Little House on the Prairie (TV Series) I'll Ride the Wind (1977) User Reviews

Follow Your Heart and Your Dreams

[spasek · 9/10 · 16 August 2019]

It's challenging relating to this episode when you're only five years old, which was how old I was when it first aired. As an adult, it's more readily appreciated when you realize the power of dreams and of living your own life instead of someone else's.

I'm an ESL teacher who has taught in over five different countries. Mostly Asian ones. There is a lot that I love about Asian cultures. But one of the shortcomings is how their children are not able to choose the lives that they want; to follow their own hearts. Everything is chosen for them. When I challenge my students to follow their hearts and dreams, I sometimes see a glimmer of hope on their faces. One girl wrote to me later and told me how she felt I was the only one who believed in her. She wants to open her own bakery shop someday.

This episode deals with John Jr. Who has a natural gift and talent for poetry. It's what he loves. If you aren't doing what you love, then why are you doing it? John is given a unique opportunity to further his studies. On the other hand, he loves Mary, and he's hoping that they can get married someday.

It's ironic how often we think that certain ways of life are for everyone: find a job, get married, have kids, etc. They're not. Most people follow a pattern of obligation; of pleasing others rather than following their hearts. Robert Frost speaks of this in which he takes "the lesser known path" which has made all of the difference in his life.

Fortunately, Mary is able to see that shutting the door on John's dream isn't going to make either of them happy. People who live to please others only end up hurt and resentful. Mary is able to pass this wisdom on to Mr. Edwards. In the end, they realize that their dreams and John's are not the same, and they have no right to try and change them.

John and Mary's "relationship" is really only addressed in a couple of episodes. Television episodes didn't have long story arcs like today. If they had, this could have been stretched out so that we'd really feel the impact. We also might find someone to remind Charles of how old Mary was when he has a problem with Laura and Almanzo's engagement later on.

All in all, this is a wonderful episode. True love is about letting go. Not holding on. When you try to hold on to love, it ceases to be love. People are not possessions, which is why love and freedom are synonymous.

The Farming Life Ain't For Me.

[ExplorerDS6789 · 8/10 · 8 April 2012]

It looks as though all that time John Jr. spent with his heads in the clouds is starting to pay off. He received a letter from a respected publisher who's looking to buy his poems. This was the beginning of a whole new life, not just for him, but the love of his life, Mary. He now felt it was the right time to pop the question. This news didn't sit well with their fathers, however. Edwards couldn't understand how someone could possibly make a living by writing, and Charles wasn't quite ready for a son in-law. The next day, Mr. Frederick Deerling of the Pathfinder in Chicago came to see John Jr., and while he wasn't really there to publish his poems, he was actually scouting for young men with John's talent to be enrolled in a four year university. They'd cover everything, and if John weren't interested, they had another student ready to go in his place. This was a big decision. As you can image, John Jr. was thrilled and so was Grace, but this was a bit harder for Isaiah to except. He wanted his boy to follow in his footsteps (don't they all?) John's future wife saw it as a bitter pill to swallow too, but she wanted him to go ahead with it. But now came the ultimate decision: does he follow his dream and become the writer he'd always wanted to be, or stay in Walnut Grove and be a farmer. At least with the latter he'd ensure that Mary wouldn't leave him. Grace was sure he was making a mistake, but Edwards had a whole other view on it. He brought John Jr. and Mary to a plot of land, 80 acres to be exact, that he'd been saving for just such an occasion. He enthusiastically painted a picture of John's future home. The soil was ripe for planting, plowing, plenty of room for a house, barn, and even a well. So it looks like John's destiny is now carved in stone.

That night, John Jr. came to see Charles, who for days had his heart set on telling John he had to wait a year and a half before he could marry Mary, and now the opportunity seemed to have present itself. John stated his case, but then Charles brought up the opportunity-of-a-lifetime John had recently gotten but changed his mind about, and he hoped his mind was made up about it. John seemed to think so, and so in just 18 months, Mary will be his to have and hold. So in the meantime, John began building his new house and convinced himself he was through with poetry and writing, but deep down, he didn't believe that. He lashed out at Mary and Grace whenever they broached the subject. John had hoped his staying in Walnut Grove would keep him close to Mary, but in turn, it has in fact driven them apart. As Mary read over some of John's old works, she and Caroline have a heart to heart, and her ma talks about all the dreams and ambitions she had to give up for marriage, but in the long run it was worth it...sometimes. That's when Mary realized that John Jr. was throwing away his gift to live the life other people wanted for him, and not what he wanted. Edwards realized that maybe he jumped the gun a little bit, and so with the full blessings of his family and friends, John Jr. was on his way to Chicago to begin the rest of his life. Ride that wind, John.

When we next see John Jr., he will have changed, but unfortunately, not for the better. This is an episode I think most of us can relate to. When it comes to a young person following their dreams, they're usually faced with making a difficult decision that includes their loved ones. Usually the parent will want them to follow in their footsteps, even if that isn't what they want, and the parent is too proud to admit otherwise. Edwards, John Jr., Grace and Mary greatly resemble every facet of the scenario, relaying a tale as old as time, and pulled it off very well. This is a good episode to watch if you're young at heart, you have dreams and ambitions, or you had them at one point and like to look back on what might have been. I'll Ride the Wind is a terrific study of the human characteristic and resembles how and why we often don't make the decision that is most beneficial for us. Harold Swanton did a great job on the script, Bill Claxton did a great job directing, and Victor French, Bonnie Bartlett, Radames Pera and Melissa Sue Anderson were all fantastic in their performances. As I've heard about their off-screen relationship, Melissa and Radames didn't get along, and it was reportedly very difficult to film their love scenes. They were very convincing nonetheless.

Good bye, John

[mitchrmp · 10/10 · 26 May 2013]

Even though they'd been father and son for less then a year, Mr. Edwards acted like John had always been his. At one point, John mentions loving his real father, but states that Isaiah is everything John could ever want in a Pa.

If you remember the hunting trip father and son took, you'll understand why Isaiah acted the way he did. He didn't want to loose John, yet he knew John had never been his - not really. The two were so different. Isaiah wasn't book smart and loved to work the farm. John...well, John was very smart and wanted to write poetry. He was a dreamer.

The title was so appropriately titled, and you can see how John rode the wind - even to his death (oh but that comes next season or the season after, I can't remember exactly).

Mary and John are in love. It's a bit odd and hard to stomach that the parents are all for young Mary (thirteen years old) falling so hard and fast for a boy and Charles being okay with Mary getting married (at fifteen). If you remember a later episode about Laura and Almonzo's courtship, you'll also remember that Charles wouldn't even hear of marriage until Laura was eighteen...She was finally allowed to be married at 17, I believe.

Well anyway, it made a great story. A heartfelt mother-daughter talk put everything to write and Melissa Sue Anderson pulled off her strong character role in this one.

poor Mary whit this fool boy!

[drfernandogil · 5/10 · 20 February 2024]

I don't like John's character at all. He is a boy who despises his relatives, Mr. Edwards, and even Mary Ingalls herself, to whom he declares eternal love and then leaves her planted with lies. She won't even hesitate to use her "art" to lie to him and create illusions while he will be with another woman in Chicago. His thoughts are out of context, and besides, it doesn't seem like he has "the golden pen" enough for them to come looking for him from Chicago... Yes, I know it's a series, but I don't like this character. He changes his decisions easily, and with complete and utter selfishness. Finally he leaves for Chicago and will leave Mary, forever, jilted, who does not deserve to have gotten close to such a selfish man.