Friday, February 27, 2015

Epilogue

So with all the clip reels of the various relationships in the finale, I got to thinking about which one I liked the best. My gut reaction is Eric/Feeny, and we've all spoken at great length about how wonderful they were together in seasons 3 and 4. But then at the end of the finale when Shawn says "You never gave up on me," that hit me so hard and made me wonder if maybe Shawn/Feeny is the best. It's never quite as strong as Eric/Feeny, but it pops up throughout most of the series, as early as The Fugitive in season 1, while Eric/Feeny is mostly restricted to 3 and 4. We also have to consider Shawn/Cory, which is of course the backbone of all seven seasons, and at times is as emotional as Eric/Feeny. Shawn/Cory is lovable, emotional, and hysterical for the entire series, but it never really inspires me the way the two Feeny relationships do. So yeah. I don't know if I have an answer for this one yet. Maybe I'll just have to watch the series a few more times.



That brings up an interesting point. One of the biggest questions I thought about while I worked on this blog was whether or not I'd still want to watch the show when I was done, whether this deep analysis and criticism would exhaust my interest in it. I can say with 100% certainty that I still want to watch the show. Some of the episodes I'll probably never watch again, except maybe when that creeping thought of "was it really that bad?" works its way into my head. Others, I don't think I could ever grow tired of. So I present today's first list, in chronological order (here's the full list of episodes if you want to play along http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Boy_Meets_World_episodes)

Infinitely Watchable Episodes

Season 1: Father Knows Less, Cory's Alternative Friends, Santa's Little Helper, Boy Meets Girl (4 total)

Season 2: Back 2 School, Pairing Off, Me and Mr. Joad, The Uninvited ("It's a geek party!!"), The Beard, Turnaround, Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard To Do, Pop Quiz, Career Day (9 total)

Season 3: He Said, She Said, This Little Piggy, The Last Temptation of Cory, City Slackers, A Kiss Is More Than A Kiss ("BORIS college?") The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, Stormy Weather, I Never Sang For My Legal Guardian, Brother Brother (9 total)

Season 4: Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow ("He's the good lookin guy!"), I Ain't Gonna Spray Lettuce No More, Shallow Boy, Janitor Dad, Turkey Day, An Affair to Forget, Easy Street, B & B's B 'n B, Chick Like Me, Uncle Daddy, Quiz Show, Security Guy, Learning to Fly (13 total)

Season 5: How To Succeed in Business, Last Tango In Philly, Raging Cory, The Eskimo, Heartbreak Cory, And Then There Was Shawn, Eric Hollywood, Things Change, Graduation (9 total)

Season 6: We'll Have A Good Time Then, Can I Help To Cheer You?, Bee True (3 total)

Season 7: It's About Time, She's Having My Baby Back Ribs, Brotherly Shove, Brave New World (4 or 5 total)



Season 4 has the most, which I could have told you from the day I started this blog. It has always been my favorite, and probably always will be. The characters are in that sweet-spot-age where they're young enough to make bad decisions and learn from them (hello seasons 2 and 3) but also old enough to tackle more mature issues and look at life outside high school (where season 5 is strongest). That brings us to our second list.

Season Ranking: 4, 3, 5, 2, 7, 1, 6

The hardest choice is between 3 and 5. They're both really strong for different reasons, and they both have weaknesses as well. For example, 5 has The Apartment, but it also has Jack. 3 has Mister Turner, but it also has Eli. The thing that finally made me choose season 3 is my undying, irrational fondness for The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter (and Dana in general, while we're stuck with Angela in season 5). But like I said, the difference is negligible, 3 and 5 are about equal.



Season 4 is definitely first, though, and 2 is definitely fourth, but 7 and 1 were also tough to choose between. It's either nonsense episodes as kids or nonsense episodes as adults. They both have incredibly strong episodes (e.g. Father Knows Best and Brotherly Shove) but also a large amount of crap. I almost want to put season 1 ahead just because you can chalk up the bad episodes to the showrunners' inexperience. By season 7, they really ought to have known better...

But yeah. I'd be surprised if anyone could argue for season 6 not being the worst. They had to break my heart to get two of those episodes on the list. Bee True is the only season 6 episode that gets there just by being fun and entertaining. 

Speaking of worst, let's look at that next. This is another point for season 4, not one of those episodes would make a Bottom 10 list, maybe not even Bottom 20. Even Cult Fiction is good before the last scene. I'm not sure if I realized it at the time, but it's really just another father figure story. That episode tells us so much about Shawn, and I love that Feeny and Alan both fight so hard for him. It's really pretty great until Shawn starts yelling at the ceiling. But that's neither here nor there. Rather than rank the episodes one by one, since that's next to impossible and way too subjective, I'm just going to group them (the top group is least watchable, and the bottom group is more watchable, if that's not clear from the group titles). And remember, there's no particular order inside each group.

Worst Episodes

Literally Nothing Redeemable
What A Drag!

Never Ever Watch Again
As Time Goes By
The Honeymooners
No Guts, No Cory
Hogs and Kisses
Grandma Was A Rolling Stone

Pretty God Damn Bad
You're Married You're Dead
And in Case I Don't See Ya...
Show Me The Love (Part 1)
For Love and Apartments (Part 2)
Starry Night
The Happiest Show On Earth
Who's Afraid of Cory Wolf?
I Was A Teenage Spy

Guilty Pleasures
The Fugitive
The Witches of Pennbrook
First Girlfriends' Club

There's a lot of room between Pretty God Damn Bad and Guilty Pleasures, room where most of season 6 lives, but I wanted to include the Guilty Pleasures for fun. I'M SORRY THAT I LIKE FIRST GIRLFRIENDS' CLUB, OKAY? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT? AN APOLOGY? I'M FUCKING SORRY, I CAN'T HELP IT. 

