Trek to the Stars:

Last Updated: April 12, 1998

• Miss Wilder tells Laura that there is no age limit when it comes to taking the Teachers Exam to become a teacher, yet in SWEET SIXTEEN, Miss Wilder is discussing with the superintendent that they need a replacement teacher of the "required teaching age" of 16. I guess the rules could have changed. After all, Mary started teaching at age 15.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, July 5, 1997.
  

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• When the camera flashes across Albert's family tree, it clearly states that the youngest Ingalls child is Grace Pearl Ingalls. While this is the real Grace Ingalls' name, the fictional Grace of LHOTP was given the middle name of Holbrook, in honor of her step-grandfather.
  Contributed by Rachel L, August 29, 1997.

• I think several people are confusing Grace's name with Adam Jr.  His middle name was Holbrook, in honour of his Great Grandfather.
  Contributed by Sarah M, September 2, 1997.
• Additional:  The person who left the nitpick said that Grace (the one on the show) has the middle name Holbrook, this is not true, it was Mary and Adam's baby that has this name (Adam Charles Holbrook Kendall).
  Additional by Jennifer R, September 22, 1997.

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• After the accident, Mary tells Adam that she is the only one who can get help. She tells him that she will leave the water supply with him so that he can share it with the other woman who was travelling with them. I find this funny because Adam was pinned down under the stage coach and the pregnant lady can't move because of some broken ribs. How on earth are they going to pass around the water when neither one can get up?
  Contributed by Lil, July 29, 1997.

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• It seems strange but bad enough the kids didn't know about their aunt ,but it seems incredible that Harriet never knew about her "secret" sister-in-law. Also Nels seems a little out of character here to have ignored his sister for all these years because of her weight.
  Contributed by Chuck, December 30, 1998.

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• Mrs. Olsen did not get married before, but she was engaged. And then in CROSSED CONNECTIONS she judges Alice for her previous marriage. Doesn't seem fair!
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, April 26, 1997.

• How come the preacher's wife is never seen again, just like the doctor in "Dark Sage"?
  Contributed by Michele J, August 22, 1997.
• Why is it that after all the trouble that went on in this episode (resulting with a happy ending of Rev. Alden getting the girl of course) that not only do we never see her again, she is never mentioned again?
  Asked by Robyn R, January 16, 1998.

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• The Return? Where'd Mr. Edwards go? Last we heard from him was that he was returning with the Ingalls in GOLD COUNTRY, and then we find the Garvey's in his house in CASTOFFS.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, April 26, 1997.

• Mr. Edwards wants to kill himself and he mentions that there is an electric chair that was invented to execute criminals. According to the LHOTP timeline the year was 1876. The electric chair was first used in August 1890 - 14 years later.
  Contributed by Lori L, August 9, 1997.

• Where is Carl Edwards? Not only do we not see him, no one even mentions him. AND he was Laura's best friend!
  Contribted by James M, September 17, 1997.
• Answer:  Actually he was mentioned. When Grace tells Edwards that Charles has come, she mentions that with Edward's negative attitude he has already chased Carl out of the house, and Alicia is feeling no better.
  Answered by Alex Trenta, December 22, 1997.

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• It seems Mrs. Olsen makes enough money from her store to use her own money to bet on the fight, instead of using the church money.
  Contributed by Ronald C, August 17, 1997.

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• Caroline's Maiden Name in this episode is Holbrook...however in "Whatever Happened to the Class of '56" everyone addresses her as Caroline Quiner.
  Contributed by Claire, August 25, 1997.
  Correction: Actually Caroline's maiden name is Quiner, and Fredrick Holbrook is her step-father, whom her mother married when Caroline was 10 and her father had died. In "Whatever Happened to the Class of '56", her friends addressed her correctly, since Caroline would have kept her real father's name.
  Corrected by Alex Trenta, August 29, 1997.

• When Caroline's stepfather writes the book about her, Mrs.Oleson is reading it in bed. She reads a part about Caroline out in public in nothing but her diaper. How would he know that if in the Christmas episode, when they are all recalling their best Christmas, Caroline tells how she got her necklace. And she was about 10 or 11 in that episode, and that's when her mother had recently married Mr. Holbrook.
  Contributed by Donna, December 9, 1997.

