So I got addicted to Wonder Years for a while. Its an old series (aired in the early nineties) but I never got my hands on it till now.
Its set in suburban America of the sixties. An America going from strength to strength, stamping its air of authority on all and sundry, an proud America. An America where values of hard work, family and love, all meant something. An America surprisingly like the India we grew up in. (Which could mean the America we see and hear of today will be the India 30 years later?)
Each episode, a short gasp all of twenty minutes, has widely ranging themes. Each story is told from the perspective of 12 year old Kevin Arnold (in the first Season) in a style which must have been inspired from the Cine Noir genre and later incorporated into the hospital drama Scrubs; that of the voice-over giving deeper insights into the character. The characters are well fleshed out: from overworked and grumpy father Jack to the-glue-of-the-family mother, Norma; the hippie oldest sister Karen and the bully brother Wayne, all ring true even though they all belong to a different milieu.
Noteworthy mentions: each episode is generously flavoured with a lot of music from the 60s. (Which prohibits them from being released profitably as a DVD set. Thank god for VHS rips!) Which, when viewed in the light of the episode, gives it a very wholesome flavour.
The editing of the episode (especially the early ones) is also fantastic. Something as inconsequential as a TV program is worked into the main storyline to supplement it. An episode on the crabbed father starts off with a documentary playing on the television. Its about an ape family and their behaviour. It starts with the words “While the female remains with the young, the male ventures forth into an hostile environment to find sustenance. He returns from a unsuccessful foray aggressive and unpredictable. Notice the reaction of the startled mother and her offspring as they begin to sense the presence of the male… The irritable male gives off unmistakable signals that tells the young to keep their distance.” The episode opens with some visuals of such a documentary, but soon the TV lies forgotten as the family have their own NatGeo moment. (Youtube link)
Even after all these years, The Wonder Years stands strong. Like an American Malgudi days, its got that bitter-sweet taste that is hard to resist.
all and sundry, >>an<< proud America.