The Wonder Years: Who is Right?

There are evenings I want the television on, but I don't know what to stream. I don't want drama, and I definitely don't want blood and gore. I don't want surprises or mysteries. I want something safe. So, I often go back to some of my favorite old series: Ally McBeal, Thirtysomething, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and, more recently, The Wonder Years (1988). 

The Wonder Years is a charming series, and I relate to it. The coming-of-age series was set in the late 1960s and early 70s. This was my junior high era. I loved and "knew" these characters, and the situations they encountered were not much different than the ones we experienced when we were kids, such as their junior high dances; dancing the slow dance to the much-requested song "Cherish" by the Association. 

The central character and narrator, looking back on his youth and adolescence, is Kevin Arnold, who lives in the suburbs with his middle-class parents, Jack and Norma Arnold, his older sister, Karen, and brother, Wayne. Kevin's best friends are his neighbors, Winnie Cooper (his childhood crush and on-and-off girlfriend) and Paul Pfeiffer (intelligent, goofy, loyal, and lifelong friend). 

The series captured the angst almost every kid went through during this era, the big moments when the family finally got a color television, and the politics and major events of the time, such as the Martin Luther King assassination and civil rights, the moon landing, and Vietnam. The two Vietnam episodes are powerful. 

In Series One, Episode One: Winnie Cooper's older brother, Brian, is drafted and sent to Fort Lee. After graduating from basic training, he is later deployed to Vietnam. While in Vietnam, he was wounded by a gunshot and died. Brian was a hero to Kevin; when Kevin's brother, Wayne, picked on him, Brian would come to Kevin's rescue. 

In Season One, Episode Four: Karen's hippie boyfriend Louis is invited to have dinner with the Arnold family. Louis is a vegetarian, which the Arnold family didn't know many vegetarians, as Norma served chicken for dinner.

During dinner, the subject of Brian Cooper was brought up. Louis sharply criticizes the Vietnam War, calling the local neighborhood boy's death "meaningless" and claiming supporters of the war were "brainwashed morons" with the wool pulled over their eyes. The dialogue that follows is profound and provocative. 

Jack points out that a death isn't meaningless when a young man dies for freedom and his country. 
Louis points out that he has a problem with justifying dying for a government that systematically represses its citizens.
Jack challenges Louis and asks, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Karen speaks up and explains that it means the United States government is responsible for the oppression of blacks, women, and free speech.
Jack explained that America has advantages that countries under Communist dictatorships do not have, such as freedom and democracy, and emphasized that this is the reason for the fight in Vietnam. 
Louis claims that the American people are being deceived, and says, "Just like they did with Korea."

Jack loses it and explodes, "What the hell do you know about Korea? I was in Korea. I lost a lot of good friends there. My friends were brave men who weren't afraid to fight for what they believed in." Jack then challenges Louis: "Now if you're afraid to fight - why don't you just say so? Why don't you just admit you're chicken?"  

Louis yells back, "You're damned right! I am chicken. I don't want to die like your friends! What do you think that you achieved over there? Do you think that those people are free? They're not free, man."
Louis continues, "You were used, man, and your friends were used. Don't accept all this death and then justify it. It is wrong! Your friends should be alive - they should be enjoying dinner and arguing with their kids, just like you are."

Again, Jack yells and challenges Louis, "What do you know about it? Who the hell are you to say that?"

Louis stands up from the dinner table and pulls out a folded piece of paper from his wallet. He unfolds it and explains, "This is my draft notice.  In two weeks... I can go to jail... I can go to Canada... or I can go get shot... Full of holes... Like your friend Brian Cooper.  You keep thinking the way you do, Mr. Arnold... And these two (pointing to Kevin and Wayne) will be next. And I just hope that's what they want."
Louis leaves the Arnold house. 

The conversation at the dinner table stops. Personal beliefs are challenged, leaving everyone at the table to contemplate the serious implications of the conflict on their lives.

~~~~~~~~~

This was probably one of the most powerful scenes I had seen in this series - possibly one of the most powerful things I have seen on prime-time television through the many years. The Wonder Years wasn't always hearts, flowers, and kitties. 

I have been thinking about this episode ever since, and yet this is probably the second or maybe the third time I have seen it. What Louis felt and expressed had merit, and I was raised in a military-oriented family that has always had my respect and pride. My father served in WWII and later the Korean War. He put 20 years into the military, seven as an enlisted soldier, and 13 years working for the military in a civilian capacity. My brother was career military for 20 years and served in Vietnam. He came home -- alive. 

(After this episode, I started thinking about the war with Iran. So far, we know that 18 young American soldiers were killed this year - at least that is what has been reported. The current occupant of the Oval Office refers to it as "small potatoes.")