Little House, Big Opinions

Amanda and Riley
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Welcome to Little House, Big Opinions — a cozy-chaotic rewatch podcast for emotionally complicated people 😌 Join two former Little House kids as we revisit Little House on the Prairie through the lens of nostalgia, homeschool living room memories, religious culture, deconstruction, prairie chaos, and way too many modern opinions. Think cozy emotional damage, whimsical Americana chaos, and Anthropologie energy dropped into Walnut Grove. We’re here to overanalyze bonnets, frontier trauma, Charles Ingalls’ financial decisions, and the emotional impact of “comfort TV.”

Episodes

  1. May 29

    A Diva's Dramatic "Death"

    Riley and Amanda are back, and this week someone fakes their own death on the prairie. Honestly, respect. In episode six, your Little House guides tackle Season 1, Episode 7 — If I Should Die Before I Wake — in which a delightfully dramatic old woman named Amy decides the best way to get her estranged children to visit is to pretend she has died. It works. Charles gets fully swept up in the scheme, Caroline says "Charles" in that specific tone at least twice, and everyone ends up at an impromptu party eating cake by the handful. Before all that, Mattie — Amy's best friend and housemate — actually does die on screen while sitting in a rocking chair. Nobody was expecting that, including Riley and Amanda. Also Doc Baker and Nels have a completely unprompted conversation about inflation that is related to nothing happening in this episode. Favorite line of the episode goes to Mary, delivered from bed during a late night conversation about death: "We don't have wakes at our church because they're fun, and if they're fun, they're sinful." Theological consistency, at least. Trauma Meter: 2/10 (as adults, fine — as children, the black veil was a lot)  Survivability Rating: 10/10 (Riley and Amanda are confident they would be excellent at faking their own deaths)  Charles Count: 1 solid Charles, 1 borderline Big Opinions: treasure the people around you before it's too late. Also be as dramatic as possible every single day. Amy understood the assignment. Next time: one of both Riley and Amanda's all-time favorite episodes — a wholesome, classic prairie story with a lot of good moments and low trauma. The traumatizing ones are coming. But not yet. 🌾 Find them on Instagram, TikTok & email: @littlehousebigopinions | littlehousebigopinions@gmail.com

    34 min

  2. May 27

    Laura's First Crush(ed Heart)

    Riley and Amanda are back, and Laura Ingalls has discovered boys. This is not going well for anyone. In episode five, your Little House guides tackle Season 1, Episode 6 — The Love of Johnny Johnson — in which a new student arrives at the Walnut Grove schoolhouse and Laura immediately loses her entire mind over him. Johnny is listed as 15 in the show. The actor is 18. He looks 27. Laura is 10. Nobody on the prairie seems particularly concerned about any of this, and Riley and Amanda have thoughts. Johnny also does not wear shoes. Not once. The entire episode. It all comes to a head when Johnny asks Laura to meet him at the sweetheart tree — which she takes as a very promising sign — only for her to discover he's carved his initials there with Mary's. Not Laura's. Mary's. Mary, who has been loudly calling the sweetheart tree stupid since the opening scene. It ends with Caroline delivering Ma's timeless wisdom: young love is like a heat rash, quickly come and quickly gone. Laura appears to recover. She is already looking for the next fella. Also in this episode: Michael Landon had an affair with the makeup artist on set, which shattered his relationship with Melissa Gilbert for years. Sometimes it really is better not to know. Trauma Meter: 0/10 (just vibes and a bruised heart)  Survivability Rating: 7/10 (unrequited love is genuinely all-consuming, and Riley got away easy because apparently all the predators were really into her)  Charles Count: unconfirmed, we were too distracted by Johnny's bare feet Big Opinions: somebody should have been concerned about that age gap considerably sooner. Also Johnny should have been wearing shoes. One or the other. Those were both gross. Next time: Episode 7, If I Should Die Before I Wake. The title is misleading. The trauma is low. Charles gets wrapped up in the hijinks of an old lady in town and it's actually kind of fun. See you there. 🌾 Find them on Instagram, TikTok & email: @littlehousebigopinions | littlehousebigopinions@gmail.com

    50 min

  3. May 21

    Prairie Short: Love Schemes

    Welcome to the very first Prairie Short — a shorter, lighter episode for a lighter Little House story. No explosions. No broken bones. Just vibes, mild matchmaking, and one man singing Old Dan Tucker an unreasonable number of times. In this Prairie Short, Riley and Amanda cover Season 1, Episode 4 — Mr. Edwards' Homecoming — in which Pa finds Mr. Edwards drunk in a saloon, dunks his head in water until he is immediately sober (apparently that's all it takes), and brings him back to Walnut Grove. Caroline promptly decides he needs a wife and sets her sights on Grace Snyder — though she insists on calling her the Widow Snyder, because your marital status does define you, ladies. Mr. Edwards sends a love letter to himself to impress her. The mill owner watches Grace dance and is very into it. And when a theological difference threatens the whole romance, Caroline personally intervenes — because of course she does. Trauma Meter: not applicable (this is a Prairie Short, and we are safe here)Survivability Rating: very high (the biggest threat is catching feelings)Charles Shirtless Count: unconfirmed, but the chaos was minimal Big Opinion: stop calling her the Widow Snyder. Her name is Grace. We are not referring to Caroline as Wife of Charles and we will not be starting now. Next time: Laura gets her first crush. Ma describes young love as a heat rash — quickly come and quickly gone. We'll see you there. 🌾 Find them on Instagram, TikTok & email: @littlehousebigopinions | littlehousebigopinions@gmail.com

