 The story begins with Kevin, Paul, and Winnie on the verge of starting junior high school in 1968. The elder Kevin narrates that, like most schools that year, his junior high was re-named to Robert F. Kennedy. In the pilot, Winnie's elder brother is killed in action in Vietnam. Kevin meets Winnie in a nearby wooded area called Harpers Woods, and they end up sharing their first kiss. This unsaid relationship between Winnie and Kevin remains dormant for a long while. Winnie starts dating a popular 8th grader named Kirk McCray. Kevin briefly goes steady with Becky Slater, but soon breaks up with her realizing his feelings for Winnie are too strong. Becky Slater bears a grudge against Kevin for many following episodes, once attempting to run him over on her bicycle. In a humorous subplot, Becky becomes a recurring nuisance for Kevin, particularly in episodes "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" and "Election." Kevin also has a major crush on his English teacher Miss White, who soon becomes Mrs. Heimer. Winnie eventually dumps Kirk as well. Kevin and Winnie share a second kiss at the start of the 1969 summer vacation. Winnie's parents start having differences between themselves due to the grief of their son's death. Soon Winnie's father relocates to Chicago. He comes back to visit to see Winnie in a school play. Winnie gives a very emotional performance in the performance of Our Town and eventually her father comes back to live with them. Kevin admires his math teacher Mr. Collins, and is devastated when he dies in the episode entitled "Goodbye". A few days before Valentine's Day 1970, Paul's girlfriend Carla breaks up with him, and to raise Paul's spirits Kevin asks Winnie to ask Paul out, since he expresses an interest in her. The plan back-fires when Paul and Winnie continue having dates and Kevin becomes extremely jealous. Winnie breaks up with Paul, telling him that she likes someone else and hints at Kevin. Kevin rushes to talk to Winnie but she gets mad at him and ends up avoiding him for a few days. She tells him that she just wanted to let Paul down easy, and that's why she said Kevin's name even though it's not true. After Kevin apologizes on Valentine's Day, Winnie admits she had told the truth to Paul and she and Kevin finally start dating each other. Just before the summer break, Kevin finds out that Winnie and her family are moving to a house 4 miles away and as a result of the move Winnie will be transferring to a new school, Lincoln Junior High. For a while it seems Winnie will break up with Kevin, who have gotten used to seeing each other every day as they live on the same street and attend the same schools. The couple decide to remain together and maintain a successful long distance relationship. Things become complicated when a beautiful new student named Madeline Adams joins Kevin's school, who quickly catches Kevin's eye. She kisses Kevin to thank him for being nice to her on her first day at a new school. That same night, she sees him embracing Winnie at the local pizza joint. Even with most boys in the class lusting after her, Madeline continues to openly flirt with Kevin, even knowing that he has a girlfriend. Kevin is obviously interested in her, but his love for Winnie keeps him from succumbing to what he calls "raw temptation." The toll of being at separate schools and Kevin's attraction to Madeline begins to put a strain on their relationship. In an unexpected twist, it is Winnie who has met someone else, Roger, a typical jock-type at her new school, and she breaks up with Kevin. Kevin goes on to date Madeline but quickly dumps her when he realizes his feelings for her are not as strong as he thought. Winnie's relationship with Roger is brief and they break up. Winnie seems to be emotionally unstable for a while, and she is later hurt in a car accident which reunites her and Kevin. One of the more memorable episodes was Graduation. Kevin and Paul graduate from Robert F. Kennedy Junior High in June 1971, and Winnie graduates from Lincoln Junior High. Kevin almost misses his graduation ceremony as he goes to the hospital with Mrs. Heimer after she goes into labor. Winnie is in a leg cast, recovering after the car accident in a previous episode. Kevin is dismayed when he finds out that Paul will be going to a prep school, and they end up arguing in science class. Kevin punches Paul, and the distracted teacher accidentally mixes his two reactant chemicals together causing a minor explosion, which sets off the fire alarms. That September, Kevin and Winnie both go to McKinley High and Paul goes to a prep school. In the summer of 1971, Kevin and Paul rent neighboring cabins with their families at a lake. He meets a beautiful girl who is a local of the town and she tells him she should stay away from him because he is a "summer boy," meaning he will leave when his vacation ends. The two, however, strike up a brief but moving romance. He promises to visit after he gets his license and does return, once, to see her. During the 1971/72 academic year Kevin has brief flings with Denise "the Grease", and Wayne's then-girlfriend Sandy. Kevin's grandfather gets his driver's license revoked, and sells his car to Kevin for a dollar. When Paul's father runs into financial troubles, Paul transfers to McKinley High after his first semester at prep school. Winnie and Kevin are reunited when they go on a double date to a school dance. Although they had been arguing prior to the dance, they find themselves more attracted to each other than their respective partners. Throughout the series, Winnie tends to be overly sensitive, which frequently leads to misunderstandings with Kevin. Whenever Kevin wants to make fun of others, like the large-nosed girl in his English class, or his new music teacher, Winnie promptly scolds him for being so immature. Winnie excels at schoolwork, and occasionally earns criticism for being "boring" or "too perfect." In several later episodes, Kevin and Winnie kiss in Kevin's car at the local make-out point, but Winnie interrupts every time Kevin tries to go further. In fact, Kevin gets his hopes up when she goes to get something out of her purse, but it turns out to be chewing gum rather than contraception. In the episode White Lies, Kevin faces peer pressure in the boys locker room to reveal how far he's gone with Winnie. He tells the boys (truthfully) that Winnie slept over last night, and then leads them on to believe they had sex. Of course, the rumor spreads, causing Kevin and Winnie to break up for a few episodes. In late 1972 Wayne starts working at NORCOM, and starts dating Bonnie, another employee. She is divorced and has a son, which makes the situation awkward between Wayne and his parents. Wayne and Bonnie grow serious and his parents finally begin to accept their relationship, Mrs. Arnold even visiting with the baby. Wayne offers to treat the family to a New Years Eve dinner, saying that he has an announcement to make. At the restaurant, the Arnolds and Winnie wait for hours for Bonnie and Wayne to arrive. Bonnie shows up and tells Kevin that although she loves Wayne, she ended the relationship. She had a visit that day from her former husband and couldn't deny her feelings for him, leaving Wayne heart-broken. Kevin's dad quits NORCOM, and starts up a furniture manufacturing business. Paul, Kevin, and Winnie take the SATs. Kevin gets a 650 in verbal and a 590 in math, while Winnie shines with a 725 in verbal and a 757 in math. Kevin has problems digesting this at first, but he eases up soon thereafter. |
