Waltons 2.16: The Honeymoon

Airdate: 1/10/74

The daily grind of housework and childrearing finally gets to Olivia, who stages a sit-down strike in protest of her lack of appreciation. Sensing that she needs a break, John proposes the idea of going on the honeymoon they never had, and the family is 100% behind it, but when the mill motor breaks down, everyone realizes the emergency money needs to go toward repair bills, not the honeymoon. You guessed it – everyone chips in (especially Grandpa), and the family raises enough dough for the trip. Just as soon as John and Olivia leave, all hell breaks loose: a skunk malodorizes the house after being chased by Reckless, Erin and Elizabeth come down with colds, and John Boy dislocates his shoulder after getting pushed down a mountain by his girlfriend, Marcia, who is incensed that he has not committed to their relationship as he is going away to college that Fall. The ever-worrying Olivia makes a phone call to Ike Godsey, and the bigmouth spills everything, prompting her to rush home to attend to the homestead. John consoles her with the promise that one day they’ll finish their honeymoon.

A charming episode at the outset, but with Murphy’s Law lurking in the background it becomes somewhat frustrating. Then again, it probably wouldn’t be in keeping with the theme or the characters not to have hardship come up to dismantle the best-laid plans (no pun intended).

Some tried and true TV staples here: one, the belated honeymoon or second honeymoon (e.g. All in the Family – “Second Honeymoon”) and two, the parts of a large family need to get away from the kids to get some peace and quiet, only to realize they need to go back immediately because they can never really leave (e.g. Family Ties – “Bringing Up Baby”). Both tropes in fine display here.

Note: Tammi Bula reprises her role as John-Boy’s girlfriend (or at least one of them). She previously appeared in “The Braggart” (Waltons 2.8) and possesses a purity balanced by an assertiveness that doesn’t come off as whiny. She will return in a few more future episodes, despite the fact that it seems she and John Boy have broken up at the end of this one.