Little House On The Prairie Episode 3 Recap: What Happened To Mary?

The first wrench is thrown in the plan of harmonious co-existence among settlers and Osage tribesfolk, as the third episode of “Little House on the Prairie” highlights the complicated dynamics between the two sides. Previously, John Edwards found a place in the Ingalls family, only to be asked by Caroline to leave after she learned about his alcoholism. Laura and Good Eagle connected, while Charles bonded with Good Eagle’s father, William, as they searched for John together. While trying to look for John Ingalls’ sisters, ended up getting lost. Fortunately, John rescued them from being captured by a group of miscreants and brought them back to their family. Caroline apologized for her behaviour, but John remained resolute in his decision to leave the Ingalls. By the end of the last episode, the Osage hunters, who own the land around Independence, returned, and the latest episode focuses on the predicament of Ingalls during changing circumstances.

Spoilers Ahead

Laura’s curiosity with their Native American neighbors continues to grow, and while going to fetch water with her sister, she leaves her floral crown for them in hopes of initiating communication with the local Osage girls. Meanwhile, with Scott’s help, Charles has almost completed building their house, much to the delight of his family. Caroline keeps her prized possession, a shepherdess statue made of bone china, which is the last thing her father had given to her before passing away, as a centerpiece over the fireplace. The gesture conveys that Ingalls finally have a place they can call home. The family ventures to Independence to attend the inauguration ceremony of the town’s newly built post office, and while delivering a speech on brighter future prospects, Eli James raises speculations about bringing a railroad to the town soon. All these promises undermine the fact that the surrounding land still belongs to the Osages, and the government hasn’t given town authority figureheads the license to stake complete ownership of the vicinity. 

Laura meets with Good Eagle and shares her disdain for studying as Caroline is about to start her homeschooling sessions. She suggests Good Eagle join her as well, which will make the ordeal more bearable, and as William learns about this, he mentions seeking permission from her mother, White Sun. Mary tries to initiate a conversation with Caleb, who reveals that he has received her letter, but flees the scene as he is too shy to speak with her. Meeting Lacy Aubert in the town, Charles asks her to give John his best regards if she meets him in the near future. Meanwhile, Caroline reads her mother, and elder sister Eliza’s letter, where they disapproved of Caroline’s decision of accompanying Charles to Kansas, and asked her to return to Wisconsin with their daughters to safely deliver her third child. Caroline will continue to support Charles no matter what the journey ahead turns out to be, but as a mother, she can’t help but ponder whether it will be the right choice in her pregnant condition. According to their agreement, Charles helps Scott build his house, when Eli pays them a visit and requests that Charles help him build a church. It is revealed that Eli is a scout for railways, who bought the land of Independence from the Osages, and believes members of their community are reasonable enough to sell the surrounding area to the settlers as well. Charles gets some assurance from Eli that things will be sorted out within a couple of months or so, little does he know that things will definitely not go the way Eli has assumed.

Leaving toffies on the same riverside spot in hopes of befriending Osage girls, Laura returns home and sees a strange situation unfolding. Mary and Caroline are standing petrified, while two young Osage hunters are taking whatever they please while rummaging through their household stuff. Jack barks at the intruders, but one of them, Little Puma, manages to tame him with ease, and keeping herself composed, Laura tries to connect with them on friendlier terms. However, the young hunters have a grudge against the settlers, and before leaving with their loot, one of them takes Caroline’s shepherdess statue as well, much to Laura’s dismay. The Ingalls are reasonably traumatized by the incident, and after returning home, Charles is distraught upon learning everything. 

Little Puma turns out to be White Sun’s brother, who visits her and hands her the statue as a gift to Good Eagle. However, upon learning that they have looted from Ingalls while Charles was away, Good Eagle chastises her brother. Charles visits William and learns that this is the young hunters’ way of taking rent from the settlers, and apparently, providing the ‘rent’ beforehand is not an option because their actions are intended to make the settlers realize what it feels like to have their home invaded, their resources ransacked. William shows his disapproval upon learning that Charles is promised by Eli James about gaining the ownership of the land where they have built their house, given that the situation is much more complicated than a profit-motivated railroadman promised him to be. A hapless Charles mentions he promised Caroline about the family’s safety, when White Sun sternly mentions the concern for safety is mutual for both their families. Returning the statue, she gives her word to Charles that her brother and Myron (the other hunter) will never harass their family ever again.

In Charles’ absence, Jemma visits the Ingalls, learns about everything that happened, and triggers Caroline’s fears by mentioning the horrors of conflict with the natives she has witnessed in the past. To have some grown up conversation, she asks her daughters to go outside for a moment, and even though the topic of her conversation with Jemma remains unknown, it surely doesn’t bring any kind thorough understanding of their precarious situation. 

Mary meetsCaleb, who clarifies why he abruptly rushed away during their previous interaction, and hands her the letter he has written for her. Mary shares her wish to befriend Caleb, in a new place, the siblings are having a tough time without friends, and Mary’s attempt to form a connection with Caleb is a reflection of that. Laura is blaming herself for being too eager to befriend the natives, as the home invasion incident and Jemma’s scaremongering talks have rattled her mind. As Charles returns, Laura opens up to her father. Even though Charles can not make her understand the complex past history and conflicts between the settlers and the natives, he assures Laura that she shouldn’t blame herself for having a kind, open heart. It’s just that she needs to be careful enough about trusting others. 

Charles returns the statue to Caroline, but the situation has moved beyond the phase where things can just get settled with this simple gesture. Caroline lambasts her husband for keeping the fact a secret that they have built their house on Osage land, and now his irresponsible behaviour has cost the safety of their family. Charles doesn’t have any strong reason except the fact that he got to know way too late, when returning to Wisconsin was not an option. A distraught Caroline reveals Eliza has asked her to return with their daughters, and it appears that she is considering the option under the present circumstances. Before their argument can escalate any further, Mary, who has been overhearing the conversation with her sister, takes Laura with her and barges into the room, strongly asking their parents to stop bickering. 

Suddenly,  Mary loses her consciousness and falls, prompting her family to hurriedly surround her out of concern. Charles mentions she has a high fever, and as the episode comes to an end, it remains a mystery as to what really happened to her. Troubles keep piling up for the Ingalls, and gradually it has become quite a challenge for Charles and Caroline to keep their daughters safe and sound. Mary’s predicament can aggravate the overall situation even further and make Caroline choose the option to seek shelter at her mother’s place.