Friday, June 19, 2015

Episode Review: "Girl Meets Hurricane" (#2.08)

007: Goldentext here. 

007: The Man With The Golden Text also works. 

I would not stand for this crap if I were Shawn. If you ever needed proof that Shawn Hunter has grown the fuck up, look no further than the fact that he doesn't scoff and storm out of the room during this first scene. Does he have to deal with this every time he tries to hang out with Cory? The girls constantly ambush him with their not-so-subtle "father" schemes. He just wanted to have dinner with his friends!

...He just wanted to have dinner with his friends ;____;
But hey, the best way for people to grow is to set them in unfamiliar circumstances. Granted, this is the nuclear version of that concept, but still. 


The clothes buying scene was weird. I'm not currently up to date on teenage girl fashion, and I'm obviously not a father, so I wasn't really sure how I was supposed to feel about anything. Shawn is the closest thing to an entry point that I have here, and he enjoyed the events, so I'm on board. In particular, I love that Shawn defied expectations by making sure Katy got half the credit for this adventure. You know, Topanga has been underestimating Shawn since the sixth grade. She'll learn one of these days.

The Maya Fashion Show was on point. 
THEY MADE A TEEN BEACH 2? WHERE THEY GO BACK TO THE BEACH? Sayonara suckers! You can find me at Teen Beach 2 Reviewed, I'm done with this minor league shit.

Teacher!Cory taught another lesson purely for the sake of one of the two girls. I'm sure Christian is gonna carpet bomb that scene, so I'll just pre-emptively agree with him.

Okay so the meat of the episode didn't really start until we're at Topanga's. Shawn's dialogue with Katy hit all the right notes, as usual. (Aside, I'm pretty sure I called the shit out of this gag in an earlier review.)
It deserves special mention that Jacobs has made Katy into a very real character after only a sprinkling of appearances. Straight up, she's more real to me than Angela was after three seasons. Her motivations are clearer, her personality is more realistic, and she wields some excellent banter against Lord Banter himself here. She's awesome. I can only imagine a universe where this pairing happened more naturally, without the girls shoving it in our faces all the time. 

And then Angela. She's married now, and doesn't own a telephone apparently. Trina McGee hasn't missed a beat, for what that's worth. She weaves in and around the scene very comfortably. I was pleasantly surprised. The biggest thing Angela and Shawn had in common was shitty parents, so it's actually pretty clever to bring her in to connect their "becoming parents" stories. On the other hand, it's insane that she thinks this is an okay thing to do after, what, more than fourteen years? I don't know, if we pretend that they're Facebook friends who like each other's posts sometimes, then this goes from "really fucking weird" to "I guess this is fine."
It's unfortunate that we learned next to nothing about what she's been up to, and that she never interacted with Topanga. 

I sit here wondering what the point was though. Angela doesn't really reciprocate anything. Shawn helps her out, but... why? At least Eric contributed to the plot. Was this anything more than a fun guest appearance? A brief tying-up of loose ends? I was hoping she would push Shawn over the edge with Katy, but that honor goes to Chet. Did Angela do anything? Am I wrong? Am I crazy?

Speaking of Chet, he completely stole the show for me. Yeah yeah ghost appearances suck, but the gravitas of every line... He gave Shawn the ass kicking he needed. It goes without saying that everyone standing around in silence while Shawn listens to a ghost is weird, I know, it bothers me too, but not enough to stop loving this scene. Shawn frequently needs a good ass kicking, from Chet, Turner, Feeny, Alan, or even Cory, and I'm glad Chet came around for one more. 

As always, it's hard to look past the "Parent Trap"-ness of it all, but ultimately this episode wasn't about Riley and Maya's scheme. It wasn't about "Cory and Shawn," or "Shawn and Angela," or "Shawn and Maya," or even "Shawn and Katy," This is an episode about Shawn Hunter as a person. And, honestly... that's all I've ever really wanted.

And don't miss Teen Beach 2: Back to the Beach, where the teens go back to the beach. 2.
http://teenbeach2reviewed.blogspot.com/

Yeah, ultimately, there was no reason for Angela's appearance in this episode at all, it very much felt shoe-horned in. It was also super weird... in 2015 I can't believe Angela can be married for four years and Shawn wouldn't know. Apparently none of these people have Facebook and did she not invite Cory and Topanga, at least, to the wedding? And, even weirder, after that long of time not talking to each other, she up and flies to New York to have a choppy two-minute conversation with him? The fuck? How'd she even know where he'd be? Topanga's, like, just opened, and she's clearly crazy out-of-touch. Did she fly into town, call Topanga, and be like "Hey, where's Shawn right this very second? Does he even live here?"

Really, though I mainly liked the episode, and I liked the general point of Angela and Shawn's interactions (She moved on, you move on, too), I just thought that whole scene was bad. They tried to fit too much into a very brief conversation. "Hi Shawn! We really need to talk right now! Hey, you hear my Dad died? Can you still see yours as a ghost? Anyway, I'm super married now. Should I have kids? Yeah, you're right, I should. Anyway, hook up with that blonde woman I saw, byeeeeee!"

You know what I think may have worked? If this had been a ghost conversation and not a real one. Not a ghost ghost, but a "She's only here in Shawn's head" ghost. Then she can pop up out of nowhere and it's not bizarre and needing of an explanation, and they can discuss whatever Shawn needs them to discuss and it's fine because she's not a real person. Since we know Shawn's in the habit of doing that, I actually think that may have been nice. Angela's out of his life, gone to who knows where, but she's joined the ranks of Chet as people Shawn calls upon to help him figure out his shit. 

