One afternoon, as Mary was teaching about the life of Thomas Jefferson, she suddenly felt a strange sensation, almost as if she could...see. When she faced the window, she seemed to be able to detect bright lights. Doc Baker was baffled, but the rest of the family including Mary were sure that her sight was returning. With this miracle, it was sure that the Kendalls would want to move out of the blind school and into their own place, and so Laura gets the idea of fixing up an old cottage near the school. She enlists Albert's help, and they acquire cans of pink and purple paint that Nels Oleson was more than happy to part with. So while Mary was away with Charles in Mankato to see Dr. Burke, Laura and Albert, along with Alice Garvey set to work painting the cottage a bright pink, which seemed to have an adverse effect on horses. As they painted, Albert pointed out that Mary's sight returning was a long shot and not definite, but Laura refused to listen. Let's hope Albert is wrong. Back in Mankato, Dr. Burke was away, so his assistant, Dr. Fromm examined Mary's peepers. At this point he was uncertain and requested they stay on an extra day so he could run some more tests. This seemed like a good sign. Laura and Albert got the news as they finished painting Walnut Grove's newest eyesore, which became the talk of the town. They rushed over to tell Adam, but for some reason, throughout all of this he hadn't been as happy as he'd like to be.
Caroline found Adam in the church, he seemed very upset. What was his problem anyway? He's afraid that if Mary does regain her sight, he might become a burden to her, it would make him feel inadequate. He admitted that he almost wish she'd stay blind. Be careful what you wish for, dude. In Mankato, Dr. Fromm ran a light test, by shining the light on and off Mary's face, and she saw it each time, even when the light wasn't shining on her. That's when the doctor told Charles the bad news: Mary wasn't seeing sunlight, but rather it was all psychosomatic. What she "saw" was suggested by the heat of the sun, it's very complicated and highly scientific. Charles broke the news to Mary, who did not take it well. Caroline and the kids were heartbroken as well. It seemed the one Mary felt bad for in all this was Adam, because if she'd regained her sight, she felt she could do more for him, but in fact, as Charles helped her to realize, the one she was really feeling sorry for was herself. Mary admitted it and was able to go home with a clear conscience. The only one not in attendance at her welcome home greeting was Laura. Knowing she'd be at the cottage, Albert escorted his sister there. They have an emotional reunion, Laura in tears over Mary's misfortune, but she managed to snap her sister out of it, letting her know that she's accepted her fate and everything is as it was, and always will be. And that's all that matters. So they all go back to the blind school, and as for that pink abomination, we'll never see or hear about it again.
This is a pretty sad episode, but at least it had a happy ending. Mary learned to accept what happened and could ride it out with a positive attitude. I especially liked the scene between Mary and Laura at the end, sharing a tender moment. They made such good on-screen siblings. Needless to say, Melissa Sue Anderson was fantastic. I must ask one last time, why would she put down her time on Little House? Especially since she's the only performer who was ever nominated for an Emmy? It sounded as if she blames Michael Landon for what happened to Mary, when she should be thanking him. The real Mary Ingalls did go blind, that wasn't added to the show for dramatic effect, and the real Mary never married or got to teach. TV Mary got married and became a teacher. What's the problem there? Oh well, to each their own. The other performers were great, and I liked the pink cottage subplot. The townspeople had a right to be put off by it, because even today a bright pink house is looked upon as tacky, unless it's in a Tim Burton film or something out of the 1970s. Anyway, while it is a downbeat and sad episode, The Enchanted Cottage is still worth checking out.
Caroline found Adam in the church, he seemed very upset. What was his problem anyway? He's afraid that if Mary does regain her sight, he might become a burden to her, it would make him feel inadequate. He admitted that he almost wish she'd stay blind. Be careful what you wish for, dude. In Mankato, Dr. Fromm ran a light test, by shining the light on and off Mary's face, and she saw it each time, even when the light wasn't shining on her. That's when the doctor told Charles the bad news: Mary wasn't seeing sunlight, but rather it was all psychosomatic. What she "saw" was suggested by the heat of the sun, it's very complicated and highly scientific. Charles broke the news to Mary, who did not take it well. Caroline and the kids were heartbroken as well. It seemed the one Mary felt bad for in all this was Adam, because if she'd regained her sight, she felt she could do more for him, but in fact, as Charles helped her to realize, the one she was really feeling sorry for was herself. Mary admitted it and was able to go home with a clear conscience. The only one not in attendance at her welcome home greeting was Laura. Knowing she'd be at the cottage, Albert escorted his sister there. They have an emotional reunion, Laura in tears over Mary's misfortune, but she managed to snap her sister out of it, letting her know that she's accepted her fate and everything is as it was, and always will be. And that's all that matters. So they all go back to the blind school, and as for that pink abomination, we'll never see or hear about it again.
This is a pretty sad episode, but at least it had a happy ending. Mary learned to accept what happened and could ride it out with a positive attitude. I especially liked the scene between Mary and Laura at the end, sharing a tender moment. They made such good on-screen siblings. Needless to say, Melissa Sue Anderson was fantastic. I must ask one last time, why would she put down her time on Little House? Especially since she's the only performer who was ever nominated for an Emmy? It sounded as if she blames Michael Landon for what happened to Mary, when she should be thanking him. The real Mary Ingalls did go blind, that wasn't added to the show for dramatic effect, and the real Mary never married or got to teach. TV Mary got married and became a teacher. What's the problem there? Oh well, to each their own. The other performers were great, and I liked the pink cottage subplot. The townspeople had a right to be put off by it, because even today a bright pink house is looked upon as tacky, unless it's in a Tim Burton film or something out of the 1970s. Anyway, while it is a downbeat and sad episode, The Enchanted Cottage is still worth checking out.
