AND NOW, it's time to decide each division's champion, a champion to move forward into the top 8. Christian would say "Elite Eight" because of sports, but HE'S NOT HERE IS HE. HMMM WHERE COULD HE BE, I DON'T KNOW.
Anyway. Let's get started. Some of these matches were posted for a several minutes a few days ago, which was my mistake. If you were in the five or so people who managed to vote in that time, have no fear, your vote is still stored.
MATCH #1
Cory Matthews
CONTESTANT: Cornelius "Cory" A. Matthews
Portrayed By: Ben Savage (1993-2000, 2014-present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: Ongoing
Signature Episodes: Christ. Like all of 'em. It's Cory. Here's one from each season though: "Teacher's Bet", "Danger Boy", "Brother Brother", "Wheels", "Things Change", "Better than the Average Cory", "Brave New World"
Episode Count: 192 (and counting) - only character to appear in every single episode of the Meets World franchise
Claim to Fame: Main character of Boy Meets World
Occupation: History teacher at John Quincy Adams Junior High
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Slavishly loyal, altruistic, reliable, can muster happiness and enthusiasm over the smallest things
Weaknesses: Neurotic, self-absorbed, hopelessly resistant to change, can muster paranoia and despair over the smallest things
vs.
Frankie Stecchino
CONTESTANT: Francis "Frankie" Albert Stecchino Jr. AKA Frankie the Enforcer
Portrayed By: Ethan Suplee (1994-1998)
First Episode: "Back 2 School"
Latest Episode: "Graduation"
Signature Episodes: "Cyrano", "New Friends and Old", "Sixteen Candles and Four-Hundred Pound Men"
Episode Count: 19
Claim to Fame: High school bully, taciturn poet
Occupation: Unknown, planning to be a criminal last we heard
Approximate Age: 40
Current Status: Unknown
Strengths: Soulful, Poetic, Strong
Weaknesses: Shy, Insecure, Prone to violence
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Cory has defeated Frankie with 97% of the vote against 3%.
MATCH #2
Jonathan Turner
CONTESTANT: Jonathan Turner
Portrayed By: Anthony Tyler Quinn (1994-1997, 2015-present)
First Episode: "Back 2 School"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Creativity"
Signature Episode: "Home", "I Never Sang For My Legal Guardian", "Girl Meets the New Teacher"
Episode Count: 49 (with more to come, likely)
Claim to Fame: John Adams High English Teacher, Shawn's guardian
Occupation: New York City School Superintendent
Approximate Age: Early 50s
Current Status: Living in New York
Strengths: Independent, Gutsy, Unconventional
Weaknesses: Occasionally dodges commitment, maybe a little reckless with the motorcycle
vs.
George Feeny
CONTESTANT: George Feeny
Portrayed By: William Daniels (1993-2000, 2014, 2015)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Pluto"
Signature Episode: "Father Knows Less", "City Slackers", "Life Lessons", "B&B's B'n'B", "Brave New World", God, I could have done so much more.
Episode Count: 145
Claim to Fame: Everyone's teacher/mentor
Occupation: Teacher/Principal/Professor (retired)
Approximate Age: 80s
Current Status: Living in Philadelphia
Strengths: Wise, Dedicated to his students, Probably omniscient
Weaknesses: Reserved, Prone to let life pass him by, plays favorites
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Feeny has defeated Turner with 91% of the vote against 9%.
MATCH #3
Topanga Matthews
CONTESTANT: Topanga Lawrence-Matthews
Portrayed By: Danielle Fishel (1993-2000, 2014-present)
First Episode: "Cory's Alternative Friends"
Latest Episode: Ongoing
Signature Episode: "Cory's Alternative Friends", "Boy Meets Girl", "Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow", "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh", "Starry Night", "Graduation", a lot more, it's Topanga
Episode Count: 175 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's girlfriend/wife
Occupation: Attorney/Owner of Topanga's Cafe
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Perfectionist, Intelligent, Empathetic
Weaknesses: Perfectionist, Bossy, Not always tons of fun
vs.
Amy Matthews
CONTESTANT: Amy Matthews
Portrayed By: Betsy Randle (1993-2000, 2014)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Home for the Holidays"
Signature Episode: "I Ain't Gonna Spray Lettuce No More", "A Long Walk to Philadelphia (Part 2)", "How to Succeed in Business"
Episode Count: 135
Claim to Fame: Cory and Eric's mother
Occupation: Gallery worker/Real Estate agent/Matthews & Son Co-Owner
Approximate Age: 60
Current Status: Living in Philadelphia
Strengths: Perceptive, Pragmatic, Loving
Weaknesses: Not as well-drawn as Alan
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Topanga has defeated Amy with 85% of the vote against 15%.
Topanga has defeated Amy with 85% of the vote against 15%.
MATCH #4
Angela Moore
CONTESTANT: Angela Shinaynay Moore
Portrayed By: Trina McGee-Davis (1997-2000, 2015)
First Episode: "Boy Meets the Real World"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Signature Episodes: "Chasing Angela", "Friendly Persuasion", "Angela's Men", "Angela's Ashes"
Episode Count: 56
Claim to Fame: Shawn's first love
Occupation: Unknown
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Still living in Europe, maybe?
Strengths: Complex, Outgoing, Shawn Hunter's dream girl
Weaknesses: Trust issues, a little self-centered
vs.
Shawn Hunter
CONTESTANT: Shawn Patrick Hunter
Portrayed By: Rider Strong (1993-2000, 2014-present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Signature Episodes: "The Fugitive", "Home", "The Eskimo", "If You Can't Be With the One You Love...", "We'll Have a Good Time Then...", "Family Trees", "Angela's Ashes"
Episode Count: 162 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's best friend
Occupation: Blogger/Photographer for Hit the Road
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Globetrotter, but starting to become more based in Manhattan
Strengths: Soulful, Charming, Devil-may-care
Weaknesses: Self-destructive, Self-pitying, Avoidance issues
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Shawn has defeated Angela with 96% of the vote against 4%.
MATCH #5
Eric Matthews
CONTESTANT: Eric Randall Matthews
Portrayed By: Will Friedle (1993-2000, 2015-Present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Signature Episode: "Brother Brother", "You Can Go Home Again", "Uncle Daddy", "Security Guy", "Learning to Fly", "Raging Cory", "Eric Hollywood", "Can I Help to Cheer You?", "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad", "Brotherly Shove"
Episode Count: 157 (and hopefully counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's older brother
Occupation: Junior Senator from the State of New York, former Mayor of St. Upidtown.
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Splits time between St. Upidville, NY and Washington, D.C.
Strengths: Genius(/Idiot), Charismatic, Incorruptible
Weaknesses: Idiot(/Genius), Irresponsible, Occasional narcissism
vs.