I rewatched Who's Afraid of Cory Wolf just now because I wanted to be sure about it, and it's not nearly as bad as those top two categories. I thought it was, but if you go watch it now with seasons 6 and 7 fresh in your mind, it's really not even close to being the worst. What A Drag, however, is definitely the worst. With the time travel episodes you can always say "well none of that actually happened," but What A Drag is canon. That is part of the official Boy Meets World lore. And that hurts deep.

So we've already got the Infinitely Watchable list, but I can narrow it down further. It's a given that every Infinitely Watchable episode is hilarious and fun. So for this list, something in particular has to make it stand out in addition to those to qualities. The lines are blurry and subjective for most of the Infinitely Watchables, but there are three episodes that deserve the spotlight for being outstanding displays of character relationships and individual character development.

Best Episodes

Security Guy - Feeny/Eric, and Alan/Eric, and Feeny/The Three. Thanks for playing. 
The Eskimo - Feeny/The Three with an emphasis on Feeny/Shawn, as well as strong Cory/Shawn moments. Also one of the only good Eric/Jack bonding episodes.
An Affair To Forget - This might surprise you because I haven't mentioned it nearly as much as the two episodes above. I gave it a great review, and I chose that banner at the top of the blog for a reason, but it only dawned on me in the last couple weeks that this episode isn't just great, it's perfect. As perfect as Eskimo and Security Guy. This is the paragon showing of the Cory/Shawn bromance and every second of it is magic. It is abundantly clear that they love each other in a way we never see between Cory and Topanga. But that doesn't stop Topanga from helping Shawn (and the audience) understand that a girlfriend shouldn't keep you from your friends (a life lesson, you might say). What really sets this one apart from future bromance episodes is that Shawn isn't competing with Topanga. In the future, once Cory and Topanga have been soulmated™, it's presented as Shawn vs. Topanga, and littered with Topanga making frustrated faces to the sound of audience laughter. But in this episode it's not a competition. Topanga just wants to help. Meanwhile, Eric is putting on his one man show. He believes in himself, he dreams, and he tries. He fails, ultimately, but Feeny is there to help him pick up the pieces and he offers Eric some genuine, meaningful advice. This episode has everything



It's no coincidence that those three episodes highlight the three relationships I was talking about at the beginning of the post.

 It's really hard to choose any more "best episodes". I wanted to include City Slackers in that list, but Eric's story, as much as I love it, is ultimately meaningless, and that sets it apart from those three. But if we allow the influence of personal bias...

ConfidenceKBM's Biased Top 10

God Tier
Security Guy
The Eskimo
An Affair To Forget

Painfully Close to God Tier
City Slackers

Essential
Turnaround
Eric Hollywood
Last Tango In Philly
Shallow Boy
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
Brother Brother



Like I said, it's a biased list. There's a WORLD of wiggle room in Essential. Pretty much everything from Infinitely Watchable could make it into Essential. Those are really just the ones I've watched the most. My top 4 are set in stone, but I don't think I could pick a #5. 

And I think that's all I've got to say about Boy Meets World. Well that's a lie, I could say a hundred thousand more things, but at a certain point it would devolve into a sort of rambling, fanatic rant.

I'm looking to do a cooperative writeup for Girl Meets World starting on the next episode in March with long-time commenter Christian. We've got extremely similar views on Boy Meets World, and I like his writeups for GMW, so we're gonna have a go at it. If you want to see me review season 1 of Girl up to now, I'm happy to do it: "I don't like it in general but Maya makes it tolerable and Shawn made it all worth it." There you go, there's the first season. Either way, this isn't the last you'll see of me, hopefully.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think about the show in the comments, but I suppose this is also the time to get emotional. There is absolutely no way in the universe I could have gotten through this without you guys. I wanted to quit so many times, especially after season 5. I seriously considered just taking requests for seasons 6 and 7, but you all deserved better than that, and your support and virtual pats-on-the-back are honestly the only reason I made it through all the garbage episodes. I never thought I'd get to meet people who love this show as much as I do, or that I would ever get the chance to open my heart about it, but here you all are. Reading the comments has always been my favorite part. I've spent the last ten-odd years boiling over with thoughts and feelings about this amazing show, and I've finally got them all out in the open. I like to think that this blog was a place for you to get that out as well. Like how Shawn uses poetry to get his feelings out, except not a bunch of bull shit.

Three important things that came out of this blog:
1) We all got to see that INSANE clip of Cory and Shawn on Jacobs's other show.
2) Undeniable proof that Topanga is in love with Eric.
3) Dancing Guy.


Every one of you has my undying gratitude. Every time I watch this show from now on I'll think you. This was an experience that we all got to have together, a real group adventure, and I can't describe how grateful I am that this is a part of my life. I want to give a special shoutout now. After my review of the very first episode, someone commented on the reddit post telling me that I had made a fan, and that they were going to follow my blog. I don't remember the exact words, but that was the essence of it. So if by some twist of fate you still follow the blog, First Fan, I want you to know that I wouldn't be here without you. Now of course that doesn't diminish everyone else's support, you're all fucking amazing and this blog wouldn't exist without you guys. Every "nice review," every "yeah this episode sucked," every "I'm looking forward to...", everything, it all gives me such an unbelievable feeling. 

I believed in myself, I dreamed, and I tried. I love Boy Meets World, and I love you all.


Thanks for reading.

