Well, it's Chuck's send off episodes and with Landon having the hand he did in the production of the show I guess it was his moment to shine. We see the same kind of sentimentality in these episodes as we see in Highway to Heaven so it makes sense but, yeah, as LHotP it really didn't have the same feel.
shareIf it doesn't feel like a Little House episode, that's because it isn't. It's a reworking of a Bonanza episode from several years before called "He Was Only Seven". I think it's awful, especially its second part which strays into supernatural territory most of the show never delved in regardless how religious the characters are. It's also a lamentable sendoff for Jason Bateman who never again appears in subsequent episodes. I would have preferred his character die rather than being resurrected through that hokey "miracle".
shareWho was only 12?
shareJames Cooper. He and his sister Cassandra, were adopted by the Ingalls, later in the series.
Both of the actors are pretty well known today. The girl that played Cassandra is now a news anchor, and the kid that played James (Jason Bateman, Justine Bateman from Family Ties, brother) went on to have a pretty successful acting career. I don’t watch this show, but I’m pretty he’s the lead part in the Ozark tv series.