Bonus eps are when we go deep on a cultural phenomenon, text, or celebrity that's overwhelming our feeds, charming our pants off, sparking general bewilderment, or, in this case, making us think long and hard about a text. When Vulture critic Kathryn VanArendonk texted Margaret to report that the new "woke" (don't worry, we discuss this designation at length) Little House on the Prairie was actually pretty good... I have to admit, I was dubious.

HOW. HOW COULD THIS BLATANTLY RACIST AGAINST NATIVES, this deeply engaged in MANIFEST DESTINY INDIVIDUALISM story be... good? Worthwhile? Useful? Yes, I devoured this whole series as a kid. But an adaptation now? I was envisioning Yellowstone for elementary students.

But listen: this Little House is doing something pretty interesting. It's not always successful. But you're going to have to listen to the episode to hear why. (Side note: Even if you haven't watched it and/or have no plans to, there's so much to think about re: adaptations and how to talk about this particularly foundational narrative to American history.)

(And if you'd like access to this paid podcast-subscriber-only episode, you can upgrade your Culture Study subscription SO EASILY here. If you have any issues, just email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail dot com)

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