78 comments:

  1. No!!!. Sean/Confidence, thanks for doing this, man. I support you 1000%, bud. Thank you so much for continually making me laugh & think. I've watched the show since 6 or 7 on Disney Channel. These chrachters are part of my family. You're my "family" now, because of this blog. Thanks again!!!. Follow me on Twitter @aguilbertfan. See ya soon for GMW!!! Love you, man!!!.
    Friends forever, Stephen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, thanks for coming along on the adventure. Glad you'll join me for the next one :D

      Delete
  2. I'm going to read the rest of the post... but, wow, after all of that Season 7 is not your least favorite season? For me it's: 4 (Oh my god, the perfection that is Season 4, way too many are willing to give 5 the nod), 5, 3, 6, 2, 1, 7.

    The only two I'm not into are 1 and 7. 7 just pisses me off constantly, and 1 really just isn't that funny.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. baby back ribs, brotherly shove, and the finale? angela's men/ashes, you light up my union, and the provider are all decent. everything in season 6 except the three I listed can burnnnnnnn. I pull up the list of episodes and nothing is appealing. I am FLABBERGASTED that you put 6 over 2. I see 2 through 5 in a completely different UNIVERSE from 1, 6, and 7.

      Delete
    2. Oh, I ALSO got to say that you cited the presence of Jason as being a + in Season 3's corner of Season 5's which just has Jack. While I agree Jack is the bane of all Western civilization, I'm forced to point out that Jason's final episode was in Season 2. He never appeared in Season 3.

      As for 6 over 2? Well, shit. Let me Wikipedia because I feel pretty confident about this. Let me see why. Season 6 you cite 3 good episodes: Chet's death, Tommy drama, and Bee True which is just pure joy. But is that the extent of good episodes? I dunno, man. There's enjoyment to be had in the His/Her Answers drama, I legitimately like Ain't College Great? a lot. We got Everybody Loves Stuart, we got Santa's Little Helpers, we got a lipstick-on-face reprise, we got The Psychotic Episode. I dunno. There's other good episodes.

      But good episodes are not Season 6's bread and butter, I admit. But it IS funny. It's legitimately funny, a lot, even when developments piss you off. Season 2 is sometimes funny? But it's still got a lot of that gentle Season 2 kid funny. Even episodes I didn't bring up were funny.

      Now, Season 2. It's hard to vote for Season 6 over it because the unholy trinity of unnecessary characters isn't present. But am I actually having as good of a time watching it? I don't know. Season 6 is funnier. Surely you can't deny that. Maybe Season 2 has better episodes, but it also has this underlying problem of only ever being.... light chuckle funny. This is ultimately a comedy - Season 4 and Season 5 are the funniest seasons, bar none. Which is funnier? I have no idea, but they're too comparable in humor to quibble about it. But Season 4 is the best season, because it also does the heartfelt stuff best. You need both. But just the heartfelt/that-IS-what-growing-up-is-like stuff won't do. for me I'm not saying it's all Season 2 has going for it, but it's just not funny enough.

      Delete
    3. Also, I think you need to consider the show at its worst as much as its best. Does Season 7 have more highs than Season 6? Of course. But it also has DRAMATICALLY more lows. I'm hard-pressed to think of any instances of Season 6 that were as bad as par for the course of Season 7. A whole huge chunk of that season is just unwatchable. Little of Season 6 is. At it's worst it's just... not that good. At Season 7's worst it insults the very core of your understanding of these characters.

      Delete
    4. I thought I confirmed Jason was in 3, but you are correct. Fixed.

      I guess we're arguing over taste at this point. I laugh all the time in season 2. Season 6 has Eric and Jack fighting over Rachel. I think that's what kills it for me, what makes it irredeemably last place. I'm surprised you didn't mention Better Than The Average Cory. I had a response loaded in the chamber for that one.

      Delete
    5. Better than the Average Cory has REALLY good moments - Celery. And Alan and Cory's scene on the street. But Alexandra Nichita makes me so uncomfortable and cringey. It's a wash.

      And, yeah, I really hate the triangle bits of Season 6. Season 6 is not perfect by any mean. But even "Better Than The Average Cory" proves that in bad episodes they're usually pretty funny. You're hard pressed to find one that's not funny at all. Whereas Season 7 is full of ones that are not funny and also makes me want to murder my loved ones.

      Still. If we're agreed that the BEST episode is Security Guy, than what is there to quibble over. It has everything! Remember when Eric was watching the SAT class happen, and he smiled at his brother, and saw that SHAWN WAS EATING CAKE? And then you just had to go to bed because you couldn't handle how good life was and you just needed a break from bliss because it all got to be too much? Oh my god. And then also every other second in that episode is amazing.

      Oh and hey! You cited our GMW project! Yaaaay! I'm sure I'm going to be Garfunkel to your Simon on that for a while, but WHATEVER. Also, since you didn't respond to my email - rather than waiting until Season 2 which is like June, do you want to start our thing with the next episode on March 27th, I think it is?

      Delete
    6. Yeah Nichita was Cringe Planet and you have to listen to Morgan sing a song, so I don't want any part of it.

      I always thought I might be crazy for loving 4, its Nielsen ratings were as bad as 1 and 7 and it seemed like everybody was always losing their shit over 5. Security Guy is tough to beat. Objectively it's the best, but if I'm having one of those days I might prefer The Eskimo. Anyway.

      Yeah that sounds fine, I guess there's no reason not to. And sorry, I should check that account more often. It's literally impossible to be worse than the last episode, so that should be fun. (ps im about to email you)

      Delete
    7. Don't look too closely at Season 4's Nielsen ratings. After all, and I paraphase...

