Episode 1x18 "It's a Wonderful Night"

Sounds like a Christmas episode but this season already had one so I dunno.

Judy Queen of Zits will be babysitting Cory and Shawn this evening, but they hatch a plan to focus her attention on pus related issues so they can watch I'm Blowin' Up Yer Head Part 6: Stumpy's Revenge ©.

Cory and his older brother banter in their room, it's kinda funny, and we learn that Eric is about to go take his driver's test. Eric looks pretty fly. Purple button-up shirts are top tier, yo. I wear them shits all the timeeeeeeeeeee.

Amy and Alan are going to some high profile event for people in the real estate biz. I was pretty sure we would never hear about Amy's real estate job again, so that's nice. Eric comes home from his driver's test, and since this happened at the beginning of an episode, there was really only one thing that could happen. 

Jason Marsden is here now, so it's automatically a good episode. His delivery and tone are all spot on again, and honestly he makes Will Friedle a better actor. Will just seems more comfortable with Jason than Ben Savage (Cory). I don't know if the friendship caused this, or this caused the friendship, but it makes sense either way. But even Jason Marsden can't fight the most perplexingly frequent wardrobe decision of this season. I think Eric is just as confused as I am.

The plan was for these half-sweatered gentlemen to go on a double date that evening, utilizing Eric's expected driver's license, but there's a Kennedy in that Krushchev since Eric failed the test. So they decide to lie to Alan. I think any parent on the Earth would immediately respond by asking to see the license, not out of suspicion but the same way you ask to see an award or a plaque or whatever. Alan doesn't though, so... here's a clip of Jason being funny.

                                      

Once more the audience doesn't laugh when I laugh. It's a point of pride for me, honestly. "Okay, that's just logic" was enough for me to burst. His voice is so perfect and I would keep gushing if I hadn't already in an earlier review. Alan decides to lend Eric his car keys. Eric and Jason act surprised. What exactly was their plan? What did they think they were going to drive for this date 10 seconds ago? Grand Theft Auto 6: Philadelphia? Anyway Judy Queen of Zits calls and cancels so Eric recruits Feeny to be the new babysitter.

We're 9 minutes in now and the actual story is just now starting. That's a bad sign.

This next bit you need to see for yourselves.

                                     

Ya like that, Rider Strong? Ya like lookin at that?

LOOKIN AT YOUR FUTURE??!!

(Rider Strong was in some bad horror movies. He tries to pretend they weren't bad. But they were bad.)

More importantly, what the fuck. They're less than two yards away from Feeny and Morgan, Feeny was positioned directly facing the television, and Cory changed the channel after Feeny was already fucking looking at the TV. It's like all those times your dad or your college roommate caught you watching porn but didn't wanna embarrass you so they pretended they didn't see anything. Except Feeny's not pretending. I don't know who could have possibly written this scene. Usually people like to say that Boy Meets World doesn't talk down to its audience, but that right there was a direct insult to my intelligence. Like enemy NPCs in stealth games, or Skyrim, or something. 

Eric got his father's car towed, so the next scene occurs at the towing place. This is the same set that will be used for some Hunter family mechanic shop in the future. Eric and Jason get trolled by their dates and then the girls leave to be rescued by some "junior with a Camaro", but not before the towing company guy tries to molest one of them. 

The hell was that. Mr. Feeny arrives to rescue Eric and learns that Eric doesn't have a license. Feeny orders Eric (and I do mean orders) Eric to go wait upstairs until Amy and Alan get home. Then we are once again assumed to be of amoeba-level intelligence.

                                     

Yes it is, George Feeny. Yes it is.

So the parents get home and everybody's in trouble. Shawn and Jason both bail on their respective best friend to avoid trouble. Is that the life lesson?

The Matthews brothers are both grounded for two weeks. Eric must spend that time studying for the driver's test, which is stupid because he didn't fail the written part of the test, he was just bad at driving. Cory must spend that time watching educational television, which is stupid because you have got to be fucking joking me.

This episode was written by Susan Estelle Jensen, who previously wrote a piece of shit (episode 5) and a Taco Bell (episode 10). ...Because, you know, Taco Bell isn't the best but it's... 

it's pretty good...

I don't know how I feel. There was a lot of junk and wasted time here, but I'd rather talk about what they did right. It goes back to what I talked about in episode 3, Feeny not having children. We got to see how old George can handle himself with various types of children and he does pretty well. His tea party with Morgan is funny and cute, and I can't think of a single other point in the series where we've seen that side of Feeny. He was also willing to help Eric and was really cool about the whole thing until he learned that Eric didn't have a license. We might have expected some "Oh Eric you moron how did you get towed", but instead we saw another new side of our favorite sixth grade teacher. On the other hand, he still knew how to be strict and firm when necessary. Aside from being completely blind and deaf toward I'm Blowin' Up Yer Head Part 6: Stumpy's Revenge ©, I think Mr. Feeny did a super swell job! Certainly deserving of a character development badge. 

What the hell did any of that have to do with "It's a Wonderful Life"? Is that title referring to something else? I don't get it.

Gonna go ahead and say 0 for plot, 0.5 for humor (thank you Jason Marsden), 1 for character development, 0 for life lesson. 

It's a real shame, too. This could have been fantastic if the story were centered on Feeny experiencing the trials of parenthood. Now that I think about it, I can't believe there ISN'T an episode exploring that. Not one. This is as close as it gets, and they just barely scratched the surface. Can you even imagine? I should write the script myself, dammit. That's such a good idea.

This gif is unrelated but I wanted to include it.

Karma, bitch.

1.5/4

Seeeeeeeeeeee you Monday.

Clips and images used under Fair Use.