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ilovejames profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Massachusetts, USA
Join Date: 05-01-2007
post: 123 | "May they be Proud" | 05-02-2007 6:20:51 pm |
| Okay, so I just watched this episode on TVland last night and a couple of things always stood out to me, even from the first time I saw it all those year ago. It bothered me how Adam came into the room and just grabbed Mary without having her bring the baby with her. I understand they had to get all the children out of the house, but.....the BABY!!!! And then sometimes, when I'm sad about an outcome on a show or a real life incident, I actually create in my mind better scenarios and the what ifs. For instance, when Mary went back to get the baby and Alice told her that she would get him....all I can think was, dang! If Mary just got the baby they'd both be alive! But then again, the little guy in the closet probably wouldn't have been because no one would have heard him, I guess. Alice only heard him because she went to get the baby. Or if that boy didn't lock himself in the closet to begin with! Was it a closet by the way or the bathroom (outhouse/watercloset - whatever they referred to it as)? I actually skipped the whole fire scene last night because my 5 year old son was with me and he would've become too frightened, so I don't remember how that boy got in that closet to begin with.
I know it's silly...I just was so sad that Alice and the baby had to die!  But it did make for fabulous drama though! And many, many tears!
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Spanky profile (must be logged in)
Settler
, USA
Join Date: 11-11-2005
post: 697 | 05-02-2007 6:51:10 pm |
| I believe he was in a water closet.I don't understand Mary not taking her baby with her.She could have held him while getting the kids out.Another thing that bugs me is when Hester Sue opened the door to the basement when she saw the smoke.She should have left it closed.Charles&Caroline didn't seem to grieve for their grandson or for Alice.Alice was Caroline's best friend.
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Spanky profile (must be logged in)
Settler
, USA
Join Date: 11-11-2005
post: 697 | 05-02-2007 6:53:19 pm |
| It sure does make for good drama.I cry everytime I watch the episode.Melissa Sue Anderson(Mary)did some of her best acting in the episode.Boy can she scream.
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ilovejames profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Massachusetts, USA
Join Date: 05-01-2007
post: 123 | 05-02-2007 6:58:48 pm |
| Yes! The part about Hester Sue leaving the door open. I thought about that last night too....you would think you would slam the door shut to keep the fire as contained as possible. Could have bought them a little more time. And as the grandparents, you would think Charles and Caroline would have been a little more grief-stricken. I know my mother would lose her mind if anything happened to my children and being the loving parents Charles and Caroline are, you would think there would have been a little more emotion. Though, perhaps they were just so worried about Mary's mental state they didn't have a chance to really grieve. That's my best guess.
Albert broke my heart...that look of realization on his face when Charles and Laura were talking at the table and Charles said the fire was caused by a pipe. That "lightbulb going off" moment for Albert with that look on his face sent chills up my spine. ~Kim
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Sylvia profile (must be logged in)
Homesteader
, USA
Join Date: 01-09-2006
post: 1293 | 05-02-2007 7:01:56 pm |
| So many things are happening so quickly in this episode and you find yourself almost yelling at the television! It's such a hard one to watch..I understand what you mean. I always get nervous when I see this episode beginning. I'm usually up for a happier LHOP ep, but that isn't always the case and depending on how I feel at the time, I will turn it. This episode is way too nerve-racking.
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ilovejames profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Massachusetts, USA
Join Date: 05-01-2007
post: 123 | 05-02-2007 7:12:36 pm |
| It sure does make for good drama.I cry everytime I watch the episode.Melissa Sue Anderson(Mary)did some of her best acting in the episode.Boy can she scream.
Oh, you're not kidding!! Melissa Sue Anderson did a phenomenal job. During that scene when she busted through the window, I kind of was distracting my son a bit because he started to ask me what happened to the baby (I just thought telling him the truth was a little too heavy for him so I told him she was just having a nightmare and her baby was staying with some friends)...well, during that scene, my 18 month old (who typically pays barely any mind to the tv, mind you), without my fully realizing it since I was concentrating so much on my 5 year old, actually got frightened and started to cry! Perhaps it was bad parenting on my part to watch that episode in front of them.  It's been a while since I had seen it and I thought I could just do the flick with the remote during the fire scene and we'd be all set! Woops!! As a child watching, I never realized the talent of Melissa Sue Anderson and now watching her as an adult....she truly is an amazing actress. Kudos to her particularly for that episode. A very heart wrenching performance! 
