We've run out of YouTube videos, and we've seen all of our old favorite movies thousands of times. Anything today is either political or just drivel, and we can't take it.
Back when we were kids, there would be 35 episodes per season. Now? Everything is on a streaming service that runs for 5 or 6 episodes and then takes what seems like a decade off in between.
We've exhausted our old faithful list of shows, like The Sopranos, The Golden Girls, Frasier, and yes, even grown tired of the Supermarket Sweep and Price is Right channels on Pluto. It had gotten so bad that we even spent an hour watching the new game show on Fox called "Quiz with Balls."
And yes, that show is as unfunny and horrible as it sounds, but we tried it.
Recently, I had an unexpected day-long layover at work in Orlando and decided to make use of my annual pass to Disney World. It was very hot (it is August in Florida), and the crowds were heavy, so I didn't get to do much, but I had a blast walking around, taking in the sights, eating some snacks, and seeing some shows.
I was also on the hunt for a very limited edition souvenir for my daughter, which was really my main goal of the day. It seemed like every gift shop I went into, the cast member was very happy to look in the computer where they had some remaining, but each place ended up in a big wild goose chase that took me through ALL FOUR theme parks in one day.
I started my morning in Magic Kingdom and, before lunch, took the monorail to Epcot. After striking out for the item that was "guaranteed" to be at Epcot, I enjoyed what I could with the local-heavy weekend crowds before taking the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios. After striking out at the gift shops again, I had lunch and waited for one of my all-time favorite attractions, the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
I was happy to see they were back to performing all three scenes from the show, since the last few times we were on vacation, either the first or last scene were cut for technical difficulties. As a matter of fact, the last time we went, when the second scene ended, someone immediately ran out with a microphone and shouted, "AND THAT'S OUR SHOW, FOLKS, THANKS FOR COMING!" and the lights went out. It was so fast and awkward it made us think something must have gone horribly wrong that they cut the show short.
In any event, I got to see all three scenes this time and had a blast, even if they did change the final scene a little bit. In the final bit of the show, in the famous airport scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Indy fights with an airplane mechanic who gets, shall we say, eaten by the propeller blades. This, for decades, has been replicated in the stunt show with a trap door and smoke at just the right time, but this time, the mechanic was taken out by Indy, thanks to a broken piece of wood to the head. I'm not sure if that was to "sanitize" the show for younger audiences, or the trap door doesn't work anymore, or it just got too risky for the stunt performer, but it doesn't take too much away from the show.
After the show ended, I hopped on a 5-minute Uber ride to The Animal Kingdom, where I finally found what I was looking for. When the lady at Hollywood Studios told me there were over 150 left, it had been 2pm. When I arrived at Animal Kingdom around 4 or 4:30, there were 3 left, and I snagged one. As I stood in line, another one went, and I'm sure the final one (seemingly in all of Walt Disney World that day) was picked up not long after.
Why was I saying all of this about Disney after talking about horrible television?
Oh, yeah.
At Hollywood Studios, there is the "ABC Commissary" food court, so named after the famed commissary for the employees at the ABC Studios in Los Angeles. As I walked by, they had banners for current ABC sitcoms. I didn't even recognize some of them, but one immediately caught my attention. The Wonder Years. I was immediately flooded with memories of Middle School when I fell in love with the show... but then I suddenly realized it was probably advertising for the dollar store remake from a year or two ago.
Those exciting memories of yesteryear caused me to re-up this article this week. My wife and I have begun using our Disney Plus subscription to rewatch the entire series. When I suggested it, she said it had probably been 20 years, maybe longer, since she'd seen an episode and was interested in watching it as it would be almost new for her.
I can still recall nearly every line with the same excitement and connection I had to the show as if it was yesterday. My brother was very much like Wayne, and I was about the same age as Kevin, going through the same coming-of-age issues for most of my viewings of the show (although the show was in reruns on Nick-at-Nite by the time I saw it.) I truly connected with the show as a kid, and the fact that my Uncle and I would often correspond over email about which episodes were on as we searched for the elusive, only-aired-once-on Nick-at-Nite "Rolling Stones" episode made it all the more exciting. Of course, now, with streaming, you can just pick your episode, and that would have taken all of the fun out of the hunt.
Also, for you Wonder Years fans, Disney has changed some of the songs in the show, including the iconic theme song. It's pretty jarring, and you've been forewarned.
After the first episode, my wife commented, "This show was better in 30 minutes compared to everything we've watched in months." After discussing the writing, acting, and production of the show, we had to agree that they "certainly don't make them like they used to."
So, as our summer draws to a close, let's go back to 2021, when I described my love of Wonder Years and how it shaped my childish ideas of perfecting the image of "adulting" during the summertime.
.png)
Comments
Spot on - totally agree with you. I can’t even remember the last time I used my tv. How times have changed…
ReplyDelete