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REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP
Our rating: 5 out of 5 Rated:
Christy was one of my mother's favorite novels when I was a little girl. What I remember most about the first time it premiered on television was how excited she was. Little did she realize that her fascination would become mine as well, a love for a show so beautiful and touching that it has only grown over the long years since I first heard the haunting opening coo of a dove. Though it does stray magnificently from Catherine Marshall's book, it keeps the heart of the characters all the same.
Barely eighteen and unprepared for life as a missionary and school teacher in the back woods of Tennessee, Christy Huddleston (Kelly Martin) leaves her life in Ashville behind and joins the mission post of Cutter Gap. Lost amidst the mountains, where strangers are told to "holler out" a hello whenever they pass by a cabin, lest they get shot at, and only a handful of the numerous children own a decent pair of shoes, Christy is overwhelmed with the prospect of being the lone teacher in the district. She quickly becomes a favorite of the handsome Reverend David Grantland (Randall Batinkoff), and has a natural jibe with his temperamental sister Ida (Annabella Price). Her mentor and inspiration, Miss Alice (Tyne Daily) encourages her to keep the faith and trust that she was meant to come there, but Christy's first few months are difficult. Outsiders are not welcome in the cove, and most of the community has not yet learned to trust her. The one exception is the quiet offer of friendship from Fairlight Spencer (Tess Harper).
From drunken men storming the mission while David is gone, to Little Burl nearly losing his life after a fall, to Christy's own search for hope and meaning in a world that is overwhelming at times, the series follows the lives of those involved with tenderness and adoration, sparking a deep response from its audience. We laugh and cry, tears of sorrow and joy, as we witness the struggles and triumphs of the faithful band of characters that have won their way into our hearts. Creed with his pet raccoon, Scallywag. Rob and his desire to become a writer. Ruby Mae's desire to be respected and loved. As a child, I could not fully appreciate or even begin to understand the spiritual depth of the series, and re-watching it so many years later as an adult has given me a respect for its messages shared by few others. The level of faith depicted in the characters is miraculous, made even more so by the fact that they are very real. Not a single one is saintly or pious, for all of them make numerous mistakes, even the deeply spiritual Miss Alice. Faith is deeply revered throughout, mingled with a delightful amount of the miraculous.
It is an excellent family show but there are elements of violence and thematic elements. Two of the families in the Cove are feuding, and this is depicted not only in attempted hangings and men turning up with bullets in their back, but also in schoolyard fistfights. There are a half dozen instances involving guns; Miss Alice often uses them to break up fights or frighten off intruders. One harrowing experience involves a trip into the South, in which Klu Klux Klan men storm into a Negro community and frighten the children. In another episode, David is shot and Christy is kidnapped by a maniac. Neill must attend to many sick or wounded individuals over the course of the series. A half dozen mild profanities are scattered throughout. There's no outright sexual content but a handful of episodes do reference it in some form. Early on, Christy is concerned that she might need to inform some of the girls about the "facts of life." After being seen out late on the porch with David, one of the parents accuses her of dabbling in sin. Sly conversation hints that the girls want to know "how to be a good wife," but Christy turns it to more serious depictions of motherhood.
REVIEWED BY RICCI C.
Our rating: 4 out of 5 Because of: thematic elements Rated:
Based on Catherine Marshall’s best selling novel Christy, this series has a clear faith massage and is a favorite.
Christy
Huddleston (Kellie Martin) is a proper young woman who has decided to
leave the comforts of her city home in Ashville in order to teach at a
backwoods mission in Cutter Gap. After hearing Alice Henderson (Tyne Daly)
speak at her church asking for help, Christy volunteers and sets out for
an adventure. Once she arrives, she is met with rainy, damp conditions and
no one waiting to meet her. She meets the mailman of the Cove and talks
him into taking her to the mission. On the way there, Christy gets her
first glimpse into the hardships of the mountain people, in the form of a
gravely injured man whose only chance of survival is a risky operation
performed by the cove’s doctor Neil MacNeil (Stewart Finlay-McLennan). As Christy settles into her new home, she faces her first challenge with one of her students, Lundy Taylor. Lundy’s father Birds-Eye is the local troublemaker and has an illegal still on his land. After an attempt to show Lundy that she is his teacher and she won’t be told lies or how to run her class, Christy regrets her decision when Lundy doesn’t return. When there doesn’t seem to be any hope of reaching Lundy, Christy focuses all her time and energy on her other students, taking great joy in their progress. Just when Christy feels she’s actually making progress and making friends with the people of the cove, someone sets the schoolhouse on fire. With her determination and spirit crushed, Christy almost loses her faith in Cutter Gap.
