The Wonder Years: Being Twelve Again
Correction: 10/5/2021. I incorrectly stated that I was twelve during a presidential election year. Writing skills better than my math skills. This has been corrected.
I was intrigued to learn that The Wonder Years was revised for television. In this update, the story is centered on the life of a Black family in 1968. When the original show aired, I was eighteen years old but I remember watching and enjoying the show. I could relate to first crushes, friendships and a close knit family. Most of all the story was told well.
I watched the first episode of the rebooted The Wonder Years with no expectations. I hadn’t read any reviews just an overview of the casting and when I read that Don Cheadle was narrating the show, I was hooked. I’ve enjoyed Don Cheadle in his prior movies such as Hotel Rwanda and all his appearances in the Marvel franchise.
My recent blog post was a reflection on the need to tell stories about Black families and children that aren’t solely centered on trauma and overcoming trauma. My initial thoughts about setting the series in 1968 brought up ideas of struggles during the Civil Rights era and dealing with the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, AKA “trauma.” I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The first episode was reminiscent of the prior series. It told a story about first crushes, friendships and a close knit family.
While watching the series, I had memories of my twelve year old self, the same age as the series main character, Dean. During that time, I lived in Washington, DC on a tree lined street in a row house with my mom, dad and younger brother. Just like Dean, I also wore glasses. Even though there were differences in where we grew up, Dean lives in Montgomery, Alabama and the type of school, I attended a predominantly Black Catholic School and Dean attends a public middle school, I still saw myself. I love the fact that this show gave me the opportunity to remember the good old days of my childhood.
The trip down memory lane also had me remembering how I would get into trouble if I talked back. In my mind, I was just communicating. Unfortunately, my mom and dad didn’t see it that way. What I loved about being twelve, was my innocence. No first crushes or heartbreak. I remember the uniform I had to wear, the nights my mom had to work bingo in the main hall and band practices. Life was simpler then. I smiled thinking about what it was like being twelve.
Growing up in D.C., I knew I was Black but that wasn’t what defined me. It was one part. In The Wonder Years, race is one part in the story but isn’t the whole story. In addition, the show addresses social and racial issues which are relevant to the historical context of the setting of the story. Growing up racial and social issues were a context for me but not the only one. The Wonder Years has so many layers and illustrates the complexity of being young and family life. It weaves in the realities of growing up Black and captures a snapshot of being a young man on the verge of becoming a teen. Not too many stories allow our kids to be kids. The quiet moments of clowning around with friends, doing nothing, daydreaming and not worrying about anything.
I love the scene of Dean walking in on his parents dancing in the living room. That didn’t happen to me but if I closed my eyes, I could picture it. There’s something magical about being twelve.
Being twelve is layered and complex but it’s also amazing. I may not have called this time in my life the wonder years but I do remember them as special.
The Wonder Years airs Tuesdays on ABC.