      "They moved the show from 8:30 to 9:30?"
      "Yeah!"
      "Was it doing badly at 8:30?"
      "No!"
      "Then why?"
      "They're trying to kill it! They're trying to kill it!"

      Delete
    8. As far as arguments for season 7, I was surprised you never mentioned seven the hard way? The ending may not have exactly addressed all their problems but I really appreciated what they did about addressing the cory shawn topanga dynamic and admitting that nothing had changed after the wedding. And playswithsquirrrels is tough to beat for humor of season 7

      Delete
    9. Heh, that was going to be my next point if we had kept going. All that really matters though is that 3 4 and 5 are the best.

      Delete
  3. Also, I want to be sure to take a moment to give you an immense kudos for this blog. There you were, sitting with the same passion I think many of us feel toward BMW and you did something about it. Clearly many of us had a lot to say about Cory, Shawn, Eric, and Topanga but you gave us a forum to really dissect them. My GMW blog is entirely owed to you, in that I'd never considered anyone could care enough about it to warrant it. Plus I never showed your dedication. In Season 1 for GMW I slacked off when I got busy or disappointed in the quality or just lazy. You never did. And his kind of endeavor needs that level of devotion. You were a shining example of how a blog like this need be run.

    I'm very excited about going through GMW Season 2 (which promises to be more heavily influenced by BMW) with you. I think turning this into an episode-by-episode/development-by-development blog is the way to go. Ultimately we're all still on this journey of the Matthews family and friends together. Let's see where they end up! It's still amazing to me that new episodes of a TV show featuring Cory Matthews, Shawn Hunter, and Eric Matthews are being produced. Feeny! Feeny has MORE WISDOM TO DELIVER! We're all sitting here knowing they've shot more episodes with George Feeny that we simply have not seen yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's something I learned a little while ago about guest stars for Season 2.
      Minkus is returning for three episodes and he and Shawn are going to interact on screen.
      I'm not a gambling man, but I believe odds are good that Shawn and Minkus will start bickering like eleven-year-olds again, at an even more immature rate than Minkus and Topagana fussing over grades.

      Delete
  4. I have nothing else to say. Confidence.KM, you've done us a great good. I came into this blog around Season 3 ish. I have to say I enjoyed this FAR more than Full House Reviewed. I think that this is something really special. Boy Meets World isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. These characters grew up and we got to see them do it, whether we saw the original show or the re-runs on ABC Family or Disney Channel like I did. The show continues to teach us lessons every time we go back and visit them. Superb job wrapping this up and I will continue to read the Girl Meets World blog. Personally, it's not great, but neither was Season 1 of Boy Meets World. I'm posting this through my real account instead of being an Anonymous. God bless. Class Dismissed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh wow, that's fantastic! FHR gave me the idea to do this, and I dreamed of getting that same level of popularity, so that makes me feel amazing that you liked mine better.

      Everyone's betting on season 2 being a big improvement, so let's hope so! Thanks for all the kind words, and what you've said as Anon in the past. It really means a lot.

      Delete
  5. I would rank Season One higher, because of the fact that it was the beginning of Mr. Feeny's role as mentor to both Cory and Shawn and the foundation that the whole rest of the series was built upon. Also, say what you will about "Grandma Was A Rolling Stone" but it gave us a very nice taste of a pre-Felicity Keri Russell :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeahhhhhh, I'm still torn on the 1 vs 7. It's Really just 4, 3/5, *the rest*

      Delete
  6. Totally totally agree with your seasons rankings 100%

    Though I do gotta say I actually like a few episodes in your worst list, As Time Goes By, The Honeymooners, Hogs and Kisses (seriously man? UNDAHPANTS), And in Case I Don't See Ya, The Happiest Show On Earth, I Was a Teenage Spy, The Fugitive, and The Witches of Penbrook (one of Will Friedle's favorites actually)

    But that's beside the point, this is a wonderful blog and ever since I started following it I've been hooked, and I a definitely will continue reading when you tackle Girl Meets World (and are you starting episode one? Because you guys really should even the first one sucks besides the very end)


    Also just gonna say Girl Meets 1961 is the worst Boy Meets World related thing ever aired on television

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we're going to be posting to girlmeetsworldreviewed.blogspot.com which already has reviews for the episodes so far, so I'm jumping on the next episode to air.

      1961 was an abomination, I don't know how they got Rider Strong to direct that nightmare.

      And hey, thanks for all the support <3

      Delete
    2. Because I started the blog a couple episodes into this season, I actually never reviewed the pilot. There's still about 4 or so episodes I haven't reviewed yet from early on, I'm slowly trying to plug in the holes.

      We could, as an introduction, do a review of the pilot as also kind of a way to encapsulate your views and thinkings of the show and how they've handled the premise so far? But I also don't mind just starting with "Girl Meets First Date"

      And yeah, everyone, definitely check out girlmeetsworldreviewed.blogspot.com! Right now! That's where it'll be and you can get caught up!

      Delete
  7. It's sad that this has finally come to an end. I don't even remember what season you were on when I stumbled upon this blog, thanks to IMDB, but I've read every post and enjoyed every episode review. You did a damn good job, man. Damn good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's so awesome of you to say :D
      I'm genuinely thrilled that you enjoyed it. Thanks for all your contributions and support :D

      Delete
  8. 4 is definitely my favorite. It's one where it was hitting in all cylinders, IMO, and what I think people are really thinking of when they think of the BMW. Not specific moments, but just the overall tone where there was humor and drama that worked. Almost every episode had something that made it worth watching.

