of the series with the whole family in it though it continued on another four years. John Boy gets his book published finally in New York City. A.
24) Well these are my thoughts for Season 5 one of my favorite seasons but a sad one because it was the last season that the original John Boy Richard Thomas and the whole Family would be together. After one more season WillGeer would die suddenly, Ellen Corby would have a stroke before returning and then Michael Learned and Ralph Waite would also leave before the series was over. That left it up to the rest of the kids and second John Boy Robert Wightman to close the series along with supporting cast members the Godseys, the Baldwins, Verdie Grant and her family and others. So Season 5 was the end of the series in one way although it went on 4 more years after that. Thanks for reading always and talk soon. Waltonsportwriter/wmfan
Thanks awesome. Oops I looked through the episodes and by passed the Firestorm. That was the 24th episode I was missing in my list

The Firestorm. Excellent episode where John Boy challenges the book burnings especially those of German books in Nazi Germany. A.

[awesomemixtape10]

1) The First Edition B.
2) The Vigil . A.
3) The Comeback b.
4) The Baptism . A+ one of the best in the series.
5) The Night Walker c
6) The Wedding . A.
7) The Cloudburst A.
8) The Great Motorcycle Race . B.
9) The Pony Cart a
10) The Last Mustang . b.
11) The Best A.
12) The Rebellion. B.
13) The Ferris Wheel c.
14) The Elopement c.
15) John’s Crossroad . b
16) The Career Girl c
17) The Hero -b.
18) The Inferno A.
19) The Heartbreaker . b.
20) The Long Night A +
21) The Hiding Place c.
22) The Go Getter c.
23) The Achievement C last jb episode could have been a lot better.

uh where is the "firestorm" the book burning episode.top 5 episode right there...

so far

season 2
season1
season 5
season 4
season 3

i think it

[Heather]

Season 5 was a fantabulous season.

waltonsportwriter, I also found Vanessa's accent charming. I feel so bad for Jason but it's one of my favorite episodes.

I also agree with you that it was sort of like the end of the series in a way. I saw "The Acheivement" once and that was enough.

My other faves from this season are "The Cloudburst", "The Pony Cart", "The Wedding" and I love love love "John's Crossroad". And "The Firestorm" is beyond words. Richard is off the charts in that one.

[awesomemixtape10]

And "The Firestorm" is beyond words. Richard is off the charts in that one.
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without a doubt, Dew

he should have won a 2nd emmy for that episode.

He should be very proud of that episode.

[wmfan/waltonsportwriter]

Yes Richard Thomas was an excellent actor as John Boy and othewrwise. He could be very calm and pleaant and then other times boy could he go off and be domineering when he had something poweful to say like in the Inferno the Hindenburg epiosode when the townfolk came into his living room to congratulate himon his story about the event or the Firestorm when he went off on Reverend Fordwick about the Nazi's and burning bookd. Great comments Dew and awesome Best wishes waltonsportwriter

[goldenslumbers]

Season 5 is The Waltons’ most unusual season in that the show is practically on autopilot by this time. There’s nothing that’s particularly notable about it. It’s not the new show as it was in Season 1. It’s not the revelation in quality that characterizes Season 2. It doesn’t have any BIG episodes as does Season 4.

The show begins to dip its toes into the inane (such as in The Ferris Wheel) and, for the first time, asks the viewers to buy into the extremely unlikely participation of a Waltons family member in national events (John-Boy covering The Hindenberg?!! Seriously? I don’t buy it for one second). Seeing John Sr. insisting for a pardon by showing up at Roosevelt’s office? Yeah, sure. About as likely as Curt rising from the dead. World War II is the national event that actually was believable for Waltons involvement. Their going off to war was likely.

What is great about Season 5 are all the small John/Olivia moments. They are all over the place! And it’s great. That’s despite very few episodes featuring John or Olivia in the main story.

This also is John-Boy’s best season, I do believe. Finally, everyone else is not standing around waiting with baited breath for the glory that is John Boy. (Season 4 began the John-Boy Actually Isn’t God rewrite, Season 5 deepened it). A massive plus for the show. I think the re-positioning of John-Boy is a key reason why the show was a continued success from Seasons 4-7.


Grade A:
The Pony Cart, The Great Motorcycle Race, The Rebellion, The Cloudburst and The Long Night.

The Pony Cart is by far the best episode of the season, IMO. The others here are very good, but don’t hold a candle to Martha Corrine/Buelah Bondi. Bondi won the Emmy for this, and it’s obvious why. There’s not a single misstep in the entire show, from Martha’s arrival, to present distribution, to hot sausage sandwiches, to the building/painting of the cart, to her death in the field of flowers. It’s all there. Scene after scene. The interaction between Olivia and Martha is astonishing as the former intimates to the latter that it’s time she leaves (this is while Olivia is planting potatoes). The wise Martha picks up on Olivia’s roundabout attempt to be respectful about it…which makes it even more difficult for Olivia to deal with. A crushing moment for both characters ultimately. A classic scene.

