Episode 3x18 "Life Lessons"

Harley Keiner is coming back for Girl Meets World. I think he's a janitor? So that's pretty exciting.

It's time for final exams here at John Adams High. Err, okay, they're actually two weeks away... Which is... plenty of time... But our heroes and a bunch of extras are terrified since three of the exams are in one day. Topanga breaks down into full anti-social studying mode while Shawn has a reaction that really hits home for me.

Fuckin real talk right there. The extras groan and Cory assures them that if they devote the next two weeks to studying, they'll have nothing to worry about. The scene immediately cuts to Shawn and Cory watching TV in a few different locations, and then they're finally cramming with only two days left before exams, wondering where all their time went. Honestly, that explanation really doesn't do it justice. It's about 30 seconds long, too long for a gif, so I highly recommend finding this episode just for the first minute. It's so spot on, I can't even handle it.

Some "tough" looking guys come up to Cory and say they need to "get rid of Feeny", since he's the mastermind behind this diabolical exam schedule. It's hilarious that backward baseball caps were perceived as "tough" back in the 90s. These guys look pretty ridiculous. I bet they're in a garage band or something.

Cory does that thing sitcoms do where he manages to get the attention of a large group of people just by saying "listen up gang", and they all decide to go talk to Feeny as an organized unit. Buuuuuuuut the scene cuts to them all watching TV at Chubbie's. It's pretty funny, I actually didn't expect that. We're doing good so far.

At school, presumably the next day, the mob of students, lead by Cory, ask Mr. Turner why the exams have to be jammed together in such a demanding schedule.

Apparently cut-aways to the punchline are the name of the game today. And that's fine, it's definitely working.

Feeny is adamant. He goes on to explain that the schedule should be hard, to make sure the students are actually learning all the material. To give my own insight, I believe the reasoning is that you can't cram for three exams, right? You can cram for one, maybe two, but three would be difficult. That's just my two cents. Anyway, Feeny. though steadfast, agrees to hear out the students' concerns. Naturally, Cory is chosen to represent the students. That tough guy from before in the leather jacket, apparently his name is Denny, which is just the least intimidating name he could ever have, tells Cory that if he can't change Feeny's mind, the rest of them will take matters into their own hands. This guy's tone really pisses me off. Who hired him.

Needless to say, Cory is unsuccessful. It's interesting to think about how the target audience feels right now. As a middle/high school student, we would probably sympathize with Cory, but as adults we remember all of the exams we passed without actually learning anything by studying the night before, and so we understand Feeny's intentions.

The students are unhappy with this outcome, so Denny and his Ragtag Gang Of Hilarious Thugs, henceforth abbreviated DR. GOHT, band the unhappy students together and march off to enact some unspecified revenge against Mr. Feeny. It appears that Shawn goes with them.

At home, a leggy redheaded woman named Brenda arrives at the door and Eric lets her in. She's been set up on a date with Mr. Turner by Amy Matthews, and she mistakes Eric for Turner, so they have a humorous exchange.

I was sitting here like damn, I know I recognize this woman from somewhere. And then I was CERTAIN that she is currently playing Zelena on Once Upon A Time. Like, the resemblance is RIDICULOUS, their mannerisms, their voices, everything. It's insane how similar they are, but alas, they are not the same actress. This is Lisa Akey who really hasn't done anything worth mentioning. I was so excited too, dammit all. She also kinda looks like Rachel, who comes into this show in season 5.

Anyway, Turner had to cancel the date, so Eric offers to take her to dinner in his stead and she agrees. Quick reminder, Eric did indeed turn 18 a few episodes ago.

That saxophone riff plays as we jump ahead a few hours. Through his kitchen window, Cory sees DR. GOHT tp'ing and shaving-creaming Feeny's house. They break a window, alerting Feeny, and they run off. Feeny comes out and makes eye contact with Cory as the sad clarinet music plays.

That's some crazy shit. Not much to say about it except that's pretty compelling.

