While I am a devoted X-phile and huge fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, there is no television show that can match up to The Wonder Years. This series was and is an integral part of my life; it was the childhood I never had. It is hard to believe that it has been more than ten years ago now since the first episode appeared. Those first episodes were just wonderful. As the series aged, I admit I thought it veered off in a wrong direction; Kevin Arnold, for the most part, became a jerk; the writers totally ruined Paul--I had no respect for him over the last couple of seasons. I guess I should not complain too much; after all, the show wasn't really about me, and even if it had been, my own real life certainly has not taken me in the direction I would have wished or hoped for. I guess I am saying this show was "real," much more real than my own "wonder years."
When I think of The Wonder Years, I think not about Kevin but about Winnie. I love Winnie. Winnie became more to me than just a character. Winnie Cooper is the epitome of Womanhood for me. Every shy, awkward boy who spends years agonizing over his love for an unattainable girl can understand just what Winnie represents. She was not perfect, and she did some things in the last couple of seasons that I did not care for, but even despite the writers tampering with her purity and nobility in the last couple of years of the show, she remained and will forever remain "Winnie." Anyone who watched the show knows that Kevin and Winnie belong together, and I was greatly disappointed when the final episode told us that they did not remain together. On a personal level, the show ended at a time in my own life when I was coming to terms with the fact that "my Winnie," the One Woman for DarkGenius, was no longer going to be a part of my life. I don't watch the episodes very often anymore; there is a sense of loss now that The Wonder Years has ended. Sometimes, though, I do put in a tape and watch a few episodes, and during those moments I actually feel alive, and I can live through Kevin's eyes and get a taste of what childhood must be like for normal people. I know that, whenever I am feeling low, Winnie Cooper is always there for me to turn to.
I don't really know as of yet what this page will consist of; certainly, there are a few sites on the Web devoted to The Wonder Years already. If nothing else, I will speak of certain episodes and of the meaning they have for DarkGenius.
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