Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Character Battle Round 2 - Purple Division -CLOSED-

White division round 1 is closed, here's your updated bracket.


MATCH #1

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.

Dana Pruitt
Contestant: Dana Pruitt
Portrayed By: Larisa Oleynik (1996, 1998)
First Episode: "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"
Latest Episode: "The Ex-Girlfriends' Club"
Signature Episode: 
"The Heart is a Lonely Hunter"
Episode Count: 3
Claim to Fame: Shawn's first real girlfriend
Occupation: Unknown
Approximate Age: 35
Current Status: Unknown
Strengths: Sweet, Likes picnics
Weaknesses: Also a little snobby, di
d go along with that kidnapping thing

THIS SET OF MATCHES IS CLOSED.
Topanga has defeated Dana with 96% of the vote against 4%.

MATCH #2

Lauren
Contestant: Lauren 
Portrayed By: Linda Cardellini (1998, 1999)
First Episode: "Heartbreak Cory"
Latest Episode: "The Psychotic Episode"
Signature Episode: 
"Heartbreak Cory", "Torn Between Two Lovers (Feeling Like a Fool)"
Episode Count: 3
Claim to Fame: The girl who almost drove Cory and Topanga apart
Occupation: Unknown, former Ski Lodge employee
Approximate Age: Late 30s (I assumed she wasn't in high school anymore?)
Current Status: Unknown
Strengths: Complex, Romantic, Someone you'd believe Cory would cheat on Topanga with
Weaknesses: Homewrecker, seems a little 'all-in' a little quick, No last name


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.
Amy has defeated Lauren with 57% of the vote against 43%.

22 comments:

  1. Went with Topanga and Amy.

    Dana was nice, but Topanga was vital to the show and Cory's journey. While I don't like Amy as much as I like Alan, I don't really care for Lauren, and I do look forward to an Amy-Topanga matchup in the next round.

    Why couldn't you have gone Yale? That will be Amy's last words in this contest.

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    1. I agree with you completely. However much I wish they used Topanga for anything other than Auggie, she is still better than Dana.

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  2. I went with Topanga and Lauren.

    Topanga's absolutely vital to this show's success, so this one was fairly easy for me. This feels like a lopsided matchup.

    Lauren over Amy was much tougher. Yet, I feel like the tension Lauren brought to the "endgame" lasted longer for me than a lot of what Amy brought to the table in situations. A glorified coin flip either way.

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  3. Having to vote on this made me realize how much GMW has made me dislike Topanga. I really don't like anything about her in the new show, but voted on her because hey, she is a classic character on BMW.

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  4. Voted for O-Pangatay (as Eric would say) and Lauren.

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  5. Topanga and Amy.

    Topanga is easily the most developed female character in the original show and while I feel like the finale three seasons of BMW had some character denigration for her, there were still some bright spots to be had and a fantastic return in GMW. Seriously the new series does a great job of blending all the different versions of Topanga into a consistent character.

    I really dislike Lauren, guys. Even bland Amy is better than her.

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    1. I never liked Lauren either. I found it downright creepy that she followed Cory to Philadelphia after spending less than two whole days with him.

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    2. Yes, exactly. I've had real life stalkers try to pull that crap on me, which makes it all the weirder that Cory and family seem to welcome her with open arms.

      Plus kissing someone with out consent is never o.k. Made all the worst by the fact that she knew Cory was already in a steady relationship and had expressed no desire to end it.

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    3. I'm sorry, "kissing someone without their consent."? Cory's a big boy. He could have moved away from the kiss, he could have told her to stop, to portray him as some sort of poor victim here is insane to me. Lauren is no more culpable than Cory is. In fact, she's less. It's Cory's responsibility to stay true to Topanga's, it's not Lauren's.

      And obviously Lauren's trip to Philly, strange though it was, was warranted as well because it turns out Cory did actually want to examine his feelings for her. She evidently read the situation semi-correctly.

      I don't know, I just think to portray her as some crazy, desperate stalker and Cory as some put-upon victim is ludicrous.

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    4. Perhaps it was a little much for me to say "downright creepy," but I don't know. The Philly Trip just seems strange, more so that Cory's parents seem so "Well, then" about it. Especially Amy--I cannot comprehend Amy's more negative attitude that pops up occasionally towards Topanga not being out in full-force over Lauren.

