How Come TWY never presented the element of.....

[Wreckless]

drugs, drug problems or drug and alcohol peer pressure, problems in school & dealing with a parent or friend with a drug related problem? I know as a kid I had friends who were druggies and my Dad was one, and their was always the element of peer pressure- kids saying "Hey Kyle try this, do this, smoke this." While I never did drugs once, while everybody around me was for a short period and even a lot throughout high school, the pressure and drugs were still their. I think if they had dedicated 2-4 episodes to drugs- dependency, peer pressure, getting treatment etc. it would of prepared a lot of kids watching the show at a young age, or as young adults, to do the right thing. I can go off on so many angles about this subject and how TWY could of easily incorporated it. Because unless I am forgetting some episodes, it wasn't really incorporated or brought in whatsoever. Brian, Winnie's older brother smoked cigarettes but that's different & on another level, even though kids shouldn't be smoking cigarettes either. Thoughts on this/an idea of incorporating it into the show? I think it would of done a lot of justice for all of us viewers, to bring families closer and to prepare and present this element strongly, on television.

[DSfan]

There is that season 1 episode where they go into the forest and drink and smoke. Also, they sort of reference it on without saying it in a few instances like the episode where Karen skips school; I think we were supposed to have the assumption that there was some hippies and drugs, maybe I am wrong though...

[Wreckless]

Yeah, I also got the feeling of drugs being used in the bathroom scenes. Remember some scenes where other kids where in the bathroom skipping class, and I think they were doing drugs. I forgot about that episode you're talking about for a min, good episode. But yeah, I agree, I just think they could of used the element more.

[DSfan]

Definitely, I think they were keeping it like the 60s though and not trying to turn it into some Degrassi type although they could of, I agree, worked it into a couple episodes.

[Wreckless]

That's true. Even the episode I liked that you mention, they were smoking cigarettes. While cigarettes are nasty and are bad for you, they should present the use of smoking weed in highschool and the kids that do it, to prevent it from happening, to help kids become aware of it and to just add it into the show to mix things up. Good point though.

[James]

I think it was implied in the Christmas episode during the 1991-92 season (whose name I forget! ) that Mr. Ermin, the neighbor who was visiting the Arnolds, was kicked out of the house by Jack for smoking weed in the basement. Norma argued with Jack that Mr. Ermin was "a friend!", and Jack made Kevin and Wayne go to the store for a reason I forget.

Mr. Ermin, for those not in the know, was introduced in "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation" (end of 1988-89 season) as someone with a lawn the size of Wyoming.

[DSfan]

That was a weird episode lol.

[Wreckless]

Originally Posted by James

I think it was implied in the Christmas episode during the 1991-92 season (whose name I forget! ) that Mr. Ermin, the neighbor who was visiting the Arnolds, was kicked out of the house by Jack for smoking weed in the basement. Norma argued with Jack that Mr. Ermin was "a friend!", and Jack made Kevin and Wayne go to the store for a reason I forget.

Mr. Ermin, for those not in the know, was introduced in "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation" (end of 1988-89 season) as someone with a lawn the size of Wyoming.

I remember that guy. I always kind of thought- it was a scene where you make up your own ending. He could of been snorting coke maybe, most likely smoking weed as you mentioned, which I agree with, but I love that episode, the turn around effect it had on it's viewers like us and the ending! Not only that, just the episode itself and the Christmas oriented theme, I loved it. Yeah I remember that guy now. I wouldn't of put together that he was the guy in both episodes, if you hadn't mentioned it.

Did you like that episode though, DSFan? lol.

[DSfan]

I like all Wonder Years episodes. It is my favorite TV show -- ever!

Although I must say that a couple of those season 6 ones were really terrible.

[Wreckless]

Originally Posted by DSfan

I like all Wonder Years episodes. It is my favorite TV show -- ever!

Although I must say that a couple of those season 6 ones were really terrible.

I totally agree and I love the Wonder Years and like 99.9% of the episodes. I didn't like the characters, plots etc. from the Sixth & Final Season on the show.

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by DSfan

There is that season 1 episode where they go into the forest and drink and smoke. Also, they sort of reference it on without saying it in a few instances like the episode where Karen skips school; I think we were supposed to have the assumption that there was some hippies and drugs, maybe I am wrong though...

Yes - that was the episode with Karen skipping school where they dealt with drugs. Apparently they wanted to actually show her smoking a joint, and the censors wouldn't allow it. They just showed them smoking from a distance but you got the message.

Even though drugs were around at that time, it was mostly grass and LSD that was being used. There wasn't the huge problem with cocaine, heroin and meth like there is now. At least it hadn't hit the suburbs yet. That's why it wouldn't have been dealt with. The show wasn't meant to be like DeGrassi or that where it taught lessons about drugs, it was intended to give a very realistic idea of what it was like to grow up in the late 60s/early 70s and did it perfectly. There was no other episode where drugs were dealt with. Smoking in the bathrooms maybe, but not drugs.

[Wreckless]

I agree about the drugs- they could of shown people using weed/marijuana to put the message of not using it out there, cause that's the most popular, especially amongst teenagers. But I do agree & remember the Karen smoking implied episodes.