Jack Hunter
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
MATCH #6
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Alan has defeated Chet with 85% of the votes against 15%.
MATCH #7
Maya Hart
vs.
Farkle Minkus
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Griff Hawkins
vs.
Riley Matthews
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
CONTESTANT: Angela Shinaynay Moore
Portrayed By: Trina McGee-Davis (1997-2000, 2015)
First Episode: "Boy Meets the Real World"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Signature Episodes: "Chasing Angela", "Friendly Persuasion", "Angela's Men", "Angela's Ashes"
Episode Count: 56
Claim to Fame: Shawn's first love
Occupation: Unknown
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Still living in Europe, maybe?
Strengths: Complex, Outgoing, Shawn Hunter's dream girl
Weaknesses: Trust issues, a little self-centered
vs.
Shawn Hunter
CONTESTANT: Shawn Patrick Hunter
Portrayed By: Rider Strong (1993-2000, 2014-present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Signature Episodes: "The Fugitive", "Home", "The Eskimo", "If You Can't Be With the One You Love...", "We'll Have a Good Time Then...", "Family Trees", "Angela's Ashes"
Episode Count: 162 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's best friend
Occupation: Blogger/Photographer for Hit the Road
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Globetrotter, but starting to become more based in Manhattan
Strengths: Soulful, Charming, Devil-may-care
Weaknesses: Self-destructive, Self-pitying, Avoidance issues
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Shawn has defeated Angela with 96% of the vote against 4%.
Eric Matthews
CONTESTANT: Eric Randall Matthews
Portrayed By: Will Friedle (1993-2000, 2015-Present)
First Episode: "Pilot"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Signature Episode: "Brother Brother", "You Can Go Home Again", "Uncle Daddy", "Security Guy", "Learning to Fly", "Raging Cory", "Eric Hollywood", "Can I Help to Cheer You?", "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad", "Brotherly Shove"
Episode Count: 157 (and hopefully counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory's older brother
Occupation: Junior Senator from the State of New York, former Mayor of St. Upidtown.
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Splits time between St. Upidville, NY and Washington, D.C.
Strengths: Genius(/Idiot), Charismatic, Incorruptible
Weaknesses: Idiot(/Genius), Irresponsible, Occasional narcissism
vs.
Jack Hunter
CONTESTANT: Jack Hunter
Portrayed By: Matthew Lawrence (1997-2000, 2015)
First Episode: "Brothers"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Signature Episode: "Brothers", "Boy Meets Real World", "Getting Hitched", "You Light Up My Union", "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Episode Count: 65
Claim to Fame: Shawn's half-brother, Eric's second sidekick
Occupation: Lobbyist/Corporate Shill
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Living in.... New York? Was that made clear?
Strengths: Driven, Practical, Good guy deep down, Can handle Eric (though not quite as well as Jason)
Weaknesses: Amoral, Elitist, Vain, If It Ain't Broke....
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Eric has defeated Jack with 95% of the vote against 5%.
MATCH #6
Chet Hunter
CONTESTANT: Chet Hunter
Portrayed By: Blake Clark (1995-2000, 2015)
First Episode: "Career Day"
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Hurricane"
Signature Episode: "Career Day", "I Never Sang for My Legal Guardian", "Janitor Dad", "Brothers", "We'll Have a Good Time Then", "Road Trip"
Episode Count: 13
Claim to Fame: Shawn's father
Occupation: Con Man/Schemer/Overall n'er-do-well
Approximate Age: 50 when he died, late 60s if alive today
Current Status: Deceased
Strengths: Ambitious, Sly, Gregarious
Weaknesses: Irresponsible, Untrustworthy, General scoundrel
vs.
Alan Matthews
CONTESTANT: Alan Matthews
Portrayed By: William Russ (1993-2000, 2014)
First Episode: "Pilot " (1993)
Latest Episode: "Girl Meets Home for the Holidays"
Signature Episodes: "Father Knows Less," "I Ain't Gonna Spray Lettuce No More," "Raging Cory," "Better Than the Average Cory"
Episode Count: 131
Claim to Fame: Patriarch of the Matthews family
Occupation: Owns an outdoor-gear store, previously a grocer, maybe retired
Approximate Age: 60
Current Status: Living in Philadelphia
Strengths: A great father, down to earth, generous, hard working
Weaknesses: Set in his ways, trouble maintaining equal relationships with his kids
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Alan has defeated Chet with 85% of the votes against 15%.
MATCH #7
Maya Hart
CONTESTANT: Maya Penelope Hart
Portrayed By: Sabrina Carpenter (2014-present)
First Episode: "Girl Meets World"
Latest Episode: "Ongoing"
Signature Episodes: "Girl Meets Maya's Mother", "Girl Meets Master Plan", "Girl Meets Hurricane", "Girl Meets Yearbook"
Episode Count: 35 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Riley's best friend
Occupation: Eighth-grader at John Quincy Adams Junior High
Approximate Age: 14
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Cool, Fierce, Artistic
Weaknesses: Insecure, Not as tough as she thinks, Kind of an asshole sometimes
vs.
Farkle Minkus
CONTESTANT: Farkle Minkus
Portrayed By: Corey Fogelmanis (2014-present)
First Episode: "Girl Meets World"
Latest Episode: Ongoing
Signature Episode: "Girl Meets Flaws", "Girl Meets Farkle's Choice", "Girl Meets Yearbook"
Episode Count: 34 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Riley's friend, Minkus' son
Occupation: Eighth grader at John Quincy Adams Junior High
Approximate Age: 13
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Intelligent, Ambitious, Confident
Weaknesses: Creepy sometimes, Machiavellian, Occasionally verges on pathetic
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Maya has defeated Farkle with 79% of the vote against 21%.
MATCH #8
MATCH #8
Griff Hawkins
Contestant: Griffin "Griff " Hawkins
Portrayed By: Adam Scott (1995)
First Episode: "Pop Quiz"
Latest Episode: "He Said, She Said"
Signature Episode: "The Thrilla' in Phila' "
Episode Count: 3
Claim to Fame: The "cool" leader of John Adams High's underworld after Harley.
Occupation: Unknown, probably a fucking billionaire.
Approximate Age: 37
Current Status: Unknown
Strengths: Extremely charismatic, good leader, sharp business acumen
Weaknesses: Arrogant, Brazenly disregards authority
vs.