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• Harriet Olsen gets really accusing when she tells everyone that Alice Garvey was previously married. She says it was wrong of Alice. When Nels looks at Harriet funny about this, Harriet says, "Don't look at me, I was never married before." True, but she was engaged before as shown in THE PREACHER TAKES A WIFE.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, April 26, 1997.

• I'd like to know how Johnathan Garvey(?) was able to get a phone for his wife ( I don't know the season, but Mrs. Garvey was upset that john would find out about her first husband)? If I'm not mistaken, these phones were state of the art, new technology for the U.S. I would assume they were quite expensive and the Garvey's were always in finacial trouble with the Ingalls.
  Asked by Tim C, September 16, 1997.
• ANSWER: In the beginning of this episode, we find that Johnathon had inherited some stock in Pharmacy, and Bill Anderson told him to sell this stock befor it bottomed. Johnathon did so and used this money "that was buring a hole in his pocket" to buy his wife the telephone.
  Answered by Alex Trenta, December 19, 1997.

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• This nitpick has been bugging me for quite a while. We know from Author Author (a mere *4 eposodes* before this one) that Grandpa HOLBROOK is Caroline's father (Grandma Holbrook dies en route to Walnut Grove), yet, in "Whatever Happened To The Class of 56?", (and other episodes) Caroline is referred to as "Caroline QUINER" ! Having studied a little bit of Victorian history, I know that daughters still took their father's last name until marriage... what I want to know is Caroline Ingalls formerlly Caroline QUINER or is she a Holbrook?! If she is a HOLBROOK, where in Sam Hill did they get the name QUINER?!
  Asked by Agent 5304 & Claire, July 31, 1997.
  Answer: According to the Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl Webpage, Caroline Lake Quiner was born on December 12, 1839, to Henry and Charlotte Quiner, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Her father died when she was five years old, and her mother married Frederick Holbrook five years later. Therefore, Caroline Ingalls was formally Caroline QUINER, and Grandpa HOLBROOK is her step-father. Unlike many things with Little House on the Prairie, this little bit of history is true about the real Caroline Ingalls. This information is also evident in "A Christmas They Never Forgot," in which Caroline tells the family of her first Christmas with her step-father, Frederick Holbrook.
  Answered by Alex Trenta, August 29, 1997.

• There is another gentleman who has pointed out several episodes where they re-use music. Well, in this episode they not only re-use the music from the episode where Mary and Pa go to Chicago to see John Jr. but the shot of what is supposed to Milwauke is the same shot they used to depict Chicago. They used the same music that Mary and John danced to at they catilain at the class reunion party the Charles and Caroline attend at the end of this episode.
  Contributed by Sarah M, August 18, 1997.

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• Mellisa Sue Anderson's blind acting is really bad in this episode. It looks like she is clearly making eye contact with Mr. Oleson.
  Contributed by Sarah M, August 14, 1997.

• Did anyone notice there was a cat in this episode in the blind school. It was never seen before or since. Charles recieved a $1,000 reward in the end. With that much money for the school, why was in necessary to raise funds for the school in "May We Make Them Proud"?
  Contributed by TMTSoapop, December 30, 1998.
  
  

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• In the scene where Albert is constructing Bandit's doghouse in the barn, Carrie comes in and says to him, "Albert, Melissa says it's time to eat". She obviously was referring to Melissa Gilbert and just forgot to call her Laura instead of her real name!!!
  Contributed by Kimberly, June 15, 1997.
  Additional: I beg to differ with Kimberly's nitpick. I just rechecked that scene and, as I suspected, Carrie ACTUALLY said "Albert, Ma says it's time for supper." It didn't even sound remotely like she said Melissa.
  Additional by HYPER, July 1, 1997.
  Additional: Carrie actually says "Ma says it's time for supper" not Melissa...... Carrie's voice can be a little hard to understand sometime and that's why the person thought she said Melissa(I listen to it three times yesterday to be sure)
  Additional by Jennifer R, July 1, 1997.

