The Fulfillment

I completely agree with the reviewer who, like me, awarded 10 stars for this episode.

The Waltons is a show built on things such as simplicity and warmth. Most often, it succeeds; sometimes, it strays a bit into something overdone. However, with this episode, everything clicked. Again, as the other 10-star reviewer noted, this episode was a masterful combination of script, casting, direction, and acting. How could there possibly be a dry eye in the house by the end of the story?

Masterful........precisely because of the simplicity, and because of the honesty in the lines spoken.

Oh my, how nice it was to see this again after so long!

A beautifully written and acted episode all about infertility and dreams of having a family. It doesn't skirt the imbalance of a couple's different reactions to meeting a little lad who needs a forever family.

Excellent casting and great acting.

I've always loved this episode. However, I disagree with the person who stated on their review that Victor French should have been a regular on this show rather than on Little House on the Prairie. He was such a fabulous & beloved character on Little House & i can't imagine anyone playing that role better! His looks were perfect for the unkept rough, but soft hearted character. And I loved the friendship chemistry he & Michael Landon had. The special relationship he had with Laura was so endearing. Ned Beatty did a wonderful job playing the character of the blacksmith in an earlier episode. Not sure why he was ever replaced, but that was rather confusing to me!

According to the narration, from time to time the Waltons would take in an orphan for a few days, after which they would return him to the orphanage. This seems...cruel? Anyhoo their current visiting orphan is Stevie, a tough little SOB who isn't exactly warming up to the family, but may have a future with local blacksmith Curtis Norton and wife Ann. We first saw Curtis in "The Bicycle" from the first season, played by Ned Beatty; here the role has been taken over by Victor French, a definite improvement (no offense to Mr. Beatty, who is a legend). Beatty portrayed Curtis as an overly-serious neurotic bumpkin; French's Curtis is easygoing and avuncular, the kind of guy you'd have some recipe with. His scenes with Stevie are delightful. It's too bad Curtis couldn't have been made a regular character; I think Victor French's talent would have been better spent on this show than "Little House on the Prairie," victim to Michael Landon's schmaltzy excesses. Ivy Jones is solid as highly-strung, but redeemable Ann Norton. Bonus points for the hilarious scene where Jason discovers staying up late with the grown-ups is boring as hell. 8/10 stars.