Well, I luckily stumbled upon "the wonder years" a year back, searching for something else, i guess. I had never heard of it before but literally, this is the best thing that ever happened to me. As so many people have said previously, "this has just changed my life completely". The feelings of love, friendship, childhood memories and emotions that you get from this drama series, just blow your mind. I can not really pick a single episode to be my favorite but this one just truly stands out in a sense that it depicts love. It projects that how love finds a way when there is a fear of losing someone you care about a lot. And one more thing, First love lasts forever.
6 Reviews
Kevin encounters Winnie again, but is she still the girl next door?
djarmhp21 February 2014
Don't worry. There are no spoilers in this review, because it would be unfair on those people not yet lucky enough to see this episode to lessen it's impact. Suffice it to say, this is the episode where Winnie Cooper returns to the series. The two childhood sweethearts, Winnie and Kevin went their separate ways after Winnie moved schools. The episode starts with Kevin seeing Winnie in their old street for the first time since the school coaches went in different directions to the strains of 'God Only Knows' by the Beach Boys. What is she looking for? Obviously, Kevin hopes that it's him, but there is a brittleness about Winnie that hints at a girl who's missing something but isn't sure what. As Kevin gets drawn back in to Winnie's world he starts to worry that she's looking for what's missing in all the wrong places. Anyone who has encountered an old flame after a while apart will identify with this episode which is about as deep and full of impact as a 25 minute TV show could be. Be prepared to shed tears at the end when the final song and situation blend together as perfectly as any I've ever seen in this show or indeed in any other. It is a perfect episode and the highpoint of even this great series.
Unbreakable
hellraiser73 March 2020
"Sweet Darlin, there ain't no getting over me."
Ronnie Milsap
This is my fourth favorite episode of the show and another of my favorite episodes in general, it's sort of one that is based on build up to pay off. You really feel for Kevin in this episode as we're all in the same boat as him as we're all concerned and wondering, what the Frak is Winnie's deal?
It's really sad as we see how Winnie isn't being Winnie, as she's hanging out with a cliché who are the so called cool kids with the cars and jackets, but are all really a cliché of jerks. Really like Kevin's reaction when he sees Winnie hang with them, it' s the same thing we're all thinking "Who the hell are these guys?"
There is one thing that I'll admit really made me sad not just for Winnie but mainly for Kevin when she says she wants to forget about the last three years of their life. I just saw the hurt from Kevin, which is the same with me, to him those were the best years of his life because he's with her. I'm not sure why she wants to forget them, maybe it's because of her brother's death, the separation of her parents, maybe the turmoil still resides in her I'm just not sure, your guess is as good as mine.
Despite not knowing nor ever lived in whatever dilemma rags her, I understand she's had bad times, we've all had them but running away and denying the past isn't going forward in life, it just makes you more lost; like driving on the road but failing to look at the passing signs. Personally, I was afraid that she was about to drive somewhere she doesn't want to be, Kevin knows that to.
What I love about this episode is Kevin who is just at his best in this episode, he has relentless determination from beginning to end. As the Green Beret code of honor goes, "You watch my back, I'll watch yours." And that's what Kevin is doing with Winnie, he knows she's in trouble and he's just watching out and trying to help her from whatever is troubling her, which to me is part of what a good friend/boyfriend should do.
We then see tragedy strikes which I'll admit made my heart sink a little because what both Kevin and I feared finally came to pass, scariest thing about it was it could have been so much worse. And once again despite Winnie in probably the worst portion of her life, still refuses to see Kevin.
At this point it almost seemed like Kevin would just walk away, but he doesn't. Kevin's love for Winnie is stronger than ever and he refuses to let that go and give up on her, which is another part of what a good friend and boyfriend is. Winnie despite not admitting it to herself, deep down truly does need Kevin more than ever.
The ending is beautiful and just sweet relief from the amount of crap Kevin and even Winnie had to endure. It just goes to show how sometimes what we seek in life is closer then we think, but also how Kevin and Winnie love no matter how much time goes by is unbreakable.
Rating: 4 stars
This is my fourth favorite episode of the show and another of my favorite episodes in general, it's sort of one that is based on build up to pay off. You really feel for Kevin in this episode as we're all in the same boat as him as we're all concerned and wondering, what the Frak is Winnie's deal?
It's really sad as we see how Winnie isn't being Winnie, as she's hanging out with a cliché who are the so called cool kids with the cars and jackets, but are all really a cliché of jerks. Really like Kevin's reaction when he sees Winnie hang with them, it' s the same thing we're all thinking "Who the hell are these guys?"
There is one thing that I'll admit really made me sad not just for Winnie but mainly for Kevin when she says she wants to forget about the last three years of their life. I just saw the hurt from Kevin, which is the same with me, to him those were the best years of his life because he's with her. I'm not sure why she wants to forget them, maybe it's because of her brother's death, the separation of her parents, maybe the turmoil still resides in her I'm just not sure, your guess is as good as mine.
Despite not knowing nor ever lived in whatever dilemma rags her, I understand she's had bad times, we've all had them but running away and denying the past isn't going forward in life, it just makes you more lost; like driving on the road but failing to look at the passing signs. Personally, I was afraid that she was about to drive somewhere she doesn't want to be, Kevin knows that to.
