LLouis
Don't accept all this death and then justify it. It is wrong! Your friends should be alive...they should be enjoying dinner, and arguing with their kids, just like you are.
JackWhat do you know about it? Who the hell are you to say that?!
LLouis
[pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket] You see this, man? This is my draft notice. In two weeks, I can go to jail, I can go to Canada or, I can go get shot, full of holes, like your friend Brian Cooper. You keep thinking the way you do, Mr. Arnold, and these two [points to Kevin and Wayne] will be next. And I just hope that's what they want.
One of the boys on our block was killed in Vietnam several weeks ago.
LLouis
Oh, I-I know. I mean, uh, Karen told me. Another meaningless death.
Jack
I beg you pardon?
LLouis
I-I just meant that... it's just a shame, uh... a kid has to die for basically no reason.
Jack
I don't think it's meaningless... when a young man dies for freedom and for his country.
LLouis
I just have a little trouble... justifying dying for a government that systematically represses its citizens.
Oh, honey. Try the potatoes - I put grated cheese on them.
Jack
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
KKaren
It means the United States government is responsible... for the oppression of blacks, women, free speech...
Jack
Well perhaps, little lady, you'd like to go live in Russia for a little while... huh?
LLouis
Oh, uh... I think what Karen is saying is that...
Jack
Look, buster! I happen to believe that freedom and democracy... have certain advantages that Communist dictatorships don't, and that is what Vietnam is all about!
LLouis
No, man, that's what they brainwash you to believe it's all about. They... [sighs] ...they turn people into brainwashed morons.
My hunch was that my father would not let being called a brainwashed moron at his dinner table... go unremarked.
Jack
So... you think I've been brainwashed, do you, Louis?
LLouis
No. No. Look... I think anyone... who supports the American war effort in Vietnam...... is having the wool pulled over his eyes.
Jack
I see...
LLouis
Just like they did with Korea.
Jack
What the hell do you know about Korea? I was in Korea. I lost a lot of good friends there.
KKaren
Daddy, that doesn't have anything to do with what we're saying.
Jack
And they weren't brainwashed! They were brave men who weren't afraid to fight for what they believed in. Now if you're afraid to fight - why don't you just say so? Why don't you just admit you're chicken?
LLouis
You're damned right! I am chicken. I don't want to die like your friends! What do you think that you achieved over there? Hmm? Do you think that those people are free? They're not free, man. Except to buy Coca-Cola, and... uh... [smirks] ...Nestle's Quik... get loans from Chase-Manhattan National Bank...
Jack
That's crap!
LLouis
You were used, man, and your friends were used.
Jack
That's crap!
KKaren
Daddy, you never listen to what we say! Some of what we say is true!
LLouis
Don't accept all this death and then justify it. It is wrong! Your friends should be alive...they should be enjoying dinner, and arguing with their kids, just like you are.
Jack
What do you know about it? Who the hell are you to say that?!
LLouis
[pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket] You see this, man? This is my draft notice. In two weeks, I can go to jail, I can go to Canada or, I can go get shot, full of holes, like your friend Brian Cooper. You keep thinking the way you do, Mr. Arnold, and these two [points to Kevin and Wayne] will be next. And I just hope that's what they want.
In all the years I spent growing up at my parents' house, I don't think I ever heard them use the word "relationship". Not once. "Indigestion"... "taxes"... "damn" - these were words you heard a lot. I guess my mom just expected my dad to be a good man - honest, loyal, a good provider... hopefully possessed of good table manners. And my dad expected my mom to be a good woman - honest, loyal, a good mother. And hopefully a good cook. And that was about it. But if my parents didn't know much about relationships, they knew a lot about marriage. Like how to make a joint-decision. Mom would choose what she liked... Dad would choose what he liked...then they'd settle on something no one of our species could like. They could completely disagree about something, without directly contradicting each other. One thing my parents would never, ever do... is yell at each other in front of the kids.
