Aventuras de Pablito Beaver's Electric Trains (1957–1963) Online

June decides to donate Beaver's old train set to a friend's child. She figures Beaver won't care. Not a good decision to make before talking with Beaver. Beaver may be too old to play with trains but not too old to have attachments. When Gilbert stops by the two boys are supposed to be cleaning up the trains, but instead both of them are having a good time playing with them. Wally breaks in on them having fun, and Beaver says he's changed his mind. When invited to join in Wally does hesitate for a second, but he quickly breaks away to take a shower. Wally does agree to help Beaver keep his trains; and says he sort of gave up playing with kids' stuff because he was always encouraged to grow up and be a man, and then you find out you forgot how it was to be a kid.

Well there is always an Eve or apple in the garden of childhood, and this time it's Georgia Battson. She has been sent over to pick up the trains. Wally is a bit flummoxed as this is a pretty girl; and he has promised Beaver to help him keep the trains. However, she puts the "charm" on Wally and he quickly caves on the promise he made to is brother. Gilbet gets it. Wally did it because Georgia Battson is a girl who is stuck on herself, she thinks she looks like Natalie Wood.

Beaver gets angry but what can he do? He locks himself in the bathroom. When Ward arrives home, he has to go and settle things. Ward has his usual talk with Beaver. But Beaver actually figured out he was sort of responsible to go through with the "gift" as he had agreed to give the trains away. Ward figures Beaver has made a moral breakthrough; but Beaver sort of spoils the moment when he suggests he would like a set of trains for his next birthday.

The next day June is a bit concerned that Beaver is thinking about electric trains. Yet, after an afternoon of riding his bike while out with his friends, Beaver comes homes and says instead of trains, a new bicycle would be better as the old one is getting too small to ride. When Ward balks at the possible expense, Beaver reminds him that it was Ward who wanted him to grow; he's not going to chicken out now, implying there is a financial cost incurred in the process. Ward says no, he's in it with Beaver.

A good episode possibly for reasons the writers didn't even see. Just because we grow physically doesn't mean we abandon our childhood completely. I am sure there are a number of adults who have kept some remembrance of their youth or bought one similar on EBay for many times the original price. I was always careful to box up my son's things. He always had a choice to keep something or give it away. I would never have promised to give anything away without getting his permission first. June drops the ball in this episode. She isn't the parent she thinks she is. Even now my grandchildren enjoy the ladybird books we bought for our son when we were all in London. My son hooked up his old Nintendo to a TV for the boys, and they love playing the old games. When they come to visit, they have noticed the old toys of mine I have on display. Their reaction was to shout, Look Grandpa has toys! Yes, I allow them to play with them.

A final consideration, when Beaver comes home from riding the bike through the hills and old bridle trails with just Gilbert and Whitey, all alone and without helmets or elbow and shin guards, he would have had the police at the door. They would be arresting Ward and June for child endangerment, and placing Beaver and Wally in child protection. Such are changing times.

"When I was a child," said St. Paul, "I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways."

But not Beaver Cleaver. While older brother Wally took on new responsibilities and grew into manhood, Beaver seemed to be perpetually straying back into childhood. In this episode, Beaver's parents want to give Beaver's old train set to Jimmy Battson, a little boy in the neighborhood. Beaver at first agrees because he knows he's outgrown it. However, as soon as he and Gilbert (Beaver's chief tempter in the two final seasons) dust off the set and play with it awhile, they become hooked on it and Beaver decides to keep it. He tells Wally to stave off the little boy when he comes to take back the train. But it's the boy's sister Georgia who comes, a sweet and very pretty lass about Wally's age. Wally is done for! He hands the train set over, and when Beaver finds out Wally "double-crossed him in order to get mushy with a girl," he's furious.

With Beaver yelling "Rat! Rat!" and locking himself in the bathroom, it's more or less a flashback to when he was eight years old, even though he's on the verge of entering high school. It's left to Ward to straighten Beaver out and talk him into acting his age.

Beaver's childish behavior is a bit disturbing, but this is a solid episode. The scene between Wally and Georgia ("She goes to boarding school and thinks she looks like Natalie Wood") is excellent. There's also an interesting comment from Ward speculating about Gilbert's dysfunctional parents, whom we never see.