Ronnie Claire Edwards turns in a fine performance here as the show focuses on Corabeth's never-before-mentioned, or even suggested, trouble with alcohol. Simply put, this is an episode that wanted to show the dangers of drinking and how hard it can be on the loved ones of people who develop drinking problems.
We see her desperately trying to engage in different activities, and behaving oddly. Early in the episode, she sneaks into the pantry and we see her taking a drink. It appears that nobody suspects she is drinking at all.
She gets the idea that the county is crying for an interior decorator, and even though Ike insists they cannot pay for the supplies she would need to get started, she takes Aimee as her assistant to the Baldwins' to see if they will become her first customers. They offer her some tea and inform her that they prefer to sweeten it with some of the recipe instead of cream and sugar. We get the first hint that Corabeth's drinking is not such a secret when Aimee looks distressed when she accepts her offer of some of the recipe in her tea. One of the ladies comments that this is the first time Corabeth has had any of their recipe.
The Baldwin ladies totally misunderstand, partly due to the abstract way Corabeth says most things, and they think she is suggesting they become interior decorators. She takes Aimee and leaves, and we next learn she has signed a lease on a building in Rockfish, where she now plans to open a dancing school for young girls.
She and Ike get into a big argument about paying for the place, while we see Aimee crying about their fighting. No mention is made of alcohol at this point.
It turns out her drinking is more intense than we figured. O.K., they wanted to cover the whole thing in one episode, not make it a drawn-out problem. Corabeth loses her students due, partly, to her non-attention to them while she is in the back, drinking.
The minor plot was humorous. Elizabeth, although only 13, has been getting, with John's approval, driving lessons from different family members. She cannot handle it and makes everyone upset with her. After driving the Baldwins' car into the family garden, she agrees she isn't ready to drive just yet.
After losing her 3 dancing students, Corabeth is driving Elizabeth and Aimee back home. This is the scene where she has a minor accident, that leads to her finally seeking help, finally opening up to asking for help from Ike, instead of making him feel guilty because he isn't making her entire life happy.
We do learn that Ike and Aimee knew about her drinking but kept it quiet. As far as I can remember, they never had any more episodes dealing with this most troublesome subject matter as it affected Corabeth. The narration at the end does say that she had some further problems, but worked her way through them. I thought it was nice to present that one's serious problems with alcohol do not disappear the minute you admit you have a problem and seek help.
The whole thing treated the subject honestly and seriously, about as well as a drama can do it, when containing it to one episode of about 45 minutes. Ronnie Claire Edwards gets criticized on IMDb I think unfairly. Her character was unlike the other regulars, but she did a really fine job with how she handled it. Her abrasive Corabeth character was not always likable, but that doesn't mean the actress wasn't doing an excellent job with the scripts she was given.
Probably I would have felt it a more powerful drama when it first aired. Not remembering it at all, I'm guessing this is one I missed. But as I viewed it in 2013, it seems like it just wasn't all that interesting to me because I have seen plenty of shows about alcoholism and it just wasn't shedding new light on the subject. I think they did a good job of presenting the subject in a serious manner, but this isn't exactly a Walton's that is all that much fun to watch.
We see her desperately trying to engage in different activities, and behaving oddly. Early in the episode, she sneaks into the pantry and we see her taking a drink. It appears that nobody suspects she is drinking at all.
She gets the idea that the county is crying for an interior decorator, and even though Ike insists they cannot pay for the supplies she would need to get started, she takes Aimee as her assistant to the Baldwins' to see if they will become her first customers. They offer her some tea and inform her that they prefer to sweeten it with some of the recipe instead of cream and sugar. We get the first hint that Corabeth's drinking is not such a secret when Aimee looks distressed when she accepts her offer of some of the recipe in her tea. One of the ladies comments that this is the first time Corabeth has had any of their recipe.
The Baldwin ladies totally misunderstand, partly due to the abstract way Corabeth says most things, and they think she is suggesting they become interior decorators. She takes Aimee and leaves, and we next learn she has signed a lease on a building in Rockfish, where she now plans to open a dancing school for young girls.
She and Ike get into a big argument about paying for the place, while we see Aimee crying about their fighting. No mention is made of alcohol at this point.
It turns out her drinking is more intense than we figured. O.K., they wanted to cover the whole thing in one episode, not make it a drawn-out problem. Corabeth loses her students due, partly, to her non-attention to them while she is in the back, drinking.
The minor plot was humorous. Elizabeth, although only 13, has been getting, with John's approval, driving lessons from different family members. She cannot handle it and makes everyone upset with her. After driving the Baldwins' car into the family garden, she agrees she isn't ready to drive just yet.
After losing her 3 dancing students, Corabeth is driving Elizabeth and Aimee back home. This is the scene where she has a minor accident, that leads to her finally seeking help, finally opening up to asking for help from Ike, instead of making him feel guilty because he isn't making her entire life happy.
We do learn that Ike and Aimee knew about her drinking but kept it quiet. As far as I can remember, they never had any more episodes dealing with this most troublesome subject matter as it affected Corabeth. The narration at the end does say that she had some further problems, but worked her way through them. I thought it was nice to present that one's serious problems with alcohol do not disappear the minute you admit you have a problem and seek help.
The whole thing treated the subject honestly and seriously, about as well as a drama can do it, when containing it to one episode of about 45 minutes. Ronnie Claire Edwards gets criticized on IMDb I think unfairly. Her character was unlike the other regulars, but she did a really fine job with how she handled it. Her abrasive Corabeth character was not always likable, but that doesn't mean the actress wasn't doing an excellent job with the scripts she was given.
Probably I would have felt it a more powerful drama when it first aired. Not remembering it at all, I'm guessing this is one I missed. But as I viewed it in 2013, it seems like it just wasn't all that interesting to me because I have seen plenty of shows about alcoholism and it just wasn't shedding new light on the subject. I think they did a good job of presenting the subject in a serious manner, but this isn't exactly a Walton's that is all that much fun to watch.