The next day, Feeny's class ends and Cory talks with him about the exam stuff again. The teacher explains to his student that the pressure caused by the difficult schedule is what forces them to really learn, but in greater detail than how he explained it to Mr. Turner earlier. He goes on to tell Cory that he's decided to retire at the end of the year, since he believes himself no longer capable of earning his students' respect.

In the hall, we learn from Shawn that he didn't actually take part in the vandalizing, but Cory thinks they're both responsible since they knew about it and didn't do anything to stop it.

This is heavy stuff! Not only have the terrorists convinced Feeny to retire, our heroes feel like it's all their fault. It's hard to pretend that this would ever happen in real life, but in the Boy Meets World universe, this is a great story so far.

Later, Turner comes to Feeny's house to convince him not to retire.

Wo-hoah! That legendary stern Turner voice I've talked about before! This really shows us how the dynamic between these two teachers has changed since the beginning of season 2. Mr. Turner giving a stern life lesson to Mr. Feeny... Who woulda thought! It works though, for sure. I think the key here is that this is the kind of advice we would expect Turner to be giving to his students, right? At its core, this episode is about bullying. Feeny is being bullied by DR. GOHT. Indeed, what we're seeing is that you don't have to be a student to learn from a teacher. Further, the fact that it's Turner in particular is critical. Imagine if that was Eli instead of Turner. It would be a disgrace. Turner's character arc over the last two seasons is what allows this scene to work. Awesome. Sadly, Feeny is not convinced.

In the Matthews kitchen, Eric tells his parents that he's going out with Brenda. Amy realizes it's the Brenda she was setting up with Turner and forbids Eric from seeing her (because of the age difference), but Alan encourages him, even so far as to lend Eric his car. During the date, Eric and Brenda aren't hitting it off, but Turner arrives just in time to swoop in and take over the date. Eric meets some other girl his own age. That's the end. Why on earth did we do that? I mean, it was fun, but that's a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion, especially since Turner just got done with something much more important.

Back at home, Cory and Topanga are studying when Shawn bursts in. Apparently DR. GOHT are up to no good at the school. I guess... they walk there...? Either way they're at the school in the next shot.

DR. GOHT have made a mess of the parking lot and spray-painted all over the walls. Denny's got some bolt cutters and breaks the padlock on the door to the school. Cory and Shawn get kinda preachy about how Mr. Feeny cares about his students, and Shawn explains that he learned about freedom of assembly from Mr. Feeny, but that it only applies to peaceful assembly. It's just sort of showing us how this education is applying to real life, I guess.

That definitely could have been written better, but woaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah damn! That's powerful. Throwback to City Slackers right there. I pointed it out several times, the development between Feeny and Shawn during this season. I wasn't just makin that shit up, it's all come to fruition here now. Again, the actual wording isn't amazing, but the essence of what he's saying here is really satisfying.

So anyway, Feeny comes out through the now open door and DR GOHT run off. They were all really bad at saying their lines. Feeny reveals to our heroes that he's not going to retire after all, and then they help him clean up the parking lot.

During the credits, everyone learns their exam scores. Shawn got mostly C's, Cory got mostly B's, everyone's happy.

Plot: 1.0 - Despite the unsatisfying conclusion of Eric's story, everything else was good.

Character Development: 1.0 - Turner has clearly earned Feeny's respect, Eric learns a little about why age gaps can in fact make a big difference in dating, and the heroes obviously get a little closer to Feeny. But we can't leave out the old principal himself, who shows us more of what makes him human and vulnerable, as well as displaying his true passion for teaching. Great stuff.

Humor: 1.0 - The cutaway gags at the beginning were great, and it's consistently funny throughout the rest.

Life Lesson: 1.0 - I've already talked about the lessons from this one at length. After all, the episode is named "Life Lessons". What did you expect?

4.0 out of 4.0. That's the third perfect score this season. Great episode. No reason to miss this one.

Thanks for reading, see you Wednesday!

All images used under Fair Use.