Seems there's been a rash of chicken thefts throughout hero township. Oleson's Mercantile has been selling their locks like griddle cakes. Harriet was proud of herself for doing such a good deed. All the while, Laura and Andrew were becoming hooked on the tales of Farnsdale Fremont of Scotland Yard, the fictional super sleuth. They wonder what he would do if he were around to solve the...fowl play. Excuse the pun. More bad news: in addition to missing chickens, somebody swiped the hot apple pie Caroline left cooling by the window sill. Now that's going too far! Laura and Andrew were determined to find out just who this "creeper" was and bring him to justice. Right then and there they formed the Garvey & Ingalls...excuse me, Ingalls & Garvey (ladies first) Detective Agency; elsewhere, young Timothy Farrell was out hunting for a job, but unfortunately there were none to be found. Even the kind-hearted Mr. Hanson had to turn him away, as times were tough and there wasn't any work. Seems his old man, Bailey, was recovering from a heart attack, and he was too proud to accept charity. Oh, and he stole the pie by the way. I didn't see any chickens, so maybe he's not the creeper. But still, stealing is stealing.
The Ingalls & Garvey Detective Agency got off to a rocky start. They set a trap to catch the creeper, but Bandit's interference spoiled everything. Laura's next idea was to help that ol' mongrel help them get a scent, but once again she overestimated the dog's intelligence. Following that chain of events, the mercantile gets an over night robbery and Harriet offers a hefty reward of $5.00 for any information on the perpetrators ($5.00 back then is like $50.00 today). Laura and Andrew decide they want a piece of that (the money). For some reason they ask Willie and Nellie to help. But when dusting for finger prints leave a huge mess, they lose the Olesons' support. Yet still, Laura and Andrew want them to help (why? What did they ever do for them?). Their next plan was to set a trap at Tyler's Seed and Grain. But wouldn't you know it, the Oleson brats were spotted by their mother as they were sneaking out. She instantly suspects them to be the creeper. Well, when the kids saw the hideous looking creeper walk into Tyler's they spring their trap, only to find it was Mrs. Oleson, with ridiculously horrifying make-up. Well, Andrew and Laura were determined not to let this little set-back get them down. Despite Charles' orders, they continued their hunt for the creeper, who now stole one of the Ingallses' hens! Well, those meddling kids set another trap and guess who the unlucky sucker was this time? Yep, Charles. Got a bucket of green paint dumped all over him. Thankfully he was able to wash off all of it, except his hair. He quickly became a laughingstock. While that nonsense was going on, Timothy was set to take the exam to get him into medical school. It was tough, but he passed and won the scholarship. Unable to break the news herself, Miss Beadle sent Laura and Andrew to inform the future Dr. Tim Farrell. He was out, but they chatted with Bailey, who spoke praises of his boy and the work he was doing for the Harkey people who may or may not even exist, and when they spy several chickens, including the one from the Ingallses' farm. They put two and two together and realize Timothy was the creeper. Great, they figured it out 30 minutes after we did. Why'd he do it? For food to keep his father and himself alive, and as I said before, they were too proud to accept charity. What should they do now? What would Fremont do? What would Charles Ingalls do? Keep it secret and let him handle it, of course. So with Jonathan, Doc Baker, Nels and Mr. Hanson, they have a little intervention with Timothy and his Pa. They don't let Bailey know his son was a thief, however, but they do work out a proposition where they would pitch in and help while Timothy finished school and would eventually succeed Doc Baker. So Timothy gave back the goods and nobody outside the circle had to ever know.
I guess Timothy Farrell either moved away, changed his mind or died because we never see or hear from him again, and the town never had another doctor other than Doc Baker, although we meet a supposed second doctor in Season 9's "Marvin's Garden." Anyway, for what it's worth, this episode was pretty good. It had plenty of funny moments, mainly between Nels and Harriet, but who could forget Charles' green hair? Even Reverend Alden couldn't keep a straight face during church. Too bad Mr. Ingalls doesn't have a sense of humor. While this isn't really a sequel to "The Monster of Walnut Grove", it does have something in common where Harriet is trampled by the kids. Why was everybody so mad? She got what she deserved. Anyway, this episode is well worth checking out. It's not perfect or one of the best, but it's funny and touching, a great combination.
The Ingalls & Garvey Detective Agency got off to a rocky start. They set a trap to catch the creeper, but Bandit's interference spoiled everything. Laura's next idea was to help that ol' mongrel help them get a scent, but once again she overestimated the dog's intelligence. Following that chain of events, the mercantile gets an over night robbery and Harriet offers a hefty reward of $5.00 for any information on the perpetrators ($5.00 back then is like $50.00 today). Laura and Andrew decide they want a piece of that (the money). For some reason they ask Willie and Nellie to help. But when dusting for finger prints leave a huge mess, they lose the Olesons' support. Yet still, Laura and Andrew want them to help (why? What did they ever do for them?). Their next plan was to set a trap at Tyler's Seed and Grain. But wouldn't you know it, the Oleson brats were spotted by their mother as they were sneaking out. She instantly suspects them to be the creeper. Well, when the kids saw the hideous looking creeper walk into Tyler's they spring their trap, only to find it was Mrs. Oleson, with ridiculously horrifying make-up. Well, Andrew and Laura were determined not to let this little set-back get them down. Despite Charles' orders, they continued their hunt for the creeper, who now stole one of the Ingallses' hens! Well, those meddling kids set another trap and guess who the unlucky sucker was this time? Yep, Charles. Got a bucket of green paint dumped all over him. Thankfully he was able to wash off all of it, except his hair. He quickly became a laughingstock. While that nonsense was going on, Timothy was set to take the exam to get him into medical school. It was tough, but he passed and won the scholarship. Unable to break the news herself, Miss Beadle sent Laura and Andrew to inform the future Dr. Tim Farrell. He was out, but they chatted with Bailey, who spoke praises of his boy and the work he was doing for the Harkey people who may or may not even exist, and when they spy several chickens, including the one from the Ingallses' farm. They put two and two together and realize Timothy was the creeper. Great, they figured it out 30 minutes after we did. Why'd he do it? For food to keep his father and himself alive, and as I said before, they were too proud to accept charity. What should they do now? What would Fremont do? What would Charles Ingalls do? Keep it secret and let him handle it, of course. So with Jonathan, Doc Baker, Nels and Mr. Hanson, they have a little intervention with Timothy and his Pa. They don't let Bailey know his son was a thief, however, but they do work out a proposition where they would pitch in and help while Timothy finished school and would eventually succeed Doc Baker. So Timothy gave back the goods and nobody outside the circle had to ever know.
I guess Timothy Farrell either moved away, changed his mind or died because we never see or hear from him again, and the town never had another doctor other than Doc Baker, although we meet a supposed second doctor in Season 9's "Marvin's Garden." Anyway, for what it's worth, this episode was pretty good. It had plenty of funny moments, mainly between Nels and Harriet, but who could forget Charles' green hair? Even Reverend Alden couldn't keep a straight face during church. Too bad Mr. Ingalls doesn't have a sense of humor. While this isn't really a sequel to "The Monster of Walnut Grove", it does have something in common where Harriet is trampled by the kids. Why was everybody so mad? She got what she deserved. Anyway, this episode is well worth checking out. It's not perfect or one of the best, but it's funny and touching, a great combination.