Also, RIP Sergeant Alvin Moore, United States Army. Let us remember the line we all remember him by.  



believe this is our first confirmed BMW/GMW interim death. Who knows how many others are lurking in the shadows waiting to unveil themselves? Nana Boo-Boo? Jack's rich stepfather? Morgan? This was actually a nice touch to mention, though, as awkwardly as Angela did it, because Julius Carry, the actor who played Sgt. Moore (Pennbrook Philosophy professor and Angela's father extraordinaire) passed away in 2008. So, if that's the standard we're going by, the only other ones I can think of offhand are Cory's paternal grandmother and poor Trini. Carry did a fine job in all three of his episodes, and it's a shame he died so, comparatively, young.

Stolen from Entertainment Tonight!
Well, dead fathers and possible ghost Angelas seems as good a time as any to transition into Chet. I like Chet a lot, he's almost assuredly my favorite BMW character who wasn't a main cast member, so I was eagerly anticipating his arrival, and when he didn't show up until after Miley threw the paper airplane, I was starting to worry he got cut for time (since they threw a lot in here this episode) but there he was at the end. I'll try not to comment on how it's weird Shawn's ghost dad aged in his head or that he seemed to have lost more than a touch of his deep Southern accent, but it was nice to see him one last time. RIP Chet Hunter, but don't you go anywhere Blake Clark, you still have Slinky Dog to play in Toy Story 4. 

The meat of this episode was neither of these guest appearances - hell, neither showed up until the episode was over half way over. It was Shawn (and Katy and Maya, I won't lay it all on Shawn's feet, Sean)  and all those aspects of the episode delivered. It still dealt with the problem this aspect of the story has always had, the rushiness of it. And some of it, like the "You should dress differently." felt manufactured. I didn't believe Shawn would say that, and also, like, is that even true? She dresses kind of eclectic and punk sometimes, but it's not like she's wearing tons of lowcut tops and tiny, tiny shorts. She dresses like a creative kid, that's all. Let her be her. You need a reminder of the hooded monstrosities you dressed in when you were her age? Until you transitioned into "all-Hawaiian-shirts-and-leather-jacket-all-the-time"? Fuck off, Hunter. 

Stolen from Getty Images! I don't do my own picture taking!
Though they were on the outskirts, Cory and Riley were both great in this episode too. Ben Savage is at his best in situations like this, where he can be the comic relief while other people handle the dramatic portions. Riley was also great, there were a lot of standout moments with her - her punching Cory the fuck off his chair, her increasingly spastic "LOVE IT!"s, and her "Cluck! I'm a chicken! Cluck!" (Although, I'm not sure you're even allowed to do weird chicken imitation jokes, I think Arrested Development may officially own that.) 

Maya was good, although sometimes when she gets like this I find her a little too earnest and overwrought. Starry-eyed dreamer is a lot tougher to pull off than sarcastic rebel, and Sabrina's not quiiiiiite selling it all the way. Or maybe she's overselling it? I'm not sure what the issue is precisely, but I don't entirely like her when she gets like this, even though I do like Riley when she does. Still, Sabrina's so reliably good that I forgive her. You know who was great in this episode? And has been great all along? Cheryl Texiera as Katy. She's a great find, and I hope this is a breakout role for her. 

Oh, and I should add that I don't think I had a problem with the classroom scene. See, instead of this being a lesson Cory developed entirely for the girls, it seemed like he used the opportunity of a lesson to teach the girls something. His comments to them being smaller asides than what the whole class was about. That's okay, Feeny used to do that a lot. Like he'd be teaching something generally, then just as the bell was ringing, he'd whip out the special little nugget that was explicitly for our heroes, in a "Yeah, that's right, I know what's going on." kind of way. Maybe that's what these classroom scenes needed. The bell ringing more, so you can start off in the classroom, and then have Cory talk to them as everyone else is on their way out. I think the bell rang a lot more in BMW, we were always just catching the last two minutes of class. It was almost always passing period. 

Okay, I'll be done for now. You say things again. And yeah, I definitely thought of you when the girls poked their head over the window. 

Two things I absolutely meant to say in my opening segment. First, enormous respect and gratitude go out to reader/commenter Bsloths for stopping by my charity stream last weekend. You are a good person, Bsloths.

Second, the "life knows what it's doing" theme we had running through the episode. I am in no way a fan of fate or destiny. "Life knows what it's doing" is dangerously close to fate, and I don't like it. It seems like they're mixing messages here. On the one hand, stop taking every relationship so seriously Shawn, like you said, there's only one Cory-and-Topanga. On the other hand, "life knows what it's doing," so take this relationship seriously. This episode was already saturated with other throughlines, there was no reason to shove this "life knows what it's doing" thing in there too.

Yeah, RIP Sergeant Moore, that guy was awesome. I like that they made it canon. 

The chicken thing would have been hilarious if it weren't so completely associated with Arrested Development. But it probably worked for most of the targeted audience. "Dress differently" made no sense to me. I love the way Maya dressed for the whole series so far. Was it supposed to be one of those "poor clothes to nice clothes" transitions? Because she has never looked poor. Or trashy. Or anything that would warrant changing. 

Finally. Sabrina is absolutely overselling it. You hit it exactly, she is way too earnest. Like she remembers what her acting coach said about portraying those emotions, but she hasn't actually had any practice doing it.



I think that's all I have to say.

Yeah, that's sort of my thoughts with Sabrina entirely. She still had good moments in the episode, though. Like Cory, I found her playful boxing of Shawn (complete with "Kapow!"s) very cute. She's just better at this kind of stuff right now, because that kind of stuff is easier to do. She'll get there. 

