Complete story — includes the ending
Six months after Jack and Karen's fallout (from "The House That Jack Built" in Season 4), Norma decides to try to reconcile their relationship. To celebrate Jack's 43rd birthday, the family decides to go out to dinner at Briarcliff Lodge, a restaurant of Jack's choosing, and Kevin decides to secretly surprise the family by picking up the tab with his summer job savings. However, dinner doesn't go as planned: For starters, Karen arrives separately with live-in boyfriend Michael—on his souped-up motorcycle, much to Jack's chagrin. Then the Maitre D' seats the Arnolds—and Michael—at a small table that's too cramped up for them, and Jack continues to spar with Karen over Michael. The high point of the night is when Norma presents Jack with a photo album gift, but things go downhill from there. Afterwards, however, stubborn Jack and headstrong Karen feel badly about the farce and reconcile in the end. This makes Kevin realize that what his father really needed for his birthday was his daughter's goodwill more so than gifts. Recurring guest: David Schwimmer as Michael.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Wonder Years season 5. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license