This tied for my favorite series along with Five Mile Creek. There is some content sprinkled throughout this show, but mostly implied. Birds-Eye is often making trouble and at times tries to persuade people by using violence; it’s also implied that he abuses his son. In the episode titled “Lost & Found,” there are references made about John and Bessie not understanding the differences between men and women. David tells Christy he has been having “inappropriate thoughts" about her (more than likely, it pertained to kissing her). There is talk about Bessie and John needing to resist temptation. “Judgment Day," the “Pilot” and “Babe in the Woods” episode involves children out of wedlock. “Echoes” deals with a black community being shunned because of the color of their skin. “The Lie” has a young girl spreading a tale about seeing a man and woman together, saying they were “wallowing in sin." This episode also has one of Christy’s students becoming smitten with her. In “The Hostage” a man takes and holds Christy against her will; this leads to a man being shot and injured. “The Sweetest Gift” episode brings in some mild Indian religion and traditions, but it is very brief.
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CHRISTY
Lingering in
the background is the mysterious Dr. McNeill (Stewart Finlay-McLennan),
who keeps a locked room in his cabin and will never speak of his diseased
wife. Christy's fascination with him becomes a constant struggle between
potential romantic interest and frustration at his staunchly atheist
sensibilities. That is merely the beginning, for she soon learns the
dangers and struggles faced by the mountain people. There is a feud
between the Allen and Taylor families that results in violence whenever
their children are together in the school yard. Prejudice often disrupts
their lives while superstition causes many an unfortunate death and the
word of granny is gospel, no matter how absurd it sounds. 
Was it a
glimpse of God that Creed saw on the mountaintop as a mighty white buck? Did a spirit lead Rob to his
wounded brother in the darkness, or was it heavenly intervention? One
child even comes back to life after losing a battle with scarlet fever, as
the result of the combined thoughts and prayers of those who loved him.
There are constant conversations about God, faith, forgiveness,
compassion, and virtue, but in no way is it preachy or overly
melodramatic. The characters live what they believe, and I admire them for
that. The series also has a delightful sense of humor that is never
absurd, but very true to life. Each episode
features a different chapter in Christy's life, and while ultimately they
do stray so far from the book that only the characters' names are the
same, they never lose the series' delightful charm or impact. Some of the
most memorable or poignant episodes come in the second half of the series,
but there are some heart-wrenchers early on. "Amazing Grace" is
one, while "Green Apples" is another.
In "The
Lie," a girl becomes jealous of Christy's attention to her boyfriend and spreads a malicious rumor about her being "in
sin" with a man down by the river. Miss Alice speaks several times about
her illegitimate daughter and the shame she faced as a single mother. A
married couple flirt with one another. The most "questionable"
episode is the very last one, in which some of the men become obsessed
with a "tea house" in town. The most they ever do is watch the
girls slink around in their pantaloons and corsets, but it will make more
than a few parents squirm. There are some
lovely guest appearances by various actors, including John Schneider,
Dixie Carter, and songbird Judy Collins. It is my deepest hope that if you
have not seen Christy in many years, you will relive the experience
and bring this set home, and if you have never been introduced to the
characters of Cutter Gap, that you will learn to love them as much as I
do.
CHRISTY
After
a month of teaching, Christy enlists the help of Dr. MacNeil in teaching
history while also contending with young love, when John Spencer and
Bessie Coldburn start sneaking around together. Christy thinks they’re
too young to be thinking of marriage and babies. She talks to the cove’s
young and idealistic preacher David Grantland (Randall Batinkoff), who
decides to give a sermon on resisting temptation, but before they can
teach the children about anything pertaining to marriage and love a young
boy goes missing. As Christy gets to know these people as more than mere
acquaintances, she is shocked to learn that Opal McHone’s baby has died
because of a superstition. Christy also gains a best friend in Fairlight
Spencer (Tess Harper), the mother of three students; Fairlight teaches
Christy many a valuable lesson. Meanwhile, David has his own difficulties
when he is challenged by a resident of the cove. The trials that await
Christy and the people of Cutter Gap are many. While Christy often loses
her faith, she is often surprised and encouraged many times by the
children. 
There
is frequent talk about premonitions and superstitions. “The Road Home”
has the men of the cove attending a certain tea house every Saturday where
there are dance hall girls that perform. Most of them are either shown in
their undergarments or bright, colorful and inappropriate clothes. They
aren’t shown for any excessive amount of time though and it is a short
scene. I originally saw this show on TV. That was back in 1994 though, and
I had forgotten many of the episodes. t has been so much fun to watch
these again with the recent release on DVD. This series is the kind of TV
I love. It is full of
faith-filled and compelling messages. The conclusion does leave you with
more than just one unanswered question. I didn’t know if they thought
maybe they would do more seasons and it never happened or if they left it
open so you can make up your own end! But it didn’t ruin it for me as I
still will watch these over and over again.