Riley Matthews
Contestant: Riley Matthews
Portrayed By: Rowan Blanchard (2014-present)
First Episode: "Girl Meets World"
Latest Episode: Ongoing
Signature Episode: "Girl Meets World", "Girl Meets the New World", "Girl Meets the Tell-Tale Tot", "Girl Meets Yearbook", "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
Episode Count: 35 (and counting)
Claim to Fame: Cory and Topanga's daughter
Occupation: Eighth-grader at John Quincy Adams Junior High
Approximate Age: 13
Current Status: Living in Manhattan
Strengths: Cheerful, Honest, Loving
Weaknesses: Oblivious, Poor impulse control, Self-centered
THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Riley has defeated Griff with 85% of the votes against 15%.
Cory, Feeny, Topanga, Shawn, Alan, Eric, Maya and Riley. Not a lot to explain here. The next round will be interesting.
ReplyDeletegriffgriffgriffgriffgriffgriffgriff
Delete^ what he said
DeleteStop with the Adam Scott love. If Griff were up against Eric, I'd vote for Eric, and I've made it well known how I feel about him. Griff was in 3 episodes, it's not like he should be remembered like Turner or Amy.
DeleteHow you can think he should beat Riley is just unfathomable. But it's your vote. Waste it if you will.
Ugh, Griff. I will never get the infatuation with that character.
DeleteHey it's not Adam Scott love. I was crazy about Griff right away, way before he was even on Party Down.
DeleteYeah, 1960's right! This is unfathomable! A nothing character like Griff over established super important character like RIley?! It's like voting for Auggie over Eric or something.
DeleteIt's true, 1960 and Anonymous, check out Sean's old reviews. He loved Griff from the start:
Deletehttp://boymeetsworldreviewed.blogspot.com/2014/02/episode-2x20-pop-quiz.html
Oh, and Sean, I'm surprised at you. This is the deciding round of Feeny vs. Turner and there's nary a mention of their old rivalry. C'mon it's Feeeeeenyyyyy vs. Turrrrnerrrrrrrr.
Griff's a really charming, funny, unique-for-BMW character. I never liked Harley, still a not a big fan, and I remember being really into it when Griff came in to take his place. Much preferred him.
DeleteYeah, I voted for Riley. But Griff/Riley was the only one where I had to stop and go "Huh..."
Excellent point Cryptid! Let me dig out that old scorecard.
DeleteThe only reason I responded is that Sean replied to my post with that troll reply. If he had just posted his vote/love for Griff on its own, I would not have bothered him about it.
DeleteAs I said to him its his vote to use, I just didn't see the need to choose my post to reply to and imply I got it wrong.
And I have read Sean's old blog. I know he loves Griff and Eric. I have no issues with that at all.
Hmmm, the only I've got in my old BMW folder has four episodes on it. That's probably not interesting enough to add to the post. Here it is though if anyone's curious http://i.imgur.com/PulfBjz.jpg
Delete1960, I was just having a little fun with you because you were the first comment. If anyone else had posted first I would have replied to them. I thought it was funny.
DeleteOk then.
DeleteWell, I like Feeny vs. Turner set-up. It was one of the more interesting aspects of the show, two effective teachers who had /very/ different philosophies but those philosophies still worked. Now if only Cory had a coherent philosophy...he's gotten better, though.
DeleteAnd I might be wrong, but I think Griff was one of the first bullies on a coming-of-age show that was not an aggressor. Harley was a bit of a thug, albeit with a Freudian excuse; Griff was a shark that was using to use anyone and anything to achieve his ends. Griff actually reminds me of the more antagonistic Jack that Christian wanted.
Oh absolutely. The analysis of their competing teaching styles was one of my favorite things to write about, I just wish there had been more episodes dedicated to it. Cory is completely incoherent, I agree. He's clearly trying to get the best of both Turner and Feeny, but ended up with neither.
DeleteThat's an interesting idea about Griff and Jack, I'm curious what Christian thinks.
Look at this, a good conversation outside of the rabbit hole. Who ever would have thought~
Griff's character was like if Ferris Bueller went to your school and you weren't him. Sometimes he'd scam you, sometimes his scam might inadvertently benefit you, but he's always a shyster. I guess Harley was a evil Fonzie since he was such a throwback character.
DeleteAnother nice thing about the Turner/Feeny dynamic was that they taught different subjects. Turner was English and only English, Feeny was history and principal and wasn't English until Season 5. So the different philosophies made even more sense--I can't see Turner trying to engage the kids of a history class the way he did the English class, "Turnaround" is probably the best example of that. I could see Turner have them read a lot of speeches and diaries
DeleteI think Cory's incoherent teaching comes in part from history class in itself. Setting aside that these episodes are airing out of order, Cory's lessons are not exactly indicative of a timeline.
We've had civilization in general (Rules), very recent events (Hurricane), Iceland/Greenland which I guess could be part of an explorer's unit (Yearbook). We're going to eventually get communism which is early twentieth century or maybe Cold War. Maybe if the class was "Social Studies," it'd be better.
Or maybe if Cory was an English teacher, it wouldn't seem so forced in the life lessons. "Here's this book. Read it. How do you relate to it?"
Yeah, I liked Griff because he was so different from Harley. Really, I can't get behind Harley because for so long he was defined by a love of dumb, pointless violence. He essentially went around mugging people. He beat people up (or had Frankie do it for him) for no reason than sheer giggles. I don't like people like that. Even in characters - I don't mind characters who are bad people (Griff's clearly not a good guy) but he wasn't violent for the hell of it either. He didn't go around beating people up, he didn't pick on anybody, he never outright robbed people. He mainly just seemed to run a little black market, and just left people well enough alone. Maybe he'd steal your girlfriend and maybe he'd rip you off, but he did it for his own personal gain, not solely to be a dick. And he was just some funny and charming while do it.
DeleteReally, I'm not sure what this affection for Harley's all about. Harley kind of sucked. He had a few brief moments where we saw he wasn't all bad, but it's not like they really caused him to grow, he went right back to beating up Cory in the next episode. Griff was literally superior in every way. He's smarter, funnier, wittier, cooler, more likable, less of a jerk, played by a better actor... I don't see a way in which he doesn't win against Harley. I don't get why people prefer Harley. Because he came first? Because we saw him more? All I can think of.
What is it I'm being asked to give my thoughts on as far as Griff and Jack goes? If Jack should have been more like Griff? I mean, sure. Jack wasn't a good character. Griff was. So Jack being more like Griff would have been a positive. While similarly arrogant, though, they don't have that much in common. Jack's not like a tricky black market kind of guy (why would he need to be? He has money) and he doesn't have that same air of wit and effortless charm. Matt Lawrence just isn't that smooth.
I think it may be because Harley's more memorable among the bullies. Johnny Baboon and all that. Griff was in three episodes. Harley was in nine. Frankie was my favorite though. And then there was the one-time wonder faux-Harley, who as I recall, you liked. And then Crandall, who I cannot believe didn't try to change his name--unless Crandall was his surname.
