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The Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie Season 4

Every episode of Little House on the Prairie Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie Season 4!

Binge this in 18h 39m•Peaking at 8.9/10

When the big woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family, pioneering west. Their life on the farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 22 - I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (2)
    8.9/10(492 votes)

    S4:E22

    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 Kendall, for a while, she turns her outlook on life around. Mary is such a great student that Adam asks her to help her teach at a blind school with him.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella

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  2. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 21 - I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (1)
    8.7/10(482 votes)

    S4:E21

    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 sight. Charles is unable to tell Mary for a while that she is going blind. When Mary does go blind, the whole family suffers.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella

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  3. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 12 - Here Come the Brides
    8.4/10(436 votes)

    S4:E12

    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 marriage, Nellie and Luke decide to get married.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:John T. Dugan, Robert F. Metzler

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  4. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 19 - The Stranger
    8.4/10(383 votes)

    S4:E19

    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, Nels asks Charles to step in and teach the boy some values.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  5. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 15 - Whisper Country
    8.3/10(442 votes)

    S4:E15

    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 totally against education but has concealed a shameful secret.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:John Hawkins

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  6. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 18 - The Inheritance
    8.2/10(376 votes)

    S4:E18

    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, Charles spends the money on farm equipment and other things before finding out he used worthless Confederate funds to make the purchases.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  7. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 16 - I Remember, I Remember
    8.0/10(395 votes)

    S4:E16

    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 prepared and set up for that day. When Charles doesn't show up in time, Caroline tells the children how hard it was to get Charles to notice her and how many heartbreaks she had before she finally knew that Charles loved her.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  8. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 1 - Castoffs
    7.9/10(395 votes)

    S4:E1

    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 later visits Aunt Kezia, a lonely women, she realizes that she really loves Bandit.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Tony Kayden

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  9. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 2 - Times of Change
    7.9/10(404 votes)

    S4:E2

    After going to Chicago for the first time, Charles and Mary are very disappointed in what life in the city is really like.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella

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  10. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 5 - The Wolves
    7.8/10(363 votes)

    S4:E5

    Charles and Caroline go away and leave Mary in charge. Laura and Andy find some baby wolves.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Lawrence Konner

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  11. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 17 - Be My Friend
    7.8/10(367 votes)

    S4:E17

    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. They end up finding a baby. Charles then searches for the parents of the child. The baby belongs to teen parents. The reason the mother left the baby for the Ingalls to find was because her dad was opposed to her being with the guy she conceived the child with. The young parents take the baby and try things again.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Michael Landon

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  12. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 4 - The Handyman
    7.7/10(403 votes)

    S4:E4

    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 her Ma and Chris are falling in love.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  13. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 7 - To Run and Hide
    7.7/10(353 votes)

    S4:E7

    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 new doctor really doesn't care about his patients.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:John T. Dugan

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  14. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 3 - My Ellen
    7.6/10(394 votes)

    S4:E3

    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.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Michael Landon

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  15. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 6 - The Creeper of Walnut Grove
    7.6/10(368 votes)

    S4:E6

    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 his hair turns green.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:John T. Dugan

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  16. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 8 - The Aftermath
    7.6/10(368 votes)

    S4:E8

    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.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Don Balluck

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  17. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 13 - Freedom Flight
    7.6/10(369 votes)

    S4:E13

    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 Indians are able to escape.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writers:Ron Chiniquy, Richalene Kelsay

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  18. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 14 - The Rivals
    7.6/10(349 votes)

    S4:E14

    Charles must try to save his business from a competitor. Laura, who is love with Jimmy Hill, must compete with somebody else for him.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:John T. Dugan, Hindi Brooks

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  19. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 10 - The Fighter
    7.5/10(366 votes)

    S4:E10

    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 the ring when he is able to defeat his opponent so quickly. After his opponent collapses, he is brought to Doc Baker. Doc Baker is able to save him but warns him that he needs to stop fighting.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writers:Michael Landon, Lawrence Konner

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  20. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 20 - A Most Precious Gift
    7.4/10(342 votes)

    S4:E20

    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. The baby ends up being a girl, Grace.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writers:Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella

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  21. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 9 - The High Cost of Being Right
    7.3/10(343 votes)

    S4:E9

    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 support his family. He is ready to get a divorce until he realizes what his stubborn pride was doing to his family.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Don Balluck

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  22. Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episode 11 - Meet Me At the Fair
    7.1/10(370 votes)

    S4:E11

    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; Charles and Nels entering a jackass riding contest; and Carrie has her own adventure.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writers:Arthur Heinemann, Bradley Berwick

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Season 4 Ratings Summary

"I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (2)" is the best rated episode of "Little House on the Prairie" season 4. It scored 8.9/10 based on 492 votes. Directed by William F. Claxton and written by Carole Raschella, Michael Raschella, it aired on 3/13/1978. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (1)".