    One thing that makes GMW hard to watch is how it's turned up to 10 with Cory. When Cory is frantic, it's funny, when Cory is always frantic then it's not so funny. Riley is very much the same way. Maya is usually the highlight every episode and I like her scenes with Shawn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great way to put it, they are ALWAYS on 10. It's like EVERY character needs to have a punchline in EVERY scene. It's exhausting.

      Delete
    2. Sadly, I feels like Topanga is the only one without a punchline after every line. Though, that's consistent with BMW.

      Delete
  9. literally will friedleFebruary 28, 2015 at 10:11 AM

    I really don't know how I'd rank the seasons, aside from having four first and six/seven last.

    It's also really frustrating that most/all of my friends have never seen Boy Meets World (beyond maybe one or two episodes). There are SO MANY great BMW jokes (not including new-found favorites like motherfucking Dancing Guy) that I just can't use around them because they'd have no idea what the hell I'd be talking about. I might try to get them to watch at least a few of your top 10, although I'll probably have to explain a lot to make sure they understand the context <_<

    And I can't believe I forgot to say this in my last post, but thanks for this blog, Sean >_> I've looked forward to each and every post since like the beginning of season 2 (each time you took a week off was TORTURE). Good luck on your GMW collaboration! I don't know how religiously I'll follow it, but I'll probably pop in every now and again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm in the same boat, and that's part of why I love the Comment Crew so much. We're the only group on the internet that understands Dancing Guy. It's a shame we can't reference it with other people, but it's also pretty cool being in such an exclusive club.

      And you're welcome! That's so cool of you to say. Thanks for being a part of it :D

      Delete
    2. I still try to work in "And look where it's gotten me. Here. In a room. With you" into regular conversation.

      Delete
    3. Hahaha, that's awesome. Which one is that from again? I only remember Alan saying a variation of that in the fugitive

      Delete
    4. It's also in Risky Business and possibly one or two more episodes? I have a soft spot for some of S1's catchphrases, like that one and "Ya DO!?"

      Delete
    5. Speaking of early catchphrases, I feel like they really wanted to make "what are you, new?" into something. I wish they did, it's a really good line.

      Delete
  10. Hey guy! Congrats on the wrap-up! I put on the entirety of Boy Meets World every few years via DVD--it kept me entertained while drawing my webcomic. I've been following this blog through a recent rewatch of the series and I think the latest review when I found it was of Janitor Dad.

    While I haven't always agreed with your favorites and least-favs (I've never liked Last Tango in Philly, I gotta say), the write-ups were always informative, smart and entertaining. You convey an excellent understanding of what makes the show and its characters work, and I look forward to hearing you dissect Girl Meets World in the future. There's much ground to cover on that one, with moments of brilliance but at least as many moments of disappointment (ultimately, I feel like the show lacks a respectable, rational adult figure like a Feeny or even a Turner). I'm excited to see where they take the characters, though.

    My season rankings are a bit different: 4 > 3 > 2 > 1 > 5 > 6 > 7. Eric was nigh-irredeemable to me in S7, including how others treated him. I love the high school years more than any of the others, although I think S5 goes in some strange directions at times. S7's finale is touching and there are some other bright spots on occasion, but I'm just not crazy about most of the plots and characters, particularly Topanga in the first third (yikes).

    Seasons 4, 3, and 2 are really great and what I think of when I think of the show. I find 4 and 3 to be really consistent, I was a big fan of the season-long story arcs like Shawn/Turner and Eric's academic troubles. They made the show feel fresh while exploring new dynamics of the characters (such as the sublime Eric/Feeny relationship). S2 is slightly less dynamic and I think there're a few too many "girl of the week" episodes, but it's similarly smart, funny, and charming.

    Big props to making What a Drag! the worst. Episode. Ever! That Chick Like Me lightning don't strike twice, and they ignored what truly made that episode great for a dumb, nonsensical romp through cartoon land. Thank goodness for Cory's cork world bit.

    In all honesty, I feel like BMW's seasons 6 and 7 tried too hard to capitalize on the "Friends" popularity, and it really lost something special in the college years. There was a much smaller emphasis on the consistently strong Alan and Amy, and the extra focus on kinda dull newcomers Jack, Rachel, and Angela (plus the dumbing down of Eric and wildly inconsistent Topanga) made for a lot less interesting characterization all-around. Feeny was more hands-off than I'd like and with the lack of the Matthews' house, we got a lack of quieter gardening scenes. That leaves Shawn and Cory, who were mostly still pretty good, but the rest of the cast suffered considerably in those last two years, IMO.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I agree with those season rankings. I like season 1 a lot better than most here, it seems. (I don't hate it, at least.)

      Delete
  11. (Part 2--I broke the word limit!)

    Great lists, by the way. Very thorough. I am still curious though--would you be able to rank your top 5 characters of the series? I like doin' lists, so here's mine:

    5. Shawn Hunter. It was a close match between him and number four. When Shawn is at his best, he's really entertaining and enjoyable. "You're Cory. I'm Shawn" is one of the series defining scenes, and if Shawn was always that astute, he'd be higher. But he does get a whole lot of over-emotional "storm-out" scenes, and the poetry angle for his character felt a little abrupt. Sometimes the Shawn drama is a little much (and sometimes it's just what an episode needs).

    4. Eric Matthews. I want to put this guy higher, but it's hard to root for him in the last couple seasons. He's playing the clown role and it's too over-the-top. Will Freidle has hilarious delivery, at least, and when it's not going into cartoon territory, Eric gets some of the all-time funniest moments in the show. He's also got an amazing role with two of my other favorites, Alan and Feeny. His plotlines in the 3rd and 4th season are as good as it gets.

