The Wonder Years

Episode 99 - "White Lies" Ext. Night "The Point" (Wide shot of the city lights below. The camera slowly lowers over the parked cars.) They say you can live a lifetime and never find love. So I guess I was lucky. Because true love crossed my path the first time I met the girl next door - Winnie Cooper. (Cut to close shot through the windshield of Kevin and Winnie. Winnie is twisted around, and Kevin is holding her as they kiss. Winnie pulls away.) WINNIE: Kevin, wait! KEVIN: What's wrong? WINNIE: Isn't it kinda hot in here? (Kevin smiles.) KEVIN: Feels fine to me. (He smiles again, and leans over to kiss her. They kiss passionately.) Winnie and I'd been together longer than any couple I knew. Still, history only goes so far. (Winnie pulls back.) WINNIE: Kevin? Kinda like Winnie. KEVIN: What's the problem? WINNIE: It's just that...(kiss)...if we don't stop now...(kiss)...I'm afraid I may not be able to later. (Kevin smiles.) KEVIN: Well that's OK, isn't it? (kiss) I mean we love each other. (kiss) WINNIE: Of course we do.(kiss) KEVIN: And we've been going together, for what, six years now? (Winnie smiles.) WINNIE: Six-and-a-half. (More passionate kissing.) Unfortunately, the mathematics of the situation were open to interpretation. To me, they led forward, to that great unknown. (Kevin kisses Winnie's neck. She starts to smile.) But to Winnie, they led... WINNIE (Brightly): Do you remember when we used to ride our bikes up here when we were kids? Back! (Kevin frowns. They both look off.) KEVIN: We did? WINNIE: Yeah...before they built it all up. (Wide shot of city lights.) WINNIE: Now they have all the lights down there, but it used to be all dark. KEVIN: Oh...yeah. (He smiles and turns to Winnie. They kiss some more.) See, the great thing about us was that we had this past together. (Winnie pulls away, looks off and smiles.) WINNIE: And we went down the hill - we didn't even pedal - we would just glide. The bad thing about us was that we had this past together. (Kevin frowns, looks off, then back to Winnie.) KEVIN: You know, Winnie, you just changed the subject. (She turns to him quickly.) WINNIE: From what? (Kevin frowns and looks away.) KEVIN: Never mind. (Winnie smiles and snuggles on Kevin's shoulder. Kevin is looking out at the lights.) Not that I minded being part of Winnie's past. (Winnie reaches forward to the radio, smiles, and snuggles again. Kevin frowns.) It's just, when it came to who I was... (Kevin sighs, then kisses Winnie on her head. He looks off.) She seemed to regard me as a known quantity. (Sound of referee's whistle.) Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Int. Gym (Close shot of a puck and battling sticks. The camera moves with Kevin.) Rather than the dangerous character I'd become. (Kevin is tripped, and falls face-down.) Eleventh-grade... (Kevin frowns, gets up, and runs back to the scrimmage.) Where yesterday's boys battled to become tomorrow's men. It's a game played for nothing less than image, status, and manhood. Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Wide shot of the locker room. Some boys sit on the bench, others walk by.) Not to mention reputation. (Steuben is opening his locker, looking toward guys off-screen.) STEUBEN: I think I'm going to give Carol Masuchi another chance this weekend. (Jeff walks past Steuben and Kevin on his way to his own locker.) JEFF: Oh, you mean she finally returned your calls? (Kevin is sitting between them. He glances at Jeff and chuckles with the group.) (Close shot of Steuben gesturing with both hands.) STEUBEN: Hey! She...called me. GUYS: Oooh...! (Steuben looks toward Jeff off-screen as he puts on his watch.) Face it. Every day was a trial, by a jury of your peers. (Camera pans with Jeff as he turns from his locker and sits on the bench.) JEFF: Chuck, how'd your date go with Marilyn last night? (Close shot of Chuck in the background. He is a little surprised, and tries to act non-chalant. He blinks and nods.) CHUCK: Well, you know. (Long pause as Chuck looks at the guys blankly.) CHUCK: Was fun. (Shot of Kevin looking