Jack
Kevin! Wayne! I told you to knock it off!
Course, they had no problem yelling at the kids in front of each other. I guess I never really thought of my parents as being in love. But maybe that's the best thing for a kid - to never have to think about it. It's just always there. Like the ground you walk on.
Jack
Don't bother. I'll get it.
No, that's okay, Jack! I'll get it.
Jack
I said: "I'll get it".
[she touches her pottery vase] Don't break it!
Jack
I'm not gonna break it, Norma!
Well, just because you hate my pottery, there's no reason to smash it into pieces!
Jack
I don't hate your pottery!
Noticed he didn't say "He liked it".
Well, you certainly act like you hate it!
Jack
Now, what's that supposed to mean?!
It means that from the moment I started doing this, you haven't had one nice thing to say!
Jack
Well, maybe I not big on pottery! So, sue me!
Well, you certainly seem fond of your stupid little fish cup! I've never seen anyone so attached to anything since Kevin had to give up his blankie!
Jack
I don't wanna talk about this!
Well, maybe I do, Jack! It's not fair! You're making me feel like I'm doing something wrong!
Jack
You're crazy! I'm not making you feel anything!
[sarcastically] Oh, sure! You've been a regular Mr. Sunshine! [Karen, Wayne & Kevin get annoyed by this argument] You know, Jack, the kids all say: "That's nice, mom!", my friends say: "The nice, Norma!", my teacher says "Very good, Mrs. Arnold!", and you say "Where's the Pepsi?!"
Jack
I really don't have time for this!
[grabs Jack's arm] I spent my time trying to make something nice for the family! And you don't even have the common courtesy to say you like it!
Jack
Don't give me that, Norma! This family doesn't need an ashtray for 200 people! This family needs Pepsi!
That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life, Jack! You should listen to yourself! "I want my Pepsi! I want my cup!" You sound like an infant!
Jack
Don't you ever, EVER speak to me in that tone of voice!
I'll speak the way I want to.
Jack
Fine! Don't expect me to listen to it!
The silence that filled our house that night - was like ice. My dad didn't come home till after midnight.
[Next morning, Norma burns her hand on the iron and starts to cry. Jack gently puts his hands on her shoulders. She turns around and they hug]
Jack
Did you just burn yourself?
I know it sounds strange - but that was the first time... I'd ever seen my parents alone together. I guess sometimes the ground can shift beneath your feet. Sometimes your footing slips - you stumble. And sometimes, you grab what's closest to you, and hold on... as tight as you can.
[Jack drives up to Arnold residence in a green sedan]
And so, we finally got our new car. It wasn't red, it wasn't a convertible... heck, it wasn't even a Mustang. But it was brand-new. And it was pretty cool.
[Neighbors crowd around the Arnold's new car admiring its features. Kevin sees that Jack has hired a tow truck to transport the old white station wagon]
What will happen to the old car?
Jack
Not sure. Too old for resale. I will probably have it disassembled and sell it for parts.
Of course... Dad got his shot at king-for-a-day... and we were happy for him. But that afternoon, I began to understand what Dad had being going through.
[Flashbacks are shown of a younger Arnold family using the white station wagon for various activities]
There was more to that old car than fuel pumps and crankshafts. There was part of all of us in that car. The places we'd gone, the things we'd done... the family we had been. The family that was moving on. And for the first time... I understood the value of what my father had put into it. And why it was so hard to let it go.
And then that man... "Mr. Pencil stubs and Alka-Seltzer"... "Mr. Pay the bills and go to work"... said something I'll never forget.
Jack
Let me tell ya something, Kev... it's not easy being a hero.
And I knew he wasn't talking about Bobby Riddle. He was talking... about himself. Some heroes pass through your life and disappear in a flash. You get over it. But the good ones, the real ones, the ones who count - stay with you for the long haul. The thing is, after all these years, I couldn't tell you the score of that game. What I remember is... sitting in that diner, up late... being young... drinking coffee with the only real hero I ever knew. My Dad - Jack Arnold. Number one.
