Coming hot off the trail of his twelfth birthday, James is the proud owner of some money for a present to spend on whatever he wants, or if he so chooses, he can save it. James and Albert venture out to a market town with Charles and Mr. Edwards, where James considers how to spend his birthday money. After opting against a rifle, he decides to put it in the bank.
This was the one day it would have paid to be indulgent. A group of robbers busts in and holds up the place. James spooks the leader, Floyd, and he instinctively squeezes off a shot, downing the young scamp. The bank owner manages to shoot one of the posse, but James is left in dire condition.
Charles and Mr. Edwards resolve to chase after the posse and exact justice for what happened to Charles' adopted son, and Albert sneaks along, unwilling to just stand around doing nothing.
On the trail of the posse, one of the group dies from his gunshot wound and Floyd's apathy, demanding in his last moments to his brother to get a doctor and swearing to haunt his brother if he dies. The surviving brother's indignation changes his attitude and he begins to interfere with the posse.
This infighting allows Charles and company to track down the robbers and they square off in a saloon. Charles nearly strangles Floyd, but Isaiah's protests stop Charles from going too far. The group of robbers are arrested, but James is far from being out of the woods and may very well die at current rate, having slipped into a deep coma.
Charles, against everyone else's resignation of James's fate, commits himself to a devout vigil to get God's attention, refusing to let James die.
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Beard of Sorrow: Charles grew one midway through the second hour, as he has taken up his pilgrimage to heal the comatose James.
- Cast from Lifespan: Implied as the cost for Charles's prayer being answered, as his hair noticeably turns grey after this episode (and in later appearances is nearly white).
- Choke Holds: When the fight starts, Floyd is distracted just long enough for an angry Charles to grab him by the neck and literally choke him out ... to the point where his life is in danger and Mr. Edwards has to tell him, "In the name of God, let him go!"
- Divine Intervention: Part 2. Charles is utterly convinced that James will recover. Nobody else, not even his own family or friends (including Reverend Alden, Doc Baker and Mr. Edwards) believe that will happen and think that he's delusional. He is drawn to take James out into the wilderness and build an altar, after which he is met by an old man who blesses it and feeds James, only to quickly vanish into thin air not long after. Mr. Edwards finds Charles and still doesn't believe him despite the supposed angel's appearance and leaves to get Caroline, but as he's about to go back the same old man appears to him (stopping the rain) and warns him to not go to Charles that night. He disappears and the rain resumes, and Mr. Edwards is stunned and heeds his words. Charles and James are near the altar during a thunderstorm and, as one final test of faith, the old man asks him if he'll lose his faith if James dies. Charles says no, and a lightning bolt hits the altar, travels down it and engulfs them both. James is then immediately restored. This was the only episode of the series that had a true miracle (and given the horrible things that happened to the Ingalls family throughout the series, it was about time).
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played With. Floyd has a wife and son, and the boy (much to the dismay of his mother) seems to be well on his way to becoming just as seedy and unscrupulous as his father. Floyd is actually delighted when his son pulls a fast one and pickpockets him, but seems to have nothing but disdain for his wife, while she in turn holds him in nothing but utter contempt.Floyd: Remember this, son-the best thing that could happen to a woman is to die in childbirth.Floyd's Wife: Amen.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Floyd's cronies are angry and upset with their leader's "so what" attitude after they realize a 12-year-old boy had been shot.
- Everyone Has Standards: While Mr. Edwards understands Charles' situation, he still tries to disencourage him from going after the man who shot James, and when Charles has him at his mercy, he pleads with him to let him go and not kill him.
- The Greatest Story Never Told: The fact that Charles, James and Mr. Edwards are witnesses to a genuine miracle, and by association the entire town of Walnut Grove (as it was widely known James was fatally injured) is both never brought up again in the series nor spread elsewhere.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Albert helps disarm Floyd when the latter and his partner have his father and Mr. Edwards at gunpoint in the climax of Part 1 by throwing a bottle at him, distracting long enough for Charles to beat the tar of him.
- Improbable Hairstyle: The real Charles Ingalls wore a full beard throughout his adult lifetime. On the TV series, he was shown as clean-shaven all of the time … except for this aversion where he grows a beard, this coming during his leave of absence from the household to care for the comatose James.
- Put on a Bus: This episode marks the last appearance of James, Cassandra, Carrie and Grace, as the next season opens with the news that Charles had to move from Walnut Grove with the whole family. While Charles, Caroline and Albert would return for a few episodes (and the TV movies), the four youngest Ingalls siblings would never appear again.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: The fate of Floyd's family is uncertain. Whether his weary wife stayed and waited for her husband to leave prison or escape, for fear that he'd retaliate if she tried to run away, or left to raise her and Floyd's son without his influence is unclear.