What I love about this episode is Kevin who is just at his best in this episode, he has relentless determination from beginning to end. As the Green Beret code of honor goes, "You watch my back, I'll watch yours." And that's what Kevin is doing with Winnie, he knows she's in trouble and he's just watching out and trying to help her from whatever is troubling her, which to me is part of what a good friend/boyfriend should do.
We then see tragedy strikes which I'll admit made my heart sink a little because what both Kevin and I feared finally came to pass, scariest thing about it was it could have been so much worse. And once again despite Winnie in probably the worst portion of her life, still refuses to see Kevin.
At this point it almost seemed like Kevin would just walk away, but he doesn't. Kevin's love for Winnie is stronger than ever and he refuses to let that go and give up on her, which is another part of what a good friend and boyfriend is. Winnie despite not admitting it to herself, deep down truly does need Kevin more than ever.
The ending is beautiful and just sweet relief from the amount of crap Kevin and even Winnie had to endure. It just goes to show how sometimes what we seek in life is closer then we think, but also how Kevin and Winnie love no matter how much time goes by is unbreakable.
Rating: 4 stars
The Accident
studioAT7 July 2020
I know your plans don't include me. Still here we are, both of us lonely.
bombersflyup23 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The Accident is about Winnie losing her way and Kevin showing her he will always be there.
Winnie lets Kevin know she's struggling and Kevin holds on for dear life. While some of the dialogue isn't great, the entire character arc between the two has built to this point and would have to be the most meaningful episode of the show. Kevin has the option to just leave it several times here, like he has in the past, but he fights for her, in an emotion fueled episode. The ending with Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" playing, wonderful and one of the greatest moments.
Winnie lets Kevin know she's struggling and Kevin holds on for dear life. While some of the dialogue isn't great, the entire character arc between the two has built to this point and would have to be the most meaningful episode of the show. Kevin has the option to just leave it several times here, like he has in the past, but he fights for her, in an emotion fueled episode. The ending with Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" playing, wonderful and one of the greatest moments.
A Strong Ending Is Too Little Too Late
Kevin-948 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
A deeply moving ending can't redeem an otherwise rather unengaging continuation of the Kevin/Winnie relationship in "The Accident," a late fourth season entry.
Few shows break the "show, don't tell" rule with greater frequency than "The Wonder Years." Far too often, the show would fall back on close ups of Fred Savage's face, and Daniel Stern's narration would do the rest of the work. (One wonders if Stern submitted himself for Best Actor Emmy consideration in those days, with Savage going after the Best Supporting Actor nod.) The narration was there from the first episode, of course, but as the actors aged, the show leaned on it more and more for emotional impact.
In this late fourth season episode from 1991, the "tell, don't show" approach carries over to the overall story as well. "The Accident" is ostensibly about how Winnie is "out of control," but this is woefully under dramatized. Winnie's conversations with Kevin consist entirely of empty small talk. Her "out of control" tendencies exist solely in the realm of the hypothetical (or off camera). There's no chaos here, no palpable sense of danger and no real drama. Winnie remains forever a blank. Whatever inner turmoil she's going through remains frustratingly vague.
And ultimately, the episode falls into the show's usual pattern, spinning its wheels in the Kevin/Winnie non-romance, a love story forever parked in neutral. After a few years, I stopped watching the show, since like a lot of viewers, I grew tired of this same unending pattern: Kevin would endlessly pine away for Winnie like the puppy dog he slightly resembles; Winnie would respond with utter indifference or only passing curiosity.
To its credit, the episode does end with the sort of moment the show does best. Kevin crawls up to Winnie's bedroom, and as the two look at each other through the window glass, the music (and, of course, the narration) sells it. The heightened emotion of the moment is irresistible, even if it's ultimately too little, too late.
Few shows break the "show, don't tell" rule with greater frequency than "The Wonder Years." Far too often, the show would fall back on close ups of Fred Savage's face, and Daniel Stern's narration would do the rest of the work. (One wonders if Stern submitted himself for Best Actor Emmy consideration in those days, with Savage going after the Best Supporting Actor nod.) The narration was there from the first episode, of course, but as the actors aged, the show leaned on it more and more for emotional impact.
In this late fourth season episode from 1991, the "tell, don't show" approach carries over to the overall story as well. "The Accident" is ostensibly about how Winnie is "out of control," but this is woefully under dramatized. Winnie's conversations with Kevin consist entirely of empty small talk. Her "out of control" tendencies exist solely in the realm of the hypothetical (or off camera). There's no chaos here, no palpable sense of danger and no real drama. Winnie remains forever a blank. Whatever inner turmoil she's going through remains frustratingly vague.
And ultimately, the episode falls into the show's usual pattern, spinning its wheels in the Kevin/Winnie non-romance, a love story forever parked in neutral. After a few years, I stopped watching the show, since like a lot of viewers, I grew tired of this same unending pattern: Kevin would endlessly pine away for Winnie like the puppy dog he slightly resembles; Winnie would respond with utter indifference or only passing curiosity.
To its credit, the episode does end with the sort of moment the show does best. Kevin crawls up to Winnie's bedroom, and as the two look at each other through the window glass, the music (and, of course, the narration) sells it. The heightened emotion of the moment is irresistible, even if it's ultimately too little, too late.
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