Yeah, I've been impressed by how well Maya dresses considering her financial disadvantages. But then, the wardrobe department likely has no such disadvantages, so I guess I needn't be so impressed. Either way, I doubt Shawn was meaning she dressed poor. It seemed like he was suggesting she dress more... feminine and less edgy. Which is just a ridiculous comment from anyone under 50, and especially from Shawn Hunter of all people. 

I didn't address Lucas and Farkle at all and that's because they weren't in it much - usually the hallmark of a good episode. They've been becoming stronger this season (well, Lucas has, Farkle hasn't done much of anything) but it's still better when they're not around much. Someone in the comments (I think?) commented on the fact that the show is the best when it's the girls and the adults and... yup. That's exactly correct.  Also, how the hell old was Lucas when he was saving the day during Hurricane Katrina? Four? That was 2005. 

To wrap up, have we seen the end of Angela Moore and Chet Hunter, do you think? Will either of them ever make another appearance or was this their curtain call? And do you think they ought to reappear? Apropos of nothing, you know who I'm ready for another appearance from? Alan and Amy. Alan didn't even get to do much. Chet, Harley, and Minkus have all had bigger roles on GMW than Alan had. Let's get some Alan. Maybe an Alan/Eric scene. Eh? Remember those, show? Those were great.

My guess is that it probably is goodbye for one if not both of them. Angela just has no reason to appear again, and I suspect they don't really want her to, so I think that's it. Chet's just a hard guy to get in an episode, so I don't know. But unlike Angela's return where it felt like they felt like they had to do it, Chet's return was wholly unnecessary -  making it seem like they simply just wanted to do it.  Maybe he'll eventually talk Shawn through proposing or getting married or becoming a father himself. Depends how long we got. 

Episode Rating: B+ (Good premise, exactly what I wanted from Angela, nice Shawn episode, but it loses points for a pretty, just, badly written scene between the two of them which was a notable part of the episode)
Episode MVP: I'm very torn on Rider or Cheryl for this. Obviously this is mainly Rider's episode, but I think Cheryl actually gave the stronger performance, especially considering she didn't get as much screen time. She had to play a lot of conflicting things all at once. So, yeah, Cheryl Texiera wins MVP for me. Rider's runner-up. Rowan Blanchard gets the bronze medal. 

Yeah, about four when he single handedly saved New Orleans during Katrina. You should hear his story about 9/11, that one makes even less sense.

This is probably the end for Angela, but Chet's gotta come back at least one more time when Shawn makes his next life altering decision regarding Katy. Alan certainly deserves an appearance when his son becomes a senator. On the other hand, it's really not his show anymore. Obviously we want to see him because we love him, but Cory is supposed to fill all of those roles now. I dunno.Do you have a scenario in mind for Alan to thrive in?

Sure, Cory fills the role as 'Dad' now, but it's not like Alan and Amy don't have organic reasons to pop up from time to time - they're Riley's grandparents. Surely they can come up with a few grandparent-related storylines? An episode where Riley and Auggie are visiting them for a weekend, something like that. Maybe Maya sneaks along to see Josh. I don't know, you can come up with anything. Meanwhile, Cory, Eric, and Josh are all characters on this show as well, characters for whom interaction with their parents every so often wouldn't feel amiss. 

 I'm not saying we need to see them with Shawn-level frequency, but considering we've seen so much of Josh already, I just think a little more of the Matthews parents might be nice. I mean, we've gotten Harley three times, can't we get Alan at least twice? If Shawn gets to talk to his dead dad about stuff, surely Cory and Eric should be able to talk to their live one who is a far bigger BMW alumnus... and is already hanging around directing episodes, like this one. And while I agree, I absolutely want to see Alan's reaction to Eric becoming a U.S. Senator (I imagine a mix of pride and incredulity) I feel like if he were in that episode we'd have heard about it by now. 

Speaking of that episode... it's coming up next! I believe we'll be off for two weeks and then it's time for Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels Goes to Washington. Week after that is Turner's episode, and week after that is a Season 1 episode they held off on for Season 2 for some reason. Gear up folks.

Sean, last word's yours if you want it? If not, seeya next time, folks!  

The last word is "phlogiston."

54 comments:

  1. It's too bad the girl from the Barney the Dinosaur made for video movie couldn't stay at Demolition and meet Shawn and Ghost-Chet.

    Also this was an amazing episode.

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    1. Was that the same set as Demolition? I missed that completely.

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    2. Yeah, I think they even did an opening shot that showed it called "Demolition" on the outside. Nice continuity, even if we didn't see Aubrey. But then, after the events of that episode, I could see Aubrey quitting.

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    3. Since the actress who plays Aubrey actually has major celebrity pull on the network (yes Barney Goes to the Firehouse is a major linchpin in children's programming) it would've been a bit much to pile on top of Rider/Trina/Blake as it is. Plus there are some complicated behind-the-scenes stuff that's a lot of mean-spirited rumor-mongering beyond the scope of this blog, but the simple answer is the actress is on tour right now for her obligatory music career.

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  2. Also Teen Beach Movie is awesome and you're just going to have to deal with the fact that this is Disney Channel.

    http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--bkAmaati--/sjyy9pmrrlalvpp6aiaa.gif

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    1. Yeah I know, that name is just too funny. I'm not a hater by default though. One of my all time favorite tv movies was on Disney Channel.

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    2. If I can convince you I might take a serious crack at Teen Beach 2 Reviewed, if only to flesh out the joke a little.

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    3. What movie is that, Sean? Zenon the Zequel?!

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    4. muthafuckin Now You See It.

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  3. Nobody is going to make me feel bad about pretty much anything in this episode. Not going to do it. I loved it from start to finish.

