Little House On The Prairie 2026 TV Series: Independence SPOILER FILLED Review

Little House On The Prairie has manages to entertain generations of kids for decades as such it wasn't all that surprising when it was announced that there would be a new version of the book coming from Netflix. Well they have now dropped all eight episodes however this review will only be based off of the first episode and so then join me as I give you my SPOILER FILLED review of the episode that if it was released on July 4th would have been very aptly named with the episode in question being called simply just "Independence" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is the Ingalls family leave there home , family and friends in the big wood behind them in search of a new life in the town of Independence. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. The episodes plot was one that whilst it was good it is also one that could have been done alot more better as the plot was really on thin side so much so that it was hard to tell just what the main plot of this episode was even meant to be in the first place. Yet when the episode does get a sort of plot with the family moving out of there old home that is where we see the potential of the series and that is where it very much feels like the original book as and yet the makers of this episode don't really focus on that part of the episode for very long when that is something that they had the time to do and whilst yes the plot of the original pilot film wasn't all that much better it was a damn sight better then the plot in this episode as the pot of that film did very much feel like it was ripping the pages of the book and putting them on screen where as here it does feel like that the makers of this show are trying to fix things that weren't broken when what they should have been doing is focusing on the plot elements that work as those are the things that the people are going to be remembering this episodes plot for and not all of the stuff later on in the episode with the plot of this episode also not really being really rather entertaining and as well as not really being really rather engaging either in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is Luke Bracey as Charles Ingalls , Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline Ingalls and Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls. Also starring in this episode is Skywalker Hughes as Mary Ingalls , Warren Christie as John Edwards , Jocko Sims as Dr. George Tann , Meegwun Fairbrother as William Mitchell , Alyssa Wapanatâhk as White Sun , Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle , Barrett Doss as Emily Henderson , Mary Holland as Jemma James , Michael Hough as Eli James , Kowen Cadorath as Caleb , Ryan Robbins as Russell Kind , Cliff Sumter as Hahn and Thosh Collins as Louis.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. This episodes acting is kind of hard t judge as while it is really good it is also the first episode f a new show and will therefor only get better as the show continues but as it pertains to this episode tho the acting is about as good as you can expect from a low quality Netflix show as while all of the episodes actors are in deed trying there best this is a case where there best just isn't good enough with it being clear that the episodes director Sarah Adina Smith was the wrong person to direct this episode as she has no clue on how to get a good performance out of her actors. With the best actor in the whole entire episode being Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline Ingalls as she does bring a certain charm to the role that does make her scenes all the more fun and sweet to watch with her and Luke Bracey having such good chemistry together that you do end up buying them as this married couple with this being something that is key to making the show as a whole work and heck she even does have a certain feistiness to her that does shine through in her performance in this episode. With the acting that's in this very episode not really being helped by the fact that this episodes script is just so bad as it gives none of this episodes actors anything to work with which is something that really does help to harm the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode. 

The characters in this episode are very much a mixed bag off affairs as while alot of them are done well others just aren't. As while the main family are handled about as well as could be expected as they are still the same characters only now they have a bit less charm to them as in the original film all of the family where likable people that you wanted to get know more about whereas here in this episode it does seem to the opposite that's true and as while the family members do have moments where they do show kindness and love to each to each other they mostly act cold and distant which is something that would make sense if this episode was filmed first but given that the whole point of this show is to show that family will always be there it is something that needed working on. However tho none of the episodes others characters get any kind of love given to them as at most alot of them just get two scenes to get across what there character is like which is just not enough for them to leave a lasting impact on us the audience as alot of the townsfolk do end up blending into together whereas with the family yes alot of them are just versions of the same character type your not going to confuse say Laura with Mary for example but with alot of the townsfolk it will be the opposite that's true as there is nothing about any of them that makes them stand out and that makes them feel rea which given the fact that the books were based off of the life of Laura herself is something that the makers of this episode really should have done as the books have worked for all of these decades for a reason and if the makers of this episode want this show to be a hit then they should have taken the time to make all of the characters feel like fully thought out characters.

