Laura vehemently shuns Dr. Baker after blaming him for misdiagnosing her newborn son as healthy, who later dies unexpectedly.
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Doomed by Canon: Baby Wilder's sudden death days after being born is both in the books and truth in real life.
- History Repeats: Baby boy Wilder dies the same way as Charles Ingalls Jr, only he didn't even live long enough to be given a proper name. It's insinuated that Almanzo's sickness last season weakened him too much to provide what was necessary to make a healthy baby.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Laura when she realizes her blaming on Doc Baker led the good doctor to decide to leave town, right after his efforts saved her daughter. She apologizes to him when he's about to leave and begs him to stay, eventually convincing him to change his mind after he sees that she no longer blames him.
- No Name Given: The Wilders' baby is never given a name, reflecting a trend prior to the mid-20th century where babies who were stillborn or died very early in infancy (especially if they were ill at birth) were never named.
- Put on a Bus: This is the last time Hester-Sue appears, and unfortunately, it is a very sad episode and provides her character no closure. Worse, it's implied the final fate of her on-and-off romance with Joe Kagan will not be resolved, either, as he was killed off-screen by the tornado last season, and Hester-Sue does not remark about it. She is just implied to lurk in the background and ship on out of Walnut Grove just like everyone else by the time of the big finale.
- The Scapegoat: Laura places the blame of her baby son's sudden death on Doc Baker, accusing him of neglect, presumably in a misguided attempt at finding explanation for her loss.
- Ungrateful Townsfolk: Most of the townspeople turn on Dr. Baker after Laura exposes him for allegedly neglecting whatever caused her son's death, ignoring his history of dedicating everything for their wellbeing.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Almanzo initially puts up with Laura's refusal to call Dr. Baker when their daughter gets sick and he's the only one who can help her, but then he calls her out on that and goes to Doc Baker against her will before it's too late.