Perfect. This is perfect.
Jack
What's wrong with you?
And that just about did it.
Me? What's wrong with me?
It was time to tell him exactly how I felt. About him, about Mom, about the stupid gin games and the dumb boyfriends and the idiotic dog.
Yeah, that was it. In a nutshell.
(Jack chuckles)
Jack
You're starting to sound just like your mother.
Jack
You heard me.
Yeah, but Mom loves this place!
Jack
Yeah, for a day or two maybe. Trust me, 21 years ago she couldn't wait to get out.
Jack
Nah. Your mother wanted a lot more from life than a small town like this had to offer.
So why didn't she tell Grandma and Grandpa about it? She never says a word.
Jack
She used to. They couldn't hear her. Parents are like that sometimes.
And I guess right about then, a few things started to fall into place.
(returns from the dance) Hi!
Jack
You're home early?
Jack
How was it?
It was… fine. But when the invitation comes for my 30th reunion…
Jack
Yeah?
Jack
How was Roger?
Roger… Roger's the same old jerk he always was.
Jack
[regarding Kevin's road trip] Look, there's no sense discussing this any further. You're not going and that's final.
Jeez, what was this? A family or a firing squad?
Okay. [pause] See, I don't know why I asked you anyway. This is my life and it's my decision. Okay? And I'm gonna do what I have to do.
And so, three days later, I got up at dawn...
FFriend
Hey, thanks for letting us use your sleeping bag.
...to say goodbye to my friends.
(Final lines)
Once upon a time, there was a girl I knew, who lived across the street. Brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled. When she cried, I cried. Every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way had to do with her. That day, Winnie and I promised each other that no matter what, that we'd always be together. It was a promise full of passion and truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young.
(Scene shifts to 4th of July parade, as Kevin and Winnie arrive)
The next day, Winnie and I came home, back to where we'd started. It was the 4th of July in that little suburban town. Somehow though, things were different. Our past was here, but our future was somewhere else. And we both knew, sooner or later, we had to go. It was the last July I ever spent in that town. The next year, after graduation, I was on my way.
(Kevin and Winnie walk over to Paul)
So was Paul. He went to Harvard, of course. Studied law. (Paul sneezes) He's still allergic to everything.
Jack
(buys a flag from a salesman) Thanks a lot.
Listen, I'll be right back. Hang on for one second. (walks over to Jack)
Jack
How are you doing?
Jack
Welcome home.
Jack
Norma! (Norma, Wayne and a pregnant Karen walk over to Jack and Kevin)
Hey, we were family. For better or worse.
One for all...and all for one.
(Touches Karen's stomach) Gosh.
WWayne
(points at Karen's stomach) Little Kevin.
Karen's son was born in that September. I gotta say, I think he looks like me. Poor kid. Mom, she did well: Business woman, board chairman, grandmother...cooker of mashed potatoes. Wayne stayed on in furniture. Wood seemed to suit him. In fact, he took over the factory two years later, when Dad passed away. Winnie left the next summer to study art history in Paris. Still, we never forgot our promise. We wrote to each other once a week for the next eight years. I was there to meet her, when she came home, with my wife and my first son, eight months old. Like I said, things never turn out exactly the way you planned.
(Scene shifts to Kevin and Jack sitting at the table, drinking)
Jack
It was good. It was a good Fourth.
Yeah. So you're gonna be a grandpa huh?
Jack
Not bad.
Grey hair and everything.
Jack
Yeah, soon enough.
Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day, you're in diapers; next day, you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul.
(Scene shifts outside, to the street)
I remember a place...a town...a house...like a lot of other houses; a yard like a lot of other yards; on a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is...after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.
(Fireworks in the background, fade to credits)
KSKevin's son
Hey Dad, wanna play catch?
The Wonder Years · 239 quotes