SPOILERS START HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unlike with the original pilot film that just adapted the third book this episode seems to be just taking certain things from that book whilst also adapting things from the other books as well. This is something that does make this episode feel like a mashup of all of the books with none of them really working like for example in the scene where Jack gets swept away in the original pilot film we had narration from Laura saying how he was her best friends and we saw Charles go looking for him right after if happened whereas here none of that happens and therefor when Jack does go missing and Laura is still upset about it it doesn't make sense as we hadn't been given the information on if Jack was her friend or not and therefor him hi coming back to her at the end of the episode doesn't have the same surprise like it did when it happend in the movie. There are small changes like this all through the episode that on paper don't mean much but when you put them together it does add up to something that needed to fixed and right away like for example in the scene where Caroline gets tired from overworking herself in the original film she doesn't injure herself she just gets to weak to carry on with Charles telling her to rest and that she did a good job this does show us that he does care about her so much so that he is willing to do the work himself whereas here in this episode she drops a log on her foot with Charles now being forced to get the Doctor to help her out this is something that might not seem like much but it now says that Caroline is overworking herself not for her family but because of the fact that she's worried that the wolves might attack them and it tells us that Charles doesn't care that much about her as he never tells her that she did a good job he just says that he has to get the doctor to look at her.

There are some things about this episode that do work like for example the town itself does look really good. Even tho we don't spend alot of time in it in this episode we do get a good enough look at it with the town itself looking a typical western town only given the fact that "Independence" is a partially new town everything is nice and clean with the only thing that could have made the own feel more better being if we got to spend more time in it in this episode but given the fact that this episode also had to set up the whole family as well as the plot of the show it does make sense that the episode didn't spend alot of time in the town in this episode as that would have taken attention from where it should have been in this episode that being the family themselves. Speaking of the family we do actually get alot of scenes with them that weren't in the original film like we get a scene with Mary getting a crush on a local boy which was a sweet scene to see and we do get a scene where the sister talk about the things that they miss about there old home with Mary saying that she left her friends behind and Laura saying that she misses the rest of her family which again was a nice scene as it does show show us that this move not only effected them in a positive way as thy do get to see more of the world now but that it also effected them in a negative way as they did have to leave behind people that they miss dearly which is something that does make you wonder if this version of Charles took that into consideration as it is something that the Charles in the original film would have done if there was a similar scene both of these are things that whilst yes they are small things but they also show us that the makers of this episode yes did know would help to make the episode better and while they don't make the episode perfect by any means they up making it look like the episode was more well thought out with the makers of this episode going out of there way it seems to have scenes like these be in the episode itself when they really didn't have to do it at all.

One of the things that was always going to tricky an was something that you could never get around was how they treated the native Indian characters. With them here not really having much of an impact on the episodes plot as they do just appear in a few scenes and that's it but but the episode does show Laura almost going out of her to befriend the girl of an Indian family with her even giving her her doll that she had found and that Caroline has repaired for her which whilst it does come of nothing in this episode it is somethin that could go on to effect the rest of the episodes of this show as the whole third book was based around the Indians wanting there land back and the lengths that they would go to to get it therefor by having the daughter of the main family befriend one of them early on does make you wonder how alot of the scenes later on in this first season would go. We do even get a a bit of a dark backstory with Caroline as she does reveal that she has seen war before at some point in her past with her not willing to face it again when she finds that certain Indians are planning an attack to take back there land which was somethin that was quite shocking and this is where the episode does get to be quite interesting as it's during those moments where you never really no what to expect and therefore the makers of this episode do have to come up with clever and inventive ways to keep us guessing what's going to happen next and with Caroline having this dark past with the Indians it again does raise the question of that will happen at certain points in the rest of the season as we do know that some Indians at first do attack the families home and burn down there barn and while they do befriend them in the end it doesn't change the fact that they did it in the first place with Caroline having this past with them it does make you wonder she is now going to react when these attacks do start happening as it could go either way with her and it would work either way.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly fifty two minuets and fifty four seconds. Which is pretty much the bogstandard running time for this show and to be fair this episode really did need t have that amount of running time in order to fully set up it's plot and characters and while the episode does skip over large portions of the book and film it does feel like there is some kind of an effort to be true to the book as the episode doesn't try to say that it's better then the book that inspired it rather it uses it's running time to help to set up this world and make it feel more real and lived in with this being something that does help the episode with the episode having just about the right amount of plot there to cover that amount of running time in the first place. Yet even with this long amount of running time the episode still doesn't use its running time all that wisely as the episode doesn't take the time to fully develop it's plot which is something that could have been fine if this wasn't the first episode but given the fact that this is the first episode then there should have been scenes that do move either the episodes plot of the plot of this first season forward and make it feel more developed but the makers of this episode seemed to be more focused on making the Ingalls family seem really unlikable alot of the time that they are in giving us a well thought out plot. This is something that does also effect the characters character development as well which is something that is understandable as you could make the point that the character will get there development in later episodes which would be fine if this episode had set any of that up but it doesn't therefor any character development that they will get might not work as the foundations for the characters are rocky in the first place and yet if the makers of this episode had set up what there development will be by how the characters are attacking then it would work but the makers of this episode are more focused on making Laura look like a hunter alot of the time then they are in giving us it's characters character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho. 

