Ep 8. Hiroshima, Mon Frere

In the second season of The Wonder Years, episode 8 titled "Hiroshima, Mon Frere," the viewers get a glimpse into the lives of teenagers in the late 1960s. The episode revolves around Kevin Arnold, the main character, and his friend Paul Pfeiffer.

As the episode begins, Kevin and Paul are sitting in their school auditorium, waiting for a speech by a Japanese exchange student, Yung Hi. The students listen, somewhat disinterested, as Yung Hi talks about his culture and what life is like in his home country. Suddenly, Yung Hi mentions the atomic bomb, and the mood in the room changes.

With the words "atom bomb," Kevin's thoughts shift to the numerous air raid drills he's experienced. It is here that viewers learn that Kevin grew up during the Cold War and, since the United States and Soviet Union both had nuclear weapons, they lived under the constant threat of a nuclear war. This fear had become a consistent presence in Kevin's life, as it had for many American citizens.

Yung Hi's speech about the bombing of Hiroshima has a profound impact on both Kevin and Paul. They begin to understand the devastating effects of such weapons, and how it was experienced by the Japanese. The subject of the atomic bomb makes them contemplate the notion of war and its impact on the lives of ordinary people.

The boys start to wonder about things they'd never considered before. They realize that Yung Hi's father had likely experienced the bombing, which Kevin and Paul could hardly begin to imagine. Yung Hi's brother even died in the war, and this revelation causes the boys to view the speech in a new light. It's no longer just an assignment or something to sit through, but instead a chance to gain a deeper understanding of an event that happened before they were born.

With the realization that Yung Hi has been through so much, Kevin begins to reflect on his own life. He thinks about the arguments he had with his father earlier in the episode, about how he didn't understand him. He starts to empathize with both his father and Yung Hi and how two people from entirely separate cultures could be hurt and feel isolated from the other despite sharing the same human experience.

The episode is full of poignant moments, and the acting in this episode is particularly impressive. The writers do a great job of weaving Yung Hi's speech into the narrative, and the students' reaction to it contributes to the overall impact of the episode. This is not just a coming-of-age story, but also a demonstration of how historical events shape the perception of individuals and, ultimately, change the way they view their present and future.

The episode wraps up with Kevin and Paul attempting to better understand Yung Hi, and with a sense of a newfound awareness. They realize that although they grew up on different sides of the world, they share more similarities than they initially thought. The episode's title, "Hiroshima, Mon Frere" (Hiroshima, My Brother in French), speaks to the universal understanding of the devastation that the bombing caused, and the way we can empathize with others, regardless of the difference in culture.

In conclusion, The Wonder Years season 2 Episode 8 portrays an important message about the impact of war and consequences that are felt long after the event, and encourages the audience to recognize the humanity of those involved in war. It is a moving episode that showcases the importance of empathy and understanding in our world.