“Pilot” Season 1 Episode 1 of The Wonder Years
In 1988 I was one years old. However that year something great was airing for the first time ever, something that would go on to be in syndication throughout most of my life. The first episode of the wonder years, simply named “Pilot”.
The original airdate was 1/31/1988. Not only was this the first airing of an important TV Show that would affect me in my youth but it was also the day that my close friend and cousin was born. Very interesting indeed.
This is the first time anyone has seen this show and thus it is the first time the famous for many reasons theme song gets heard. The Joe Cocker rendition of The Beatles song “With A Little Help From My Friends”. It is a beautiful song and an amazing rendition which goes a long way to set up every episode of this shows run. It is fitting. But more then the theme this pilot episode sets the entire series up for all star soundtracks with:
- “Turn, Turn, Turn” - The Byrds
- “Both Sides, Now” - Joni Mitchell
- “Crystal Blue Persuasion” - Tommy James and the Shondells
- “When a Man Loves a Woman” - Percy Sledge
I was surprised to find that much of the first and second season let alone the pilot episode of this show were directed by none other then Steve Miner. This explains why the horrors of adolescence are so well represented throughout the show. Steve is the same Steve responsible for some Friday the Thirteenth sequels as well as Holloween H20 and many other horrible horror films. None the less he knocks it out with The Wonder Years.
In “Pilot” we are quickly brought up to speed on things from adult Kevin’s soothing narrations. We see who is who and where they fit in to the grand scheme of Kevin’s childhood existence.
We see Kevin, pretty much the average “youngest child” boy and his brother Wayne. Wayne is the middle child and also fits that bill very well. As far as the eyes of Kevin can tell it is Wayne’s main mission in life to make him to be suffering and embarrassed. We meet Winnie, the cute neighbor girl who obviously looks at Kevin with that very special “girl next door” gaze.
It’s at this point we begin to see how miserable Kevin’s life is made by his older brother as Wayne begins to tease him saying that Winnie is his girlfriend. This boils Kevin’s blood and he, hurtfully to Winnie mind you, exclaims how that is in no way the case. But the torture does not end here for Kevin. Much as our middle siblings often do Wayne finds he must continue to exert his superiority over little brother and decides he needs to be beaten up. And so it ensues.
It is at this point we meet Winnie’s older brother Brian Cooper. He is clearly out of high school and clearly the coolest kid on the block. He is seen in the distance smoking a cigarette while working on his car. It’s in this moment that he yells for Wayne to leave Kevin alone. You can tell by the reactions of everyone present that this man is to be respected, not like a king but like a benevolent guardian.
Kevin makes his way into the house with his friend Paul who we briefly can tell has severe allergy problems and is one of those kids who would rather be safe then scabbed. We also get introduced to Kevin’s mother, Norma. A classic home maker of a mother preparing dinner for the arrival of her husband home from work. Scurrying about to make sure that the man’s arrival will meet him with soothing smells of that nights meat loaf without any distractions from his children to cause him to be upset.
Enter Jack Arnold. This man is old school, rugged, hard, and mean on the outside. While this is only episode one and this is all we’re lead to believe about Jack it is hard not to know the man of later seasons and to see even this early the hints of tenderness and weakness that lies within him. This is actually an intended depiction in my opinion as when we are young we tend to see the surface of our parents as their complete character and it’s not until we have grown up that we begin to see the depth of simple men. I know I personally experienced a similar evolution of view in regards to my own father.
We are also briefly introduced to the character of Karen Arnold, Kevin’s older sister. She exhibits probably the worst acting this show will ever see upon her very first line as she walks in the house to some flack from her mother. Her response is a very free spirited “Peace mom.” Okay so now we know shes playing THAT character we can move on cause this show is not about Karen. (Karen also springs the news on her father that she wants birth control in the scene of which he had just gotten home in a rotten mood from work. Daddy bear not happy to say the least.)
Next we see Kevin and Paul in Kevin’s room(it is a shared room by Kevin and Wayne even though we do not find this out right away). They are looking through a book titled “Our Bodies Ourselves” and we hear a very funny line from Kevin which really sets off the fact that these boys are definitely in the thick of it puberty wise.
Paul and I decided that the best way to learn about Junior High School girls was to look at them naked.
Of Course Kevin’s mother interrupts the fun and Paul couldn’t look more guilty as he flings the book behind him and tries to look innocent. Paul leaves for the night and not before asking Kevin if he knows what he is going to wear to school the next day, to which Kevin says he has no idea but the adult Kevin gives us some insight through narration that he in fact had been planning his wardrobe for quite some time.
That next morning Kevin comes strolling into breakfast dressed like a 30 year old swinger… But a midget one of course. His mom and family give him some great advice that he should look into different attire. At the bus stop we find out that Paul’s family was not so nice as to give him similar advice. It’s in this moment that an apparently new kid approaches the bus stop, a girl their age and a stunning one at that which you can clearly tell by the dramatic walking sequence given her arrival. To the boys surprise it is actually just Winnie Cooper however she no longer wishes to be called Winnie, her real name is Gwendolyn.
As commentary I would like to note that I remember very clearly these situations in my own life. Always over dressing and over acting when moving up the ladder. Always surprised by the developments of the girls into… Well older girls but still. This show does such an amazing job capturing such basic concepts we all experience in our youth.
At school we see the three gather to a single table in the lunch room, it is obvious that they were not prepared for the wilds of Junior High School cafeteria etiquette. Kevin even says another great line there before things get hairy:
Who knows maybe we even had the outside chance to become the ‘cool’ seventh grade group.
It is at this momentary glimmer of hope that Wayne arrives to raz Kevin. Unable to take it Kevin grabs his apple and storms towards the exit of the cafeteria where he is stopped by the principal and shown a sign stating no food outside of the area. He hesitates for a moment and then proceeds outside. The principal chases him down and stops him asking him if “we have a problem”. To which Kevin says a smart remark before throwing his apple full on into the cafeteria causing a mess to happen in the distance.
Next we find Kevin in the office with his mother. The normal drill down as the principal is clearly over stepping his bounds and we keep looking to our parents to be like “You can’t treat my son that way” but never find the moment to come, instead they act like they are on the bad persons side of things. When the conversations end we hear the deep voice from behind:
Can I take him home now?
As the camera exposes Jack sitting there cracking his knuckles.
When the family arrives home however Kevin is saved by the terribly unfortunate news that Brian Cooper was killed in Vietnam. It is clear that this is a devastating event to everyone in the Arnold household including hippie anti-war Karen who apparently is less chill when it comes to this type of thing.. Hmm?
But this is where the show again starts to grab you at the heart strings. We see the first glimpse of Jack’s inner compassion as his anger turns to support and he places his giant fatherly man hands on Kevin’s shoulder.
Kevin decides to go down to the big tree in Harper’s Woods, this was a special place that he and Winnie used to play together when they were younger. Narrator Kevin states that he didn’t admit until years later but it was a thought in the back of his mind that he might find her there. Find her he does. Like a smart little man he offers an apology to her for both the unfortunate passing of her brother and the hurtful things he had said about her in the lunch room that day. At which point she seems glad to have him there.
He pulls a classic move and puts his jacket around her. Key the mushy music. Here plays When a Man Loves A Woman and we are made aware that we are just spectators of this beautiful moment as Winnie and Kevin exchange their first kiss on a big rock near a big old tree in the forest.
Credits. Excellent.
