Little House on the Prairie: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Picks up essential narrative continuity directly following the events of Little House on the Prairie Season 3.
- Character alliances, factions, and personal loyalties undergo significant shifts under escalating stakes.
- Addresses unresolved cliffhangers and thematic mysteries introduced during previous seasons.
- Establishes the primary seasonal conflict that drives serialized character arcs toward the finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Castoffs
Sep 12, 1977 · 49 min
When Laura's dog, Jack, dies, her Pa gives her a new dog, Bandit, after the dog follows him home. Although the dog seems very friendly to Laura, Laura doesn't want it. When Laura l
Times of Change
Sep 19, 1977 · 49 min
After going to Chicago for the first time, Charles and Mary are very disappointed in what life in the city is really like.
My Ellen
Sep 26, 1977 · 49 min
A mother is in deep denial over her daughter's death in a tragic drowning. To comfort herself, she kidnaps Laura, hoping she will take her late daughter's place.
The Handyman
Oct 3, 1977 · 49 min
Charles must take a delivery to Mankato immediately and is unable to finish the addition to his house. Caroline hires a handsome man, Chris, to finish the house. Mary suspects that
The Wolves
Oct 17, 1977 · 49 min
Charles and Caroline go away and leave Mary in charge. Laura and Andy find some baby wolves.
The Creeper of Walnut Grove
Oct 24, 1977 · 49 min
Things are being stolen in Walnut Grove. Laura and Andy try to figure out who's the crook. They end up getting a lot of people mad at them, including Mr. Ingalls, especially after
To Run and Hide
Oct 31, 1977 · 49 min
When Doc Baker is unable to save a patient of his, he believes that he is unhappy being a doctor. He finds a new doctor for the town. Doc Baker stays on when he realizes that the n
The Aftermath
Nov 7, 1977 · 49 min
Jesse and Frank James hide out in Walnut Grove. The people of Walnut Grove find out who they really are when bounty hunters come looking for them.
The High Cost of Being Right
Nov 14, 1977 · 49 min
After Mr. Garvey's barn burns to the ground with the crops inside, his wife, Alice, takes a job at the post office. Mr. Garvey opposes this believing that a man should be able to s
The Fighter
Nov 21, 1977 · 74 min
People in Walnut Grove are betting on a big boxing match in town. Mr. Ingalls does not know that he will be fighting an extremely sick person. That's why Charles is surprised in th
Meet Me At the Fair
Nov 28, 1977 · 49 min
The Ingallses and Olesons take a trip to the fair. Patrick, a carnival worker and Mary's boyfriend, and his boss, Cass (a balloonist and suave ladies man) vie for Mary's attention;
Here Come the Brides
Dec 5, 1977 · 49 min
Adam Simms and his son Luke move into town. Adam falls in love with Miss Beadle, while Luke and Nellie Oleson fall for each other. After Miss Beadle talks to Nellie about love and
Freedom Flight
Dec 12, 1977 · 49 min
An Indian boy comes to Walnut Grove trying to get help for his sick father. The people of Walnut Grove become very hostile toward the Indians. Thanks to Mr. Ingalls' help the India
The Rivals
Jan 9, 1978 · 48 min
Charles must try to save his business from a competitor. Laura, who is love with Jimmy Hill, must compete with somebody else for him.
Whisper Country
Jan 16, 1978 · 48 min
Mary eagerly accepts a teaching job in a backwoods community, only to face the sternest test of her career and life when she meets the community's leader: an elderly woman who is t
I Remember, I Remember
Jan 23, 1978 · 48 min
Mr. Ingalls is severely delayed when a wheel breaks on his wagon in the pouring rain. This is the day of Charles and Caroline's wedding anniversary. Everything had been all prepare
Be My Friend
Jan 30, 1978 · 73 min
When Laura is playing along a creek, she finds a bottle with a note in it. The note read, ""Be my friend."" Laura convinces Pa to help her look for the person who sent the note. Th
The Inheritance
Feb 6, 1978 · 48 min
Mrs. Olesen may finally get to drive those ""homely"" Ingalls from Walnut Grove for good when the family gets an inheritance from a wealthy relative. Against their better judgement
The Stranger
Feb 13, 1978 · 48 min
Nels' brother sends his 12-year-old son to Walnut Grove after repeated conflicts at home and school. When Mrs. Oleson interferes in her husband's plans to rehabilitate his nephew,
A Most Precious Gift
Feb 27, 1978 · 48 min
Charles and Caroline are going to have another baby. Caroline constantly refers to the baby as he. Caroline delivers the baby sooner than expected causing Charles to be the doctor.
I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (1)
Mar 6, 1978 · 48 min
Mary falls in love with Seth. When Mary's eyesight starts to get worse, Charles takes her to a specialist. He is devastated when the specialist tells him that Mary will lose her si
I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (2)
Mar 13, 1978 · 48 min
Charles and Caroline sign Mary up for the blind school in Iowa. At first, Mary is very reluctant to learn anything at the school. However, after being with her teacher, Adam Kendal