I too was "glues to the television". The relationship between Nate Brooke and his father was nothing short of beautiful.
Th women and their bickering made me think that Mrs. Olsen of "Little House..." was not too far off the mark.
The Clune's rationalization that homesteaders would never pass by an "opportunity" in order to trade with the natives and even sneak in a box spring was laughable. His "protein deficiency" which turned out to be dehydration was also a laugh. His wife's snide comment about it said a lot about their relationship.
I loved the Glenn's daughter. She seemed to get the most out of the experience and I suspect is the only one to retain what she learned about herself.
Let's face it. If the series had kept to absolute 1890s reality. None of them would have made it to the site. Through the whole thing, all I could think of was how bad they must have smelled.