DeleteJack's not a tricky black market kind of guy, but he is working for a not-so-nice company. Heck, he may be working for Griff if he hasn't reconciled with his step-family.
Baboon is the key. I absolutely prefer Griff, but people like Harley because he had a rapport with the main character.
DeleteGriff was obnoxious from his first scene at Feeny's office. I wasn't charmed or impressed by him. I just kept thinking, "Who does this guy think he is?" It was just such an unnecessary introduction, and he proved to be pointless ever since. We didn't need a Harley replacement. I'm glad the character of Griff didn't take. At the end of the day, he was excess fat that they trimmed off.
DeleteI prefer Harley to Griff.
DeleteHarley was hardly a deep character, but there were a few things about him that stood out. For starters, it was good having Cory get knocked down a few pegs when he hit Jr. High or whatever season 2 was supposed to be. It led to some good situations and scenarios having a bully roam the halls (including the very first Harley episode where Eric swallows his pride and stands up for his brother).
Harley also goes against the bully cliche by having an overly florid manner of speaking, punctuated with a humorous (occasionally unnerving) overly-calm manner of delivery. He doesn't lose his temper much, and typically just says things in a matter of fact way: "When I see your face, I want to hit it." Plus, a few episodes like Cyrano, Wake Up Little Cory and Sister Theresa all show a bit of a different side of Harley. He's not an amazing character, but he had a solid run and they probably got rid of him at around the right time.
I don't really get the Griff love, and I think Adam Scott is terrific in Parks and Rec. I'm not really crazy about characters who show up out of nowhere and are the smuggest things in the world. Griff was ridiculously into himself from the get-go and I found it to be more annoying than endearing.
"And then there was the one-time wonder faux-Harley, who as I recall, you liked."
DeleteThat's true and it's not. He was certainly bad casting as Harley, and in no way resembled or behaved like him (beyond, of course, being a troublemaker) But he did seem a much closer approximation of how a guy in that role would actually be behaving and comporting himself in circa 1995 high school. He felt a lot more true to life. And I thought the actor did a good job of playing the role of "high school thug." It just wasn't anything like Harley, who had been established as a very specific character who behaved a specific way.
"I don't really get the Griff love, and I think Adam Scott is terrific in Parks and Rec."
I have to say, while I share Sean's love for Griff. (Or rather, I like Griff a lot, I'm not sure I have quite the affection Sean does) Adam Scott isn't someone who gets me all revved up. I watched Parks & Rec, and Ben wasn't one of my favorite characters. Adam Scott does fine in it, but I think in terms of Parks & Rec's men he falls squarely behind Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt, and even Rob Lowe.
I just really liked Griff. You mention how smug Griff was, and my thing is, I like smug characters when they can back it up. When they prove they have reason to be. Griff did. Griff was just that cool.
"Harley also goes against the bully cliche by having an overly florid manner of speaking," I'd agree with that, except it's just that he speaks like a character from The Godfather. But, really, my favorite thing about how Harley speaks, is that line in his final episode from Griff, "So, I guess you got sent away for, uh, bad grammar?"
"Baboon is the key. I absolutely prefer Griff, but people like Harley because he had a rapport with the main character. "
That is a good point. At the end of the day, if Cory had run into Griff in adulthood rather than Harley, I do not believe Griff would have any recollection of who Cory Matthews is.
Heck, I'm not even sure Cory would remember Griff himself.
DeleteI'm not sure if my vote loaded for Cory vs. Frankie. Thought it did, but it's still open, so to speak, so I'll just leave it alone. I don't want to vote twice by accident, and if it's still valid, then oh well.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I voted Feeny, Topanga, Shawn, Alan, Eric, Farkle (the new episode won me over, that's all I'll say) and Riley.
I've seen Meets Farkle as well, but it wasn't enough to put him over Maya. Sabrina is still the best of the young actors on GMW and her character is as interesting as Farkle. But that's why we vote. That's ok.
DeleteI agree with 1960 except I think she's not *as* interesting as Farkle, but *way more* interesting than Farkle.
DeleteI like an underdog; though I agree, Maya's more interesting than Farkle. It's more like Farkle's development has been more pronounced lately--that said, had the new episode been "Forgiveness" instead of "Farkle," I'd probably have gone for Maya.
DeleteI voted for the ones you'd expect -- Cory, Shawn, Eric, Feeny, Alan, Topanga, and Riley. I guess the only underdog I voted for is Farkle, who I have grown to really like. When it comes down to it, Corey is much funnier than Sabrina, and Maya is incredibly overrated. She gets on my nerves more often than not. Short stack of pancakes sits this one out.
ReplyDeleteSean and Christian, I have a question about the episode counts for the characters, mainly the regulars. I know the IMDB counts are wrong because they just list the number of episodes where the actor was listed in the credits and those numbers don't take into account episodes where that character didn't appear. Did you guys have an alternate source for these counts or did you actually count them manually yourselves? It seems like that would be a time consuming endeavor. If so, I salute you. That would be more work than I would want to do.
ReplyDeleteCory, Feeny, Topanga, Shawn, Eric, Maya, Riley and.....
ReplyDeleteChet over Alan. I know for some this is blasphemy, and I can see why many would say that. Alan is one of the greatest TV dads of all time. And he is one of my favorite characters. Yet, I always enjoyed Chet Hunter. Sure, he's an absolute shithook of a dad, but he made the show fun when he was on, as well as bringing a sobering reality to it. One of the show's more complex characters, and that's why I'm putting him through.
I respect your decision. I definitely thought about it. If we look at it another way, I don't think Chet has had a single bad episode, maybe not even a bad SCENE, while Alan absolutely has.
DeleteThat is an excellent point. Blake Clark was always fantastic. I'm struggling to remember if he had a single bad scene.
DeleteGod knows that Alan could have some bad ones...though none come immediately to mind and it's too late for me to dig through the archives of Sean's old blog.
Alan and Amy were great television parents but they had their moments of not-so-good. Amy's nit-picking in "Home for the Holidays" over Topanga's cooking comes to mind. And Alan...well, there has to be something. I know Sean's not that fond of the first act of "Wheels."
I'll agree that Chet's always entertaining but...DID Alan actually have any bad scenes? I mean, there were scenes that exposed some character flaws (and Chet's got plenty of those too!) but I'm struggling to think of any big Alan moments that just missed their mark entirely.
DeleteBy comparison, all of the teenager "generation" in the show had several bad scenes apiece at one point or another.
That Season 7 episode where Alan is afraid to let Eric work at the store (even though HE ALREADY DID) and is THEN afraid to let Eric go off on his own (even though he''d already learned this exact lesson before) was pretty silly for Alan.