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• I know that Little House is all about tragedy, but isn't it unbelievable that Mary would leave the burning house without her infant?? If I remember correctly she and Mrs. Garvey both almost picked up the baby, but set him down again when they heard the blind children yelling in the other room. Doesn't your own baby come first?
  Contributed by Karen, June 27, 1997.
• I agree with the above comments. It is completely uncomprehendable to think that any mother would leave her child. Mary could have taken the baby out and Mrs. Garvey could have helped the other children. Mary was already to go with the baby and its Mrs. garvey who says she will take care of the baby. Not realistic story writers!! This the WORST episode ever. Could Mary have anymore rotten things happen to her?? This whole episode is horrifically sad. And the scene where we see Mrs. Garvey hitting the window with the baby - its just too much. I can not understand why Michael Landon approved that script.
• TBS will never play this episode. I wonder why??
  Both contributed by Sarah M, August 13, 1997.
• The episode in which Mary's baby (and Alice Garvey) die in the fire at the blind school really rings false to me! She's holding the baby by the cradle in her room when everyone else is in the hall yelling "fire." She needs to go help the others round up the children, but she puts HER baby BACK DOWN and runs off! Now what mother in the WORLD would do that during a fire, not knowing if anyone was going to know it was there nor whether she could get back to it! Any mother would just naturally take her baby WITH her while getting everyone out of the building - she would want HER baby out most of all, wouldn't you think?
  Contributed by Cyndi, January 18, 1998.

• Just a comment, TBS does play this episode, I have seen it twice, though not recently. Maybe they stopped, maybe because it was so sad? Does anyone know of any other TV stations play the shows? I can only watch half because I leave for school at 8:30 and can only watch half - I have to look at Duchess's episode descriptions to find out what happened.
  Contributed by Catherine, November 2, 1997.
• Answer:  VisionTV here in Canada plays this and every other episode (including the 90 minute specials) at 6:00pm PST. I do not know if you can get it in the States, but I am sure that with a satellite dish, you should be able to get it.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, December 22, 1997.

• I'm guessing that though it was a rather sad episode, it (or something like it) had to be done to keep history of the Ingalls family somewhat intact. Since Rose, Laura's daughter, was the only grandchild of Charles Ingalls to survive (and she did not have any children of her own), the writers of LHOTP probably had to...end(?) the existence of Mary's son. Probably the same reason behind Albert's demise. But I agree with the others-the scene with Mrs. Garvey and the baby is kind of gruesome.
  Contributed by Nancy H, September 29, 1997.

• This is more of a comment than a nitpick. Other than "Lord is My Shepard," this is THE saddest episode.
  Contributed by Theresa, December 25, 1997.

• After the blind school burns down, when Doc Baker finds the pipe in the ashes, he tells Charles that he found the pipe in the basement. How can Doc Baker know that the pipe was in the basement considering the building burned to the ground. I'm not an expert, but if the pipe was on the top floor, it too would be on the ground after the building burned!
  Contributed by Tim R, December 28, 1997.

• Just a few episodes earlier in "Crossed Connections" Jonathan and Charles find out the gist of Alice's first marriage from her mother who runs a boarding house in Minneapolis(neither first nor last name of Alice's widowed mother is given) . She seemed to have a close maternal bond with her daughter (and was friendly to her son-in-law) yet she does NOT attend her only child's funeral and no reason is ever given for her absence. Nor does she ever take any interest in her now-motherless grandson Andy's welfare as she is NEVER mentioned after "Crossed Connections"
  Contributed by Leon H, January 1, 1998.

• I always found it curious that even though Mary and Adam had a child (who subsequently died), Ma tells Pa in a later episode (I believe it is the episode where Laura turns sixteen) that she is "dying to call [him] grandpa." It almost seemed as if the birth and death of Mary's baby had been obliterated from the story line.
  Contributed by Jan D, January 19, 1998.

