In this episode of Little House, Big Opinions — the Little House on the Prairie rewatch podcast for people unpacking their childhood in real time — Riley and Amanda revisit "The Raccoon," an episode that somehow turns an adorable baby raccoon into one of the most emotionally devastating episodes of Season 1.

After Mary accidentally destroys Laura's beloved doll, she brings home an orphaned baby raccoon to cheer her up. Laura instantly falls in love with Jasper, teaches him tricks, sneaks him into school, and becomes Walnut Grove's first unofficial raccoon mom. Unfortunately... Jasper is still a raccoon.

This week on the podcast: Charles Ingalls attempts porcelain doll reconstruction, Caroline quietly enables Laura's questionable wildlife decisions, Jack gets completely replaced as Laura's favorite animal, and everyone repeatedly ignores the very obvious warning signs that wild animals belong in the wild. Then a second raccoon enters the picture, one bite changes everything, and suddenly the entire Ingalls family is convinced Laura is going to die from rabies.

Riley and Amanda also dive into the real science behind rabies, why the disease was so terrifying before vaccines existed, what rabies actually looks like in humans, and why watching Jack for symptoms somehow became the entire treatment plan. They also swap their own dog bite stories, discuss childhood stuffed animal trauma, debate whether Charles was right to take Jasper away, and question why absolutely no one thought to simply keep the dog away from the raccoon.

The emotional damage doesn't stop there. Charles nearly shoots Jack. Laura spends most of the episode believing she might die. Mary has one of Melissa Sue Anderson's strongest acting performances yet. And Michael Landon somehow manages to squeeze an extended shirtless suspense sequence into an episode about rabies.

Trauma Meter: 8/10 — Animal peril, childhood illness fears, crying children, and enough emotional manipulation to qualify as psychological warfare.

Survivability Rating: 6/10 — Everyone lives, but your nervous system definitely takes a beating.

Charles Shirtless Count: 1 — Extended shirtless barn sequence. Somehow both fan service and a horror movie.

Big Opinion: Maybe... just maybe... don't let your child keep a wild raccoon as a pet and then allow it to interact with the family dog.

Little House, Big Opinions is a Little House on the Prairie rewatch podcast hosted by two former church kids processing their childhood in real time. Every week, Riley and Amanda revisit another episode of the beloved series, breaking down the nostalgia, history, trauma, humor, and completely unhinged moments that somehow made it into family television.

New episodes every week wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @littlehousebigopinions.