The Heart of Darkness

**The Heart of Darkness** is the first episode in the second season of the original series, *The Wonder Years*.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold
* Josh Saviano as Paul Pfeiffer
* Dan Lauria as Jack Arnold
* Alley Mills as Norma Arnold
* Jason Hervey as Wayne Arnold
* Olivia d'Abo as Karen Arnold
* Danica McKellar as Winnie Cooper

### Recurring Cast

* David Huddleston as 'Grandpa' Albert Arnold
* Michael Tricario as Randy Mitchell
* Brandon Crane as Doug Porter
* Andy Berman as Chuck Coleman
* Lindsay Sloane as Alice Pedermeir
* John Frear as Brett
* Krista Murphy as Carla Healy
* Kathy Wagner as Lisa Berlini
* Crystal McKellar as Rebecca "Becky" Slater
* Wendel Meldrum as Mrs. Heimer
* Holly Sampson as Teri

## Plot Summary

Kevin has been struggling with the uncertainty of growing up. He has been having a series of nightmares every night of slight variance. His first nightmare is where he is making is way through a cave. At one point he thinks Paul and Winnie are with him, but then he is all alone. Then in a flash of light, he is in math class, where the entire class is laughing at him as he is wearing footie pyjamas. The second nightmare is where he is in the cave, then falls into a bottomless pit. Kevin then finds himself in math class, where the entire class is laughing at him because he is in his underwear. The third nightmare is where he is in the cave, holding Winnie as she is suffering from a broken leg. Then in a flash of light, he is in math class. Kevin is fully dressed this time, screaming for his classmates to help Winnie. However, they all laugh at him as he is now holding a big stuffed animal.

In reality, Kevin feels like an outsider. Winnie has stopped wearing her cat's eye glasses, now switching to contacts, and has been accepted by the popular clique. Paul, who has also been feeling left out, is befriended by Gary, a pariah and the school "bad boy". The three of them end up in detention, but Gary says not to worry as he forges the names of Kevin and Paul's mothers on their slips. Kevin comes home late, to Norma's worry, which Kevin moodily remarks he was at Paul's. Gary then invites Paul and Kevin on a camping trip. His idea of camping is far different from Paul's, who brought Kool-Aid and marshmallows. Gary offers beer and cigarettes, as well as bringing portable speakers where they can blast acid rock. Paul then gets drunk from the beer and laughs uncontrollably, to which the adult Kevin reflects "What can I say? Kids of those days were a lot dumber than they are today." Gary then offers to show Kevin and Paul a cave he found, to which the adult Kevin nervously thinks to himself "Cave??".

The cave turns out to be a storm drain, which leads to multiple tunnels. Gary says it was likely built during the World War II years, and points out a couple of tunnels, saying one goes to Sears and another goes to Howard Johnson's. He then points out a tunnel saying that one man attempted to find out where it goes but was never seen again. Gary says the urban legends were that he starved to death and drowned. The adult Kevin reflects how the fear of the nightmares were hitting him full force, so they only thing he could do to not appear chicken was to be argumentative. The child Kevin questions the story, saying the lost man must have starved to death or drowned. When Gary says both, Kevin calls the bluff, saying how can a man die twice? Gary starts making ghost noises, causing Kevin and Paul to leave in disgust. They proceed back to their homes, but as Kevin is returning home, his adult self reflects that he actually felt sorry for Gary. "When all was said and done, he was only a kid, and he needed friends." Kevin's full grown self also reflects that that night since, there were no more nightmares about the cave.

The next morning, Kevin and Paul are together outside, questioning Gary's horror story. Winnie comes over to them wearing her usual glasses. She apologizes for abandoning Paul and Kevin, saying she broke one of her contacts and the cool kids ostracized her for returning to her cat's eye glasses. Kevin and Paul accept her apology.