A deeply moving ending can't redeem an otherwise rather unengaging continuation of the Kevin/Winnie relationship in "The Accident," a late fourth season entry.
Few shows break the "show, don't tell" rule with greater frequency than "The Wonder Years." Far too often, the show would fall back on close ups of Fred Savage's face, and Daniel Stern's narration would do the rest of the work. (One wonders if Stern submitted himself for Best Actor Emmy consideration in those days, with Savage going after the Best Supporting Actor nod.) The narration was there from the first episode, of course, but as the actors aged, the show leaned on it more and more for emotional impact.
In this late fourth season episode from 1991, the "tell, don't show" approach carries over to the overall story as well. "The Accident" is ostensibly about how Winnie is "out of control," but this is woefully under dramatized. Winnie's conversations with Kevin consist entirely of empty small talk. Her "out of control" tendencies exist solely in the realm of the hypothetical (or off camera). There's no chaos here, no palpable sense of danger and no real drama. Winnie remains forever a blank. Whatever inner turmoil she's going through remains frustratingly vague.
And ultimately, the episode falls into the show's usual pattern, spinning its wheels in the Kevin/Winnie non-romance, a love story forever parked in neutral. After a few years, I stopped watching the show, since like a lot of viewers, I grew tired of this same unending pattern: Kevin would endlessly pine away for Winnie like the puppy dog he slightly resembles; Winnie would respond with utter indifference or only passing curiosity.
To its credit, the episode does end with the sort of moment the show does best. Kevin crawls up to Winnie's bedroom, and as the two look at each other through the window glass, the music (and, of course, the narration) sells it. The heightened emotion of the moment is irresistible, even if it's ultimately too little, too late.
Few shows break the "show, don't tell" rule with greater frequency than "The Wonder Years." Far too often, the show would fall back on close ups of Fred Savage's face, and Daniel Stern's narration would do the rest of the work. (One wonders if Stern submitted himself for Best Actor Emmy consideration in those days, with Savage going after the Best Supporting Actor nod.) The narration was there from the first episode, of course, but as the actors aged, the show leaned on it more and more for emotional impact.
In this late fourth season episode from 1991, the "tell, don't show" approach carries over to the overall story as well. "The Accident" is ostensibly about how Winnie is "out of control," but this is woefully under dramatized. Winnie's conversations with Kevin consist entirely of empty small talk. Her "out of control" tendencies exist solely in the realm of the hypothetical (or off camera). There's no chaos here, no palpable sense of danger and no real drama. Winnie remains forever a blank. Whatever inner turmoil she's going through remains frustratingly vague.
And ultimately, the episode falls into the show's usual pattern, spinning its wheels in the Kevin/Winnie non-romance, a love story forever parked in neutral. After a few years, I stopped watching the show, since like a lot of viewers, I grew tired of this same unending pattern: Kevin would endlessly pine away for Winnie like the puppy dog he slightly resembles; Winnie would respond with utter indifference or only passing curiosity.
To its credit, the episode does end with the sort of moment the show does best. Kevin crawls up to Winnie's bedroom, and as the two look at each other through the window glass, the music (and, of course, the narration) sells it. The heightened emotion of the moment is irresistible, even if it's ultimately too little, too late.