The Wonder Years: Season Two

THE WONDER YEARS:    
It's going to be another rough year for Kevin (played by Fred Savage) as he deals with being in the 7th grade, watching Winnie Cooper (played by Danica McKellar) date someone other than him, dealing with his older brother Wayne (played by Jason Hervey) bullying, while also dealing with the difficulties of being a teen. Kevin just can't find a break though, while still wanting to be dating Winnie, he gets in trouble with other girls who would like to date him. Though it's not all bad for Kevin and Wayne, as they try to convince their dad to buy their first color tv but will they be able to when the TV cost so much? With the help of his best friend Paul (played by Josh Saviano), Kevin is able to deal with topics like the Vietnam War and teaming up with Winnie to save their childhood hangout place Harper's Woods from destruction. So life is tough for Kevin, but with his friends, his love, and his family, he just might make it through another year.

SEASON 2:
This is one of those shows that I watched when it was on air and I loved it. Aside from being set in the time frame that it was, I always connected with Kevin as I watched it. I was the younger brother in the family, no my brother was nothing like Wayne but we still had moments of butting heads and me being the younger brother, and at the time of my teen years there was the start of the Gulf War, and oddly enough I met a girl who I had fallen in love with that looked exactly like Winnie Cooper. Even back then I knew this show was more than just the typical drivel that was being aired at the time. So getting to watch this show again was something akin to almost going back in time to have my own memories brought back as I watched Kevin go through all his troubles and joys.

It really is a great show, one that I find hard to believe is just now getting the second of six seasons put on DVD. The Wonder Years had every element working for it in it's favor and that's why it is so good. First it has good acting, yeah I know it's a little rough at times, after all they actually have real kids playing kids at the right age, none of this 16 year character being played a 25 year old actor, but even with the rough edges at time, the actors make their characters real. Then there is the way the show is able to connect with the viewers no matter the age range. If you were like me, just becoming a teen, then it was usually Kevin or Paul that you connected with, for my brother who was older, he was more connected with Wayne, then there was Karen Arnold (played by Olivia d'Abo) who was the hippie and free spirited older sister, Winnie was there for the girls who wanted someone going through similar situations, and of course the parents who would connect with actual parents who felt the same pains.

Though it wasn't just acting and characters making a connection with the viewers that made this show so good. It's also the topics that are dealt with on the show. With going through the dating woes of a young boy who is in love with the girl that is dating someone else, there's the topic of Winnie's parents separating, and even some fun topics like buying that first color TV. Which I know don't sound like much today, after all that TV they wanted was only $470 but if you do a price comparison, that price of the TV would cost roughly $3400 today, do you think your parents would spend that amount of money on a television set? It's a show that touched on topics that had meaning, like the Vietnam War, it dealt with family issues like having the older brother deal with the possiblity of him being a mean person, and so many other topics that the show never gets old. It's a little dated as far as the quality goes because it was shot in the late 80's so you won't be getting no where near HD quality, and some of the topics like the Vietnam War might date the show but the general idea still works today considering that the threats we face today is still the same in their outcome. So this is one show that I really enjoyed watching again and is one that I will always like.