The Wonder Years Review: Be Prepared (Season 1 Episode 6)
The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 6, “Be Prepared,” teaches Dean a valuable lesson about perfection, namely regarding his father, Bill. It’s an outing that falls a bit short compared to last week’s stellar episode.
Perhaps it’s because “Be Prepared” slightly shifts the focus from Dean to the adults, which, of course, deviates from The Wonder Years‘ premise. While Dulé Hill and Allen Maldonado churn in fine performances, their unspoken (and manly) squabble falters in the face of Dean’s adolescent antics.
ADULT DEAN: I wanted nothing more than to have my own big, fat slice of that American pie.
Elisha Williams continues to be a bright spot, imbuing Dean with your typical 12-year-old infectiously charming energy, and it’s great to see him evolve over The Wonder Years.
“Be Prepared” deftly touches on the “American Dream,” that white-picket-fenced, American-pie-infused dream every family had back then — a goal that drastically veers from what we envision in the modern world. The Wonder Years presents differences aplenty between the past and present, but some things are timeless.
BILL: I believe that if you’re gonna do something, you should do it in style.
For example, it’s not uncommon to see our parents through rose-colored glasses. Dean quickly places his father on a pedestal but subsequently discovers that even cool dads aren’t perfect. It’s a vital lesson we all learn someday, and even though Bill isn’t an expert scout leader, Dean realizes his father still blows other paternal figures out of the water.
“Be Prepared” presents these lessons with the show’s usual cheeky sense of humor and lighthearted fun, unwavering in its tone and style. However, it’s difficult to top “The Lock-In” and even harder to prevail over “The Workplace.”
The episode doesn’t pack as massive a punch as the others, tackling a less severe but still important topic.
That said, “Be Prepared” is a lighter installment chock full of father/son goodness, great performances from Elisha Williams, Dulé Hill, and Allen Maldonado, and a Boy Scouts trip Dean won’t soon forget.
ADULT DEAN: I turned to him and summoned all the 12-year-old eloquence I could muster.
Stray Observations:
- Coach Long repeatedly mentioning his 1/16 Cherokee heritage is reminiscent of the folks who genuinely believe it’s okay to culturally appropriate because they’ve got a tiny bit of Indigenous DNA. Not that that’s Long’s intention, but those comments resonate today.
- You can have bowel movements as infrequently as three times a week, so you’re all good, Dean.
- Playing music is much, much cooler than being a scout.
- Dulé Hill’s Bill vastly differs from Psych‘s Gus, and watching him sink into the perpetually smooth, “cool cat” Bill is such a treat.
- “Be Prepared” is a stark reminder of how much white folks stole from Black and Indigenous communities.
What did you think of this episode of The Wonder Years? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Wonder Years airs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.