    3. Cory Matthews. Cory's also a bit inconsistent but as you've mentioned, he works really well when used right. As a comic relief character, he's almost always hilarious, and he generally does okay in more dramatic moments as well. I like Cory's sheer "averageness" for the first half of the series; he's sort of a snarky troublemaker at times but ultimately a likable, relatable guy to root for.

    2. Alan Matthews. Alan is thoroughly consistent in this show. William Russ has terrific acting chops and comes across as one of TV's greatest dads. Nearly every scene with this guy is compelling, and the large amount of Cory/Alan stuff in the first year is why that season is still what I consider pretty darned good. He's a dad very much like my own, and one I hope to be to my son. Alan/Cory, Alan/Feeny, Alan/Amy and Alan/Eric moments are all generally excellent.

    1. Mr. Feeny. Like Alan, Feeny is really, really consistent throughout the show. His advice is smart without being platitudinal, he's intelligent without being cliche, and unlike many characters in the "wise sage" trope, he can get quite emotional at times. His anger in Quiz Show and The Eskimo is striking, his understated grief in City Slackers is affecting, and his dry wit throughout the series is always a welcome source of humor. Two of your top three episodes have a very prominent amount of Feeny. Like many great characters, he's got a distinctive relationship with almost every main character in the show. Feeny/Cory. Feeny/Eric. Feeny/Topanga. Feeny/Shawn. Feeny/Alan. These are all really compelling interactions. Try something like that with Rachel, and there's hardly anything there. Rachel/Cory? Rachel/Shawn? Rachel/Topanga? Feeny was a huge part of the show's heart and soul, and IMO, the best thing about the show. GMW needs a Feeny.

    Wow, this was longer than I expected. I guess I really like this show too! Anyway, to wrap up, thanks for a thoughtful and funny trip down memory lane for this underrated show from the 90's. It's been fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your top 5 is certainly the 5, but that's not the order I'd do. Ultimately Feeny and Alan were more catalysts for the growth of others than they were characters of their own. Oh sure they had their own, great moments, but for much of this show they took the natural backseat in favor of the kids they had to.

      I'd say 1. Shawn, 2. Eric, 3. Cory 4. Feeny. 5. Alan.

      Move Shawn to 3 and bump Eric and Cory up and that's my top 5 favorites too.

      Delete
    2. Oh my god, I didn't respond to you here? Taranto, homie, I am soooooooooo sorry. I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY. I am the worst blog person ever for leaving you hanging, how did I miss this comment? Even fucking Christian responded... I don't even know what to say... It would have been completely reasonable to think I ignored you on purpose since I replied to everyone else, and if you did think that I cannot apologize enough. Thank you so much for all the support and the comments, and everything, and I'm thrilled you're still with us on GMWR.

      Delete
  12. Longest commenter everFebruary 28, 2015 at 12:03 PM

    Oh boy, this is gonna be a long one. Confidence, it goes without saying that you have done a phenomenal job with this blog and I never realized how close you came to not finishing it all the way through. Thankyou so much for finishing it! And thanks for not phoning it in up to the very end, if anything your reviews only kept getting more thorough. You made even the bad episodes funny with your reviews when I stumbled on your blog I had only seen a few episodes here and there, but once I read these I just had to sit down and watch the whole thing all the way through. You didn't just make me a fan of the blog, you made me a fan of the show. And you especially gave me a much deeper appreciation for the Eric feeny and shawn feeny Dynamics, thanks for everything!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Longest commenter ever cont.February 28, 2015 at 12:17 PM

      Now that I got that thankyou out, I thought I'd throw in my own two cents on the infinitely watchable list. I think you pretty much covered season 1. But season 2 I would put up an argument for wake up little cory because of the mature way it handled it's subject. It was a serious turning point for the show and it's writers to say "we don't talk down to our audience " and i really feel that this episode marks the beginning of that. I remember turning to my sister and saying " this show was on disney channel??". I'm still waiting for that episode on gmw. It also has one of the best versions of topanga,independent and pissed. I'm definitely a bigger fan of topanga than you but I regret that they didn't hold on to her season 2 roots more. It was also a great feeny turned two styles of teaching showdown. Also I found it really funny Throughout, though I'm partial to the line " topanga: I want my good name back. Cory: some would argue topanga wasn't a very good name to begin with. "

      Delete
    2. Definite agreement on Wake Up, Little Cory. That one's probably in my top 3 BMW of all time.

      Delete
  13. Longest commenter ever contFebruary 28, 2015 at 12:27 PM

    I am also a big fan of by hook or by crook. While flawed, it marks the beginning of arguably one of the best relationships of the show ( Eric feeny) and unarguably the best storyline ( Eric's journey to college) he shows his good character ( the origins of the Eric we all love) when he comes forward about cheating to Mr feeny and then vows to start studying harder for college. I love to watch this one and see it all start.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Longest commenter ever contFebruary 28, 2015 at 12:35 PM

      Season 3 I would definitely include life lessons. It's one of my all time favorites for quite a few reasons. It shows the integrity of our three protagonists as they take responsibility for being bystanders and show their loyalty to feeny. Somehow this stands out to me as exactly what feeny is referring to when he says try/ do good as they stay to help him clean up the trashed school and he chooses not to retire. It's actually a beautiful kind of sentiment because they are the reason he didn't retire and eventually he chooses to retire because they're leaving the school, bringing it all full circle. It also showed serious growth for shawn " that's what he's done for me". It was also kind of hilarious despite serious content. I have never seen such an accurate representation of finals as the first 2 minutes of the episode. If you don't remember i recommend going back to read your review or rewatching it cause that was hilarious.