      And I agree with Shawn's outburst in the arc--Cory LIED to Topanga.

      It's not that I think Lauren's a stalker; I just don't get why everyone's so fond of her, over...say...Wendy. That being said, I do think that the actress had fantastic chemistry with Ben Savage.

      And I would watch the Lauren Arc every day of the week and twice on Sunday over any bit of the "Topanga's Parents Are Divorcing, Love Is A Lie" arc--I cannot stand that sequence of episodes.

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    5. While I 100% disagree with this Lauren talk, I will agree that I have appreciated how GMW has definitely done a better job of establishing Topanga as a person. Her characterization was fairly fluid and murky throughout BMW,and it does seem to have coalesced into one workable identity here. Topanga hasn't been very well served in terms of story on GMW, but character-wise, I think it's been positive for her.

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    6. Cryptid, Amy seems to have a fairly consistent (which I appreciate, in terms of characterization) philosophy that Cory and Topanga got a little too intense, a little too quickly. Ironically, this is a similar philosophy to how Topanga feels about Auggie and Ava now.

      So, it actually adds up to me that Amy would be in favor of Cory finally allowing himself to at least explore the possibility of being with someone else. It's not that Amy doesn't like Topanga, she does, and it's not that she thought she was wrong for Cory, she didn't think that either, she just thinks Cory needs to have had more romantic experiences before he can be SURE Topanga is the one for him. She was always consistent about that, and while it sometimes made her a semi-antagonist, I think it was always a good move.

      As for why we like Lauren, I think some of us (myself included) saw more chemistry between Cory and Lauren in "Heartbreak Cory" than we ever saw between Cory and Topanga in the whole series. I remember watching that episode live and before then probably thinking I was a Cory/Topanga fan (although I had no real investment in them as a couple) and then she showed up and I was like "WHOA! Nevermind!"

      If BMW was real life, Cory and Topanga would have broken up. Topanga would have gone to Yale. Cory may have ended up with Lauren or someone else like her. She was just an injection of something really fun and interesting into a relationship that was already stale, and, sadly, a missed opportunity in many of our minds.

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    7. Thinking objectively, Christian, I don't think we disagree as much as it would initially appear.

      While I agree that Amy's characterization of Cory and Topanga getting too intense, too quickly is apt and refreshingly consistent, I think it may be more the circumstances of Lauren, a worker at a ski lodge, going down to Philadelphia. It just seemed a little off.

      I do remember in Season 2, when Cory was 'dating' Wendy--I use the term 'dating' very loosely--that she and Amy would bake in the kitchen together. The one time I think Topanga and Amy bonded, it was over a chick flick that Cory fell asleep to.

      So I agree, it was nice to see some character who didn't think it was a very good idea for Cory to get married to the first girl he ever seriously dated.

      As it happens, I actually like Lauren now much more than I did earlier, the first few times I watched the series. And I agree, the chemistry was very apparent. Cory and Lauren had a lot of chemistry. Cory and Topanga had more chemistry early on, when Topanga was still quirky. By Season 5, I think the chemistry had plateaued--though I will say that Cory and Topanga pull off married couple very well; heck the chemistry's probably better now than it was fifteen years ago.

      When I think of Boy Meets World, and why I love it, I tend not to think of Cory and Topanga--at least at first. I think of Mr. Feeny sticking his neck out for Shawn and Eric to reach further than what others expect of them; I think of the awesome bromance that is Cory and Shawn; I think of the absolute effort of Turner and Feeny to teach their students beyond just writing on a blackboard. I think of Alan, one of the best, most real television fathers in history. And then I think of Cory and Topanga.

      One other thing, I'm not sure it's a good idea to bring up real life. In real life, Feeny probably would have retired after that health scare in Season One, and he almost certainly would never have become a principal with teaching responsibilities. And that would have sucked.

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    8. Yeah, never being up real life cause if that's the case Lauren's actions would diffidently be stalker-ish and not just have unintentional, worrisome over tones of it.

