The BEST episodes of The Wonder Years
Every episode of The Wonder Years ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Wonder Years!
The Wonder Years tells the story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s. Told through narration from an adult Kevin, Kevin faces the difficulties of maintaining relationships and friendships on his enthralling journey into adulthood.
#1 - Independence Day
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/12/1993
After Kevin loses all his money and his car in a poker game, he decides he has to leave the resort - there's nothing to keep him there now. The next day he says goodbye to Winnie, punches Eric and storms out. Hitchhiking out of town, he runs into Winnie who has been fired from her job. They begin to argue and lose the ride they had flagged down. Later, sheltering in a barn they talk about how much has changed between them. Winnie thinks it's just inevitable - that everyone grows up. Kevin doesn't want to believe it and neither does Winnie, not really. They kiss, passionately. The next day they both return to Kevin's hometown for the last 4th of July he will ever spend there. Karen has returned home and she is pregnant...
#2 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/31/1988
Kevin and Paul attend Robert F Kennedy Junior High for the first time. Winnie's brother is killed in Vietnam. Kevin and Winnie kiss for the first time.
#3 - Summer Song
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/3/1989
Kevin enters unchartered waters when he meets an older girl during his summer vacation.
#4 - My Father's Office
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/29/1988
Kevin learns more about his dad by spending a day at his office.
#5 - White Lies
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/1992
Some people never find true love, but Kevin believes he did. He had what most people search all their lives for, but he blew it. When Winnie comes over for a study session while his parents were away, Kevin wants to relationship to go further. Winnie sees through his plan. She does stay, but they just fall asleep together. The next day, though, he tells his friends a different story. When Winnie finds out, she dumps him.
#6 - Swingers
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/22/1988
Even at Brian's funeral, all Kevin can think about is Winnie. Sex Education begins at school, but the boys want to learn more - so they steal a book.
#7 - Math Class
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/10/1989
Kevin has trouble in math class when he comes up against a teacher who Kevin thinks is completely unreasonable.
#8 - Square Dance
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 5/2/1989
When Kevin is partnered with class weirdo, Margaret Farquhar, he tries to keep away from her - especially when she tries to become his friend.
#9 - Growing Up
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/1990
The family attends Jack's company picnic. Kevin is not looking forward to seeing Mimi Detweiler, who used to have a crush on him. Wayne's new girlfriend Angela annoys everyone but Wayne. Kevin beans Jack with a baseball at the father-son baseball game. Karen leaves for college.
#10 - The Tree House
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/20/1990
When Kevin and his dad build a treehouse in the backyard, they discover they get a good view of an attractive neighbor planting her tomatoes. Meanwhile, Doug is in shock after having heard ""the talk"" from his dad.
#11 - Goodbye
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/24/1990
When Kevin thinks the best he can do in math is a B, his teacher Mr. Collins sets him the task of getting an A and even offers him private lessons. When Mr. Collins suddenly pulls out of the lessons shortly before the exams, Kevin feels betrayed and fills his exam with nonsensical answers.
#12 - Double Double Date
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/26/1992
Kevin wants to date Inga and he uses Winnie to help him get a date. Winnie does the same thing to Kevin, getting set up with new guy Matt Stevens. They end up double-dating at the Spring Dance, bringing some tension to the evening. But when Matt and Inga begin to dance together, Winnie and Kevin rediscover their feelings for each other.
#13 - The Accident
Season 4 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/24/1991
Kevin sees Winnie for the first time since they broke up. He discovers that she a Roger have split up, too. When Winnie is in a car accident, Kevin rides over to see her at home, but her parents say she doesn't want to see him. Kevin leaves, but returns and climbs up to Winnie's bedroom window. They tell each other, ""I love you.""
#14 - Homecoming
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/23/1992
While Kevin tries to take his relationship with Winnie another step, Wayne's friend Wart returns from Vietnam a changed man. Kevin decides to steal the opposing team's mascot at the homecoming football game, but the childish prank is overshadowed by a realization of how Wart has been affected by the war.
#15 - Pottery Will Get You Nowhere
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/1/1989
Norma begins taking a pottery class, but receives no support or encouragement from Jack.
#16 - Daddy's Little Girl
Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/8/1990
Kevin isn't sure whose side to take when Karen decides to enroll in a liberal college and Jack is dead-set against it.
#17 - The Family Car
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/1989
When the Arnolds family car breaks down and Jack can not fix it, Kevin hopes that his father will buy something more fancy.
#18 - Don't You Know Anything About Women?
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/16/1990
Kevin wants to take Susan Fisher to the dance, but she has a boyfriend, Donald Wallach. However, he hears rumors that they have broken up, so he's about to ask her until Donald interferes. Linda Sloan, his lab partner, suggests that they go as friends so they do. They have a good time in the beginning, but it turns sour when while Linda is dancing with Steve Padway, Kevin dances with Susan and they have punch. How is it bad? Susan leaves and Linda comes back and asks if they half-filled cup of punch that Susan left is for her, but Kevin says that it's Susan's in a not-so-nice sort of way. That basically breaks Linda's heart and she leaves. Kevin is about to ask Susan to dance again but she's dancing with Donald, so Kevin leaves, not knowing that Winnie came in, probably looking for him.
#19 - Ninth Grade Man
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/1990
Winnie is nervous about starting a new school, so she gets Kevin to promise to think about her every hour on the hour. Kevin finds this promise harder to keep than he thought when he loses his locker to Tony Barbella, is enrolled in shop class and meets a new girl in French Class, Madeleine.
#20 - The Wedding
Season 5 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/29/1992
While Karen has agreed to marry Michael, she has not agreed to have a traditional ceremony like her mother wants. She also doesn't know how to tell her family that she and Michael are moving to Alaska, where he has found work.
#21 - Hero
Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/11/1992
Kevin is on a first-name basis with McKinley's High's basketball hero, Bobby Riddle. When the team makes it to the regional finals, Kevin's dad decides to attend the game and embarrasses Kevin by talking strategy with Paul and Chuck. Later, though, Kevin apologizes to his dad for how he treated him.
#22 - Cocoa and Sympathy
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/1/1990
When Paul is voted ""brainiest"" in Lisa Berlini's latest poll, he goes through a crisis but is helped through it by Mrs. Arnold - who he also develops a crush on.
#23 - The Lost Weekend
Season 5 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/8/1992
When Kevin's parents go away for the weekend, he invites his friends around for a poker game. But when the game gets boring, Chuck and Ricky call all their friends and Kevin ends up throwing the mother of all parties at home - ruining the house. Norma and Jack return the next day, earlier than expected.
#24 - The House That Jack Built
Season 4 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/1/1991
Jack wants to help Karen out by fixing up the house she is now living in. But father and daughter go head-to-head when he discovers she is living there with a man.
#25 - Mom Wars
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/31/1989
Kevin thinks his mother is being over-protective when she tries to stop him from playing tackle football after school.