DeleteBold pick with Chet. He was solid every time he was on screen. I just thought Alan brought so much more, partly because he had so much more screen time. Chet might have been a more complex character, but I thought Alan was the Rock of Gibraltar that the Matthews family leaned on whenever the situation called for it.
DeleteAlan helped ground the show, which I thought helped make the show more believable.
To be fair, another point in Chet's favor is that he was absolutely hysterical....Alan really wasn't. He was a great father but he wasn't funny.
Deletepwfan- I can see why someone would vote for Chet over Alan. Chet is a complex character, and brought a bit of reality to a mostly sunny and upbeat kids show.
DeleteOkay, with Round 2 complete here's how it CURRENTLY STANDS between Sean vs. Christian, out of a possible 40 points
ReplyDeleteChristian: 35 (Wrong picks this round: Minkus over Frankie, Lauren over Amy, Katy over Chet)
Sean: 34 (Wrong picks this round: Lauren over [Wendy], Jack over Jason, Joey over Farkle)
That should be Jason over Jack.
DeleteMorning guys. I had to work late at my station last night so I made my picks on my phone. Now that I'm at my laptop, let's discuss.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Cory over Frankie. No explanations needed.
I voted for Feeny over Turner. Love them both, but I've had a teacher like Feeny and I'll always regret not learning more from him. My Feeny died during my junior year of high school.
Unlike many, I voted for Amy over Topanga. I remember Sean's blog of the original show and Topanga's really point of the show was to be Cory's genius girlfriend. Apart from that, I don't know much about her. Amy also drove a lot of the character development by firing Eric from the store, refusing to let Alan let him stay at home right before Eric moved in with Jack..and "Why didn't you just go to Yale."
I voted for Shawn over Angela. No explanation needed.
I voted for Eric over Jack. No explanation needed.
I voted for Alan over Chet. Chet's funny...but Alan was a father to all three boys, Shawn, Eric and Cory.
I voted for Riley over Griff.
And I voted for Farkle over Maya. Had I not seen this week's episode early, I may have voted differently. But the show seems to be pushing Maya being a female Shawn too hard. I don't like the way nobody calls Maya out on when she's acting like a four-year-old or trying to rush her mother and Shawn together. Her character is more interesting....but there's something about Farkle I really like.
I agree with you regarding Farkle and Maya. I tend to like characters even more when I initially dislike them but then I gradually become from of them. It's that unexpectedness that sort of magnifies my love for them because they snuck on me me and pretty much proved me wrong. Since that is the case with Farkle, I absolutely prefer him over characters who have yet to surprise me -- Lucas and Maya.
DeleteAs for Maya, yeah, it's annoying that nobody calls her out for behaving like a big baby.The F grade nonsense from Father, the way she was unable to handle being called short when she insults Lucas at every chance she gets, her obnoxious overzealous behavior in Pluto and Hurricane. Like, back off Shawn for one second, please!? He only just met him, there's no reason why you want him to be your dad this much this soon. And all of this is supposed to be taken as interesting and cool and rebellious and oh my God, she's actually pretty insecure underneath and not as tough as she makes herself out to be, it's that such a revelation and totally unpredictable? They are trying way too hard for her to be Shawn Hunter. If she wasn't so cliche, maybe I'd be more invested. I like the character enough, but man is she overrated.
Of the four kids, Maya’s position is the most fragile. She has the most to lose if things go south and gets panicked when it seems they might. Farkle is a genius with wealthy parents. Lucas is a star athlete with a parent (father?) whose transfer to New York is doubtless a sign of professional success. As for Riley, where would you even begin? For starters, her power-attorney mother owns and runs their favourite hangout. Maya’s mother, by comparison, serves people, including Maya’s classmates, at their favourite hangout.
DeleteIf you are troubled by the Parent Trap angle, and many are, blame Corey and Riley. It’s their plan. Shawn has only been in a few episodes. Some jump cutting was necessary.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you are required to like the character.
It's more the pacing of the Parent Trap angle that I have issue with. Riley literally initiates it the day Maya meets Shawn for the first time and then continues on with it full-throttle the next time we see Shawn. I realize that Rider's availability is rather limited, which is why a bunch of Shawn-stuff happens off-screen, but it still weakens the set-up. It would have been nice to see Shawn live up to his Honorary Uncle title first, before Riley goes all Parent-Trap on him. I'd like to see Shawn provide actual evidence that he cares about Riley. His argument in "Home for the Holidays" doesn't really hold up when you realize that Riley asking her UNCLE when her birthday is indicates Shawn never sent her so much as a birthday card.
DeleteI voted before watching the new episode, simply because that just seemed like the fair thing to do. The new episode hasn't premiered yet, so you can make the argument that it has little weight on the vote. That said, had I done it in the opposite order, it would have made the Maya/Farkle vote much harder. I may have still voted the way I did, but the new episode does alter my view of Farkle.
DeleteCareful, pwfan. We don't want to get into spoiler territory.
DeleteI agree that Cory and Riley are to blame since they jumped on the whole Shawn-NEEDS-to-be-Maya's-dad way too fast, but I'm not gonna excuse Maya's part in it all. I remember in the review for Hurricane, our reviewers said something like how Carpenter was overselling Maya's earnestness when it came to the prospect of Katy/Shawn. I agree with that. I think it'd be less annoying if Maya's resistance to the pairing didn't last one episode. I mean, Maya's lame "bye Shawn" in Pluto when they were opening up capsules and reminiscing about things that happened 15 freaking years ago and her Riley-esque "Yayy!" at the end of Hurricane when Shawn asks Katy out -- it all just feels so forced and cringy. I'm probably being harsh on Maya, but I just wish her character felt more authentic to me. I also think I'm more hard on her than on Riley because from what I've seen on message boards, Riley gets a decent amount of criticism. Maya, on the other hand, is forgiven a lot for sucking. And it seems to be the general consensus that while Blanchard is superior at the comedy stuff, Carpenter is still overall the better actor, which I just don't agree with, but I think that's a different topic.
DeleteMaya's "yayyy" scream at the end of Hurricane is possibly the worst moment in the entire series
Delete"Maya's "yayyy" scream at the end of Hurricane is possibly the worst moment in the entire series"
DeleteNow Sean, we mustn't go around saying things we cannot take back. I agree that it was the weak part of the episode, but it is by no means the series' weak point. Need I remind you of "Fish," or my personal least favorite "Crazy Hat," where Maya and Riley use a stranger to intimidate Farkle into not continuing with his 'business.'
I hate when people say corey. His name is Cory. The actor who plays farkle is named Corey. But the main guy from the original show is Cory. I know this seems like nitpicking but it had to be said
DeleteI think Forgiveness will be a very defining episode for Maya. The writers have done an incredible job of responding to audience criticisms and adjusting the show accordingly without letting us control the storylines. The writers have done an incredible job of responding to audience criticisms and adjusting the show accordingly without letting us control the show and what happens. I think it was the general consensus that sometimes Maya oversells the starry eyed dreamer persona especiallly in episodes like Hurricane.