So now then as this is a drama that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual drama that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual drama that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. The fact that this episode does gave some really good drama in it is somethin that isn't all that surprising due to the fact that the book themselves more then likely had some really good drama in it and while yes the drama in this episode doesn't work as well as it did in the original film it is something that does still work well enough that you do kind of forgive the episode for alot of it's past mistakes. With the best piece of drama in this episode actually not being that dramatic of a scene rather its the scene where Caroline tells Charles that she can't do any more work because she's pregnant which does work as these two actors are so likable as these characters with it bein somethin that does make you look back in the past scenes with her when she was doing something hard with a new eye as now we know that during the crossing scene that she might have been pregnant with this being something that does add some small replay value to the episode itself and whilst it is something that doesn't make the episode on the while all that great it is something that does leave you with hope for this family and that was something that the original film was great at giving you and it makes it all the more tragic when all that hope ends up lost in later episodes with the rest of the episodes drama being really good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

SPOILERS END HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall look to be fair the original film and the subsequent TV series will always be the better adaptation this episode does get this new series off to a flawed but still solid start and while yes the episode does have it's fair share of teething issues the same thing can also be said for alot of first episodes and is not something that's exclusive to this episode in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Little House On The Prairie Film Review

Pilots these days are usually things that would never be seen and while that is also the case for pilots in general nine times out of ten if a TV network wanted to see if something would be a hit then they would release the pilot as a made for TV movie. This is how we got shows like The Waltons and even Starsky & Hutch and it's also how we got what many consider to be one of the greatest drama in modern American history with it being that very TV movie that i'm going to be talking to you all about today and so then join me as I review the film that sees a family like there home in the big woods with the film in question being called simply just "Little House On The Prairie" enjoy.

The plot of this film is when there not enough food left in there old home the Ingalls family are forced to pack up and move home and find somewhere else to live where they have to cross dangerous rivers just to try and find a place to call home. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I im all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty really good. To be frank this films plot is alot more better then what it really had any right to be as by all rights the plot to this film should have been really bad and fille to the brim with obvious setup for the show. Yet there is none of that in this film with the film being more focused on telling a good and tight tory then it is in setting up things for the show with the films plot being at times heartwarming and at times devastating as we get to see these characters struggle to find a place to call home and while it would have been alot more better if the film did have more of a tighter plot and not just have what feels like a bunch of scenes that are loosely connected in it that would go against the film as a whole as the film is told from the point of view of a kid essentially writing down what's happened in a dairy and therefor of course things in the plot aren't going to be as good as they would have been otherwise and yet even so you can tell that there is alot of thought and effort put into this films plot with all of that love paying off as we do end up with a loving plot because of it with the plot of this film also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Starring in this film is Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls and this films producer and director Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls. Also starring in this film is Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls , Melissa Sue Anderson as Mary Ingalls , Lindsay Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls , Sidney Greenbush as Carrie Ingalls , Victor French as Isaiah Edwards , Victor Mohica as Soldat Du Chêne , Cal Bellini as Brave , Sam Vlahos as 1st Indian , Richard Alarian as 2nd Indian , Marian Beeler as Charlotte Holbrook , John Steadman as Frederick Holbrook and Ruth Foster as Aunt Ruby.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I im all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty really good. This was something that was quite shocking as you don't usually expect to see good acting in a made for TV movie rather you just expect there to be OK acting and that's it yet here it almost feels like the makers of this film went out of there way to give us some really good acting as all of the actors that are in this film are just so good an whilst yes granted this films acting isn't movie quality good it's also alot more better then alot of the acting in other made for TV movies. With the best actor in this film quite easily being Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls as he does get alot more of the more dramatic scenes in the film and whilst the rest of the films actors do get some dramatic scenes as well he does pull them of which such ease with this being something that does make alot of sense as he did star in alot of drama films and TV shows therefor he would know how best to perform in a drama heavy scene and yet he doesn't shy away from bringing hope with him performing this character with a huge twinkle in his eye as you can really tell that he had a blast in playing this character with that being something that really does shine through in this film. With the acting that's in this film really being helped buy the fact that this films script is just so good that all this films actors have to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very film. 