    18 min

  4. May 16

    Better Hold on Tight Powder Monkey

    Riley and Amanda are back, and things just got significantly less wholesome. In episode three, your Little House guides tackle Season 1, Episode 3 — The 100 Mile Walk — and this is the one where Little House finally shows its true colors. Pa's crops are looking great, the family is thriving, and then — as is tradition — everything immediately falls apart. There's a hailstorm, a 100-mile walk for work, some extremely intense double jacking, and one man who does not make it out in one piece. A dude literally explodes. We are not being dramatic. Also in this episode: Karen Grassle (Ma!) asked for a raise and apparently didn't get one. Riley and Amanda stand with Karen. Always. Trauma Meter: 6-7/10 (comparatively mild for what's coming, but the explosion alone earns it) Survivability Rating: 0/10 (they would absolutely blow themselves up accidentally — this was discussed at length and they stand by it) Big Opinions: Charles was hasty, Caroline was right, and honestly when is she not. Some things never change on the prairie. Grab your bonnet. It only gets wilder from here. 🌾 Find them on Instagram, TikTok & email: @littlehousebigopinions | littlehousebigopinions@gmail.com

    32 min

  5. May 13

    Broken Bones & Frontier Frenemies

    Riley and Amanda are back, and this time things are comparatively… fine? Don't worry, it won't last. In episode two, your Little House guides tackle what are technically Season 1 episodes one and two — Harvest of Friends and Country Girls — as they follow the Ingalls family to their new life in Walnut Grove (Plum Creek is the farmstead, Walnut Grove is the town — they figured it out, you're welcome). Pa falls out of a tree, breaks some ribs, and then immediately tries to stack hay anyway because apparently rest is for quitters. Nellie Oleson makes her debut — complete with a wig, which apparently caused its wearer to pass out from heat exhaustion during filming. Michael Landon is shirtless more than medically necessary. And Laura delivers a speech about Ma that has everyone crying. Trauma Meter: 1/10 (genuinely, these are some of the most wholesome episodes they've seen yet) Survivability Rating: 8-9/10 (the broken ribs are a concern, the frontier bullying less so — kids are arguably worse now) Big Opinions: Pa working on Sunday is apparently a greater sin than missing church entirely, and Laura Ingalls continues to be the most emotionally intelligent person on the prairie. Some things are just consistent. Grab your bonnets, and let’s go. 🌾 Find them on Instagram & TikTok: @littlehousebigopinions

    47 min

  6. May 13

    Wolves, Indians, and Fires, Oh my!

    Riley and Amanda are here, and the Ingalls family did not think this through — packing up and moving to the middle of Indian Territory with zero forethought will do that to you. In their very first episode, your new favorite Little House guides introduce themselves, explain how a summer of communal prairie watching turned into a full-blown podcast, and break down Season 1, Episode 1. There are wolves, a house fire, and one dog in peril — oh, and the Ingalls family somehow seemed surprised to find Native people already living on Native land. Trauma Meter: 3/10 (which will make a lot more sense once you hear what's coming) Survivability Rating: 6.5/10 Big Opinions: the Ingalls family was wildly unprepared, and Laura was the only one with emotional intelligence. They stand by both of these takes. If you grew up watching Little House and thinking wait… was this actually appropriate for children? — welcome home. Grab your bonnet. Let's go. A note from Riley and Amanda: they apologize for the variation in sound quality throughout this episode. After recording for the first time, they decided to add in a bit more to better introduce themselves and the podcast. Don't worry, they will hopefully get better at this as they go on! 🌾 Find them on Instagram & TikTok: @littlehousebigopinions

    47 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Welcome to Little House, Big Opinions — a cozy-chaotic rewatch podcast for emotionally complicated people 😌 Join two former Little House kids as we revisit Little House on the Prairie through the lens of nostalgia, homeschool living room memories, religious culture, deconstruction, prairie chaos, and way too many modern opinions. Think cozy emotional damage, whimsical Americana chaos, and Anthropologie energy dropped into Walnut Grove. We’re here to overanalyze bonnets, frontier trauma, Charles Ingalls’ financial decisions, and the emotional impact of “comfort TV.”

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