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ilovejames profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Massachusetts, USA
Join Date: 05-01-2007
post: 123 | 05-02-2007 7:15:52 pm |
| I always get nervous when I see this episode beginning.
Me too!! My stomach did a flip last night when I saw that opening scene and then when they showed the title. I was like, "Uh oh.....bring on the tissues!"
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MnPrairieGirl profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Minnesota, USA
Join Date: 02-28-2007
post: 220 | 05-02-2007 6:24:57 am |
| May we make them proud bothers me everytime I see it. Mary should have grabbed her son right away and taken him with her as she gathered all of the other children along with Adam. And as said before Hester Sue should have slammed the basement door shut after she saw the flames shooting up. It would have given them some more time to get everyone out...alive. If Mary would have taken the baby Alice would have been able to get the boy out of the water closet with enough time to get to safety and everyone would have been out of the house and no one would have passed away.
It seems like Charles and Caroline grieve more in the episode where Mary miscarries her first baby then in this one. You would have thought Caroline would have cried her eyes out over Alice and little Adam. I thought Melissa Anderson did an awesome job in this episode along with I'll be waving as you drive away.
 "No matter how far away I am you will always be in my heart." Missie LaHaye - LUL |
ilovejames profile (must be logged in)
Trailblazer
Massachusetts, USA
Join Date: 05-01-2007
post: 123 | 05-03-2007 1:53:19 pm |
| I know it seems like I'm ripping on the episode and I'm really not at all. I just think it generates some really great discussion, which in fact is a major credit to the episode! I love episodes when you can talk about what happened and what could have been different, what was done well, etc. So I do hope I'm not offending anyone when I'm pointing out different things that stood out to me as either disturbing or just plain fabulous acting! That said, after just having watched it for the first time in many years, one other thing that stood out to me was that it seemed as though everyone forgot about the baby. What I mean by that is when everyone was outside, Mary & Adam included!!, didn't anyone (maybe not so much the children) but Hester Sue, Mary, Adam....didn't anyone wonder where the heck the baby was? Especially Mary. I know Alice told her that she would get the baby, but as a mother myself, I don't think I could leave a burning building knowing my baby was inside, regardless of anyone telling me that they would get the baby. Then when they were outside, it wasn't until Hester Sue saw Alice busting through the window screaming for help with the baby in her arms that someone finally realized the baby was inside! Not even Adam or Mary?? The way Ketty Lester screamed, "Oh my God, the baby!"....amazing. You could actually feel the horror in her voice...that was another part of the episode that sent chills up my spine. And Hersha Parady too...that precise moment when Alice realized there was no way out, the actual tone in her screaming changed, like she knew she was going to die. What started off as screaming out of fear of the flames seemed to change to a scream of despair...she knew it was over. That was some incredible acting on her part as well. Even the dramatic music, the way it got really loud after Hester Sue stopped Adam from running inside...almost like a message to the audience too that this was it (particularly for those of us who refused to believe it up until the end  ). As disturbing as the story was, I think some of the best acting of the series was done in that one episode. Just my humble opinion. Thank you for letting me keep this thread alive! I hope I didn't dominate the conversation too much...it's just when I get on a roll, I can't seem to stop!  Take care everyone. ~Kim
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Sylvia profile (must be logged in)
Homesteader
, USA
Join Date: 01-09-2006
post: 1293 | 05-03-2007 3:05:27 pm |
| I think it's great discussion, Kim.
I don't know if you're aware of it or not, but Lennon was lucky enough to get an interview with Hersha, and from what I can recall, she doesn't remember much from filming that particular scene. Maybe she wanted to block it out. I know I would!
All of the actors did a fantastic job in that episode; as disturbing as it was for us to watch.
Amy
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