      Delete
    2. Longest commenter ever finalLFebruary 28, 2015 at 12:42 PM

      You pretty much covered season 4 and 5 although I maybe possibly would add honesty night from season 5. I'd have to go back and rewatch but I remember it being a really funny pallet cleanser from the Lauren arc. But I guess that one is up to personal preference.
      I was surprised you did not include seven the hard way. I liked that they addresses topanga being left out cause it's happened a lot in the show and frankly it happens a lot in real life for anyone who's been a member of a close group of three friends. And plays with squirrels was fantastic. So those are my little additions! I'd love to hear your thoughts on on these episodes. Thanks again for everything!

      Delete
  14. So excited to read your girl meets world project! I have been so hoping you'd get involved in something like that when this wrapped up! Although season 1 wasn't great it's clear from your season rankings of BMW that BMW season1 was far from perfect as well, I have high hopes for season 2. These links have a great archive of information that's out for season 2 from the girl meets world writers twitter if you haven't seen it yet:
    http://bmwsequel.com/2014/12/11/great-round-up-of-the-girl-meets-world-writers-tweets/

    http://bmwsequel.com/2015/01/22/parts-3-and-4-of-girl-meets-world-writers-tweet-round-up/

    http://bmwsequel.com/2015/01/22/girl-meets-world-writers-tweets-part-5-some-shawn-and-angela-tweet-round-up/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm excited for season 2 as well! But I have just a few concerns.. Two big ones really, Eric and feeny. The title of Eric's episode is girl meets plays with squirrels which could be good and bad on the one hand. I love Eric in seven the hard way, but there's a very fine line between Eric in that episode and Eric in the whole rest of season 7 and I'm not sure it's a line the writers will walk gracefully. Especially because Michael Jacobs has said that "They didn't find his character until season7" I don't want him to be this stupid buffoon of an uncle that's more of a nuisance. I want him to be the beloved and lovable goofball he really is. Now my concerns for feeny on the other hand might be nothing more than paranoia. But the writers have hinted that the first few episodes are really good but cover a serious topic. They've also said that people will die in season 2, and it could just be a slight side character like the woman running the bakery, but I have a sinking feeling it's feeny. And it might explain why they all go on a trip back to his house and idk I'm just very concerned about it. Hopefully I'm wrong! See y'all on the girl meets world blog

      Delete
  15. Dancing guy for forever and always! Anyways, this is going to get probably sappy. I loved this blog. I found it, almost a year ago by accident, I was trying to talk myself up on doing my own Boy Meets world reviewed blog and I found yours and realized I couldn't compete. The first review I ever read was the episode in which Topanga's family moved away and then she ran away to be with Cory. As an adult, I hate that episode. As a child, I loved it. So reading your review made me happy because you tended to share the same views of it.

    I loved coming online every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for new blog posts. We normally agreed on most things about this show, Eric is awesome, Cory can be a jerk, and Topanga went nuts for a little bit when her parents broke up. I will miss this blog. I will read your girl meets world reviews but I'm not sure how I feel about that show.

    Dancing guy for forever and always and thank you again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. <3 Thank you so much for saying that. I've loved all your comments and support.

      Dancing Guy is the symbol of the blog. A lasting memory that no other Boy Meets World fans understand.

      Delete
  16. Top Missed Opportunities? Just spitballing, not in any order and mostly with dropped characters, but by all means commentators if there was a dropped storyline, reply it.

    - Not following through with Lauren. Really could have explored something there with Cory and Topanga being apart, developing Topanga with other character and actually build a real friendship with Angela that wasn't centered on man.

    - And keep Dana Pruitt and Shawn together past her two appearances. Larisa Oleynik wasn't busy in 1997 and could've appeared again and maybe have Shawn revert to his old ways and lose her. Yeah, more Shawn loses someone stories.

    - Nunzio. All I got to say. Nunzio.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would've liked to see more Turner. He played a very good role in the show when paired with both Feeny and Shawn, and I think they could've done more with him. Although I guess it would've started to become too much of a stretch to see both him AND Feeny constantly being the trio's teacher.

      Delete
    2. Turner was really hurt by the addition of Eli. It took him out of the loop with the main cast and when they dropped the best friend character for season 4, it was Turner who was missing for more than half the episodes. And a lot of times he did show up, it was for one scene and one line.

      Delete
  17. I don't know if this counts as a dropped storyline but I wish that they had topanga stick to her hippy/independent roots a little more. "God made dirt so dirt won't hurt. " It made her a much more interesting character. They struck a pretty good balance in season 2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would have been fantastic. Nothing she does past season 2 tracks with her hippie past at all, it's a huge sore spot for me and one of my biggest gripes with the show overall.

      Delete
  18. They should have followed up on turners accident that was a huge cliffhanger they never resolved

    ReplyDelete
  19. Missed opportunity with minkus! Why did they just drop him from the show! He could've been a great addition. Also would have loved to see more griff Hawkins

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have been rewatching boy meets world along with your critique for the past couple of weeks. I almost always agree from what you have said, a few times feeling differently.

    I grew up with boy meets world. I'm 28 so I may have been in a mainly rerun, after the actual broadcast, point of view.. but I don't actually remember because I would have been too young to remember where I originally saw it. But looking back now, I remember most the episodes until the college years when I voluntarily stopped watching because it was so bad.

    I'm also a female so I really like how it was from a guys point of view that you gave. Not that it's a woman's show, but I don't think I've talked.. In depth.. About this show with a guy.

    I particularly like how you criticized Topanga for being mad at Shawn and Cory for loving each other too much and saying "you're boys, stop it!" Or something to that nature. Most guys are too macho for that, or whatever, annoying. Shawn and Cory had the best love story of the series and continued it into girl meets world.