toward Chuck.) KEVIN: Fun? CHUCK: Yeah. Well...we did stuff. (The guys wait expectantly.) JEFF: Well, what kind of stuff? CHUCK: You know...stuff. (Shot of Kevin and Jeff.) And those who left themselves exposed bore the full wrath of the adolescent mob. (Shot of Steuben frowning and gesturing.) STEUBEN: He didn't! (Shot of Chuck frowning.) CHUCK: Did too! (Steuben waves his hand at Chuck, and smirks.) STEUBEN: Nah, you didn't! It could be brutal. (Kevin looks at Steuben, then Chuck.) KEVIN: Hey, come on. Lay off him. But never so brutal as when the mob turned on you. (Shot of Steuben looking at Kevin off-screen. He moves forward.) STEUBEN: You're right, Arnold. Maybe we should be talking about you and the Coopster. (Steuben looks at Kevin and blinks pointedly.) (Close shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: What?! (Shot of Steuben.) STEUBEN: I mean you guys have been together for a long time. (Steuben gestures expansively.) STEUBEN: Uh, you want to give us some pointers? (Steuben sits straddling the bench, and looks expectantly at Kevin off-screen.) (Close shot of Kevin as he looks from Steuben to Chuck.) KEVIN: Well - At times like this... (Shot of Steuben waiting.) The only thing to do was hope for a last minute reprieve. (Bell rings.) (Shot of Kevin and Jeff. Jeff looks at his watch.) JEFF: Oh, wow, look at the time. Gotta run. KEVIN: Uh, yeah! Sorry, guys, I gotta go. GUYS: Yeah, yeah... (Kevin hurriedly walks away from the guys, toward the camera. He glances over his shoulder then continues forward.) But still, if proving yourself in the locker room was tough... Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arnold Kitchen (Shot of Jack entering the kitchen, holding two ties.) JACK: Norma, which one of these ties should I take with me? (Norma turns from the sink and looks at the ties.) NORMA: Oh, don't worry, honey. I'll pack for you. (Norma takes the ties from Jack and smiles.) (Shot of Kevin doing homework at the table. He looks up toward his parents.) The homefront was no picnic, either. (Jack is cleaning the coffee percolator, and Norma holds a container of food.) NORMA: You're gonna be alright, aren't you, honey? (Kevin gestures.) KEVIN: Mom, please. NORMA: Well, with Wayne gone until Saturday... (Norma pauses and frowns.) (Shot of Kevin. He frowns.) (Shot of Jack and Norma. Jack carries coffee grounds on newspaper to the trash. Norma walks toward the refrigerator.) KEVIN: Mom! You're only going to be gone one night. My parents were taking a trip out of town. Which for me, meant one thing - (Close shot of Norma at the open freezer, looking at Kevin.) NORMA: There's meals in the freezer for ya, honey. (Smiles) And they're all labelled. (Shot of Kevin gesturing.) KEVIN: Mom, please - give me a little credit. I can take care of myself - I'm sixteen years old! (Shot of Jack.) JACK: Congratulations. (Shot of Kevin. He smiles.) KEVIN: Thanks! (Jack picks up the percolator and cup. He looks at Kevin.) JACK: Just don't forget to take out the trash. (Shot of Kevin looking at his parents off-screen.) All in all, a resounding vote of confidence. (Jack puts the percolator on the counter. Norma and Jack exit with their arms around each other.) JACK: Come on. I mean, who did these people think I was? (School bell rings.) Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (School hallway. Kevin walks toward the camera.) So I had an empty house to myself. What were my parents worried about? (Kevin pauses and looks past the camera.) Suddenly - I understood their concern. (Wide shot of Winnie arranging her locker. "Winnie's Theme" plays.) (Kevin walks up behind her.) KEVIN: Winnie, hi! (Winnie half turns in surprise.) WINNIE: Oh, hi! (Winnie turns back to her locker. Kevin is still behind her.) KEVIN: Listen. I was wondering if you wanted to study for the SAT's tonight. (Winnie turns around.) WINNIE: Tonight? (Frowns.) KEVIN: Uh, yeah. I-I figured...it was about time...