5 Greatest Sitcom Kisses Of All Time

1. Winnie Cooper & Kevin Arnold - The Wonder Years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV8dW_TU1d4 Episode: 1.1 - "Pilot" This is it. This is the first TV kiss that emblazoned itself upon my memory; for years, I measured every kiss against this standard. It's so true-to-life and quietly romantic. It's not flashy or overly hot, it's not sharply witty and it doesn't come in an explosion of tension. I think I love this scene for exactly those reasons; it's exactly what love's like in real life. This scene comes, surprisingly enough, at the end of the pilot episode; there hasn't been a build of the relationship at all. We're just getting to know the characters; we haven't had a lot of time to get emotionally invested in them. The scene works anyway because it's so similar to experiences that so many of us have had. The pilot episode revolves around Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage)'s first day of junior high. Going to a new school is hard enough without a new love interest. Kevin, however, has to deal with both; at some point over the summer, his neighbor, Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar), has become his dream girl. Partly in attempts to impress Winnie and partially trying to ingratiate himself into the middle-school scene, Kevin pulls lots of stunts during his first day, one landing him in trouble with the principal and incurring the wrath of his father (Dan Lauria). During the drive home, Kevin's mind writhes with terror over the myriad of punishments that surely await him, but the situation is defused when Kevin and his father receive some bad news: Winnie's brother has been killed in Vietnam. Kevin, looking for Winnie, goes to the place they always used to play: Harper's Woods. Finding her there, Kevin sits down next to her. Not much is said in words, but a lot is said through looks; Kevin tells Winnie that he's sorry for her loss and for some hurtful things he said earlier that day. Winnie accepts his apology and, on that note, they share their first kiss, beautifully back-lit by the setting sun and accompanied by Percy Sledge's beautiful "When A Man Loves A Woman." The thing that really makes this scene work is Daniel Stern's voice-over, making us privy to the thoughts of the grown-up Kevin Arnold. The voice-over tells us a lot of things we all know but hardly ever say; it talks about the fact that we never forget our first romance, no matter how much experience in love we gain later on and no matter how passionate some of our later relationships are. It also reminds us that even the most ordinary, run-of-the-mill people are, in fact, people, and as such, we all have our own special stories and personalities, and that we all have a lot to contribute to the world. The voice-over is the cherry on the top of a perfect scene of what this author considers to be the greatest TV series ever. Well, Whatculture readers, there you have it: the five sitcom kisses that set the bar for all the rest. How'd I do? Good? Bad? Let your voice be heard below!Videos courtesy of youtube.com and its users. Image courtesy of tv.com.