The Waltons was set during The Depression, so you had people trying to make do however they could, as there was no work and no pay. The Waltons themselves had the mountain, and eventually they built a sawmill and cut and sold their own timber. There was quite a great deal about how small communities worked, especially early on in the series, during hard times. How people were the same, and tended to shut out those who were "different," but would take in and help those in need. There were stories about how important it felt for the elder boy, who wanted to be a writer, to win a newspaper contest for best essay--the prize was something like two dollars, which actually made a difference to his family. But the recognition and validation were immensely important, too.

There were scenes of the family gathered around the radio after supper.

It was a chronicle of a time even our grandparents don't remember today, but it also made connections to the motivations and emotional needs that transcend era.

It did get tired, and also fairly trite, over the last years of the series, but the first several were very good.

The stories in the Waltons were the stories that anyone who grew up in the country during the Depression and WWII could tell. Most of the boys ended up in the service, so there were their stories. Their sisters left at home ended up doing things like working in factories, and resenting it when the jobs went to men when they came back. There were social issues, such as black families and refugees coming to the mountain. I suppose in a sense it's like Seventh Heaven, except that for most of its run it was well written and surprisingly unsappy.

I've never seen Seventh Heaven, but I did see the early Waltons. It was beautifully presented with quality acting. It was a show that just about everybody loved. I watched almost no television for many years, but if the Waltons happened to be on the screen I got sucked in too.

eta: Goodnight John boy

Finally caught up on GA. Is it wrong to be an Addison/Chief shipper? I really wish they weren't spinning her off, I like her on GA and I really don't want to have to add another show to all the ones I watch now. I can't keep up!

Also, when did George and Izzy sleep together? I missed some episodes in there somewhere and I don't know how.

I'm really enjoying Raines. The season was so short; I can't believe it's over already! Goldblum is doing a bang-up job. I'm sorry the ratings aren't good, and it surprises me. If people love Medium and Ghost Whisperer, and they love procedurals, why don't they like this? Maybe if the "ghosts" were really ghosts, it would be doing better. People are weird.

Fox aired the Pilot of Bones last night. I remember when the ads for the show were first airing, I was thinking I might watch it, but I'm really glad I didn't, because man was everybody just mean. I kept yelling at them to stop talking and/or being an idiot.

Sail,

Also, when did George and Izzy sleep together?

My Favorite Mistake" which aired on March 22nd.

Although, technically the act occurred off-screen during "Scars & Souvenirs" on March 15th.

I taped Raines last night, and put it on to watch this afternoon. I left the house in the middle, and left it playing. Oops. I guess it didn't grab me. And I love Goldblum!

Well, crap. Somehow I missed those two. And I don't have them on TiVo, boohoo. Maybe I can find them on reruns somewhere.

Raines is over already? That is a short season. I only caught one ep, but I liked it.

I'm another one with The Waltons love. I bought S1-2 on DVD for my Mom, then loved them so much I couldn't give them to her, so bought another set for her and S3-4 for myself. Watching them over, they're as good as I had remembered. It's funny, because so often when I see shows from my childhood, they don't hold up and I'm disappointed. Much of the time The Waltons was on, we didn't have a tv, but my mom would finagle invites to friends and neighbors to watch this one show, so I have a lot of non-show memories tied up with this one, and I was especially concerned that it wouldn't hold up.

Others have said that the show is trite, and I agree. The plots are often kind of lame and repetitive. But the actors are great, and it really does feel like you're watching a family, with people who aren't perfect but who sincerely care about each other. The show is a bit anvilly about the Depression, if by "a bit" you mean really a lot. But it's beautiful to see people make do and help each other out, rich in relationships if not in cash.

The Walton family didn't have neighbors nearby, but they do seem to be close to their neighbors and community. I think that a lot of Americans, with the growth of suburbs and a cash economy (ok, it was already mostly cash, but was becoming even more so), missed a time when people were more interdependent, when family was close physically as well as emotionally, and where small treasures were magnified because of their rarity. The Waltons also cashed in on the whole rose-colored glasses view of the past. In reality, for many the stresses of the Depression broke up families rather than bringing them together.

Watching again, I notice that although they were cash poor, the Walton family was quite privileged, with lots of land and the ability to use it. They didn't have much, and they didn't always have the food they wanted, but their family didn't go hungry and had what they needed.

Some interesting things I have found on rewatch:

• Pa Walton (John) used to make more money, working away from home for longish stretches, but they made a conscious decision for him to work from home even though he would make less money, so that he would be more a part of the family. There are modern examples of this lifestyle, but now they are often portrayed as wacky or strange, rather than idyllic.

• Bother. I got interrupted, and I don't remember the other things I was going to mention. However, Sean, if you would like to borrow the DVDs, I would be happy to lend you S1.