I haven't seen all the movies yet but I can't believe the show wrapped up this way. John Boy is a total failure and moves back home in defeat. All the old ladies' friends are apparently dead and nobody comes to their party. Sheesh! That's some gloomy stuff. The mom's all sick in a hospital, they're keeping her room like some kind of living memory, the grandparents are gone. Really got grim just like real life.
shareThe Waltons was probably the final victim (or maybe it was Little House on the Prairie) of the infamous "rural purge" of the 1970s. I'm convinced the cast, crew, and creators of this show really loved and cared about it, but by the time it finally went off the air, it just seemed absurdly out of step with the times. I saw the show when it was new as a kid and even then it seemed excruciatingly old-fashioned or like something that my grandparents would have watched. If there's any grimness in the final season, it might be because the screenwriters realized their time was up and an era was finally coming to an end. I'm not even sure if any of the actors did much after this show, as they were probably forever typecast in their Waltons roles.
shareIt's funny they didn't even want to make these shows to begin with. The government told the networks they needed more family friendly entertainment. The networks didn't think it would be popular and were surprised when it was.
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