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Feb 9, 2023 · The untold story of 'Sylvia,' the most WTF episode of Little House on the Prairie ever. Forty-two years later, we're still not over it. By. Kristen Baldwin. Published on February 9,...
- Kristen Baldwin
- Biography
- Behind The Scenes
Sylvia was a 15-year-old girl who lived with her widowed father, Hector Webb. She had physically matured faster than most of her female classmates, and, as a result, attracted attention from several teenage boys in her classroom.
When Albert Ingalls, Willie Oleson and some of their male classmates are caught peering through her bedroom window, Mrs. Olsen calls a board meeting and accuses Sylvia of teasing and luring boys over to her house. However, she is quickly overruled by the rest of the board when Charles Ingalls points out (without condoning) that school-age boys often try to sneak a peek at young girls out of natural curiosity, and they cannot blame Sylvia for it. Despite this, her father accuses her of enticing the boys and orders her to wrap herself more tightly under her clothes to conceal her budding breasts.
Meanwhile, Albert admits that he participated in peeping through Sylvia's window, and was able to smooth things over with Sylvia when he defends her against several classroom boys who continue to tease her.
One afternoon, while walking home from school, Sylvia picks some flowers in a nearby meadow and woods. She is then seized from behind and raped by an unidentifiable assailant dressed in black and wearing a clown mask and knit cap (the rape taking place off-camera). After the assault, she eventually makes her way home, bruised and battered, and tells her father, Hector Webb, of the attack. Hector is devastated, but more concerned for his reputation than injury to his daughter. He tells her not to tell anyone since no one must know "of [this] disgrace" and leaves her to cry in her room.
Not long after, Sylvia collapses at school after being severely overworked by her father (much to the concern of fellow town citizens), and is brought to Dr. Baker by Laura and Albert. After examining her, Dr. Baker reveals that, in addition to her exhaustion, Sylvia is pregnant. That evening, Harriet Oleson, notorious for taking advantage of her position as a telephone operator to eavesdrop on private conversations, has learned of Sylvia's pregnancy and begins spreading an unfounded rumor that Albert is the father. Meanwhile, Mr. Webb becomes deeply shamed and announces plans to sell the house and move out of the town. He tells Sylvia they need to move to a town where no one knows them and to say, regarding her pregnancy, that her "husband" died in an accident. When Sylvia accuses him of blaming her for the attack, he replies, "You reap what you sow," confirming that he holds her responsible for the attack.
Despite Hector Webb's regimented control and distrust of his daughter, Albert and Sylvia have become secretly romantically involved. Albert even wished to care for Sylvia as well as her child and to raise the baby as his own. To arrange to see Albert without arousing her father's suspicions, Sylvia tells her father that she is staying after school to assist Laura Ingalls Wilder in grading papers. When Mr. Webb finds out that Sylvia has lied to him and that Albert has been secretly visiting her, he threatens to kill Albert if he does so again. He then comes to believe Albert had fathered his daughter's baby and vows to kill him for it. When Sylvia protests that Albert is innocent, Hector replies that he cannot "believe a whore." Wounded by the insult and the implied distrust, Sylvia runs away. Mr. Webb barges into the Ingalls' house with a gun, but is prevented from shooting Albert by Charles Ingalls. Albert swears that he did not get Sylvia pregnant. Mr. Webb is finally convinced of Albert's innocence.
Sylvia Webb was played by Olivia Barash. Sixteen years of age when this episode was filmed (though Sylvia is fifteen), she was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Television Series for this two-part episode.
While the relationship between Laura and Sylvia were adult teacher and teenage student, the two actresses, Melissa Gilbert and Olivia Barash, are less than 9 months apart in age.
Sylvia (Part Two): Directed by Michael Landon. With Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Melissa Gilbert, Melissa Sue Anderson. Mrs. Olson spreads word that Albert had gotten Sylvia pregnant. Caroline knows this isn't true and confronts her nemesis over this misinformation. Mr.
- (354)
- Drama, Family, Romance
- Michael Landon
- 1981-02-16
The old TwoP Little House sub was nicknamed "Ma, Pa and the Mime that raped Sylvia" because the character/that episode stood out so strongly in people's memories of the show. The Waltons didn't ever go so dark even with the Pearl Harbor and Hindenburg episodes. When Little House went to the dark side, they went there.
May 2, 2020 · Jordan Simon. May 05, 2020. A clip of actor Todd Bridges’ appearance on Little House on the Prairie is going viral. From the episode, “ The Wisdom of Solomon”, teacher Miss Beadle...
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Episode 717: Sylvia (Part 1) A new attractive student, 15-year-old Sylvia Webb, catches the eye of the boys at the school. She and Albert become friends, and start to like each other more and more. Sylvia becomes a victim of a sexual assault by a masked assailant. She tries to keep it a secret until she collapses at school.