One of the many things that this film does really well is it's characters as the film does give us some really good main characters. The films characters are so well written with them all being very distinct and well thought out characters like for example Charles is very much the type who will put his own family above his own needs as we we do get to see him do things that would kill him but he does them because of the fact that he love his family where as with Caroline she is someone who where's her heart on her sleeve and yet when push does come to shove she is always there to protect her daughters and speaking of the daughters all of them do feel very much like real people and while yes this is because of the fact that the books that this film and show are based off are based on a real person the fact that that does translate into there characters on the screen does go along way into telling you just how well written each of the characters are. With the makers of this film even going the extra mile by having us not only like these characters but also fall in love with them so much so that we want to see them succeed and find a home of there own with this being something that does make the quieter moments between them all the more heartwarming as we do get to see just how strong of a bond that they share as a family which is really sweet to see with that bond showing us just how these characters are as people as we get to see just how far alot of them are willing to go to make the others happy with that being something that alot of people today especially need to see as alot of them are far to quickly to push there own flesh and blood under the bus, yet if they just took the time to talk to there family then they would end up with a more stronger family bond which is something that we get to see in this film as it is clear as day that all of these characters really do love each other and that is something that is clear as day all the way throughout this film.

The heart of this film is all about chasing the American Dream and the hardships that doing something like that does entail. As while the main bulk of the film is spent with the family just trying to find there new home when they do find it in Kansas and decide to become farmers they still meet struggles be it from the weather or from other people and seeing them overcome that just because of the fact that they want to follow the American Dream and just live to see another day is something that does make these characters to be awe-inspiring as we do get to see them put in the work to make there new dream of being famers work and while not everything does go there way the things that do taste all the more sweeter because of the hard work that they put into making it work in the first place. This again is something that people today need to learn as they expect success to come after just making a few videos on either TikTok or Youtube and aren't willing to spend the time needed to put in the work and to put in the effort to reach there dreams in the first place and therefore when they do fail to reach there goals they don't blame themselves for not putting in the work they'll blame everyone around them and yet films like this one do show us that if you do put in the work then success will come granted it might not come ass quickly as you want to and it might not last long but it will be worth it when it gets there and while it cold well be argued that the family don't reach there goals at the end of this film as it's not until the TV series that they reach there final new home they still did put in the time and the effort to make a real go and being farmers in the first place and while fair enough it didn't work out for them this time around who to say that the next time they try it they won't take what they learnt from this time and apply it to this new attempt.

As was just mentioned this film is based on the book of the same name by author Laura Ingalls Wilder with the books being very loosely based on her childhood. Just based off of a very quick reading on the books Wikipedia page it does seem like that this film is a mostly accurate adaptation of the book with there only being a very very minor differences between the book and the film like for example in the book the family all get malaria which is something that never happens in the film and while there scenes with two Indians in the film there's nothing about them meeting at the nearby river bottoms and unnerving some of the settlers with there war cries altho it is hinted that it was one of the Indians that set the family's home and barn on fire towards the end of the film. To be fair given how auto biographical that the books are in this series it might be very hard for the makers of this film to have done an adaptation that is pretty much just the book but on screen and yet they did do there best as it does feel like it is just a more shorter version of the book and while the books are made for little children this film instead feels like it was made more for a family audience with it feeling like the makers of this film where chasing the same family audience that checked in to watch The Waltons as both shows did try to attract more of a family audience with the inly major difference being that this film was technically based on a true story, while the book doesn't seem like it was afraid to put the family in danger as the Wikipedia does explain as such here really the only character that does get put in any real danger is Jack the dog with the family themselves not really facing any danger until near the end of the film when there house and barn is set on fire.

