Airdate: 12/1/77
Sheriff Ep
Bridges and his newlywed, Sarah, return to the Waltons fold in an episode
dealing with another recently ignored Waltons staple: the runaway. This time,
he’s Joe Douglas, an aviation enthusiast who naturally gravitates to Jim-Bob,
and the two strike up a close friendship. The truth emerges that Joe is a
runaway orphan who plans to ride the rails down to Florida with his sister, who
is currently in a foster home (their parents had died the year before). When Ep
gets wind of the situation, he takes the two children back, but guilt, and the
desire for Sarah to have kids of their own, causes him to consider adopting Joe
and his sister.
Charming
offering follows the Little House on the
Prairie rulebook that all orphans must be adopted by episode’s end. The
treacle is held to a minimum however thanks to David W. Harper's performance as
Jim Bob; the skeletons of his closet, namely the infant death of his twin
brother, drive his yearning for a brother figure, and the guilt over his
betrayal of Joe is quite palpable.
Lush, John Barry-esque
score underscores the drama here quite nicely. Zeb and Elizabeth have a
heartfelt scene in the beginning about Grandma’s absence, although they refer
to her as doing well in the hospital.
2 comments:
Jim-Bob is played by David W. Harper, not Jon Walmsey (Jason)
Thank's for the correction, Anonymous. Duly amended.
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