(gestures)...we started getting ready. (Winnie is adjusting her locker as Kevin moves next to her.) KEVIN: For the test. WINNIE: OK! (Smiles.) Where do you want to meet? (Kevin looks off non-chalantly.) KEVIN: Uh, w-I don't know, anywhere... (Kevin leans back against the lockers, and looks at Winnie.) KEVIN: How about my house? (Close shot of Winnie smiling.) WINNIE: OK! (She turns back to her locker.) Bingo! (Close shot of Winnie in profile, looking in her locker.) WINNIE: OK, as long as it's alright with your parents. (She turns and looks at Kevin.) (Sound of penalty buzzer.) KEVIN (Smiles): Sure! Definitely. (Kevin looks away.) Just one little detail. KEVIN: I mean, it would be if they weren't out of town. (Kevin turns toward Winnie. She turns and gives Kevin a questioning look, then adjusts her locker.) (Kevin walks behind her, gesturing.) KEVIN: But, you know, it's not gonna be like the neighbors won't be around, or anything. (Kevin is behind her as she smiles.) But who was I kidding? No way she was gonna fall for this pathetic ruse. (Winnie turns around and smiles.) WINNIE: That's fine! (Nods.) (Kevin takes a small step toward her.) KEVIN: Really? WINNIE: Sure! We're just gonna study, right? (Nods.) KEVIN: Absolutely. (Smiles.) (Winnie smiles up at Kevin.) WINNIE: Great! Then I'll see you tonight. (Winnie turns and exits.) (The camera moves slightly closer to Kevin as he looks after Winnie off-screen.) And with that - the date was made. The trap was set. Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Evening. Arnold living room (Close shot of a long matchstick sliding along the striker and bursting into flames. Bluesy music plays. Shot widens as Kevin lights the gas fireplace.) And so, I prepared a proper study environment. (Kevin blows out the match.) A veritable temple of academia. (Shot of Kevin adjusting the lights. The doorbell rings. Kevin turns around, and looks toward the door.) And when I was finished... (He glances at his handywork, then faces the door.) KEVIN: Come in it's open! (Close shot of the darkened doorway as Winnie enters slowly and looks around.) WINNIE: Hi-ee! (Shot of Kevin standing in front of the fireplace. He gestures.) KEVIN: Hi. Heh-heh. (Close shot of Winnie frowning as she approaches.) It was a call to romance no mere woman could resist. (Fantasy shot of Kevin in a smoking jacket, with a pipe, looking "rico suave". Bluesy saxophone plays.) (Shot of Winnie frowning at Kevin.) WINNIE: It's kinda dark in here. Let's study in the kitchen! (Winnie crosses the scene and heads to the kitchen. Kevin gestures as he stands in front of the fireplace.) Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Arnold Kitchen (Close shot of Winnie sitting at the table, holding a study guide.) Then again... WINNIE: OK - what's the opposite of parsimonious - "A" fastidious, "B" considerate... (Shot of Kevin looking in a cabinet.) WINNIE (V/O):... "C" generous, or "D" none of the above? (Shot of Winnie looking up from the book and frowning.) WINNIE: Kevin... (Close shot of Kevin holding up a bag, and frowning.) KEVIN: Want some pretzels, or something? (He walks across to another cabinet.) (Winnie plops the book down, crosses her arms on the table, and shakes her head slowly.) WINNIE: Kevin, you know you're never going to know all this when it's time to take the test. (Kevin frowns.) KEVIN: Winnie, what's to know? (The camera pans with Kevin as he brings the bag and paper plates to the table.) KEVIN: I mean it's a stupid test! All you have to do is show up on time, and bring some sharpened number two pencils. (Kevin sits and adjusts his chair. Winnie turns toward him.) WINNIE: Kevin, it's a little more difficult than that! KEVIN: Right. (Kevin nods, then frowns and gestures.) KEVIN: You have to fill in those little circles. (Kevin pours out some pretzels. Winnie rolls her eyes and looks back at the book.) OK, so much for the small talk. (Closer shot of them, as Winnie looks at the book. Kevin smiles and glances off, then turns to Winnie.) It was time to get...dangerous. KEVIN: Winnie. Let's...do something else. (Kevin closes the book. Winnie sits back.) WINNIE: Like what? KEVIN: Well, like...