We've seen over the course of the show where the creators vary the age difference between the two brothers, but I'd say 5 or 6 years.

While Wally is always shown to be a relative sage compared to his younger brother, Beaver was found to be, especially early on, gullible even accounting for his young age.

It seems to me though, that given the spread from late 1957 to mid 1963, Beaver may well have caught up or even surpassed Wally, though I'm not referring to athletics. I mean, that it appears to me that Beaver in the last several episodes of the show that Beaver was more "hip" than Wally was in the first several episodes of the show. A bit quicker of the mind too, and could cut up Eddie and Lumpy just as good as Wally could, and even show ( here and there ) decent ability to point out flaws in logic with Tet-a-tets with his peers.

Thoughts?

It seems to me though, that given the spread from late 1957 to mid 1963, Beaver may well have caught up or even surpassed Wally, though I'm not referring to athletics. I mean, that it appears to me that Beaver in the last several episodes of the show that Beaver was more "hip" than Wally was in the first several episodes of the show. A bit quicker of the mind too, and could cut up Eddie and Lumpy just as good as Wally could, and even show ( here and there ) decent ability to point out flaws in logic with tet-a-tets with his peers.

Thoughts?

I think that you raise a very valid point, worthy of closer study.
Probably worth noting the show title, in contemplation that even when Wally was a "leader", he was still doing so in a"support" role to the main plot.

But yeah, in terms of the quick comebacks Beaver often makes in later seasons, you definitely are onto something.

You mean did Wally get written into a type of developmental time warp and he stayed the same?

You mean did Wally get written into a type of developmental time warp and he stayed the same?

No, not really. Wally at the end of the show was much much more mature than he was when the series began, and developed into a well adjusted young man bound for college and a career beyond.

I was just implying ( strongly ) that if Beaver was indeed the same age at the end of the series as Wally was in the beginning of it, that Beaver was more "with it" somehow, respective to their relative developments.

LOL, like Beaver was more apt to drop acid than Wally?

LOL, like Beaver was more apt to drop acid than Wally?

Well that's reaching, to say the least. But anything's possible.

It'd be neat to be able to see several different parallel universes of the various directions their lives would have taken, given the passing of time. 'Still the Beaver' is one possibility as seen as a fast-forward to 1983. I'd like to see what happened in between. I think 1963 to, oh, about 1976 would be interesting as all get-out.

With what you are saying regarding Beaver, it would be interesting to see how he would react after Wally and the gang take off for college or find work and no longer are around the house and neighborhood.

Would Beaver and Gilbert become the big shots? Would they be lost without the older boys? Would they be glad the older boys are gone?