While even Little House on the Prairie newbies know that it’s primarily a Western frontier-set family drama, Netflix’s new reimagining of Laura Ingalls Wilder‘s famous book offers a fair amount of romance. Obviously, husband and wife Charles (Luke Bracey) and Caroline (Crosby Fitzgerald) are at the center of the story, but Season 1 of the period drama introduces quite a few side romances once the Ingalls arrive in Independence, Kansas, a switch from the 1974 TV series’ Walnut Grove. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for Little House on the Prairie Season 1!)
The new town means new relationships. Some are already established, like that of Osage couple Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother) and his wife, White Sun (Alyssa Wapanatâhk). At the start of the season, there’s also some flirtation between the town doctor (Jocko Sims) and the general store owner (Barrett Doss). One of the Ingalls’ daughters, Mary (Skywalker Hughes), has a sweet crush on the boy that works at the town store (Kowen Cadorath). There’s even a situationship out on the prairie involving Mr. Edwards (Warren Christie).
So, how romantic is the new Little House on the Prairie? Who ends up together in Season 1? Swooon already recapped all the real-life romances of the cast, so we thought we’d dive into their fictional ones below. Let us know your favorite couple in the comments once you reach the end of the page.
Little House on the Prairie, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
Charles & Caroline Ingalls
We probably don’t need to tell you that the core couple of the series are the Ingalls, who are already married with two daughters, Laura (Alice Halsey) and Mary when we meet them. Though Charles is more than ready to have a fresh start on the frontier, Caroline is a little less keen to leave her family and everything she’s ever known behind in Wisconsin. It creates some tension in the Ingalls’ marriage at first, but Caroline finds her place and happiness on the prairie.
Throughout the majority of Season 1, the loved-up Charles and Caroline remain a united front against all the obstacles that come their way, including growing debt. They even find out that Caroline is pregnant shortly after they arrive in Independence, and she gives birth to their third daughter, Caroline, on Christmas Eve. Everything is perfect — but only temporarily. When the government buys the land that Independence sits on, Charles and Caroline learn they can’t afford to buy the land back. But the revelation doesn’t shake their relationship. In the final moments of Season 1, the couple packs up their family to find a new home… in Walnut Grove!
William & White Sun Mitchell
After finding the location for their new home, Charles learns that the land belongs to the indigenous Osage tribe. He build the house there anyway, which is in close proximity to Osage couple William Mitchell and his wife, White Sun. They share a young daughter, Good Eagle (Wren Zhawenim Gotts) who befriends Laura. The family is grieving the recent loss of their eldest daughter.
Mitchell is kind towards the settlers and doesn’t see the point in acting against them, preferring to move with the change. White Sun disagrees, which creates some friction in their relationship. White Sun is guarded and cautious against the Ingalls family at first, though she eventually bonds with Laura and Caroline.
Toward the end of the season, Mitchell and White Sun have to face the prospect of leaving Independence, when the Osage tribe signs a deal with the government giving them land elsewhere. White Sun is at first reluctant to leave the land that her daughter was buried on, but she and Mitchell agree on finding a fresh start somewhere new. That’s where we leave them in Season 1, getting ready to leave Independence with Good Eagle.
Dr. George Tann & Emily Henderson
What starts out as a flirtation between bold and independent (and unmarried) general store owner Emily and Dr. George Tann turns into a full-blown romance. It really gets rolling in Episode 6, when George is forced to take shelter in the store during Christmas Eve snowstorm. George admits to leaving his wife behind in his old town before setting out for the frontier. When George and Emily’s almost-kiss is interrupted, George leaves, only to return and admit his foolishness in running away. He plants a kiss on Emily in one of the most romantic scenes of the season.
George and Emily go on several dinner dates after that. In Episode 7, it’s actually Emily that suggests they get married — only for George to drop the bombshell that he isn’t actually divorced from the wife he left behind in Philadelphia. Emily is devastated. Tann leaves town for a spell, and when he gets back, tells Emily that he convinced his (once reluctant) first wife to sign divorce papers. Emily’s still not happy with George for lying to her, but they eventually reconcile in Episode 8. They aren’t married yet, but they’re planning on moving into the vacated Ingalls house together.
Mary Ingalls & Caleb
When she sees him in the general store for the first time, Mary is instantly intrigued by the quiet Caleb. She even asks Mr. Edwards to deliver Caleb a letter. Her crush takes a turn when she asks Caleb about it later: Caleb is so flustered that he runs away from Mary without saying anything. However, when he explains as much to Mary, they reconcile. There are a few more obstacles when the mean girls in town make fun of Caleb, making Mary deny that she has a crush on him. The girls also tell Mary that Caleb’s parents abandoned him in Independence, which Mary relays to him. Caleb retreats, embarrassed.
Mary realizes she doesn’t care what the other girls think and smoothes things over with Caleb. In the finale, Caleb tells Mary that he’s planning on leaving. After Christmas, Emily put out notices in newspapers across the country to find Caleb’s parents. His mother wrote back. She didn’t know what happened to him, and asks Caleb to come home to Cincinnati.
In the end, Mary leaves town, too. Mary shares her first kiss with Caleb just before hitting the road. She makes Caleb promise not to forget her, and he swears he never will.
John Edwards & Lacey Aubert
Let’s get into that aforementioned situationship on the prairie. The troubled Mr. Edwards has a loyal ally in Lacey (Rebecca Amzallag), a widowed woman in town who’s about as far from a conventional lady as you can get. At first, it only seems like the two are friends, with Lacey taking care of Edwards while he sobers up. He’s been using alcohol to cope with his trauma: Years ago, when he returned from war, he found his wife and daughters dead from cholera.
As the season progresses, Edwards bonds with the Ingalls and heals. The romantic undertones between him and Lacey emerge toward the end of the season. During the Founder’s Day celebration, Edwards gives Lacey a flag. “How romantic,” she quips. Watching Edwards interact with the Ingalls girls, Lacey remarks that he must have been a good father and that his family was lucky to have him. Edwards kisses her on the cheek.
Later on, Edwards ask Lacey if she’d ever considered settling down again, but she explains that she doesn’t see herself giving up her independence. In the end, they part ways, with Edwards deciding to leave town with the Ingalls. He’s the one that suggests they go to Walnut Grove, where his relatives live.
Jemma & Eli James
Jemma James (Mary Holland) and her husband, Eli (Michael Hough), are an evil match made in heaven (or hell). Their two daughters — the aforementioned girls who bully Caleb — take after them. Eli is essentially the town founder/leader, having been sent by a railroad company to inspect the land for development. In the end, it’s revealed that he’s the one responsible for the “free land” flyers that brought Charles and others to Independence. He misled them by intentionally omitting that the Osage tribe owned the land. Jemma does her share of misdeeds throughout the season, too, by excluding Emily from her Women’s Society meetings out of racism. Like we said: They’re two evil peas in a pod. They remain in Independence while the Ingalls leave.
