The Ingalls Head to Walnut Grove – But I’ll Miss These Little House on the Prairie Characters

Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie was heartwarming and wholesome. It expanded on the Ingalls’ experiences in Kansas in such an enjoyable manner.

It also expanded on the cast and characters, which was one of the best changes from the book.

However, that change may have been bittersweet.

I grew attached to several of the characters from Little House on the Prairie Season 1. I became invested in their stories and relationships almost as much as I cared about the Ingalls.

But I knew the Ingalls would move to Walnut Grove next because of the land issue in Kansas, compounded by the prairie fire.

By a stroke of luck, John Edwards will be joining them on their next journey. I’m thrilled about that since Mr. Edwards was a major part of the original series, and losing him would’ve been disappointing.

However, I’ll still miss the others we’ve grown to know over the last 8 episodes, and hopefully, they pop up again, too.

Surprisingly, some of the better-known actors played recurring characters. Warren Christie played Mr. Edwards, Jocko Sims played Dr. Tann, and Barrett Doss portrayed Emily Henderson.

I’d be sorely disappointed if we never see Dr. Tann or Emily Henderson again.

They were both interesting characters and became dear friends to the Ingalls. It was compelling how Dr. Tann spoke from experience about the difficulty of living alone on the prairie.

He didn’t often speak about his time serving in the war, but it deeply affected him and motivated him to help others.

One of my favorite scenes was when he talked to Caleb on Christmas Eve about how he understood that it was difficult to be happy around the holidays, but maybe they could try for Emily.

Emily Henderson wasn’t like the other women. She ran the mercantile and cared for a pre-teen orphan boy on her own, something that was ordinarily unheard of back then.

But she had such a huge heart, and I loved watching her and Dr. Tann fall in love. It’s sad that we don’t get to see the rest of it unfold, or what will happen now that Caleb’s mom wants back in his life.

It may not have been in the book, but the original Little House on the Prairie featured many adoption and other family dynamic arcs. 

It’s also disappointing to lose the Mitchells. It was nice getting to know an Osage family and watching their relationships with the Ingalls grow.

They taught them a great deal about legacy, and their daughters’ friendship taught both families about tolerance.

Good Eagle missed her sister, while Laura found her first real friend. Laura finally enjoyed learning as the girls went on adventures together.

It felt like they had built a real community and camaraderie in Independence as we watched them celebrate Founder’s Day. Good Eagle would have done anything to help her friends stay.

Hopefully, she’ll pop up again as she and Laura plan to keep in touch.

The Ingalls girls hated that no one said goodbye when they left the Big Woods, so they felt the love when all their new friends showed up to pay their respects before they left Kansas.

I cried because it showed how much of a difference building a strong recurring cast makes.

These characters felt like family, as Laura stated in her speech.

Hopefully, we’ll have as strong a town in Season 2 and beyond when the Ingalls get to Walnut Grove.

What were your thoughts, TV Fanatics? Will you miss any of the characters from Little House on the Prairie? Who was your favorite character?

Let us know in the comments.

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