The first episode I saw was about kevin and paul having a big blow up over baseball cards. They get into a minor argument because kevin wants paul's willey mcovey and paul want's kevin's ted williams card. It starts off as a minor insult then escalates into a huge fight where they don't talk to each other anymore. Kevin makes "friends" with a big kid who does whatever kevin wants and paul makes "friends" with a jock. Kevin realizes how much he misses paul when he sees his new "friend" with paul's new "friend". They of course make up and go back to being best friends again while camping out in the backyard and are discussing trading baseball cards. I noticed that the cards they have are from the late 80's. It's noticeable if you pause it on close ups.
The 2nd episode was about the family car. I can relate to this one and so can a lot of people unless you live in manhattan. Since it was the late 60's, every person on the block(and the dog) would stare at the neighbor that got a new car. It was like a one car parade meanwhile jack is working on the family station wagon since it's been giving him more and more problems. Norma convinces him they might need a new car since it left her stranded on her way home. The whole family excitedly heads to the car dealership where they all fall in love with a mustang well except for jack. He heads to the negotiation room and has rejects the $250 trade in value of his station wagon. Everyone heads home disappointed and things are tense at dinner until karen tells jack he is cheap. The next day they all wash the car and put a for sale sign. We see a montage of potential buyers thinking jack is asking way too much. We eventually see jack driving home a new '69 ford galaxie 500 and everyone is happy for him including the neighbors. The most touching part that most of us can relate to happens next. Kevin turns around to see a tow truck hooking up the station wagon then slowly driving it away. He realizes why his dad loved that car so much and why he thought it was worth more. He asks his dad where they are going to take it and no one in the family is sure. The scene ends with the car being hauled away. It reminded me a lot of when my dad sold his blue '88 mustang. I thought I was going to learn to drive in it and keep it but things didn't turn out that way. Also it reminded me of when my dad sold my mom's 1989 F-150, that one she had since 1994 and kept it until 2007. I actually cried after it got towed away.
The 3rd episode was about kevin getting a pimple before the family friends come to visit (the pruittes). Kevin tries lots of different ways to get rid of it and nothing works. He even resorts to paying $1 for his brother's zit cream since he would only sell it to him and not let him borrow it. He covers it up with a band aid and tells winnie he got into a fight with a school bully when she asks what happened(there sure was a lot of bullies back then). The bully confronts kevin for starting rumors they got into a fight. Kevin realizes things have gotten out of hand so when he heads home he doesn't have the band aid when the pruittes are over. He see's their daughter also has a noticeable pimple.
The 4th episode I saw was about math class. Kevin tries hard and keeps getting D's because his teacher grades on a curve. He notices some of his classmates blatantly cheating with a crib sheet. Some how his teacher doesn't notice the cheaters/ Kevin is at the library studying when he overhears eddie(the main cheater) talking about how the teacher uses the same tests every year and hands out answers if you tell him the secret code "how about those mets". Kevin struggles some more so he goes to eddie and gets an in. His grades rise with each test until his teacher places him in the honor class. Of course kevin is overwhelmed and his teacher places him back in his old math class where kevin keeps his grades up.
The 5th episode I saw was about kevin joining a band. He saves a new kid from getting in trouble with the vice principal since playing guitar is against the rules(how things change). Larry(the kid kevin saved) offers to teach kevin how to play guitar. Kevin spends his lawn mowing money on a electric guitar and amp for the low price of $38.99 roughly translating to $253.12 in today's money. The band calls themselves the electric shoes and they jam in a garage. Larry gets them a gig at amy's birthday party. We see them on the small stage getting ready while larry has stage fright and then the cops and amy's dad busts in and breaks it up before the show even starts. The kids in the crowd start a let them play chant while the band members realize this is what it must be like to play in front of huge crowds and they liked it. The band breaks up a week later but kevin still keeps his love of music.
The 6th episode I saw was about the school dance. Kevin has a thing for a girl in his science class named susan. He is giong to ask her to the dance when his lab partner linda asks him to go with her as friends. So he takes her up on her offer but then susan asks him to the dance so he has 2 dates. At the dance he lets linda dance with a guy who likes her and looks foward to dancing with susan. He clams up in front of her so she gets back with boyfriend. Kevin realizes he paid so much attention to susan that he hurt linda who had a thing for him. He stands by himself by the punch bowl while paul sits on a chair looking pretty lonely. Luckily for paul, carla(his ex) announces on the speaker system that she wants to dance with him. Only kevin is left alone aimlessly wandering through the crowd. He looks for winnie and she comes into the crowd also looking for someone but they just miss each other. Link to the ending Seriously just watch the ending. It is pretty powerful especially with the music that plays and how they both juuusssstttt miss each other. It's also a strong metaphor for life and incredible foreshadowing for later on. While I didn't go to any school dances I feel I could relate to kevin just missing out. The quote by adult kevin at the end is the cherry on the something in your eye cherry.
"All our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone who makes us
complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of
heartbreak and hope. All the while wondering if somewhere, somehow,
there's someone perfect, who might be searching for us."
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