    The beginning scene was a little hokey, but my word, everyone played their roles perfectly. Topanga and Katy were on point. Shawn and Maya's interaction was cute and heartfelt. I bought the tears, and Shawn's not knowing how to handle it. But he hung in there. That's new for him, and it shows growth in him. And Riley and Cory were so funny! Riley, especially. This whole episode, Riley was awesome.

    The fashion scene did me in, too. I get kinda sentimental with that stuff. Now, I'm not a dad, and won't be for probably some time. That scene, though, hit me right in the heart. Maya's face as she walked out of the dressing room got me right in my feels. Shawn was so great in that scene, too. As weird as some if this is playing out, he's hooked on this little girl, and wants to make her as happy as he can. Because, he wasn't that happy as a kid. I get that. I buy that. And once again, Riley had a great moment in the store. Move to the fashion show in Riley's room, and those two girls nailed the comedy and the drama. It just worked. So well.

    We get to the classroom, and honestly, I was fine with everything. It played out like a normal classroom scene like we probably should have had more of in this show. All the kids answered their questions, and there was no shenanigans. Although, one of the things I'll nitpick here is that of course Lucas went and volunteered. Because, he's Lucas. But after that, I was fine up until he geared the lesson of Hurricane Katrina to Maya. That last little bit stuck out, but I can live with it.

    Can I say that Rider Strong and Cheryl Texiera have been fantastic on screen together. I would point it out scene by scene, but I'll just encapsulate what I want to say here. I get that we are getting Shawn and Katy thrown in our face by Cory, Riley, and now Maya. Yet, in my opinion, the ends justify the means here. Shawn and Katy's chemistry is so good that it makes me not care that they were sort of set up together. There is genuine emotion there, and they now want to explore the possible relationship. So, I can live with it being thrown at us, because I want to see more of it. Sign me up for Shawn and Katy.

    Now, as for Angela. That was...well...awkward, to quote Cory in this episode. You have to buy that they might be Facebook friends, and that after 14 years of no communication, Angela doesn't have Shawn's phone number. Ok. I can buy that. And as you said, Sean, I like how they tied the family aspect to her return. She's married, and now is facing the big thing that affected Shawn and her's relationship. Children. Now, is it kind of weird that Angela flew from wherever she was to meet Shawn to essentially ask for his blessing to have babies? Yes. Its extremely weird. But, I get the point here. One the same side of that coin, do I need Angela's blessing for Shawn and Katy..no. But, if this is us closing the door on Shangela, then, I can live with that too. This felt like a one time thing with her.

    Chet. My God was he amazing. He was like a heavyweight fighter coming into the ring for his last fight. In the still picture of him that we had before this episode, he looked kind of frail. Oh, but my friends, he was still Chet Hunter dammit! Each word had meaning and gravitas. Like he was laying it into Shawn in the best way possible. He indeed stole the show. Loved his return.

    Episode Grade: A+ Like I said, you aren't going to make me feel bad about anything in this episode. I irrationally love it.

    Episode MVP: Rowan Blanchard & Sabrina Carpenter. The girls brought their A games tonight, and damn did it show. Special mention to Rider Strong and Cheryl Texeira, too. They were tremendous, as well.

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    1. I was worried about Blake Clarke too, especially after William Daniels seemed so frail. But just like you said, he came out SWINGING. Top form.

      I agree with everything else you're saying too, but Chet... mmm.

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    2. Yeah, Chet was just awesome. Really perfect.

      OH, and you're not crazy. While it was kinda subtle, I can't stand here and say Angela's return really brought much to the episode.

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  4. I liked this quite a bit. I'll get to Angela stuff right away. It was very awkward and a lot to take in for so little screen time. I liked that it was about parents instead of her getting married and wanting to talk Shawn about it like I've seen suggested elsewhere. Honestly, there isn't any reason for non-family characters from the past to show up again on this show, but they do so I just accept it.

    The "Ghost Angela" idea isn't bad, Shawn is crazy. Facebook has been mentioned in the review and comments, I think it would've made a stronger story if she became friends with Topanga and was in NY so they went to meet up and Shawn was invited. Or something, I don't know. Since the foundation of Topanga and Angela's friendship was expositing dialogue, they could get some of the awkward information out the way and have a more natural conversation between Shawn and Angela.

    I think the show works best when the co-leads interact with the adults, especially in Maya's case where the actress is more advanced in the craft than Lucas or Farkle and gets to work with someone her speed like Shawn. I like the Shawn and Katy scenes as well, there energy isn't as manic and not as Disneyfied, feels a bit more natural. The 'Parent Trap' schemes are ridiculous, but I enjoyed the window bit. Also Maya's yay when Angela said she was married.

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  5. You guys, I am so, so happy. I usually agree with most of your criticisms, but I agree with pwfan, this episode was a definite A+ for me, perfect from start to finish. This episode is what every other episode should strive to be. Sometimes their attempts to be funny are cringe-worthy, but I laughed out loud for most of this episode. And it kept its sense of humor all while pushing the Katy/Shawn/Maya storyline forward and showing some real growth for all three. It felt like Sabrina was playing the optimism kind of weird on purpose -- like the hope didn't quite fit her but she really wanted to be a positive person like Riley so she was trying. Maybe that's giving her too much credit, but I bought it.