      My biggest problem with Lauren isn't just her behavior in of itself but Cory's towards her. What does Cory do? He talks to her for a few hours, finds her interesting and than tells a little white lie to talk to her some more. It's Lauren who makes the assumption that it means he's wanting something more with her and that's a very big leap to make after only two days.

      And sure Cory could of backed away, you know what else he could've of done? Kissed her back or help initiate the kiss himself. Cory does nothing but stand there. He lacks agency in what should have been his own decision about his own life.

      And through out the rest of the arc, Cory takes no infinitive to pursue a relationship with Lauren. In fact when he see her again he literally runs away and she follows. He only agrees to see her again after other people keep telling him to.

      Lauren comes across as creepy because the guy she is perusing never verbally or physically communicates he's romantically interested in her until other people convinces him he should give her a chance. Other people who have no business telling him who ought to go an a date with or not.

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    9. I find it interesting that some people (not necessarily on this board) that find Lauren's following Cory to Philly (how did she know where to find him?) not strange behavior think that Maya and Riley should have a restraining order out against Farkle and that he is a sexual predator.

      Not really judging here just commenting.

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    10. They talked all night, he probably told Lauren about Chubbie's and that's where she started looking.

      It seems like you have a seriously warped view of the Lauren+Cory dynamic. Farkle's sexual advances on the girls are clearly unwanted and they've told him "no" multiple times. Cory was interested in Lauren from the first moment. And once he ultimately told her "no" (offscreen) she never contacted him again. The two situations aren't even remotely similar.

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    11. I have a hard time with Farkle and sexual advances in the same sentence. He hasn't really done anything sexual that I can think of. He flirts with them, and the girls have let him know they're not interested, but I wouldn't call it sexual. He asks Maya to the dance, knowing she's going to turn him down. I guess I might be willing to give Farkle a pass because he's so young. What's acceptable for someone 12 and 13 is very different then what's acceptable for someone over 16.

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    12. I absolutely agree with Sean, and find the comparison of the situations kind of silly. Farkle's done stuff like program a GPS to tell him where the girls are at all times, record the girls' voices and edit them to say stuff like "I love you, Farkle." Lauren... followed up on the guy she had an emotionally intimate night with, who was CLEARLY into her. It's not even close to the same thing.

      And Lauren showed up at Chubbie's for the sake of expediency in the storyline. Since it was not treated as remotely unusual that she knew about Chubbie's, then yeah, Cory had to have told her. And, it's a bus ride away, people are acting like she traveled across the country.

      Bottom line is Farkle has been told countless times these girls are not interested in him, and he's yet to let up. Lauren basically only had to be told once. MAYBE twice.

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    13. But I will agree that while Farkle is incredibly creepy with them, it doesn't have overtly sexual overtones. No, I'm not concerned Farkle may *rape* them, if that's what's being driven at. But he's still harassing them and being completely inappropriate.

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    14. I was Cliffnotesing when I said "sexual advances." I wasn't sure what else to call it, but you're both right that it's not technically sexual.

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  6. I went back and watched "Heartbreak Cory" again just to be sure of a few things. Lauren told Cory that she didn't want to cause a problem between he and Topanga, and Cory said they could be friends. While that may not be an explicit "stay away", it seemed to send her a message that he wasn't interested in a relationship. Yet she tracked him down at Chubbies anyway. To me that behavior, while maybe not that of a stalker, was still over the line.

    Farkle on the other hand, at least to me, is just being playful with his friends. And as someone else pointed out his character was 13 when most of that stuff was going on. He really hasn't done much of anything in season 2. Cory was 18 when the Lauren stuff occurred, and Lauren was that age or older, so it seemed somehow a little more sinister, at least to me.

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    1. There was a conversation a while back on IMDB about whether Farkle's character traits worked in our era. A lot of people remarked that at face-value, he isn't that much different from Urkel from "Family Matters," but agreed that with modern technology, the jokes--which weren't that funny twenty years ago--are a bit more unsettling.

      You want to talk bad behavior? Let's talk about how nobody would like it one bit if Riley had a little sister instead of Auggie, and if that little sister was friends with a boy would did not treat her nicely. People don't like Ava, but it appears to be more that she monopolizes Topanga's screen-time.

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