Ben is returning home after being released as a POW. One humorous bit is when one of the Baldwin sisters referred to him being "paroled" before being corrected by her sister.
One could say they had too many "welcome home" scenes, but I didn't think they went overboard. While Ben was delighted to return home, he had also figured out a course for his future that would surprise his family more than he had figured.
He had seen engineers designing bridges and airstrips and decided he wanted to go to college so he could do these things too. It would involve moving Cindy and Virginia away from home.
Ben was taken aback when his father revealed a new sign, telling him he deserved a promotion, as partner in "Walton's Mill, John and Ben Walton, Prop." John took Ben's news as well as he could, but he was disappointed.
The subplot dealt with Erin trying to have a peaceful vacation at home, after giving Cindy her gas rationing coupons to let her travel to pick up Ben. J.D. Pickett kept coming over to get her to come back to help him at the plant, especially for a government inspector coming soon. Erin insisted she would do no work until the following Monday.
Near the end came unsettling news for everyone. For anyone who will soon watch, I won't reveal how things ended. What stands out to me is how between what happened at the end, and Erin giving up her big vacation trip to Atlantic City so her sister-in-law could use her ration coupons, is how selfless this family is. It was a sparkling example of a family that really cares about each other.
Their concern for the others was a sharp contrast to most TV families of later years, ones who seem to refuse to spend 10 minutes just to help another without trading for some kind of favor. To me, this was a Waltons of the high quality for which the earlier seasons were known.
One could say they had too many "welcome home" scenes, but I didn't think they went overboard. While Ben was delighted to return home, he had also figured out a course for his future that would surprise his family more than he had figured.
He had seen engineers designing bridges and airstrips and decided he wanted to go to college so he could do these things too. It would involve moving Cindy and Virginia away from home.
Ben was taken aback when his father revealed a new sign, telling him he deserved a promotion, as partner in "Walton's Mill, John and Ben Walton, Prop." John took Ben's news as well as he could, but he was disappointed.
The subplot dealt with Erin trying to have a peaceful vacation at home, after giving Cindy her gas rationing coupons to let her travel to pick up Ben. J.D. Pickett kept coming over to get her to come back to help him at the plant, especially for a government inspector coming soon. Erin insisted she would do no work until the following Monday.
Near the end came unsettling news for everyone. For anyone who will soon watch, I won't reveal how things ended. What stands out to me is how between what happened at the end, and Erin giving up her big vacation trip to Atlantic City so her sister-in-law could use her ration coupons, is how selfless this family is. It was a sparkling example of a family that really cares about each other.
Their concern for the others was a sharp contrast to most TV families of later years, ones who seem to refuse to spend 10 minutes just to help another without trading for some kind of favor. To me, this was a Waltons of the high quality for which the earlier seasons were known.
