I'll start off with the 45th episode. Karen's 18th birthday and high school graduation are approaching. This makes things tense at the arnold household because she wants to go to a liberal arts college but he rejects her idea meanwhile she mentions she will go on a year long backpacking trip through europe. He goes nuts over this and becomes even more enraged when karen can't stay for her birthday celebration at the arnold house because she has a date(it seems like she always has a date even on christmas eve and thanksgiving). Jack realizes his little girl is growing up so he gives her his military kit bag from his marine days, so she can use it for college or wherever life takes her. They have a nice embrace and she blows out her candles on her cake then goes on her date while jack leaves a porch light on for her. The ending was really touching because while we may grow old, sometimes a dad will leave a light on for when you return.
The next episode I saw was a good one. Jack finds dry rot in the basement so he mentions to norma about possibly selling the house and moving somewhere else. Kevin goes crazy over this and tells winnie and paul that he is moving and they take the news pretty well. Kevin confronts jack and it turns out the arnold family isn't moving because jack is going to get the basement fixed, he lets it slip that the coopers are moving 4 miles away. Kevin is highly upset that winnie didn't tell him about the move and like most young boys, he buys her a ring in hopes that she'll stay. The next day at school kevin gives winnie the ring but she can't accept it and she breaks up with him(yes even I felt his pain) and he throws the ring in the trash. Kevin avoids winnie until the big moving day comes. Kevin finds her in the moving truck all alone with his ring in her hand, they have a long embrace then he takes off for karen's graduation cermony. I think this means she still wants to keep the relationship going but it is never touched on upon. Kevin purposely missed seeing winnie leave because he wanted to spend time with his family. The family celebrates karen's graduation by going out to dinner where wayne now works as a waiter. Kevin realizes his world isn't so small anymore and he has to travel across town to see winnie, making his world bigger. These 2 quotes are why this episode is so good.
"There was a time when the world was enormous...Spanning the vast, almost
infinite boundaries of your neighborhood. The place where you grew up.
Where you didn't think twice about playing on someone else's lawn. And
the street was your territory .that occasionally got invaded by a
passing car. It was where you didn't get called home until after it was
dark. And all the people, and all the houses that surrounded you were as
familiar as the things in your own room. And you knew they would never
change."
"As for me? Well, I had my own distances to cover: four miles - New York
to Paris. The thing is, until Winnie left, everything in the world was
outside my front door. But now, maybe the world would have to get a
little bigger."
The next episode takes place a few months after the previous one. Kevin and his friends are growing up and they try to get the attention of the hot lifeguard at the local pool. Wayne has a car and new girlfriend(that nobody likes). Apparently winnie and kevin are still together. The family is getting into small arguments frequently so norma suggests jack's company picnic will get the family back together again. It has an ominous start when jack gets beat out for a parking spot and then the man that took his spot gets a promotion that jack was pinning for. Things get worse when kevin hits jack with the ball during the softball game also wayne gets dumped(yeah it wasn't important). The family pulls together when jack drives karen to college.
The next episode is about kevin entering 9th grade and the changes that come with it. Winnie makes him promise to think about her every hour on the hour and she'll do the same. Kevin has to deal with winnie not being there at school and a familiar bully taking his locker. Things continue to get worse when becky slater gets dumped by the guy that cupid made her lust after. She blames kevin for this and wants revenge. There is a new girl in kevin's class named madeline(who I'm sure is 17 years old). She is a temptress by her fluent french and her kissing kevin. He is overwhelmed (who wouldn't be) and goes to see the guidance counselor. The normal counselor is out so coach cutlip is the substitute. Kevin is dismayed when his answers to kevin's problems are to run laps. At the end kevin is relived when he sees winnie at the cafe where wayne works. They catch up while winnie does that classic head on his shoulder thing. Then madeline walks by them and we know that things are only just beginning. I think everyone at kevin's school is around high school senior age and he and paul and becky are the only normal freshman age. Madeline looks like she's 18 compared to becky slater who still looks 12.
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