Airdate: 2/19/76
The old Whitley
house in Rockfish is about to be demolished, and Grandma wants it saved for the
sentimental value it has for her (it’s where she and Grandpa kissed and danced
for the first time). Unfortunately, Grandpa just got the contract to tear it
down, which pays nothing but would yield excellent quality lumber. John-Boy
finds himself between a rock and a hard place when he is assigned to write an
editorial on whether or not to save the house. Realizing it poses a safety
hazard and would be cost-prohibitive to restore it, the city goes ahead with
the demolition, but Grandpa surprises Grandma by saving the stained glass
window and installing it in their bedroom.
Subplot: Jason
arouses his professor’s scorn by improving a classical piece for the upcoming
recital. Swayed by Grandma’s love for the passion of backwoods music, he foregoes
Haydn for a church spiritual – and earns his teacher’s favor for his “Virginia
classical music.”
Grandma is
featured in both plots here, and it’s the second episode in a row to spotlight
her. Again, I admire the way the show treats the grandparents not as peripheral
characters but as real flesh-and-blood figures, with histories and personal
lives no different from their younger counterparts. You’d be hard pressed to
find any stories focusing on the elderly, without calling attention to their
age, these days.
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