DeleteIf the writers choose to respond to this and write her character a little better for episodes like that it will show in the episode about her father coming back into the picture. Personally I have high hopes and faith in the writers to do that episode justice. After all they've been building to it since the start of the show. But I guess we ll see!. I think it was the general consensus that sometimes Maya oversells the starry eyed dreamer persona especiallly in episodes like Hurricane.
If the writers choose to respond to this and write her character a little better for episodes like that it will show in the episode about her father coming back into the picture. Personally I have high hopes and faith in the writers to do that episode justice. After all they've been building to it since the start of the show. But I guess we ll see!
woops that posted kind of weird but you guys get the idea
DeleteHaha, that reads like a propaganda brainwashing poster or something. HIGH HOPES. FAITH. OVERSELLS. HIGH HOPES. WRITERS. OVERSELLS.
DeleteCryptid- Maya had been established as needy enough, and Shawn as likable enough, and as carrying the Matthews’ seal of approval, that I took at face value the impulse from her side. As for Shawn, the last episode we saw him in, he jumped back at the word “father,” and it was Katy who asked him out. But I agree it still would have been nice if they would have been able to do more to earn this thing.
DeleteI think they had too much business they wanted to take care of in Home for the Holidays, and things got very muddled. The Riley/Shawn history almost seemed to change to meet the needs of each particular interaction. If all that stuff they were grilling Shawn about is required of an honorary uncle, I am a horrible real uncle.
Anonymous – Cory/Corey: thanks. If I knew how to edit it I would.
Completely agree about Riley. I have never not liked the character.
“Goodbye Shawn” wasn’t a brilliantly conceived moment. I went with it because it might be possible a 14 year-old girl predisposed to pessimism might not understand that a man in his mid-thirties wouldn’t still be pining away for a high-school girlfriend he hadn’t seen in 15 years.
In any event, it seems that every character has said or done stuff that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. I wouldn’t devalue Maya uniquely for it.
I’m not a Maya infallibilist. The series is littered with stuff that could be used as fodder in, or was prepositioned for, a game-changing Maya episode…which Good Looking Detective says is in the pipeline (or maybe this is common knowledge).
We're only vaguely on the subject, but I'm nervous about "Girl Meets Forgiveness" because I think two problematic forces will appear here. I fully expect this episode to begin with Cory writing "Forgiveness" on the blackboard, turning around and saying: "Forgiveness. What does it mean to forgive?" And I have a trouble believing an episode like that won't hinge on the fundamental principle that forgiveness is a virtue, that it's important that we forgive, and that it's the right thing to do, rather than hold on to anger and hatred.
DeleteAnd that's true, of course. There's nothing wrong with that idea, and I happen to believe it. But, I also believe that as flawed and broken as mankind is, and as full of negative traits as we are, a lack of capacity to forgive is not one of them. On the contrary, I think (on a one-on-one level, different races and cultures you can't personalize is a different matter) it's too easy for most of humanity to forgive each other, rather than too hard.
The reason is that if we're in a position to forgive someone, it means someone we cared about hurt us. None of us likes that to happen to us, and what we want most of all is to go back to a time where that person we now look at with anger and sadness is a good part of our life again. Your friend does something shitty to you? You're mad, but you also want to go back to them being your friend, so you're inclined to forgive them. Your wife cheats on you? You're mad, but you also want to still be happily married, so you're inclined to forgive them.
Your father abandons you and your mother, starts a new family, and ceases to contact you? You're pissed. Who needs that asshole? But, you've also yearned for a father all your life, so you're inclined to forgive him.
And that's a problem. Because in being so quick to forgive, often we let extremely negative forces back in to our lives. There is no explanation Kermit can show up with that absolves him. I'm not saying he's beyond redemption, but he is beyond the redemption a 30 minute episode can provide. So, I'm exceedingly concerned that Maya will forgive this asshole, and it will be heartwarming, but it will be fundamentally wrong.
The best example of an episode I'm aware of involving a wayward father who abandons their child and then comes back looking for forgiveness when that child has grown up is, of course, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I'm sure most of you are all aware of this scene, which is pretty well known, but I'll post it anyway. This is the kind of examination of this that I would hope for from Girl Meets World. I don't expect something this powerful, but I need more than a quickie foregiveness. I hope that's not what we get.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZPsfO2I4bo
Shawn will inevitably impart some lesson about how he forgave Virna for running out on him, and MARK MY WORDS, near the end of the episode will be a dialogue between Maya and Kermit including, verbatim, "I can forgive you, but I can't forget what you did." And of course Shawn is going to self sabotage and ultimately give a speech. I'm just not looking forward to any of it.
DeleteThere are two different anonymous posters on this thread. Since I feel like my ~identity, or lack thereof, might be mistaken for the spelling nazi, I might have to come up with a new identification. Drat!
DeleteHey man, I'm with her. I hate when it's spelled "Corey" too.
DeleteMilestones,
DeleteThere's no question about Shawn and Maya's storyline being something that the writers were going to explore when we started. Heck, people were 'debating' whether or not Shawn WAS Maya's biological father on the IMDB board. Word to the wise, stay the *censored* away from the IMDB board. Shawn is wary of commitment due to his abandonment issues--which you will see develop in Season 2--and his pride.
There's little question that Maya would gravitate towards Shawn, but Shawn Hunter is a far more complicated character. He is explicitly and repeatedly stated to be family, not as good as family but actually family, by Cory and his parents, particularly Alan, in the original series.
But most, not all but most, of what we've seen so far in "Girl Meets World" is Parent Trap starring Shawn Hunter.
It comes back to pacing. Riley says flat-out that she doesn't think Shawn likes her. Her father's best friend does not like her. And Shawn doesn't exactly give a convincing case that he does care about her--though I should apologize, I never meant to imply that not knowing certain things about your niece made you a bad uncle.
The simplest way to fix this, I think, would have been for Shawn to reach out for Riley in that scene in the diner, instead of the other way around. Grasping a loved one's face to get their attention is a mainstay in the Feeny-verse, as you will soon see.
The writers said that "Girl Meets Forgiveness" wrote itself. To my knowledge, they didn't even say that about "Pluto." It's going to be the one that gets them nominated for another Emmy.
"I fully expect this episode to begin with Cory writing "Forgiveness" on the blackboard, turning around and saying: "Forgiveness. What does it mean to forgive?"
