People dragging Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie forgot how dark the OG really was

Little House on the Prairie is back for a modern retelling on Netflix. And for those who slammed the idea of a remake, let’s not forget that the original series was not as wholesome as it’s made out to be. 

Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s semi-autobiographical Little House books, the first iteration of the TV series aired in 1974 and ran for nine seasons, becoming one of the defining family dramas of its era. 

The story takes place in the late 19th century and focuses on the Ingalls family’s life on the American frontier. Now, Netflix is having a go at the story, with a brand new cast stepping into the iconic roles. 

That includes Luke Bracey and Crosby Fitzgerald as Charles and Caroline Ingalls, alongside Skywalker Hughes and Alice Halsey as their daughters, Mary and Laura. 

When news of a modern remake broke last year, it was met with the predictable “woke” concerns from conservatives. As Megyn Kelly said at the time, “If you wokeify Little House on the Prairie I will make it my singular mission to absolutely ruin your project.”

Netizens have been expressing similar thoughts since its release, with one tagging Kelly and complaining that it’s “ridiculously woke on race and gender”. 

But original Laura star Melissa Gilbert said in response to Kelly’s comment that she was “shocked.” As she put it at the time, “You have to have watched Little House on the Prairie to understand what you’re talking about.”

“The stories we told [were woke then]. We were a reflection of what was happening in America in 1974 through the lens of 1874, and in a lot of ways we’re still there.”

But what’s interesting to me is that Gilbert’s point also highlights how critics seem to idealise a version of the show that simply isn’t what aired on TV each week. 

The original series wasn’t a nostalgic fantasy about the “good ol’ days” – at times it was incredibly bleak and, as such, realistic. 

The original Little House on the Prairie was far darker than *some* people remember

For all the nostalgia surrounding Little House on the Prairie, the series wasn’t just about family dinners, prairie sunsets and Charles Ingalls handing out life lessons. It tackled subjects that many modern family dramas would think twice about.

Sylvia’s rape and murder

Arguably the darkest storyline in the entire series came in season seven, when teenage Sylvia Webb is raped and impregnated by an a attacker wearing a clown mask.

The ordeal that follows is far from over, as Sylvia then has to deal with victim blaming and trauma on her own. She then runs away, only to then be caught by her attacker once more. 

She is killed after falling from a ladder while trying to escape. To this day, it’s still regarded as one of the most disturbing storylines ever aired on network television.

Albert’s morphine addiction

In another surprisingly mature storyline, Albert Ingalls develops a morphine addiction after being peer pressured into using opioids. 

This does have a happy ending, but not before a horrific, graphic withdrawal process overseen by his adoptive father, Charles.

Mary losing her baby

@jmvillarreal1709

The Little House on The Prairie episode: Mary’s baby dies 😔 #thelittlehouseontheprairie #babyboy #babytok #badparentingmoments #momsupportingmoms

♬ original sound – Jessica Michelle 💙

Speaking of Albert, prior to the addiction storyline, he and his friend secretly smoke a pipe in the basement of the blind school and accidentally start a fire that quickly engulfs the building. 

While everyone desperately tries to escape, Alice Garvey rushes back inside to save Mary’s infant son, Adam Jr. Tragically, neither of them makes it out alive, leaving Mary to face the unimaginable loss of her child.

Ellen’s drowning

A harmless day in the water quickly turns fatal in season four of the series, when 11-year-old Ellen Taylor – a friend of Mary and Laura’s – accidentally drowns after becoming trapped underwater. Laura blames herself, but the real nightmare begins after Ellen’s funeral.

Unable to cope with her daughter’s death, Ellen’s mother suffers a psychological breakdown and becomes convinced that Laura is actually Ellen. She kidnaps Laura, traps her in a root cellar, dresses her in Ellen’s clothes and even frames a local recluse for Laura’s disappearance.

Charles eventually rescues his daughter, but it’s yet another incident that didn’t shy away from dealing with the difficulties of American life. 

Racism and abuse

This one’s not a singular scene, but more to highlight the fact that the criticisms about Netflix’s adaptation don’t make sense when you consider the true intentions behind the 1974 version. 

Though the books have been reexamined with a modern lens and criticised for the instances of racism, the TV adaptation tackled these issues head-on and used plots to highlight bigotry, anti-Semitism, and Native American discrimination.

Long before “woke” was a political buzzword, the Little House on the Prairie series intentionally diverged from the original books to centre inclusive and anti-racist narratives. 

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Featured image credit: Netflix