    They addressed the issue of Shawn only being into Katy because of Maya, which had bothered me, and Angela and Chet were both used effectively to further the plot/Shawn's arc whereas I think Eric and the other Matthewses so far (except Josh) contributed nothing of substance. I agree with Christian that the whole point of Angela was that she moved on, so now Shawn could. That might be really immature, but Shawn in GMW has obviously never been able to let go of her (I think they've mentioned her name in every episode he's been in), so seeing her one last time truly shut the door on their relationship, like pwfan said. She's about to have children with someone else -- now Shawn can feel free to do that, too. That's pretty realistic. She also set up the Ghost Chet idea, and I saw it as leaving it open for more appearances by Blake. I hope, anyway!

    I think you can make up whatever you want with Angela. Shawn doesn't strike me as someone who would bother with social media, but given the fact that we didn't see Angela and Topanga interact I'm guessing they've kept in touch, and she mentioned she was going to be in New York, could she visit and maybe could Topanga tell her where Shawn was living. Or maybe she and Shawn really are fb friends but her husband's not on it, so she didn't put that she was married. And I bet it was a small wedding on a military base somewhere, and Topanga and Cory sent a gift but couldn't exactly drop everything and go to Europe for the weekend. The way the scene was blocked, Cory had obviously talked to Angela before introducing her with that very-Cory-like knock-knock joke. I bet she'd been having coffee or something with Topanga, Cory, and Auggie earlier that day, and then Cory mentioned that Shawn was at the bakery so he brought her over. (It looked like Riley was as surprised to see her as anyone, but I feel like Riley had to have met her beforehand. Angela wouldn't basically ignore Cory and Topanga's daughter). And then yes, she wanted to come ask Shawn about having children, but really I think it was more about her fear of moving on as well. Maybe her husband's parents are still together so she knew he would sympathize when she voiced her concerns about being a mother, but he wouldn't really *understand*, and that's why she started thinking about Shawn again. It seemed like her dad's death was pretty recent (I read it as maybe a few months) and her husband's obviously away a lot, so she took the opportunity to go see Shawn one more time and hoped he would say the right thing and confirm her decision to have kids. I mean yes, it was random to show up out of the blue like that after so long, but I buy it in the way I buy a lot of sitcom contrivances. Usually this show doesn't do them so well, but maybe because of how short and to the point Angela's scene was, I felt it was one of those things you can justify in your head and just accept.

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    1. I dunno, man. I think there's no way Cory and Topanga knew Angela was married either, because they'd have told Shawn, and they'd have told Riley and Maya when they expressed clear angst over it.

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    2. Didn't think of that. Topanga might be able to keep that secret, but Cory definitely couldn't. OK, so the wedding was family only and she doesn't talk to Topanga very much at all, but I'd still like to think they kept in touch. :-)

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    3. I don't know, Christian. They made it very clear here that Shawn and Angela have had next to no contact in 14 years. So, maybe the same could be said about Angela and Cory/Topanga. Or at the very least, they didn't know until she got to NY about her dad's passing and getting married.

      The one scene that makes me believe Cory was in on Angela's return was when Angela left the coffee shop, she stopped, looked at the table and then her and Cory shared a brief look. As if to say, "Thanks for coming". I kind of believe that Angela's return was orchestrated by Cory.

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    4. I LOVE that idea, pwfan. Getting Angela to come and give Shawn "permission" to move on is completely something Cory would do and it's a really nice idea. Total headcanon for me from now on!

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    5. Yes, I have to believe that if Cory and Topanga knew Angela was married, Cory wouldn't have asked Shawn why he and Angela didn't end up together in Pluto. Shawn was talking there like he still had hope for them and neither Cory nor Topanga would have let that go if they knew Angela was unavailable. They both care for Shawn too much for that to be allowed.

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  6. Oh, and the clothing thing was a little weird, but I took "dress better" as stop looking so sloppy and take yourself seriously. I never had a problem with how Maya dressed, but they put her in the Rolling Stones t-shirt here on purpose (LOVE that Auggie had it on at the end!) so maybe it was the first thing that came to Shawn's mind and then it sort of snowballed on him.

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    1. It looked like she stepped out of one of her own music videos Disney promotes all the time. That may have even been the point.

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    2. I understand what Shawn was saying there. Maya/Sabrina is a pretty girl, and while she doesn't dress like a tomboy, its close. She wears nothing but rock band/NYC tee shirts and short shorts or short skirts. I believe we have seen her in a dress twice. Once was on her birthday. Shawn saw her then, maybe he realized that she looked better then. Maya is never going to have the wardrobe of Riley. Katy is doing great work just feeding and clothing her in Manhattan on her salary. Sometimes, especially for kids, dressing better gives them a boost of self confidence that bleeds over in the rest of their life. I see what Shawn says as his way of saying "you could be so much more" and you need to try and believe in yourself. Feeling good about yourself is a step in the right direction here. Remember she had just told them she hadn't done her homework. Good for Shawn. Some character growth from him on another front besides women. Good for him.

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    3. I think you hit the nail on the head, 1960. The clothes are more than just that. I think the clothes represent hope, and self-worth for Maya. Remember, this is a girl who just last season believed her mother and her drove her father away. That's not something that you get over quickly. Shawn is taking a legitimate interest in her, and the clothes are just a symbol of that. She said it herself, "Nobody has cared enough to say that to me before". In the end, it's not about the clothes. Its about how they make her feel, and how they have an affect on her. They give her hope.

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  7. It would almost be downright criminal to not give episode MVP to Rider, he just about floored me. I don't know how to say it other than "this is the most Shawn Shawn's been" without feeling like it's unfairly disrespectful to both Boy Meets World and this show and the character/actor himself. Maybe it was just a really strong performance and I really feel like this has been one of the most critical watershed moments for post-Boy Meets World Shawn, where he really has to start deciding if he's still going to be freelance, can-live-anywhere-he-wants Shawn and settled-down, not-going-to-make-the-same-mistakes-of-those-before Shawn.
    But if the actress who ends up playing Katy ends up winning MVP I don't think I can complain.

