This is an interesting episode, not bad, not all that good, that deals with a family of three, Professor Mann, his wife, and their son Paul coming to live on Walton's Mountain.
When they arrive, the son is left inside their taxicab, which attracts the interest of the Walton children, surprised at seeing a taxi come all the way from Charlottesville. They start a friendly conversation with the boy while he sits inside, but when his father comes out of the store, he quickly excuses them and leaves, seeming most unfriendly to the Waltons.
Just as they are settling in at their new home, next to a pond/lake, we viewers see what prompts so much of the remainder of the episode, although none of the series regulars know about it. A window is accidentally broken by a misfired rock from Jim-Bob's slingshot. The Mann's "hit the dirt" and began worrying if they will ever find a place that is safe. They fear their safety as Jews is no better here than it was in Germany.
Because of this intense fear, the professor tells his family that they must not only stay away from others as much as possible, speak only English, but that they must pretend not to be Jewish. They will celebrate no Jewish holy days and son Paul cannot even have his bar mitzvah, due in a couple of weeks.
This causes much tension in the family. Paul is allowed to become friendly with the Walton children and he comes to trust them enough to reveal his family's story. He is most upset at his father for denying him something he has been eagerly looking forward to.
After a big fight among the Manns, it is Zeb Walton who gets the professor to realize the mistake he is making and bring about a resolution to the problem.
The strengths of this episode are in the scenes where the Walton family learns about the Jewish faith. They innocently notice the many similarities between Jews and Baptists. I also enjoyed an early scene where John-Boy confronts the professor, letting him know how upset he was at the way he was treated.
To anyone who complains that the Walton kids were too "goody-goody", this presents proof that they were not that way at all. When Jim-Bob accidentally breaks the window, he and Ben run away and tell nobody. It would have seemed unrealistic for these young boys to man-up and confess in this situation, and I liked the fact that they acted like real little boys who simply try to get away with a mistake that causes some damage.
They do fess up when asked (apparently, because it wasn't on screen, at least not in the version I just watched)and we are told they will pay for their mistake.
I was able to put myself in Paul's place and truly understood his actions and feelings. Not the greatest episode, but, I think, far better than the earlier reviewer here believes.
When they arrive, the son is left inside their taxicab, which attracts the interest of the Walton children, surprised at seeing a taxi come all the way from Charlottesville. They start a friendly conversation with the boy while he sits inside, but when his father comes out of the store, he quickly excuses them and leaves, seeming most unfriendly to the Waltons.
Just as they are settling in at their new home, next to a pond/lake, we viewers see what prompts so much of the remainder of the episode, although none of the series regulars know about it. A window is accidentally broken by a misfired rock from Jim-Bob's slingshot. The Mann's "hit the dirt" and began worrying if they will ever find a place that is safe. They fear their safety as Jews is no better here than it was in Germany.
Because of this intense fear, the professor tells his family that they must not only stay away from others as much as possible, speak only English, but that they must pretend not to be Jewish. They will celebrate no Jewish holy days and son Paul cannot even have his bar mitzvah, due in a couple of weeks.
This causes much tension in the family. Paul is allowed to become friendly with the Walton children and he comes to trust them enough to reveal his family's story. He is most upset at his father for denying him something he has been eagerly looking forward to.
After a big fight among the Manns, it is Zeb Walton who gets the professor to realize the mistake he is making and bring about a resolution to the problem.
The strengths of this episode are in the scenes where the Walton family learns about the Jewish faith. They innocently notice the many similarities between Jews and Baptists. I also enjoyed an early scene where John-Boy confronts the professor, letting him know how upset he was at the way he was treated.
To anyone who complains that the Walton kids were too "goody-goody", this presents proof that they were not that way at all. When Jim-Bob accidentally breaks the window, he and Ben run away and tell nobody. It would have seemed unrealistic for these young boys to man-up and confess in this situation, and I liked the fact that they acted like real little boys who simply try to get away with a mistake that causes some damage.
They do fess up when asked (apparently, because it wasn't on screen, at least not in the version I just watched)and we are told they will pay for their mistake.
I was able to put myself in Paul's place and truly understood his actions and feelings. Not the greatest episode, but, I think, far better than the earlier reviewer here believes.
