The Hot Rod

Racing against time, John tries to help a black veteran accused of a crime he never committed. Meanwhile, in Europe, John-Boy meets Jason's friend Toni in a recreation room in Paris. In the South Pacific, Ben and his friend Norman have trouble with Sergeant Butler. Part 1 of 2.

John asks President Roosevelt to help Harley, who has been falsely convicted of murder. Conclusion.

When a favorite patient dies, Mary Ellen decides to become a doctor. Meanwhile, the Waltons plan birthday gifts for Jason in France.

While the home front copes with shortages and regulations, Jason and a member of his squad must deal with the question of killing as the war in Europe draws to a close.

In Paris, John-Boy becomes a witness to the ongoing carnage of land mines, even though the war in Europe is over, and writes an article for Stars & Stripes to publicize the need for their removal. While in Paris, he falls in love but must return home to Walton's Mountain. Meanwhile, Cindy has a premonition of Ben being captured by the Japanese--which proves to be true when the family receives a telegram saying he is a prisoner of war.

When Jim-Bob comes home on furlough, he is soon followed by Kathy Seales with the news that he will be a father. Meanwhile, Ben is still a POW in the Pacific.

The Walton family hears of the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and awaits word of the Japanese Army's surrender. Jason, home on leave but believing he will soon be sent to the South Pacific, alienates his girlfriend. Ben and his buddy Norm are prisoners of a fanatic Japanese guard who uses them to gain his own freedom as the war comes to an end.

Ben returns home from military service with plans to study engineering. Erin's vacation is disrupted when she gives Cindy her gas stamps and when J.D. Pickett claims he can't handle the business without her. Meanwhile, John tells the family he must take Olivia to Arizona for her health.

Mary Ellen is about to give up school to marry a restless young veteran when she gets the shattering news that her husband, Curt, is still alive. Meanwhile, Jason re-opens the Dew Drop Inn.

Mary Ellen finds Curt alive in Florida, but he's a very different man.

The death of Cindy's father reveals she was adopted, and a search for her real parents begins. Due to the lack of attention from Drew, Elizabeth looks elsewhere for romance.

Released from military service, Jim-Bob and his friend, Jody, refuse to settle down, until an accident forces them to see things differently. Meanwhile, The Baldwin sisters discover a secret room.

Stanley Perkins returns to Rose, but he's not well. A new singer at the Dew Drop pays too much attention to Toni.

A new minister comes to Walton's Mountain church and quickly disturbs the congregation. But he soon becomes an important member of the community, especially as he helps Jason and Toni make an important decision about marriage.

While Corabeth is out of town, her sister comes to visit Ike. Elizabeth, feeling left out of the lives of her family, decides to run away from home.

A local girl is brutalized by her husband, and Mary Ellen and Erin are soon involved. Meanwhile, Jim-Bob schemes to make money by selling war surplus goods.

Jim-Bob builds a television set so that the family can see John-Boy's experimental television project. Rose's crash diet raises complications for herself, the family and friends.

Corabeth files for divorce over some old love letters. Drew wants a night with Elizabeth.

Rose's wedding is nearly canceled when she discovers that she has a heart condition. Cindy takes a job and finds that she's happier at home.

Erin falls in love with a young lumberjack with a mysterious past. Ike and Jim-Bob hunt for uranium on Walton's Mountain.

Mary Ellen interferes in the mountain tradition of promising young girls in marriage, and the frustrated groom retaliates by kidnapping Elizabeth. Meanwhile, the Baldwins welcome their eccentric cousin Octavia.

John-Boy goes to New York to pursue his writing career, and the Baldwin sisters plan a fancy dress ball -- but both plans go awry.