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    1. Oh, or Blake Clark for that matter too. Like you said he came out swinging and he absolutely did not miss a beat from Boy Meets World.

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  8. Well, this was perhaps the best episode so far this season. Were there issues? Well yes, but not big enough to override the great overall entertainment and feeling this provided.

    I thought that the playfulness of Maya and Shawn at the opening was a little overdone, but it is a kids show, and it was nothing overboard. Maya and Shawn's relationship (whatever it is called) is going through it's exciting discovery period it seems, and Cory seems to be jealous. Poor Cory. Riley however is excellent as usual with her lines and her punching Cory is great. Topanga's line that they are about to crash and burn was great and I believed she was spot on, but OMG, they didn't kill it after all. And then Cory gets his revenge on Riley. Nice. But Riley gets the last word. Topanga and Katy seemed to bond as well. Cheryl Texiera has really been nailing every scene she has been in, nice casting choice there.

    The scene at Demolition was good with Cory channeling a little Alan Matthews to Shawn. Cory doesn't do a lot of serious parenting, but this was well done (maybe it's because Alan Matthews was directing). Maya definitely looked different (and good) and seemed genuinely grateful for the attention. I liked Cory sticking to his word and not buying Riley anything and telling Shawn he would teach him the "NO" part later. Cory's remark that this might be his favorite day ever was also great. We know he loves Maya and his bromance with Shawn is one for the ages and seeing his best friend get to experience some of what he and Topanga have gotten over the last 13 years was great.

    Back to the bakery and I did like that Shawn that made sure to remind Maya that even though he bought the clothes, she shouldn't forget that her mother has struggled to raise her right all these years. It's easy to be all grateful to Shawn at this time and forget mom, but this was the right message.

    Off to Riley's room and I think Maya's revelation that perhaps she should have a little hope in her life was nice. I also think if she hadn't let Riley should out that last "Love It" her head might actually have exploded! This episode is hitting everywhere.

    Now off to class and here is one of the places that I have issues with what takes place. The teaching/lesson stuff was great. We really don't see Cory channel Feeny/Turner in class often, but here it was a great lesson with the kids participating correctly. The issues I had here are
    1: His message to Maya should have been done in private, not in front of the class. That might be a small issue, but nevertheless, that’s how I feel it should have been handled.
    2. This is taking place in fall 2015. If we give Lucas the Good the benefit of the doubt, he is 15 right now. Katrina hit in August of 2005. Did his parents take a 5 year old into a disaster area to help clean up? Really? If he had said they had gone to help and told him the story I would have had no problems there, but this was a case of the writers not doing some basic math I believe. The lesson was important but not very believable for me. Sorry if no one else was bothered by this.

    Time to reply to my own post to continue -

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    1. Back to Topanga's and Shawn and Katy have their first meaningful conversation and the chemistry between the two of them is great. We needed more of this between them before the writers got them to where they arrived at the end of this episode though IMO. Shawn telling Katy that you have to pick yourself up and move on though seemed strange, as it seems that he still hasn't moved on from Angela. Next Cory shows up and his hilarious again, especially as he leaves after Angela arrives. Now is the last issue I have with this episode. Shawn and Angela just needed more time on screen together to say the things that all the fans needed to hear. I had no issues with what they said or how it was delivered, but it was just too short. This episode could have been split into 2. Shawn/Maya/Katy relationship in 1, Shawn/Angela and its fallout in another, but I don't get to write this, so I'm at the mercy of those who do. Angela needed some time with Topanga onscreen for sure and it would have been nice to see the Cory/Topanga/Shawn/Angela quartet onscreen together for a scene alone one more time. Maybe that will happen in another scene somewhere in the future.

      Outside, it’s nice to see Maya holding on to her hope. It may not end the way she wants it to, but she can't let go yet. Maya's "Yay" yell when Angela says she is married was great. Riley finally appreciating what she has with her father was touching.

      Ending at Demolition was also nice. Cory being happy that Topanga wasn't buying any clothes was spot on. If you haven't been married yet, you'll get to know that feeling after you are. The call back to Auggie Super Spy was nice. Katy putting herself out there asking Shawn for a date was a great call. Riley telling Shawn this was an important time in his life was too obvious that Chet was gonna show up right there. His advice was right on. I too noticed that his voice has lost some of that drawl he had in BMW. But hey, it wasn't enough to bother me.

      Grade: A+ - best episode this year and my second favorite of all so far. MVP - tough call, but I'm gonna go with Cheryl Texiera. Katy was great again. How long until Rider and Cheryl are upped into series regulars? Now the 3 week wait for Mr. Squirrels.

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  9. The "dress differently" thing was kind of random and didn't really make sense to me. I mean Maya's new clothes were cool and made for some great gags but the advice was strange.

    Angela coming back into town just to ask a guy she hasn't seen in 14 years whether or not she should have kids is just creepy, not to mention totally unrealistic. I'd be cool with her appearance if she was a ghost, or if she just happened to be in town and they ran into each other, but her going all the way to NYC just to ask Shawn if she should have kids? No. But I did appreciate they didn't make her into some heartbreaking bitch like I was afraid they would.

    I like the note they left the two of them on, and the fact that most high school relationships aren't Cory and Topanga and that's okay. But I still don't see a spark between Shawn and Katy. The Kermit bit ALMOST had me but then it got weird.

    So basically like every other episode involving this storyline this one was really forced and rushed. I like seeing Rider and all but I'm starting to dread the episodes he's in because I know we're going to be getting more of this crap.