DeleteChristian, this is exactly how the ep will begin, according to Jacobs from the ATX panel. And then, apparently, the assignment will be to forgive someone or something like that, and Maya will wrangle with the idea of forgiving her dad. Yeah, I thought Cory taught history, too.
Also, I guess this may or may not be a spoiler, but I've seen indications to the fact that Shawn isn't even in the Forgiveness episode. Which, I think would be a good thing because we would avoid the Virna related speech you just mentioned, Sean.
DeleteYou're right, Rider's not credited for the episode. That's surprising, but definitely a good thing.
DeleteWell...there are a couple of history lessons that could be used here. After the Second World War, when the United States dropped the atomic bomb and Japan surrendered, forgiveness and reconciliation were priorities because the Allies were determined not to have the same mess that was the Treaty of Versailles. That could work well.
DeleteBut then again, Cory's lessons are sort of...neeeeeeeeh.
Whoa, I definitely thought I'd heard Rider was supposed to be in that one. Which made me think it was going to be a thing where like the dad comes back and Shawn gets all "Guess they don't need me. Guess I should just leave FOREVER." and then Maya and Katy make it clear they choose him!
DeleteWhile it would keep it from being a "Let's just forgive him!" episode, I certainly don't think an episode about Maya's dad coming back should be all about Shawn "NOBODY KNOWS MY SADNESS! PAY ATTENTION TO MY SADNESS!" Hunter.
I believe the writers have said that Shawn will learn a lesson from Girl Meets Forgiveness, but they didn't say he would be in it. I would guess that at some point Katy or Maya will convey to him the substance of what happened in that episode.
DeleteHmmm...okay I just checked the cast listing for "Girl Meets Forgiveness."
Deletehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt4540900/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
Who's this classmate? An extra that gets a line?
And who the heck is Howie? Is he connected to Maya in some way? Uh oh...when Maya said that her dad had a new family...you don't think they meant...
I didn't think I'd need to use the mantra I chanted when I saw "Creativity," but here goes: I do believe in loyalty to directors. I do believe in loyalty to directors. I do believe in loyalty to directors. I do believe in loyalty to directors.
Hahahhahah yeah that comment ended up being a bigger train wreck than girl meets fish @sean.
DeleteAs far as forgiveness goes, that fresh prince example is absolutely perfect. I would love to see something like that on this show.
And okay I'll admit theres a lot of concern to have for this episode but there's potential in it too. i guess we'll have to see how it plays out.
I would most prefer the fresh prince route with some kind of lesson about not letting poisonous people back in your life. But if they do decide they want to send a message of forgiveness, this is how I'd like to see it done.
Instead of her just forgiving him to be the bigger person or a martyr or because it's the right thing to do, I'd like to see her forgive him purely for her own sake. There's a famous quote, "Resentment is a poison that you drink and wait for the other person to die". I'd like to see her realize that hating her dad can only hurt her other relationships and make her more unhappy. So she decides to forgive him for selfish reasons and for her own wellbeing. Idk that's probably too in depth for Disney Channel, just something I thought of when I heard the title.
By the way I'm pretty sure the writers addressed the Shawn issue in their twitter q&a. I think they said that's a mistakee on the guest starring list and he will be all over that episode.
I disagree though that it will turn into a Shawn whining self pity fest. He seems a lot more mature on this show and he wasn't whiney when Angela came back. I bet he'll just be trying to convince maya to forgive her father and let him back into her life. But I don't wanna see that either so whatever.
Welp! This blew up.
DeleteI completely agree that Maya is.."vulnerable" or something of the sort. I get that she wants a male figure. I think that she's probably seen Shawn more than we have. We only get snapshots into their lives. That being said, regarding Forgiveness, I'm glad Christian mentioned Fresh Prince because although I never really watched the show, that scene is incredibly powerful.
My bet is we'll get a scene similar to that (without the swearing, because Disney) and the weight but Sabrina Carpenter may be a very good child actress, she ain't Will Smith. I can't see a "happy" ending to this episode. I like to think the writers are taking us more seriously than that.
I am up to episode 7 of BMW and have a few questions. Did they stick with that theme music for the duration? Did GMW just lift the canned audience response directly from the BMW soundtrack?
ReplyDeleteMost importantly...I think Grandma Matthews just made an S&M joke. Is anything like that going to happen again?
Hey miles, good questions.
DeleteThe theme music changes every few seasons but never had a true theme song like Girl Meets World does. Many GMW episodes are live-tapped.
And there are more sexual jokes later on once the kids got older. Glad to see you're enjoying the show.
So Milestones, I see you decided to pace yourself on the series. Excellent, excellent.
DeleteShipping Wars (awesome name)- thanks for the info. Didn't know about the live audience. The oohing and aahing and general-purpose gushing had always sounded manufactured, but I have aged ears.
ReplyDeleteCryptid - yeah, a few a day seems like a real good idea. Thanks.
For anyone interested, the writers just tweeted the episode order for the rest of the season:
ReplyDeleteI Am Farkle, Cory And Topanga, Rileytown, Terror 2, Texas 1-2-3, Rah Rah, Forgiveness, Sludge, Belief, New Year, Money, Commonism, Bay Window, Graduation
By the time Commonism airs, it will have been 9 months since they filmed it. The kids will look much younger than they should.
DeleteAlso I believe that episode is Danielle's directing debut. I hope they didn't shelf it because they thought it was a poor job.
So much for that Graduation three-parter. It's possible "Bay Window" was originally Graduation 1 and they just reformed it into its own episode, but Commonism is one we've been hearing about from the beginning of this season, I think it's an early filmed one - which may mean it's not great if they held off on it.
DeleteSo, I am Farkle, Cory and Topanga, and Rileytown are September we know. Terror 2, and Texas 1-3 are October (didn't they say 5 episodes in October, actually, so maybe Rah Rah too.)
Then I bet Forgiveness, Sludge, and Belief are November. New Year's will be the only December, and then Money and Commonism in January, and Bay Window and Graduation in February. This is my bet.
What a weird school year. Say it stretches from September to May. Episodes 1-18 take place in September and October, apparently (where an entire primary and general election take place considering Eric). Episodes 19-26 take place in November and December. And then January through May is covered in just the last four episodes.
"The kids will look much younger than they should." Hey, won't be worse than Fish.
Delete"Also I believe that episode is Danielle's directing debut. I hope they didn't shelf it because they thought it was a poor job." I doubt it, these things sort of direct themselves. Has anyone noticed anything particularly distinctive about the way Rider directs vs. William Russ vs. the regular guys? It's a three-camera sitcom on a little TV stage. You basically just point the camera and shoot.
"What a weird school year. Say it stretches from September to May. Episodes 1-18 take place in September and October, apparently (where an entire primary and general election take place considering Eric). Episodes 19-26 take place in November and December. And then January through May is covered in just the last four episodes."