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• Alice Garvey died in the previous episode, yet Jonathon in this episode that Alice wants to go visit her mother because it's her birthday. Did she come up from the grave to visit her mother and then die again?
  Contributed by Michele J, August 22, 1997.
• Addition:  I can come up with only one conclusion, and here it is...Because this episode mentions Alice wanting to visit her mother for her birthday, then this episode takes place BEFORE "May We Make Them Proud". Otherwise, Alice surely might have risen from the grave!
  Contributed by Hiphats, August 30, 1997. Editted December 22, 1997.
• Addition: Believe he simply says that he is going to visit Alice's mother because it is her birthday. He didn't say Alice wanted him to go.
  Contributed by Sarah M, September 2, 1997.
• Addition:  Jonathan doesn't say that he and Alice are going to see Alice's mother...What he says is "It is Alice's mother's birthday and I'd promise I'd go see her" It's just a son-in-law going to see his mother -in-law.
  Contributed by Jennifer R, September 22, 1997.
• Addition: Actually, at the beginning of this episode Jonathon says he cannot enter the arm wrestling contest because it's Alice's mother's birthday and he promised he'd go visit her. He never really refers to Alice as if she's still living (or as if she's dead) and it's entirely possible he's taking Andy to visit his grandmother. However, later in the episode Andy is shown at the picnic entered in one of the events. If Alice is dead, did Jonathon go visit his mother-in-law by himself and leave Andy home alone? Or if Alice is alive, did they visit her mother without Andy?
  Contributed by Michele S, October 6, 1997.
• Addition: If I recall correctly, Jonathan said that he promised Alice's mother they'ld come visit. I really don't think it implied that Alice is still alive - my thinking is that Alice's mother is still Andy's grandmother, and therefore it makes sense that Jonathan and Andy were going for a visit. I could be wrong about this, but I remember at the time thinking that since Alice's mother lost a daughter, and Andy and Jonathan lost a mother and wife, then they might take comfort in getting together for a visit.
  Contributed by Jim & Deb C, October 6, 1997.

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• Who does the cooking at the Olsen's home? This episode implies the Mr. Olsen has always done the cooking, but in several previous episodes (THE ELECTION for one), Harriet appears to do the cooking, thought not very well.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, April 26, 1997.

• In this episode, we see Nels leave Walnut Grove to sell goods on the road wearing his familiar light brown three piece suit with the bowler hat. When he returns to Walnut Grove only to leave to peddle his goods again the next day, he is wearing a blue sport-type coat and a taller, black hat. Harriet, noticing that this attire is not what Nels has worn before, asks him why he is wearing "those clothes". He explains that "it looks good for my customers", however, in the following scenes, he is wearing his light brown suit again and then as he arrives in the town he uses as his "home-base", he is wearing a dark brown suit! Since he only took a very small suitcase with him, I can't imagine how he was able to fit all of those changes of clothes in it! As far as I know, we don't see the blue jacket and black hat on him again. Maybe the outfit scared the customers away and he sold it!
  Contributed by Kelly M, August 15, 1997.

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• So the required teaching age is 16, and Laura just sneaked by with her 16th birthday only a couple of weeks away. What is Mary's excuse? She got her teaching certificate in WHISPER COUNTRY at the age of 14, and starting teaching at the blind school at age 15.
  Contributed by Alex Trenta, April 26, 1997.
  Correction: Mary's excuse is that when she started there was no required teaching age, as was evident in BACK TO SCHOOL. The rules must have changed between this episode and Back to School.
  Correction by Alex Trenta, July 5, 1997.

• Why does a change in hair style cause Almanzo to go loco in love for Laura? She looks the same except for the pigtails and braids. Now she did look different in her new dress. Hmmmm? Maybe Almanzo knew she was going to look even better in her Playboy "dress". Shame on you Laura ! Mrs. Oleson only posed in her scivies.
  Contributed by W.M. Gardner, August 19, 1997.

• This episode is about Laura teaching and also about Laura having her 16th birthday. Laura's original birthday was in February. Usually during February in Minnisota, which the story takes place, there is snow on the ground and it is quite cold. When Laura and Almonzo are making trips back and forth to her teaching job, Laura is with or without a coat and Almonzo has his sleeves rolled up like it is hot.
  Contributed by R Caillet, August 20, 1997.

• As anyone who's read "THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS" knows, Laura's REAL first few weeks of teaching were horrible for her. She had a hard time establishing authority and knowing how to handle her students. She boarded not with a kindly old lady but with a bitter, hateful, creepy family. Nevertheless, she persevered and ended up doing a good job of which she could be proud. I've always loved that story, and I think the real story would have made a MUCH better script than this sugarcoated, rosy version. They could have included some of the difficult, touching and funny incidents described in THGY as Laura learned to be a successful teacher.
• Another minor nitpick: Laura's birthday is in February. Where's the snow, or at least cold weather, not bright and sunny??
  Both contributed by Wendy, August 22, 1997.