Ben as the character that helps Martha is perfect, as he needs to learn the same lessons that hot-headed Mary-Ellen needed to: that sometimes, it is wise to mind and respect your elders. They do have quite a bit to teach you. And just like Grandma wasn’t about to put up with Mary-Ellen’s crap, neither would Martha put up with Ben’s. He knew it, and eventually cried uncle.

I love The Great Motorcycle Race because John and Olivia remind me so much of how my own parents would deal with a situation such as that - having a son who is willing to literally risk his neck in pursuit of a dream. Excellent, excellent, excellent.






Grade B:
The First Edition, The Hero, The Heartbreaker, The Comeback, The Wedding, The Best X-Mas, The Elopement, The Achievement.

Lots of good stuff here as well. Finally we see John-Boy following his passion in The First Edition, but without the endless admiration of a fawning family. John-Boy is indeed correct for reporting Ben’s misdeeds publically, but Olivia rips into him anyway. One of my favorite John-Boy episodes.

The Hero is great in that we get to examine two non-Waltons. There are several Waltons episodes I like that don’t feature any Waltons as major players. I wonder why that is?

I like The Heartbreaker a lot as well…watching Curt’s devious sister make a play for Jason and throw him out of kilter is very entertaining. We find out a bit more about Curt as well. This also is a different kind of Waltons episode (a different feel to it), yet still very much grounded in reality.

At first, I didn’t like The Elopement very much, but on repeated viewing it has really grown on me. The Erin/Chad interactions (and immature behaviors) are borne from teenage dreams of what adulthood is really like. That this is Erin’s episode is ideal, really. Has anyone here considered that Erin is quite a bit similar to Jenny, the girl John-Boy was going to marry? The Elopement is The Love Story episode revisited. Jenny and John-Boy pretend they’re homesteaders while standing in the ruins a home, whereas, Erin and Chad romantically talk about what and where their home will be, and begin to work on it.

Grade C:
The Vigil, The Baptism, The Firestorm, John’s Crossroad, The Career Girl, The Go-Getter.

These are pretty good episodes, but perhaps the weakest set of C episodes yet, in my opinion.

John’s Crossroad comes across as a cheap, convenient, vindictive view of the business world (though I do like the John/Olivia arguments quite a lot). The Career Girl is okay, but doesn’t really go anywhere. The Go-Getter is boring (yet another Ben-as-hothead episode). The preacher in The Baptism is so unlikeable that he brings down the episode. Tirades of fire-and-brimstone would not lead to my baptism, either.

Grade D:
The Last Mustang, The Hiding Place, The Night Walker.

The first two episodes I don’t remember at all. ‘Nuff said.

Is the Night Walker the episode with the dark-haired guy who also is mute? Is his stock of trade basket-weaving? If so, this episode is sooooooo bad! A classic case of stupid is as stupid does. If I remember correctly, isn’t this also the episode with Jason and the Baldwin ladies playing a song about birds, with Mamie playing a flute? That’s such a goofball, embarrassing scene – yet I laugh in spite of myself. It’s in fact, entertaining as hell in spite of itself. That scene is the only reason why The Night Walker is a D rather than an F.

Grade F:
The Ferris Wheel. The Inferno.

So Elizabeth sleep walks herself up to the top of a Ferris wheel? Come on! Because her psyche has been disturbed by a theft? Come on! As a kid, I was a sleepwalker. My mom caught me going out the back door of our house. On a different occasion, I poured milk in a book (Mad In Orbit, believe it or not) in front of my brother, and took an empty glass back to bed with me. (Yes, really). But climb a Ferris wheel is something I did not do.

John-Boy covering The Hindenberg is shockingly bad. Who in the heck came up with that idea? I wonder what those who survived The Hindenberg thought of seeing Richard Thomas cover the event? Yikes.

[awesomemixtape10]

the show is practically on autopilot by this time
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Yeah, They were firmly established by this point. Richard looked a little bored in the episodes where he wasnt the lead story..

I like Season 5 a lot though....

There is a great scene between Olivia and john in "the firestorm"

The Church group is having their meeting in the walton living room, and Olivia is cooking dinner, and she has to practically fight john off cause he is trying to make out with her.

Also, in that episode-Grandpa is on the bridge talking to "the Statue". It is still down there at the bottom of the creek. That showed some good continuity..

It is a great episode all the way around..

[wmfan/waltonsportwriter]

Good analysis goldenlumbers and awesome. The Last Mustang is the one where Grandpa and the family see a wild mustang and then the hoese is trapped by a local circus guy who just wants to put the wild animal in a pen and show him to the public. Grandpa and the Waltons want the horse to run free so they brand him with a W for the Waltons. John Boy also gets involved in a controversial sherrifs election as well. Good episode I like it A. The Hiding Place about the Baldwins cousin an American woman visiting from Germany and John Boy pressing her with questions about Nazi Germany is a little more soapy. And I disagree you never know where you'll be in life. John Boy was a talented writer, won a contest and saw the Hindenberg explode. It can happen. John getting a pardon from the President a lot more unlikely but the Outrage was a good episode in Season 9 I believe. Talk soon. Best wishes .waltonsportwriter