DeleteYeah, but Christian, you're forgetting that Semi-formal is set near the end of the school year, really, really close to the end of the school year. And the episodes are airing blatantly out of order--Zay popping in and vanishing as the plot demands is annoying, but it could be indicative that he didn't actually come to the school right away. "Creativity" is set after "Yearbook" given Farkle's new look, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's set after "Semi-formal."
And what happened to that episode called "Girl Meets Genius"? Was that the original title for "Girl Meets Normal" which became "Girl Meets I am Farkle" which became "Girl Meets Farkle."
This has to be a Disney Channel thing--almost every other channel airs its full-length seasons co-current with real life.
Oh, and I saw a bit of an interview. As it turns out, Disney approached Michael Jacobs with the intent to remake "Boy Meets World." Jacobs refused, citing that the show was still in syndication, still popular, and the story had been told, no remake necessary. Then, however much time later, Jacobs approached Disney with the idea for "Girl Meets World."
My guess is that Eric won in a special election. I think Semi Formal took place in early April. Riley could have been complaining "It's 10 months away" in the previous school year. I'm guessing Texas takes place during Spring Break. Yeah, it's a weird timeline but like that's anything differet from the original show.
DeleteThe good thing with Netflix is you can probably just wikipedia the seasons and watch them in production order.
Wait, I take it back, based on its placement, Belief could still be a Christmas episode. So maybe Belief and New Year are both in December.
Delete"Yeah, it's a weird timeline but like that's anything differet from the original show."
DeleteEh, the actual flow of the school year worked though, because it corresponds with a TV season. School years began in the fall, ended in the spring, with holiday episodes in the middle, etc.
"Yeah, but Christian, you're forgetting that Semi-formal is set near the end of the school year, really, really close to the end of the school year. And the episodes are airing blatantly out of order--Zay popping in and vanishing as the plot demands is annoying, but it could be indicative that he didn't actually come to the school right away. "Creativity" is set after "Yearbook" given Farkle's new look, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's set after "Semi-formal."
DeleteNah, regardless of when these were filmed, I don't think these are supposed to not be set in order. This isn't, like, a Tarantino film where you have to figure out the timeline themselves. Events are clearly supposed to be playing out in order. It's just that it totally fucks with the timeline.
That's the point I was trying to make earlier Christian. More than any other Disney Channel show, Girl Meets World is tied to the school year--curiously, Michael Jacobs does not seem to have many summer episodes under his belt--and therefore, you'd think it be easy to have a more manageable timeline.
DeleteAnd that point about Belief is fair; if it's a December episode, odds are it's the Christmas episode and although that pretty much guarantees a Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/ storyline, it hopefully won't feel particularly preachy.
That's another thing--"New Year" brings Uncle Josh back into the fray and we may get some dialogue that indicates what's already happened. Just because Maya realized that Riley's feelings for Lucas may be platonic in "Yearbook" does not mean that in the back of her mind she hasn't been thinking "What about me?" for much longer.
What I meant about the kids looking younger/different is really this: When this was filmed, Maya was still dressing the old way and hadn't gotten hopeful. Farkle will be wearing a turtleneck and acting all Farkley. And Lucas recently seems like he is in another growth spurt and working out. It just really seems weird that they do this. They really should have jammed it in as soon as they could.
DeleteFish was completely different as we all know it was a season 1 episode.
It would be nice if season 3 was written, filmed and shown in correct story order. Maybe with a few summer episodes at the start to try get the show school year to correspond to the real school year.
And if I remember correctly, Belief isn't a holiday episode, its a follow-on to Meets Truth. Not a sequel per se, but a thematic follow on according to the writers.
DeleteThat doesn't mean it can't take place at Christmas. The fact that it's about belief and is airing directly before the New Year's episode just seems to suggest it's a possibility. Plus, I though they did say they were planning a Christmas episode, what else could it be?
DeleteI believe they said we were getting a holiday episode, not necessarily a Christmas one. Though you could be correct. We shall see.
DeleteMan...for all the times we complained about the Boy Meets World timeline and its ten thousand retcons on when everybody met and how eighth and tenth grade vanished, at least there was little question about when things were happening within the show itself.
DeleteBecause BMW was on network TV and that schedule follows the school year. GMW being on Disney and them showing things when they want/need to is a real detriment to older folks that actually care about the overall story. I'm sure the target demographic doesn't care/notice.
Delete"Nah, regardless of when these were filmed, I don't think these are supposed to not be set in order. This isn't, like, a Tarantino film where you have to figure out the timeline themselves. Events are clearly supposed to be playing out in order. It's just that it totally fucks with the timeline"
DeleteWhat about "Girl Meets Farkle's Choice"? That's clearly set near the beginning, given that it introduces Smackle. Or "Flaws," that's specifically stated to be near the end of the school year, due to the award subplot we all hated.
There's also a reasonable chance they're will be some sort of stupid theme weekend and that's why Commonism got delayed.
ReplyDeleteHaha, that amuses me because the little I know about Commonism is that it has to do with communism. So I envision this "Radical Political Philosophies" theme week, alongside a special Fascism episode of Dog with a Blog.
DeleteOn another topic while we wait for this round to end, I saw that Spy Kids movie Rowan was in yesterday on Disney Channel. Was that like direct to video? That was so bad it made Descendants seem good. Wow. I can understand Rowan and a bunch of no names doing it, but did Jessica Alba owe money to some loan sharks or something that she actually did that just for a paycheck? It was really bad, even for a kids movie.
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of the point of Spy Kids films. They're deliberately bad. It's campy, and they know they're campy.
DeleteI'm watching some of it now, and man was Rowan tiny!
Based on what I've read, am I correct in understanding that spoilers are fair game for discussion? I've been on other blogs were spoilers were discouraged/banned. I don't have any interesting spoilers to post, but in I case I do another time, I wanted to be sure our wonderful, creative, and talented moderators would be okay with that.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're right, we shouldn't be talking about spoilers. Little stuff like "Shawn isn't in Girl Meets Forgiveness" or "The episode's about communism" is probably fine, but further details are probably a no-no. I deleted the offending post.
DeleteAw man now I gotta know what the offending post was. Maybe post it with a spoiler warning?
DeleteI am /really/ sorry about that Christian. I agree, I overstepped my bounds in that regard. Given that the episode was filmed aged ago and plot details have been circling around since then...well, anybody who wants to know more can google it, let's leave it at that.
DeleteChristian-Thanks for letting me know. Every blog has a different policy on this, so I wanted to know what yours was.
DeleteHmmm... seems I missed this vote :(
ReplyDeleteoh well most of who I voted for went through
However I would have voted for Turner over Feeny and Farkle instead of Maya.