Airdate: 1/22/76
John-Boy is
given the lucrative offer to submit part of a novel to a major publishing
company, but his manuscript, and most of the upstairs part of the Waltons
house, is destroyed by a fire that may have been started by either Grandpa’s
unplugged portable heater or John-Boy’s newfound habit: smoking a pipe. Regardless
of who is blameworthy, the house needs repair, and John gets started right away
with it (good thing he owns a lumber mill). During this process, the family
gets split up:
Erin and Jim-Bob
stay with Mr. and Mrs. Fordwick. While there, the reverend counsels Jim-Bob on
repenting for his sin of stealing other girls’ hair ribbons. His good deeds do
not go unpunished: the girls like his new respect of them and voluntary give
him even more ribbons than he stole. Erin is wracked with guilt over trying to
retrieve her dress during the fire, causing herself to collapse from smoke
inhalation and be rescued by John-Boy, who was subsequently unable to retrieve
his smoldering manuscript. Quoting scripture, she penalizes herself and her
“vanity” by wearing plain dresses and ascetically foregoing any luxuries or
treats; Olivia finally sets he straight by telling her this forced humility is
vain as well.
Jason stays with
the Baldwin sisters. After griping about having to solitude to practice his
music, he gets it, and lives the life of Riley as the sisters cater to his
every whim. Gradually, he begins to miss the companionship of his family, and
is all too eager to return home.
Overeager Mary
Ellen stays with Dr. Vance and his wife, but her reorganization of his office
causes the couple to politely tell her, “Thanks, but no thanks.” She’s okay
with it though, and for once Mary Ellen does not have an emotional breakdown over something.
Ben stays with Yancy
Butler, and, as you can imagine, the backwoods bachelor has no rules to follow.
Elated by his permissiveness, Ben cuts school and goes fishing and coon hunting
with Yancy, but John and Olivia catch him and warn him about further
transgressions. Ben is also happy to come home, feeling that rules do provide
structure and discipline for a happy life.
Grandma and
Grandpa stay at Mrs. Brimmer’s boarding house. Grandpa is delighted to have a
reactive listener to all his tall tales in the form of Zuleika Dunbar, a jolly
old woman also lodging at the house. In Zeb’s mind, this validates all his wild
stories to Grandma, who finds them tiresomely repetitive, until they leave, and
he discovers Zuleika reacting just the same way to the next boarder’s stories!
Elizabeth stays
with Ike and Corabeth, but she’s been quiet ever since the inferno, and Olivia
feels frustratingly unable to help her. When she begrudgingly returns home, she
confesses to John-Boy that she no longer wants to get close to anything
anymore, as all such things (her cat, pet butterfly, doll) ultimately die.
John-Boy understands her feelings, but explains their irrationality and advises
her to stay closer than ever to her loved ones to cope.
Kids
psychologically healed and house repaired, the Waltons come together as a
family – and I’ll bet you’ll never see John-Boy with a pipe again!
“The Burn Out,
Parts I and II” (indicated as such on the titles even though it was broadcast
as a two-hour episode) is a larger-than-average budgeted episode that
originally aired in January of 1976, smack dab in the middle of The Waltons’ highest-rated season in the
Neilsen’s (#14). It’s fun to see the family split up, living in different
environs for a change – even though we all know the outcome. Oddly enough, the
plot with the most dramatic heft to it is Olivia’s, missing all her “chicks”
and praying for a safe and swift return. As a writer, I also identified with
John-Boy’s plight, having serious writer’s block, stressed over not being able to
rewrite the novel the way it had been before. Only Erin’s neurosis feels
contrived – her self-imposed penance is too fake and forced, and resolved all
too quickly, even by Waltons standards.
Also great to
see all the recurring characters
together in a single episode, for probably the last time.
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