While it would have been super easy for the makers of this film to have the film be littered with things that wouldn't get payed off until the TV series started airing. Here in this film really the only real tease of the show comes right at the end of the film where the family are forced to vacate there new home when some soldiers tell them that they have to and even then it's debatable on if that is a tease for the show as the show wasn't even being planned at the time that this film came out and the book does have a very similar ending to it but given the fact that the first shot of the show is the family airing in what would become the series main setting it is a safe bet to say that the ending of this film could serve as a tease for the show. Heck even it's ending doesn't give the characters the happy ending that they really did deserve as they still do loose there new home and are again forced to move on all for something that they had no control over with this being something that we do see anger Charles and yet he has to go along with it and while it would have been very easy for the makers of this film to give the characters there happy ending that not only wouldn't be true to the books and it would go against the films message of just because you work hard for something doesn't always mean that you'll get it as while the family do spend about a year in this new house trying to build a sustainable life for themselves they are still at the whim and mercy of a government that doesn't really care all that much about them and therefor they have to give up on this house that they all spent time in helping build just because of the fact that a new line was drawn and there house wasn't on the right side of it. This is something that was a smart thing for the makers of this film to include as it does allow for the makers of this film to be true to the books and it does allow them to be truthful in there messaging and seeing how the family does cope with essentially being evicted from there home which is something that they wouldn't be able to do if they went the more fairy tale way and gave the family the happy ending that yes was deserves but it would have gone against the original books in the process.

Now then this film has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly one hour and thirty six minuets and fifty nine seconds. Which for a made for TV movie is pretty much the bogstandard running time and while this film does take a huge while to really get going when the film does get going it doesn't let up and even with the film having this amount of running time it does at times oddly feel both the right and wrong running time for the film to have as at times the film does feel like a bunch of scenes that are very loosely connected together and yet at the same time it's with the film being this long that both the characters and plot have alot of time to breathe with the film having more then enough there interms of plot to really cover that amount on running time in the first place. The film does even use its running time very wisely with the makers of this film really taking the time to fully develop its plot as while at times it doesn't seem like there is a plot forming the film does take the time to sprinkle in things early on the film that do end up becoming major plot points in the film like for example the film shows us the journey that the family have to go on just to get there new home which might not seem like much but then during a harsh winter we see one of there friends decide to take that same journey just to see them again with it being that person that does end up saving Christmas for them which granted doesn't seem like much but it is something that does show us the audience that the makers of this film did put alot of thought and effort into making this films plot feel as well developed at it is. The same thing is also true for the films character development as while it could be argued that all of the films main characters don't really need character development in this film as they would of course get it in the show the makers of the film do still take the time to show us moments with each of the family members where they do grow as people like for example we do see that Laura doesn't agree with her father alot of the time and yet during one of there minor arguments she does get to see the kind of choices that he has to make on a daily basis which does cause her to almost see him in a new light and while it is clear that the makers of this film did put more thought and effort into having the main theme of the film play over alot of scenes then they did the films character development but I really will admit that the film did have some really bad pacing to it tho. 

So now then as this is a drama film tat really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual drama that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual drama that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film was in all honesty. One could make the argument for the films drama being the best part of the film as it is just so well done be it from a writing , directing or acting standpoint with it feeling like that the makers of this film really knew not to drop the ball when it comes to this films drama as instead of dropping it they straight up picked the ball up and ran with it as there are alot of scenes in this film that have alot of rally good drama in it with it all feeling earned. With the best piece of drama in the whole film oddly enough not being the scene where the family have to rush to stop there house and barn from burning to the ground rather it's the more simpler scene of the family , there dog Jack and there horses crossing the river as while the family do indeed struggle to get across the river so much so that Charles has to get out of carriage and lead the horses himself Jack isn't so luck as while he does try to swim across to the other side he gets swept away in the current with the family believing him dead as Charles himself goes and walks downstream for miles and can't find him with Laura herself taking it the hardest as to her Jack was more then just a dog he was her best friend this does make the reveal of him being alive and well all the more heartwarming as there is real joy and real happiness in the eyes of the makers of this film during that scene with the rest of the films drama being just as good as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Overall the new Netflix Little House On The Prairie TV series does have a lot to live up to as this one film gave us really likable characters that we want to see more off which is something that the new Netflix version will have to do if it really wants to succeed and be as good as not only the original show was but also what this film as well as this film is just that good in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very film in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very film really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly an 8.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk , IMP Awards . Com and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very film that I used in this very post being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very film with alot of them really being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images really are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.