Oleson Versus Oleson 1/5

Nighttime has fallen on the prairie and we start this episode peeking into the window of the Mercantile. Nels is counting up the day’s receipts and the arithmetic doesn’t seem to be working for him. That’s so frustrating when that happens. Of course, I usually don’t have the additional handicap of Harriet screeching my name from the other end of the house. You would think someone who enjoys counting her gold as much as Harriet Oleson would know not to talk to someone who is tallying, but she insists on interrupting Nels with complaints about what little business they did. All it takes is two transactions to bring about some math, honey. This last interruption causes Nels to lose all focus and Harriet moves in to take over the accounting.

As Nels goes up the stairs, his wife asks if he is going to lock up the store. “Oh, you can’t trust me to lock up,” he sneers. “You want things done right: do it yourself.” He goes up the stairs, but before he can slam the door and cry “no one understands me!!!!” he slips on a baseball bat and falls down the stairs. “Willie!” The boy is reading in his room when Nels storms in with the bat in his hand. Oh God, he isn’t going to beat Willie to death, is he? No, but he yells at his unresponsive son about leaving crap lying around the house. Nels informs Willie that he is locking the bat away for two weeks. Willie whines and then calls for his mom to intervene.

Harriet enters her bedroom as Nels takes off his shoes. She asks where he hid the bat, but Nels tries to play dumb. Harriet starts rummaging around the room while lecturing her hubby about picking on Willie. Nels tells her he isn’t picking: he’s trying to teach the boy a lesson. Why not both? It’s the best of both worlds. After Harriet pats her husband on the face, dismissing his “serious” demeanor, she finds the bat hidden in a dresser drawer. As she walks towards the door, Nels tells her that he will not allow the bat to be returned. Harriet scoffs at this and Nels decides enough is enough. He grabs a suitcase and starts packing. They bicker some more before he slams the door on his way out.

A few minutes later Nels arrives at the boarding house. Caroline and Nellie are finishing up closing the restaurant when he asks his daughter for a room. Nellie asks why he would need a room while Caroline tries not to listen in on the conversation. Nels is insistent about this but Nellie wants to know the details. Nels raises his voice when he says he doesn’t want to discuss it, so Caroline decides to exit. As she leaves she reminds Nellie about a lecture that will be happening later in the evening. Nellie takes her father to his new temporary digs. It isn’t a fancy setup because the lady lecturer and her entourage have taken all the good rooms. Doesn’t “Lady Lecturer” sound like some quaint Gilded Age dominatrix? Anyway, Nellie invites her dad to the lecture, but he politely refuses since he now has his freedom. Nellie is all “it’s after six, what is there to do in Walnut Grove?” but Nels says he’ll be fine. After Nellie leaves, he closes the door, sits in a chair, and contemplates the last twenty minutes.

At the homestead, Caroline is filling Charles in on the whole Nels situation. She thinks the whole thing is kind of hilarious, especially with Nels so riled up. Charles seems only half-interested in the story and then suggests to Caroline that one of them should stay instead of going to the lecture. Caroline is all “Albert almost eloped, I think he's old enough to watch Carrie and Grace the Raccoon for a couple of hours.” She can tell something is up and she tries to pry it out of Charles. It turns out he is not all that comfortable going to a women’s meeting since he might be the only husband there. Caroline corrects her husband, saying that it is a town meeting and not a women’s meeting. This doesn’t assuage Charles’ fear about being the only y-chromosome in attendance, but Caroline tells him there’s only one way to find out if that will be the case. He grumbles as they walk out the door.

About a dozen women have gathered at the school house when the Ingalls arrive. So far Charles is the only dude. He notices this and quickly comes up with the idea to go check and see if Nels is alright. Caroline warns him that she will be saving a seat so he had better come back. Nels is unpacking when Charles stops by. They chit chat a bit before Charles invites Nels to the meeting. When the two of them return to the school house, the crowd has doubled in size. It also looks like Percival, Nellie’s husband, is the only other fella in the congregation.

Charles rejoins Caroline just as Elizabeth Smith, the Lady Lecturer, begins her speech. She is pleased that “so many men” have decided to take in the lecture, which causes Harriet to take notice that Nels is in the room. The subject of the lecture is property rights, specifically the issue that women give up most of their property when they get married. Oh, Almanzo is here with Laura. She is enthralled and he becomes nervous rather quickly, putting his hand on her shoulder. Harriet is shocked by the information being presented while Nels seems somewhat intrigued, particularly when m’Lady says that the husband could send the kids off to an orphanage if he so desires. Elizabeth has brought a petition proposing a change in the property laws. Her goal is for every man in Walnut Grove to sign the petition -- since women can't vote, their signatures would be invalid. This is going to be interesting.