    Grade: B I guess
    MVP: Blake Clark as Chet Hunter because he's still awesome

    Also I'm sad we're not getting another new episode for three weeks but I'm excited that the next one is another Will Friedle appearance! Should be pretty funny.

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    1. Don't worry, just watch Teen Beach 2 over and over until the next episode.

      And then add to the raging discussion at http://teenbeach2reviewed.blogspot.com/2015/06/review.html

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  10. So I'm late to the party but for all those up and arms about Lucas the good volunteering for hurricane Katrina it actually wasn't CRAZY unrealistic. I know a group that was still going there every summer rebuilding houses and they were still repaving roads. The damage took almost a decade to be rebuilt. Although the comments about him single handedly saving New Orleans was hilarious and it was classic Lucas the good.

    Now everything about Angela showing up out of nowhere and no one knowing she had been married and asking Shawn if she should have children because she couldn't trust her husband of four years to know her, that was CRAZY unrealistic. But I can let it slide because as many have said, I absolutely loved this episode and I liked how they gave closure to Angela and Shawn despite setup. Besides the writers have never been ones for continuity.

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    1. Oh, you know, that's a good point. There's nothing that says Lucas had to have done this in 2005, you're right.

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  11. We've wrapped up the review, so I don't want to edit it and make it keep going, but I did mean to say that I didn't care for the "Is it over between us?" "It's not you, it's me." fake relationship business between Cory and Riley. It's funny when platonic best friends Cory and Shawn do it. It's not funny when a grown man and his preteen daughter does it.

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  12. I guess that this episode brought along some unintended controversy, courtesy of Trina McGee herself, aka Angela. What happened you may ask. Well, after the episode ended, McGee was answering question on Twitter and was giving off the heavy impression that she did not enjoy her guest spot. She seemed upset that so much time was given to Shawn, and not enough for Angela. Maybe that is a reasonable complaint...until she doubled down. She then said on Twitter something to the affect that the GMW writers were racist and was the reason her scene was so small. Color me shocked. Look, its ok to be upset that you believe you weren't used to your characters full potential. Yet, this is some really stupid shit to be putting out there considering you haven't been relevant as an actress since BMW ended. What is she thinking? Anyway, her account has since been suspended, yet if you want to read her tweets here's the link.

    https://twitter.com/realtrinamcgee

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    1. holy shit... Pwfan you are on the ball like 100% of the time man. That is some crazy shit to read.

      Unrelated to everything is my annoyance at her ending almost every tweet with "RETWEET!"

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    2. apparently there was a deleted one that read "they definitely killed my character. I'm fully offended. it read racist to me. The black girl was run out of town."

      wuh oh.

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    3. I'm sorry, I find this all ridiculous.. All you need to do is turn on the TV and you see what happened in Charleston, what's been continually happening with police officers around the company. There's honest-to-god racism in this country, and it's bad, and it doesn't exist on fucking Girl Meets World. Angela's role in the show is over, yes, and it's not because she's black, it's because she's Shawn's ex-girlfriend and Shawn is one of the characters we follow. What role could there possibly be on this show for Riley's father's best friend's ex-girlfriend?

      Angela only existed to serve the character of Shawn. Just like Jack existed to serve Shawn and Eric, and Rachel existed to serve Eric and Jack. There were the main characters of BMW (Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric, and literally no one else) and then there were supporting characters who existed to enhance their stories, as best they could. When the characters changed, those supporting characters changed. Alan and Amy had big roles early on when a kid's mom and dad is an ever-present part of their existence, and they shifted to the background when their sons grew older and their parents became less of an every day presence. It wasn't an indictment of Amy and Alan, it's just... what happens.

      And that's what's happening here with Angela. Michael Jacobs made the (in my opinion, wise) decision that Shawn and Angela also ending up together, when Cory and Topanga already did, would be cheesy and lame. That there's more story, and more of the Shawn we know, if a jaded adult Shawn needs to find love again. This necessitates Angela not really being a part of this show. That's all it is. They're not racists who didn't want Shawn to end up with a black girl - they invented the black girl to be Shawn's main love interest in Boy Meets World. They didn't inherit her and not want her. They're the same people who made her up in the first place. Anything anyone likes or find compelling about Angela... they were the one's who wrote that!

      Lastly, I'll repeat what I just emailed to Shawn about this - I'd find her righteous indignation more compelling if it hadn't been preceded by her cashing their check first. She didn't have to participate in this episode. She's not contractually obligated to do shit. She could have read the episode, said fuck you, and that would be the end of it. But she agreed to it. For her to take their money, say their words, and then turn around and slam them in public (for no good reason other than being salty because you're not going to appear all the time) is pretty unprofessional and petty.

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    4. Around the country, I meant, not the company. At the time of this writing, America is a nation and not a corporation.

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    5. I'm just happy that you finally called me Shawn. It had to happen eventually.

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    6. Christian, I agree 1000% with what you just said. For Ms. McGee to take their money knowing what the roles, then scream racism at a time like this just shows the kind of person she is. I find her righteous indignation laughable, and quite honestly, very shallow considering the climate of race relations in this country. It actually goes to show why Trina hasn't been a relevant actress in the 15 years since the end of BMW.

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    7. Considering what Trina McGee dealt with on the original show, and what she dealt with on set during her guest spot on GMW, I don't blame her for feeling short changed. Knowing what we know now, this whole thread aged like spoiled milk. And I don't think the writers should have even bothered bringing Angela back if this is the best material they had for her.

      Also, I'm not accusing you guys of anything, but there's something off-putting about a bunch of white people dismissing how a black woman might be feeling about her experiences. But I do have to admit that this is based on information that was revealed last year. In 2015, nobody knew this.