(shrugs)...go in the living room. (Gestures.) (They glance toward the living room. She frowns, he smiles.) For starters. (Winnie looks down, then smiles and turns to Kevin.) WINNIE: Kevin? (She folds her arms on the table and leans closer.) WINNIE: You really didn't invite me over here to study, did you? (Kevin makes a face and glances off, then looks at Winnie.) KEVIN: No... (Kevin sighs and shakes his head.) (Wider shot of Winnie frowning, as Kevin looks up and gestures.) KEVIN: It's just that we have this whole house to ourselves... (Kevin twirls a pencil and looks down.) KEVIN: And I thought that...(Gestures.) (Closer shot Kevin of Winnie, as she looks down, then back to Kevin.) WINNIE: Oh... (Kevin looks away.) KEVIN: Look, Winnie... (He turns and gestures.) KEVIN: We've been together a long time, and... WINNIE: And the guys are starting to talk. (Kevin pauses in surprise.) (Winnie smiles.) WINNIE: Kevin, it isn't a secret - girls talk too, ya know. (Shot of Kevin looking off, and squirming.) WINNIE (V/O): All the time. KEVIN: Well, like...what do you say when you...talk? (Smiles.) (Winnie looks off and smiles.) WINNIE: Well, I say that we've been together along time, and that we care about each other, and that things between us are great. (She looks neutrally at him.) (Shot of Kevin. He has a worried look.) Oh! (Kevin glances between Winnie and the table.) (Winnie looks intently at Kevin.) WINNIE: Why, what do you say? (Kevin looks at her, then off.) KEVIN: I, uh...say the same. (Kevin smiles at her, then looks away. Winnie looks uncertain.) Yeah. More or less. Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Clip from "The Big Sleep". Bogie kisses Lauren Bacall. LB: "I like that. I'd like more." He kisses her. Camera pulls back to show the movie playing on the TV.) And so after all my attempts at intrigue, and danger, and seduction... (TV: Bogie kisses her. LB: "That's even better.") (Shot of Kevin and Winnie on the couch. She eats popcorn. He has his arm around her, and is frowning. He glances away.) Winnie and I ended up like we always did. Reminiscing. (Winnie smiles as she watches the movie.) WINNIE: Do you remember the first time we saw this movie? (They glance at each other.) KEVIN: I guess...(Shrugs.) (Winnie smiles.) WINNIE: I was sick with the flu, and you came over to keep me company. (Closer shot of them. Winnie looks off, smiling. Kevin turns to her quickly and smiles.) KEVIN: Yeah... Still, in a way, it wasn't all bad. KEVIN: We must have watched five movies that week. (They are looking at each other. Winnie smiles.) WINNIE: Seven. You visited me every day. (They smile, then snuggle closer, and watch the movie.) Fact was, it felt pretty good, sitting there, holding her, away from school, and the guys, and the locker room. (Winnie covers her mouth as she yawns, then lays her head on Kevin's shoulder.) WINNIE: I should really call my parents. They don't know where I am. KEVIN: No, let's watch a little more. You can call them later. (Winnie smiles as Kevin stretches out a little. They look at the movie.) After all, there was no need to hurry - we had plenty of time. (TV - Woman (frostily): "Take me home". Bogie starts the car. B: "Alright, but I'm afraid this is as far as I'm gonna carry ya. From now on you can take care of yourself.") Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later (Shot of the test-pattern on TV.) We didn't see the end of the movie. (The camera pans slowly across the room. The telephone rings.) We didn't even hear the phone. (The camera continues to pan across the dark room and the fireplace.) Because that night, Winnie and I had done something we had never done together before. (The camera pans across the couch. Kevin and Winnie are crashed out.) We fell asleep. Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Morning - Living Room (Close shot of Kevin on the couch. The telephone rings. A beam of light is in his eyes, and he squints as he gets up from the couch groggily to answer the phone. Morning news is on TV: "Good morning...this is 'Today' from Bucharest, Hungary's capital and largest city...") (Shot of Kevin entering the kitchen.) KEVIN: Coming...coming... (Kevin picks up the phone and looks toward the window.) KEVIN: Hello? Oh! Hi, Mom! Yeah, yeah, of course I'm up - I've been up for hours...