Review of The Sermon

This review was dated September 17, 1975 and reviews the opening episode of Season 4, The Sermon.

“The Waltons

There was no reference to the Depression in the seasonal bow of “The Waltons” in its new Thursday night slot on CBS. They may be saving it for later show, but perhaps the thought of bad times is too close to where we’re at right now. The series has never attempted to touch a nerve in a single viewer, though it undoubtedly works on the tear ducts of the vulnerable.

First episode dealt with John Boy’s unwilling agreement to take over the preacher’s sermon chores on a Sunday and his mother’s similar deal to teach school for a week so the teacher and the preacher can go off on a honeymoon. Naturally, the whole family gets involved in those laudatory tasks, with attendant strains. Son Jim-Bob causes his mother most of her classroom trouble and Gran’s memories of her old fire & brimstone pastor is offered to John Boy as a shiniing example of how to sermonize. Such seemingly monor problems are no more difficult for the Waltons than the terminal diseases, and they are disposed of with the same warmth, understanding and success.”

My Comment: This is one of my favourite episodes. It gently moves along as John Boy brings home a stack of books to try to find inspiration for his sermon, then he just does what he does best and observes his family and neighbours and creates his sermon based on those ideas. Grandma writing down her ideas for a possible sermon, then demonstrating how he might present it by emphasising points with a thump of her fist on the table, causing her to drop her notes and hurt her hand, is just lovely. John Boy listens intently to her but clearly this type of sermon is not for him. Grandpa has heard her though and there is a lovely scene between the grandparents. I love that John Boy even includes references to the gossiping of Mrs Brimmer and Corabeth Godsey. A wonderful episode to start a great season.