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  13. This episode was bullshit from start to finish I mean the only advice Shawn could give to Maya was about her clothes? I love the way she dress with her dark brooding-ness. I feel her characterization is happening too fast and now she's turning into another Riley. Maybe it's the fact they only do four seasons a show. I don't know and I don't like it her happy, giddiness seems too forced on for me.

    And then comes Angela... ok first. I liked Angela in Boy Meets World her character was fun and she said what was on her mind and not to mention she was Shawn's first love meaning a big fucking thing to everyone who knows how Shawn is when it comes to the two week rule.

    Then they broke up yet she was still friends with everyone in the group and when she left they said she would be gone for only a year and when everyone parted it was with good feelings. Yet when she does pop up Cory treated her with the coldest shoulder, but he was fighting for them ...and to be her friend. That makes no sense to me especially when he barely even knows Katy and he's throwing Angela to waste like she meant nothing at all like no one was happy to see her. Why are you painting her as such a bad guy? She was so important and liked people liked her they wrote everyone else off as to like her, but she comes back and ... No one cares.

    To me (and a lot of other people if tumblr is any indication) Angela was very important, but the way she came up out of absolutely nowhere with no hint as to where she's been, what she's been up to, how she even FOUND him with years of no communication is lazy and disappointing.

    As the writers say she's been gone for over 15 years—though it was supposed to be 1, but let me not—it seems a bit overtly odd that she'd somehow come to New York, find Shawn and ask if she's ready to have kids with a man she's been married to for 3 years cause he's the only one she trusts to ask something like that. Then see some people gawking at him through a window and say (Wow you two should definitely be together yep just go ahead enter their family become a father, start to date this wonderful woman I just seen through the window, but I just know she's the one for you cause you wanna be somebody's dad soooo bad yep you have my blessing)

    If they were trying to have a reason to have them not be together it could've been done way better than that, like hmmm not have had her come on at all? Say she came back before, but it didn't feel the same? This plot was so weak and sad I felt embarrassed for seeing it to the end.

    I just don't understand the whole 'you're the only one I trust', but what happened to writing each other? When your year was up why you didn't come back? When your father died why you didn't come share with your best friends and boyfriend? When you got married why you didn't invite anyone were y'all not close? Cause the writers sure made it that way.

    There's just too much to know and not enough explanation in the 3 little minutes they gave her. It just makes absolutely no sense at all to me and I won't accept this lmao not at all.

    It's obvious she was just used so people would tune in and fall for this to be happy-go-lucky with them pushing Katy and her daughter into Shawn's arms. But mostly everyone seems to be ok with this undignified bs so whatever go on.

    What's also even worse is the whole 'its too unrealistic' explanation, but being 'in love since you were babies or two' or whatever retconned plot they're gonna come up next with, also realistic having the same teacher since 6 grade to college (i laugh) Farkle being Minkus child and conveniently being in the same class as them like ok Mr. Michael Jacobs your call. ✌

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    1. Yeah you said it all. It was pretty bad. But hey that's the writers for you. Don't blame the characters for this one.

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  14. I realize it doesn't really change you guys' argument, but I just want to say that after Katrina, I went down there for Katrina relief in 2006 and 2007. Just because it happened in 05 doesn't mean that relief efforts didn't go on for years after.

    And while I down there, I absolutely saw parents with their children down there volunteering, as well, trying to do whatever they could to help.

    Not trying to bash you guys or anything. I absolutely love this blog. Just trying to inform.

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  15. literally will friedleNovember 7, 2016 at 4:15 PM

    The thing that I found least believable about the episode was Angela thinking Shawn was the only person she could go to when asking if she would be a good mother, or whatever. We have to assume that:

    a. She has made no significant friends in fourteen years
    b. She hasn't changed in the slightest in fourteen years

    The first one is a major stretch, but I suppose it could happen, assuming Angela essentially kept herself moving for ~8-9 years before meeting some dude (did we get a name?) and settling down.

    The second...sounds ridiculous. Sure, Shawn already...tried to deal with Angela's abandonment issues (she was terrified she was going to leave him and then KINDA SORTA DID YOU KNOW), but still. Like, there are people I was close with in high school who changed pretty drastically in college and then even more so after that, to the point where I basically don't know them after ~9 years.

    I dunno. I feel like a ghost-Angela would have made more sense, not only from an awkward-shoe-horned-in standpoint but from a character standpoint. It works better if she's the same exact person she was fourteen years ago, which she WOULD be in Shawn's head.

    like maybe they could have worked in topanga and cory talking about her being married earlier and then shawn finds out and whatever

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    1. literally will friedleNovember 7, 2016 at 4:17 PM

      that's not to say that i didn't think this was an excellent episode, because it was very good.

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    2. I really like your ghost-Angela idea, literally will friedle. That would have been great!

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  16. Cory ran ahead of Angela into Topanga's and did that bit with Shawn before Angela walked in. I'd assume there's a cut scene, or at least an insinuated one, where Cory gets home, sees Angela and Topanaga finishing a conversation (perhaps Angela flew in to surprise Topanga) and he runs off to warn Shawn as Angela follows behind. I wish that scene had been there and they cut the school scene.

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  17. if i didnt know shawn i'd think him feeding maya was creepy tbh

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  18. I mean, clearly they put such minimal thought into what Angela would've been doing after BMW ended outside of what they needed her to say to Shawn for the plot. We're supposed to buy that after 15 years, four of which she spent married, "no one" knows Angela the way Shawn does? Not her husband? No friends? Just an ex boyfriend who she knew literally half of her life ago? Sure.

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