• At the church social when Charles and Caroline are dancing, Charles says that he is looking forward to calling Caroline "Grandma". Did he forget that they were already grandparents to Mary and Adam's baby who was killed in MAY WE MAKE THEM PROUD? How soon they forget.
  Contributed by Kris, August 28, 1997.
• Additional: Maybe I don't understand this line, but i always cringe at the end of "Sweet Sixteen" when Charles observes that he's about to lose a daughter and Caroline is glad, because she's dying to start calling him Grandpa. "Same to you, Grandma," he says. Hello? Didn't Mary just lose her baby in the fire? Weren't they grandparents just a few weeks ago?
  Additional by Sara G, October 21, 1997.
• Alternative: I have to disagree with Kris on this one. In "Sweet Sixteen" it was Caroline who said to Charles: "I'm dying to call you Grandpa." Not the other way around. Also, I'm sure that they didn't forget that they were grandparents to Mary's son, who was killed in the fire at the Blind School. It was probably too painful to call themselves Grandma and Grandpa after the baby's death. Also, totally unappropriate!!!
  Contributed by Marbleye, December 21, 1997.

• Almanzo drives Laura back home for visits in the books, not to her school like in the episode. Also he calls his horse Barnabee! He used Prince and Lady in the book, These Happy Golden Years, to drive Laura to and from her first school, not Barnum, who comes along much later with a horse named Skip.
  Contributed by Melissa S, September 26, 1997.

• In all of the episodes preceeding this one, Laura and Albert (and even Andrew Garvey) seem to be about the same age. But when Laura puts her hair up, changes into grown-up clothes and becomes a teacher, Albert stays a child. And according to the timeline, Laura is five years older than Albert. In episodes after this one Laura is clearly older, but not by five years.
  Contributed by Sipes M, October 6, 1997.

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• Remarkable effect Percival has on Nellie.
  Contributed by Jennifer Slegg, April 26, 1997.

• In this episode, Laura is told she has to wait till she is 18 before she can marry. Charles states that Laura is too young to make such an important decision. He must have more faith in Mary. She got married in THE WEDDING at age 16, and was engaged to John Jr. in I'LL RIDE THE WIND at age 13 (though she had to wait two years).
  Contrubuted by Alex Trenta, corrected July 5, 1997 by Christi.

• The end of the 2nd part of the episode ends with a "To Be Continued ... in 15 years." I'm annoyed the producers never followed through on this.
  Contributed by Jennifer B, August 21, 1997.

• Nel's tells Caroline that the restaurant will have her name on it until Nelli is able to take over in part one. So based on that, they rent the blind school. At the end of part 2, Nelli is able to take over the restaurant, so do they change the name of the restaraunt back to Nelli's and if they did, how are the expenses for the blind school met? Did the Lord provide? Is it me????
  Contributed by Michele J, August 22, 1997.
  Answer: To answer Michele's question, the state took over the blind school. That's when Esther Sue went to work at Caroline's. I'm not sure why they did not change the name back to Nellie's. Perhaps someone else can answer that question. Beth Nolen.
  Contributed by Beth N, October 12, 1997.

• In the marriage vows that Nellie took, she said "Love, honor and obey"......and Percival took the exact same vows.......I know that in those days, the woman definately said "obey"...but the man???.....I honestly didn't think that maybe the man said "obey" in those days...but I could be wrong.
• Also.....I noticed on the ground surrounding the hotel/restuarant, that there was privacy fencing.....but I got to thinking that maybe the 1800's were just a bit too early for the invention of privacy fencing.
  Both contributed by Christi, August 23, 1997.

• In the first part when Adam learns of his father's death he hugs Mary but otherwise shows little or no anguish as if losing a father is an everyday occurence for him.
• In the latter stages of part two when Nellie says to Harriet "I'm too tall" to defend Percival as not being to short Harriet suggests it's your pa's fault because tall people run in his family. Nels agrees commenting something like she's right Nellie only fat people run in your mother's family. What however about Nels obese sister Annabelle. Does Nels have amnesia and forget that atleast one fat person is in his family or did he decide to conveniently forget about her again? For that matter Harriet doesn't defend her family's reputation by making any attempt to recall Annabelle either.
  Both contributed by Chuck, December 30, 1998.

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Last Updated: April 12, 1998.

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