(checks watch.) Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. (Frowns.) I'm just getting ready for school...OK, I'll see you tonight. Bye. (He hangs up and walks forward past the camera.) And that's when it hit me. (Wide shot of the dark living room. Kevin enters in the background. He walks up to the TV and turns it off. He looks toward the couch. "Suspense music" starts.) KEVIN: Oh, my God. (Shot of Winnie asleep on the couch. Burst of music as the camera moves in slightly on her.) Somehow Winnie and I had slept through the whole night. (Shot of Kevin looking at her with horror.) KEVIN: Oh, my God! (He starts to hyperventilate, and hurries over to her.) I had to be calm - the voice of reason. I had to wake her gently, so she wouldn't - (Kevin kneels down and shakes Winnie.) KEVIN: Winnie! Wake up! (Winnie gets up on her elbow.) KEVIN: It's seven o'clock! We slept in! (Winnie sits up, looks at Kevin, then looks away.) Panic. Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ext. Morning (Shot of Kevin's car speeding past the camera. "Wake Up, Little Suzie" plays.) (Close shot of Winnie, then Kevin. Both are frowning. Kevin turns the steering wheel sharply.) Fear is a great motivator - terror is even better. (Shot of Kevin's car zooming by the camera.) (Close shot of Winnie. She shakes her head and looks at Kevin as she combs her hair.) WINNIE: Kevin, slow down! (Close shot of Kevin looking at Winnie off-screen, then back to the road. He turns sharply.) (Shot of Kevin's car zooming away from the camera. Sound of police siren.) (Close shot of Kevin in thought.) But I couldn't. All I could imagine what awaited us - angry parents, outraged neighbors, maybe even the National Guard. (Wide shot of Winnie's house as Kevin pulls up to the curb.) Or...maybe nothing at all. (Close shot of Kevin and Winnie. They look at each other. Kevin looks out and around.) KEVIN: There's no one here! (Close shot of Winnie.) WINNIE: Who would be here at seven o'clock in the morning? KEVIN: Well...you know, the mailman, the paperboy...(shrugs.) WINNIE: Kevin, relax. (Kevin looks worried.) KEVIN: Well, should I come in with you? (Winnie frowns.) WINNIE: No, that's OK. It'd probably just make things worse. (Nods.) I'll take care of this. (Winnie gathers her things.) WINNIE: See you at school. (She gives him a quick kiss, and gets out.) And at that moment... (Winnie leans down and waves.) Looking into those eyes - I knew things would be OK. (Winnie walks toward her house.) (Shot of Kevin looking after Winnie off-screen.) I mean, hey, what was the absolute worst that could happen? (Kevin looks down to start his car, then back to Winnie off-screen.) Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- School hallway (Sound of a slamming locker as Winnie and Kevin round the corner and walk toward the camera. Kevin gestures.) KEVIN: You told them?! WINNIE: Of course I told them! KEVIN: You mean you told them the truth? (Winnie turns to Kevin.) WINNIE: I told them what happened. That we fell asleep on your couch. Course, I should have been relieved, but - KEVIN: I can't believe you told them that! (Gestures.) WINNIE: Why? (Kevin slows up as Winnie walks past the camera to her locker.) KEVIN: Well... Jeez, we we're red-blooded teenagers. Hadn't they considered the possibilities? (The camera rolls back as Kevin approaches Winnie.) KEVIN: What did they say? (Winnie looks up from her locker.) WINNIE: Not much. They trust us. (Smiles.) (Kevin frowns and gestures.) KEVIN: What's that supposed to mean? WINNIE: Kevin, they knew nothing happened. KEVIN: Oh. (Kevin is not completely relieved. Winnie turns back to her locker.) And the funny thing was, just when I was supposed to feel off the hook - I felt insulted. (Winnie turns to Kevin as she shuts her locker.) WINNIE: The truth was, they were really relieved to hear I was with you. (He sighs.) KEVIN: Great. (Glances away.) (Close shot of Winnie smiling and nodding at Kevin.) WINNIE: So I guess everything turned out OK! (Kevin smiles half-heartedly.) KEVIN: Yeah. (Winnie smiles.) WINNIE: I'll seeya at lunch? KEVIN: Yeah. (Kevin looks after Winnie off-screen.) Yeah. Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gym class (Shot of Kevin playing field-hockey. Kevin plays aggressively, and takes cheap shots at other players.) They say for every action... (Shot of Kevin running up the court.) There is an equal an opposite reaction. (The camera rolls up on Steuben, who is watching Kevin come his way. Kevin knocks him down.) When your sixteen, and your manly pride has been shrivelled... (Shot of Chuck turning quickly toward Kevin off-screen.) There's only one thing to do... (Kevin stick-checks Chuck, who crashes.) (Kevin turns and smiles, and runs across the scene.) (Shot of Jeff turning around and seeing Kevin coming toward him off-screen.) JEFF: Kevin! (Shot of Kevin and Jeff colliding. Jeff falls in front of the goalie.) Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Locker Room (Wide shot of the lockers and some boys, as Steuben walks in and wipes his nose. The camera pans with him as he walks past Kevin at his locker.) STEUBEN: Playing a little bit rough out there, eh, Arnold? (Shot of Kevin standing at his locker, pulling off his "red" shirt. Kevin frowns and gestures.) KEVIN: Hey! If you can't handle it, why don't you go play badminton with the girls?! (Steuben sits straddling the bench. He gestures, looks down, then back to Kevin.) (Shot of Kevin and Jeff.) OK, maybe I was a little out of control. I had my reasons. JEFF: You OK? KEVIN: Yeah. Why? JEFF: Oh, I don't know, just looked like you were going to take a life out there. KEVIN: Ah, I don't know. I'm just feeling...(frowns)...frustrated. (Shot of Steuben looking up.) Uh-oh... (Shot of Kevin looking up. General pause in activity.) KEVIN: I mean, I'm just having a bad day. (Kevin frowns, and sits on the bench.) STEUBEN: Right... But it was too late. (Shot of Steuben looking at Kevin and nodding slightly.) I'd broken the first rule of the locker room. (Steuben gestures.) STEUBEN: What's the matter, Arnold. (Shot of Kevin looking over his shoulder at Steuben off-screen.) STEUBEN (V/O:) Trouble...in paradise? (Shot of Chuck approaching next to Steuben.) CHUCK: Yes, is...Winnie shutting you out? (Shot of Kevin and Jeff. They both look in Chuck's direction. Jeff raises his eye-brows, Kevin hesitates.) KEVIN: Well, uh, no, no. (He glances down.) KEVIN: It's just, we...she and I, uh, just... (Kevin looks at Jeff, then down.) KEVIN: You know. CHUCK (V/O): Come on, Kev. (Shot of Chuck and Steuben. Chuck gestures with his pads.) CHUCK: Tell us something interesting. (Kevin looks at Chuck, then quickly at Jeff. Jeff raises an eybrow.) (Close shot of Steuben.) STEUBEN: We're waiting, Arnold. Woops. (Shot of Kevin and Jeff as Jeff stands up.) (Shot of Steuben smiling and nodding.) STEUBEN: Or is there really just nothing to tell? (Shot of Kevin glancing around.) Now everything within me told me to keep my mouth shut. (Shot of Chuck, then Steuben.) But somehow, the way those guys were looking at me... (Shot of Kevin.) It just slipped out. (Shot of Kevin frowning, then looking up at the guys.) KEVIN: Hey, for your information, Winnie was over at my house last night. (Shot of Steuben in mock awe, then looking toward Jeff.) STEUBEN: Whoa! (Shot of Kevin looking at Steuben.) KEVIN: All night... (Shot of Chuck and Steuben, and other interested guys behind them.) STEUBEN: And? (Kevin snorts, then gestures and smiles.) KEVIN: Hey, use your imagination. (Shot of Steuben thinking.) Which of course, they did... (Shot of Chuck.) What little they had. (Shot of Jeff at his locker. The camera pans with Jeff as he stands behind Kevin, and leans closer.) JEFF: Is this true? KEVIN: Yeah -(snorts)- of course it's true. (Gestures.) And with that, I became a god. KEVIN: But - (Kevin looks at the guys, pats the air, and nods.) KEVIN: Just don't tell anyone, OK? (Close shot of Steuben as he stands up.) STEUBEN: Our lips are sealed. (Steuben looks off and smiles faintly. The camera pans over to Chuck. He "zips his lip", then cocks his imaginary pistol.) (Shot of Kevin and Jeff. Jeff smiles a little at Chuck. Kevin looks at Jeff.) And the most amazing part is... (Shot of Chuck and Steuben smiling.) I actually believed them. Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cafeteria (Kevin and Winnie walk toward the table area. Kevin carries the tray.) By lunchtime I had pretty much forgotten about the whole thing. (They pause.) KEVIN: I'll get some napkins. WINNIE: I'll meet you at the table. (Winnie heads off with the tray.) Everything felt right. (Shot of Winnie walking away to a table.) With me, with Winnie... (She smiles at Kevin, and stands at the end of the table.) (Close shot of Kevin smiling at Winnie, then starting to walk off for napkins.) GUY: Hey, Arnold? Until my fan club arrived. GUY: You want to tell us about you and Cooper? KEVIN: What? (Shot of Winnie standing at the end of a table. Girls gather excitedly around her, and start to question her.) KEVIN: What are you talking about? (Steuben moves close to Kevin.) STEUBEN: Come on, Arnold. Fill us in on the details. KEVIN: Get lost, Steuben! (Steuben smiles at his friends.) GUYS: Ooooh! Suddenly I was getting this queasy feeling... (Shot of Winnie and her friends looking toward Kevin. She frowns.) And it wasn't the goulash. (Shot of Kevin looking at the guys, then Steuben.) KEVIN: Hey, Steuben. I thought I told you not to tell anyone. STEUBEN: Well, hey! If your gonna walk the walk, you got to talk the talk. (Kevin glances around, then frowns.) KEVIN: Get outta my way! (Kevin pushes Steuben backward into a cafeteria worker, and kids laugh and clap. Kevin walks quickly toward Winnie off-screen. (Shot of the girls stepping back, revealing...nothing but the tray.) (Kevin looks down at the tray, then up.) But I was too late. KEVIN (V/O): Mrs. Cooper? Cut to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Night. Arnold kitchen. Kevin is talking on the phone.) KEVIN: Hi, this is - Kevin. Is Winnie there? By that night, nothing had changed. KEVIN: Yeah.....I understand....Sorry. (He hangs up the phone.) Face it - I needed help. JACK (V/O): Kevin! (Shot of the kitchen door as Jack enters with a bag of trash.) JACK: I thought I told you to throw out the trash! (Jack holds out the bag.) KEVIN: Oh. Sorry. (Smiles.) (Shot of Jack looking at Kevin off-screen.) JACK: Ehhhhhhh... (Jack moves over to the sink and opens the cabinet underneath it.) Still, I guess help is where you find it. (Shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: Dad? (Shot of Jack busy with the trash.) JACK: Yeah? (Shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: I have to talk to you about something that happened here last night. (Shot of Jack glancing at Kevin.) JACK: What is it? (Shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: Winnie came over last night, and... (Shot past Jack of Kevin pacing and gesturing.) And so I recounted the whole sorry tale. Hoping for some advice. And maybe a little sympathy. KEVIN (BG):...see there was all this tension with the guys in the locker room. (Gestures.) (Shot of Jack frowning at Kevin off-screen.) After all... (Jack folds his arms, and leans against the counter.) My dad had been sixteen once. He'd been in locker-rooms. KEVIN (BG V/O):...and shot my mouth off... (Jack looks forward.) He knew what the guys were like. KEVIN (BG V/O):...and then Winnie heard me. (Close shot of Kevin leaning back on the counter and looking at Jack off-screen.) KEVIN: Women, huh? (Shot of Jack frowning at Kevin off-screen.) KEVIN (V/O): I mean, what am I supposed to do? (Jack frowns more.) (Shot of Kevin standing up straighter, and looking at Jack in mild surprise.) But if I was looking for someone to back me up... (Shot of Jack looking sideways at Kevin.) JACK: Get in your car, go over and apologize right away. (Shot of Kevin looking at Jack off-screen.) I came up short. (Kevin looks toward the window, then to Jack.) KEVIN: You think she'll listen? (Shot of Jack frowning at Kevin, then bending to pick up the trashbag.) (Shot of Kevin and Jack, as Jack straightens up, with his back to the camera.) JACK: I wouldn't. (Jack walks past Kevin with the trash and looks at him.) (Kevin is looking forward. He looks over his shoulder as Jack exits, then forward. He sighs.) Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ext. Night Winnie's House (Kevin pulls up outside Winnie's house. Music plays intermittently throughout.) I didn't go right away. Maybe I was too proud. Maybe I was too afraid. (Shot of Kevin walking up the driveway.) I kept telling myself, over and over, that what I had done... (Kevin rings the doorbell.) Wasn't really so bad. (Close shot of Kevin as he sighs.) But I guess I knew better. (Winnie opens the door slowly, and stands silently in the doorway.) KEVIN: Hi. (Close shot of Kevin.) I knew what I had to do - apologize. KEVIN: Winnie, listen. I've given this a lot of thought, and...what I did was wrong. (Shot of Winnie looking at Kevin cooly.) (Shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: It's just that...the guys were really getting on me - and I know it's no excuse...(nods)...but I guess I...kinda let them get the wrong idea about us. (Long pause as he looks off. He looks back and smiles embarrassedly.) KEVIN: OK, I definitely let them get the wrong idea about us. (Shot of Winnie. She has a hurt look.) KEVIN: But ya gotta understand something, Winnie. (Shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: You know when guys...get together, sometimes things get a little out of control...I mean...(shrugs and nods)...not necessarily in this case, but...sometimes... (Shot of Winnie frowning.) KEVIN: You know what I mean. (Shot of Kevin. He sighs.) KEVIN: Anyway, I'll take care of it. I promise. (Nods faintly.) (Wider shot of them at the doorway.) WINNIE: How? (Close shot of Kevin.) KEVIN: What? (Frowns.) (Closer shot of Winnie. She looks at Kevin intently.) WINNIE: How can you fix something like this? (Kevin glances away, then looks at Winnie.) KEVIN: Look, can we talk about this inside? (Shot of them on the porch. Winnie puts her hand behind her as she slowly backs up.) WINNIE: Sure! KEVIN: Great. WINNIE: Because my parents aren't home. So if you want me you got me! (Winnie swings her hands at her side.) (Close shot of Kevin looking concerned.) (Closer shot of Winnie.) WINNIE: Come on, Kevin! This is what you were in such a hurry about, wasn't it? (She frowns and shakes her head slightly, then sighs and takes a step forward.) WINNIE: Now's your chance! (She is on the verge of tears.) (Shot of Kevin. He looks at her, and shakes his head faintly.) KEVIN: Winnie! (Winnie moves closer and hugs Kevin. She very nearly cries.) KEVIN: Winnie. Can't we just go back to the way things used to be, and just forget about all this? (Close shot of Winnie as she pulls away, and frowns.) And after all the times I wanted to hear her to say "yes"... WINNIE: No. We can't. (Winnie frowns and turns away.) (Wider shot of Winnie shutting the door behind her.) (Close shot of Kevin looking at the door.) They say hindsight is twenty-twenty, and I guess it's true. (Wider shot of Kevin standing on the porch, looking at the door. The camera pulls back and up slowly.) Because as I stood outside Winnie's house that night, I suddenly saw it all so clearly. I'd sold both of us short - by taking something most people never have, and throwing it away for something less. I'd been in such a rush to impress people who really didn't matter, I'd torn apart the only ones who did. (Most of the dark house fills the frame. Kevin stands in the porchlight. The light clicks off.) Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ext Day - Dirt Road (Clip of a young Winnie and Kevin riding their bikes down the path, around the bend.) Us. Fade to -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLOSING CREDITS Supporting Cast Steuben - Jason Horst Jeff - Giovanni Ribisi Chuck - Andrew Mark Berman Music "Wake Up, Little Susie" - The Everly Brothers Episode Titles/Transcripts Episode Info Wonder Years Menu 9/10/98 22:00