Season 4

The Garvey family arrives, Laura gets a new dog, Bandit, and baby Grace is born. The season builds to one of the most famous storylines in the series: Mary loses her sight, meets Adam Kendall, and the Ingalls family leaves Walnut Grove. Season 4 aired on NBC in 1977–78 and has 22 episodes. Pick one below for a full synopsis.

1. 1CastoffsFirst aired September 12, 1977Laura's faithful old dog Jack dies, and she is heartbroken.
2. 2Times of ChangeFirst aired September 19, 1977Charles takes Mary with him to a Grange convention in Chicago.
3. 3My EllenFirst aired September 26, 1977Laura's friend Ellen drowns in a swimming accident.
4. 4The HandymanFirst aired October 3, 1977While Charles is away working, a handyman named Chris Nelson stays on to help Caroline finish some work around the house.
5. 5The WolvesFirst aired October 17, 1977Laura and Andy Garvey discover an injured wolf and her cubs, and they decide to protect them from Jud Larabee, a man who wants them dead.
6. 6The Creeper of Walnut GroveFirst aired October 24, 1977A thief is loose in Walnut Grove, and Laura and Andy set out to catch the “Creeper.” Their homemade traps catch the wrong man: Charles, who ends up covered in green paint.
7. 7To Run and HideFirst aired October 31, 1977When a patient dies, Doc Baker blames himself and quits medicine, trying his hand at farming instead.
8. 8The AftermathFirst aired November 7, 1977Two strangers hide out in Walnut Grove under false names and hire Mary to do some work for them.
9. 9The High Cost of Being RightFirst aired November 14, 1977After the Garveys' barn burns down, money is tight, and Alice Garvey wants to take a job at the post office to help.
10. 10The FighterFirst aired November 21, 1977Prize fighter Joe Kagan's career ends after a match with Charles.
11. 11Meet Me at the FairFirst aired November 28, 1977At the county fair, Mary falls for a dashing balloonist named Cass, even though her friend Patrick works for him.

12. 12Here Come the BridesFirst aired December 5, 1977Adam Simms and his son Luke arrive in Walnut Grove.
13. 13Freedom FlightFirst aired December 12, 1977A group of Native Americans arrives in Walnut Grove seeking help for their sick chief.
14. 14The RivalsFirst aired January 9, 1978Charles and Jonathan Garvey land a freighting contract that could mean real money, but the job would keep them on the road and away from home for long stretches.
15. 15Whisper CountryFirst aired January 16, 1978Mary accepts her first teaching job in Willow Prairie, a backwoods settlement where the people distrust outsiders and book learning alike.
16. 16I Remember, I RememberFirst aired January 23, 1978Charles is late getting home for his and Caroline's anniversary dinner, so while they wait, Caroline tells the children how she and their father first met.
17. 17Be My FriendFirst aired January 30, 1978Laura finds a note in a bottle floating in the creek and goes looking for the person who wrote it.
18. 18The InheritanceFirst aired February 6, 1978Charles learns that his late Uncle Ned has left him an inheritance, and the Ingalls family finally feels rich.
19. 19The StrangerFirst aired February 13, 1978Peter, a spoiled, troublemaking boy from the city and a relative of Nels Oleson, is sent to Walnut Grove in hopes that farm work will straighten him out.
20. 20A Most Precious GiftFirst aired February 27, 1978Caroline is expecting another baby, and as the birth draws near she worries.
21. 21I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (Part 1)First aired March 6, 1978Mary has fallen for a young man named Seth Barton, and life seems full of promise.
22. 22I'll Be Waving as You Drive Away (Part 2)First aired March 13, 1978Mary goes to a school for the blind in Iowa, where she meets Adam Kendall, a blind teacher who refuses to let her pity herself.