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The Best Episodes of The Waltons Season 3

Every episode of The Waltons Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Waltons Season 3!

The Best Episodes of The Waltons Season 3

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

Seasons9

  1. 8.7/10(261 votes)

    #1 - The Conflict

    S3:E1

    Aunt Martha Corinnie Walton's home is in danger by the right-of-way for The Blue Ridge Parkway. All of the Walton clan comes to her aid and try and stop the contractor. During a skirmish with the contractor and deputies, John-Boy gets shot.

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    Writer:N/A
  2. 8.3/10(155 votes)

    #2 - The System

    S3:E7

    Ben learns the hazards of smoking. John-Boy sticks up for a fellow student who violates Boatwright's honor code during a history exam. There were extenuating circumstances

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    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:N/A
  3. 8.3/10(151 votes)

    #3 - The Choice

    S3:E20

    John wants to expand the mill and call it Walton and Sons,Jason wants to study music and he tries for a scholarship

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    Director:Alf Kjellin
    Writer:N/A
  4. 8.1/10(161 votes)

    #4 - The Runaway

    S3:E4

    Now that John-Boy is at College, Jim Bob feels small and alone. He brings home a guinea pig, a mascot at school. During the night the little creature dies but the rest of the family are too busy with their own activities to spend time with him. Sad and alone after burying it in the woods, Jim Bob runs away.

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    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:N/A
  5. 8.1/10(160 votes)

    #5 - The Book

    S3:E10

    John-Boy finds out that a collection of his short stories will be published and Jason secures a job with Bobby Bigelow and the haystack gang

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    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:N/A
  6. 8.1/10(145 votes)

    #6 - The Venture

    S3:E24

    John decides to expand his business by building a new mill. To meet a deadline for a big order, John works day and night & gets pneumonia. While he's in the hostipal his friends finish the mill, but he loses the big contract.

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    Director:Ralph Waite
    Writer:N/A
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  8. 8.0/10(172 votes)

    #7 - The First Day

    S3:E2

    During John-Boy's 1st day at Boatwright he encounters a variety of new challenges. Back at the Walton home, Jason feels the need to be the oldest and excel at school like John-Boy. All of the other children object to Jason's attitude

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    Writer:N/A
  9. 7.9/10(161 votes)

    #8 - The Job

    S3:E11

    John-Boy gets a job reading to a young blind woman. The woman is hostile towards him and the world in general. She goes to Walton's Mountain and realizes she has much more for which to be thankful.

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    Director:Ivan Dixon
    Writer:N/A
  10. 7.9/10(155 votes)

    #9 - The Departure

    S3:E12

    John seeks work in a Norfolk shipyard because he feels that life has passed by him but he soon realizes that the family needs him at home and he really wants to be there.

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    Director:Ivan Dixon
    Writer:Joanna Lee
  11. 7.9/10(145 votes)

    #10 - The Birthday

    S3:E14

    Grandpa has a heart attack and seems to be unresponsive to treatment. The family try to cheer him up, and against doctor's orders, move him to a tent outside so he can communicate with nature

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    Director:Ivan Dixon
    Writer:N/A
  12. 7.8/10(160 votes)

    #11 - The Thoroughbred

    S3:E3

    John-Boy enters Blue the family mule in the annual cross-country race & tries to win Selena Linville's affections.Grandpa had won that race years before

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    Director:Harry Harris
    Writer:N/A
  13. 7.8/10(149 votes)

    #12 - The Song

    S3:E22

    Sally Ann Harper has eyes for Jason but Ben falls in love with her. Grandpa and John enter a billiard competition at Ike's store

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    Writer:N/A
  14. 7.7/10(140 votes)

    #13 - The Caretakers

    S3:E18

    Grandpa and Grandma become angry with the family and move out to care for a friend's house.Everybody soon realizes that their place is back home

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    Director:Ivan Dixon
    Writer:N/A
  15. 7.7/10(157 votes)

    #14 - The Woman

    S3:E23

    John and Olivia make plans for their 20 th wedding anniversary, John-Boy falls in love with a older woman and decides to leave the mountain with her

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    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  16. 7.6/10(149 votes)

    #15 - The Matchmakers

    S3:E16

    Corabeth Walton, a cousin of the Waltons, comes for an unannounced extended visit. Ike Godsey is instantly taken with her and they quickly marry. Erin enters the Jefferson County Sweetheart Contest.

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    Director:Jack Shea
  17. 7.6/10(142 votes)

    #16 - The Statue

    S3:E21

    Godsey's store has a raffle of a statue and Grandpa wins the statue - a dead ringer that looks like one of Grandpa's girlfriend prior to Grandma. John-Boy writes a story of a failed romance between Miss Emily and Ashley Longworth

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    Director:N/A
    Writers:Earl Hamner, Jr.
  18. 7.5/10(162 votes)

    #17 - The Lie

    S3:E15

    Ben goes to Charlottesville to take a young girl to meet her mother and borrows John-Boy's truck without his permission. The truck is involved in a hit and run unknown to Ben.

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    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:N/A
  19. 7.5/10(155 votes)

    #18 - The Beguiled

    S3:E17

    John-Boy encounters a sassy but unprincipled girl whose selfish ways cause hard feelings and suspicion toward Danny, Jim Bob's friend.

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  20. 7.4/10(154 votes)

    #19 - The Ring

    S3:E6

    Mary Ellen buys a purse. At home she finds there's a pretty amethyst ring inside which she decides to wear at the dance, but she and Erin keep the finding of the ring a secret.

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    Writer:N/A
  21. 7.4/10(165 votes)

    #20 - The Marathon

    S3:E9

    In Scottsville John-Boy enters a dance marathon with Daisy Garner, a total stranger. It starts out fun but quickly becomes a drudgery until Olivia comes to the rescue.

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    Writer:N/A
  22. 7.4/10(146 votes)

    #21 - The Visitor

    S3:E13

    Zeb's old friend returns to Walton's Mountain without his wife. The Walton's learn that she died earlier but he will not acknowledge her passing.

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    Director:N/A
  23. 7.3/10(150 votes)

    #22 - The Romance

    S3:E5

    Olivia enrolls herself in art class at night and her teacher makes romantic advances.Mary Ellen says she wants to be a nurse

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    Director:Ivan Dixon
    Writer:N/A
  24. 7.1/10(156 votes)

    #23 - The Spoilers

    S3:E8

    A New York family who is dysfunctional moves to Walton's Mountain. They end up causing havoc in the Walton's household and they move back to New York City

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    Director:Jack Shea
    Writer:N/A
  25. 7.1/10(174 votes)

    #24 - The Shivaree

    S3:E19

    Wedding plans for the daughter of a friend go awry when the mountain custom of kidnapping the groom get out of hand

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    Director:Lee Philips
    Writer:N/A

Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Conflict" is the best rated episode of "The Waltons" season 3. It scored 8.7/10 based on 261 votes. Directed by Ralph Senensky and written by N/A, it aired on 9/12/1974. This episode is rated 0.4 points higher than the second-best, "The System".