“It was the most memorable trip of my childhood,” concludes Don Cheadle’s narration of the Season 2 finale of The Wonder Years. Titled “The Happiest Place on Earth” (written by Yael Galena), the episode follows the Williams family as they take a road trip from Montgomery, Alabama, all the way to Anaheim, California, to visit Walt Disney’s vacation kingdom, better known as Disneyland. Follow along with this nostalgia-filled recap of the season finale.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
Lillian Williams (Saycon Sengbloh) sets the table for dinner only to find that Kim (Laura Kariuki) has plans to have pizza with her friends. Bruce (Spence Moore II) will also be absent, as he has a date with his girlfriend Tammy, who he hasn’t seen much of recently. Bill (Dulé Hill) consoles his wife, talking about the benefit of having dinner alone together. They both seem to have forgotten that Dean (Elisha “EJ” Williams) is still home, seated at the other end of the table and ready to eat.
One Sunday night, the Williams family is gathered in the living room around their TV set as The Wonderful World of Disney begins. A phone call interrupts the show for Bill, who says he’s “Not home” when he hears it’s his former band, The Commanders. Lillian turns off the TV and announces that with Kiim preparing to take off for college and Bruce so busy with work, she would like to have one last family vacation together. Dean starts to speak but is interrupted by Kim who shares that she was just accepted into the University of Northern Austin with a full scholarship for their new African American Studies program. It’s settled. The family is heading to Austin. Dean tries to speak again and is cut off by his father. “For the millionth time, Dean, we’re not going to Disneyland,” Bill declares.
Dean somehow already has a pair of Mouseketeer Ears when he visits his dad at the kitchen table with a budget that gets the family to Disneyland. He brought his piggy bank, which contains his life savings, $18.97, which he donates towards making his Disneyland dreams come true (admission to the park was $5.75 in 1969). “Fine, we can go to Disneyland,” Bill caves, even giving his son $5 back.
The Williams family is driving to Austin, Texas, when Bill hears a song he wrote being performed by his own band. When it’s over, the DJ says that was The Commanders with their new hit “Sweet Millie,” announcing that they will be the opening act for The Temptations tomorrow night in San Antonio. If Bill’s luck didn’t seem bad enough, the engine starts to rattle.
While stopping at a restaurant for dinner, Bruce calls Tammy and finds out that he’s been dumped. Bill takes his son to the bar to drown their sorrows together, leaving Lillian, Dean, and Kim at the dinner table. Lillian mentions how she’d like to visit the university library after the campus tour because it’s supposed to be impressive, which makes Dean anxious about the deadline they should be leaving Austin to make it to Disneyland on time. He suggests that Bill could drive faster. “And get pulled over in some sundown town in Texas?”, Lillian asks. “Now that’s a steamboat Mickey ain’t gonna save you from.” At the bar, Bill and Bruce talk about their own recent breakups, Bill with his band and Bruce with his girlfriend. Bill’s song about his wife, “Sweet Lilly,” was renamed “Sweet Millie” after the dog of one of his band members. They toast to moving forward.
(ABC/Matt Miller)
It was decided that to save time in Austin, Bill and Dean would take the car to get fixed while Lillian, Kim, and Bruce go on the campus tour. “Little did I know, dad had other plans besides getting the car fixed,” Dean’s narration explains as he wakes up to find they’ve just parked outside of a theater in San Antonio. Bill finds most of his old bandmates rehearsing inside, discovering that they were calling to tell him about the song and the royalties he’s earned. He’s handed a check to his surprise. Dean watches as his dad seems to regret the choices that led him to be kicked out of the band, but when he sees them start to argue, he reaffirms his decision. “No amount of success would ever be more important to him than his family,” Dean’s narration continued.
(ABC/Matt Miller)
Gil (Dawson Fletcher) leads the campus tour and asks the group to hold their questions until the end. However, that doesn’t stop Lillian’s hand from immediately going up with several questions. Kim is embarrassed, especially when her mom asks about the possibility of a student double majoring if they chose a degree that won’t lead to a job, like African American Studies. Kim and her mom fight about whose decision it is regarding where she goes to college. Lillian’s feelings are hurt, and she leaves the tour.
(ABC/Matt Miller)
Dean freaks out when he finds his mom alone on a bench when he and Bill return to the university to pick them up. It gets worse when Bruce arrives without Kim, sharing that she left the tour early, too. Bill takes off to find his daughter, catching up with her outside of a campus building. She tells him it’s a lot of pressure to make a decision that can affect your entire future. Bill tells her he recently had to make a similar decision like that. “What matters is you make a choice, and you make the best out of it,” he tells her. “Part of becoming an adult is being comfortable with the uncertainty.”
Back on the road, Lillian and Kim patch things up as Lillian talks about her own what could’ve been. She stayed close to home to help care for her ill father, but she wonders what her life would be like if she had the opportunity to go away to college. The engine sound returns, and Bill comes clean that he didn’t have it fixed. The family ends up stopping at a mechanic, who says he can’t fix it for at least a day. When Lillian says she will find them a hotel for the night, Dean gets angry and throws his map on the ground. He says all he wanted to do was go to Disneyland, but all they’ve done is do things for the rest of the family. When he storms away, Lillian comes up with a plan. “We’re going to give Dean a trip to Disneyland if it’s the last thing we do,” she declares, ordering Bill to use his money from the band to tip the mechanic and get him to fix the car caster. She, Bruce, and Kim will take turns driving through the night to make sure they get there in time.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
Dean is overcome with joy as he finally stands in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A. The familiar sights and sounds from The Wonderful World of Disney are now all around him. The whistle of a train pulling into the station. The smell of popcorn in the air. The sight of Mickey Mouse greeting Guests. And a view of Sleeping Beauty Castle beckoning the Williams family onward. Dean wants to ride the Mad Tea Party first, while Kim and Bruce are anxious to get on the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Lillian gives them permission to break away for the morning.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
While waiting in line, Kim tells Bruce that she’s decided not to go to the University of Northern Austin, deciding that she’d like to go to a school closer to home. Bruce, on the other hand, realizes that most of his fights with Tammy were about his own lack of vision for his future. He plans to apply. The gates open, and the siblings soon find themselves aboard their own bobsled, about to be sent through the first tubular steel coaster in the world.
(ABC/John Fleenor)
Meanwhile, Dean spins to his delight in a purple teacup with his mom and dad. Soon after, the entire family are together on the Jungle Cruise. “Mom set out for us to have an unforgettable family vacation, and that’s exactly what we got,” Dean’s narration concludes. “It was the most memorable trip of my childhood.”
You can catch up on past episodes of The Wonder Years on Hulu and Disney+.