    I watched the finale and my first thought is how they brought ridiculously dumb Eric back for nearly all the flashbacks, like anyone at all thought he was funny. I think only the writers thought he was funny that way, nobody else. Anyone who saw the show from the beginning and saw his character blossom from season 2-4.. It makes your stomach sick. He is the one of the main reasons I can't watch the last 2 seasons. I skimmed over most of the last 2 seasons while reading your blog instead, proving I didn't miss much.

    It's not funny what they did to Eric, it's actually a slap in the face for anyone who vested themselves into him trying and finally succeeding into getting into college, with the help of Mr. Feeny. It also undercut freeny by taking Eric to that level of insanity.

    Can I also say that Mr. Turner was a great character that they acted so blasé about cutting out of the series? Then add in useless characters at the end?

    I think they should have stopped the series after Sean, Cory, and Topanga graduated high school. I seriously think the writers thought that too, after the fact. Especially because.. The last scene, they have them in their high school classroom with Mr. Feeny. Note, he was conveniently their college professor too (did you not ever comment how insane that is..) but now he can suddenly be back to the high school classroom. It's like they were like oops, sorry, it should have ended here in high school before the show got bad.

    I have also watched most of girl meets world. It's kinda cute, but literally the only good thing about it to keep it going is when Shawn is on the show. The kids aren't nearly enough to keep it interesting like boy meet world. Nor are Topanga and Cory alone, hence why Shawn has to be a part of Cory to make it a good show. But I can't help but watch to see my old favorite characters again.

    Thanks for all your reviews, it's been great to relive this show.. Good and bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have no idea how I missed your comment, and I'm SLIGHTLY late in saying this, but thank you so much for following along with me and being a part of this awesome experience. So many people have these feelings about Boy Meets World stuck inside them like you and me, and it's amazing to see it all come pouring out here.

      Delete
  21. "The last scene, they have them in their high school classroom with Mr. Feeny. "

    The last scene of the finale was actually in the classroom that was used for most of Season One and then never again. Cory's (and presumably Eric's at some point) 6th Grade classroom

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm a little late, but thanks for the blog! I enjoyed reading it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm late too, but you're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

      Delete
  23. I'm a lot late but thank you for the reviews and this blog. It really helped get through some of the later seasons in my rewatch. With that said with only a few episodes left on my rewatch here are my ratings:

    4, 2, 3, 1, 5, 6, 7

    But to be real honest: High school, middle school, college. Minkus was awesome and most of it was quality stuff minus Rolling Stone.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hey, thanks for making this blog.I really like your honesty and your sardonic humor, especially when your reviewed the worst episodes on the show. I am on season 6 right now, the worst, and I am now on the habit of reading your posts first before watching the episodes because I have been fast forwarding most of them.

    I agree season 4 is the best but I disagree about season 1 as one of the worst seasons. The only thing I hate about that season is how flat Eric was. I'm glad they made much more gradually, till season 6 of course, this dark phase. Grr...they made him the dumb blonde! Creeps!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *made much more of him gradually

      Delete
    2. Oh wow, I never get tired of comments like this, thank you so much! You're absolutely right, Eric got RUINED, but he's been looking pretty strong in Girl Meets World, if that's any consolation.

      And yeah, season 1 is hard to place. It was so far back in my mind when I made my rankings that it may have been placed too low.

      Delete
  25. Everytime I watch a BMW rerun (2 episodes air a day on ABC Spark here in Canada; starting Aug 31 Brave New World aired, and Sep 1, restarting the cycle, with Season 1 (which I love)(..everytime I saw an episode (I'd record it to skip ads) I came and read your blog post. Then I'd start the next episode. This task must have been pretty daunting..no easy feat..but you did it. I liked reading your perspective on these episodes. So, uh, thanks.

    Now that the Pilot's on TV, time to watch that .. and repeat the blog again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know how I missed your comment, but thanks so much for reading! I love that people love Boy Meets World. It really makes me so happy.

      Delete
  26. Hey, I was recently at Toronto Comic Con and got a picture with Will Friedle himself! I just thought of this blog when I saw him, so I thought I'd let you know!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is so awesome! I would die. I'm jealous.

      Delete
  27. hey just wanted to say i'm just so glad for this blog. I've just gotten into boy meets world recently (and finished it just minutes earlier), and reading this blog side by side to watching the show has been immensely enjoyable, so thank you! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's awesome! Thank you so much for saying that. I'm really really glad you liked the show. It is truly something special.

      Delete
  28. I just discovered this blog and I'm re-watching the episodes in order and then reading your reviews. I love you for taking the time out of your life to do this. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very very welcome! The reviews aren't that great for a while, but once we hit season 3 it takes off. Thanks for commenting!

      Delete
  29. Is there any chance you would ever do this for Friends? This and Friends are my guilty pleasures and have their shares of absolutely horrible episodes along with some of the greatest sitcom comedy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love Friends too, but 10 seasons is way too much for me. But that leaves the door wide open for you to take the reins yourself! :D

      Delete
  30. As stated by Stanford Medical, It's in fact the one and ONLY reason this country's women get to live 10 years more and weigh on average 42 pounds lighter than we do.

    (And actually, it has totally NOTHING to do with genetics or some secret diet and EVERYTHING around "HOW" they eat.)

    P.S, What I said is "HOW", and not "WHAT"...

    TAP on this link to find out if this little questionnaire can help you decipher your true weight loss possibilities

    ReplyDelete
  31. I would highly recommend Le_ meridian funding services to any person in need financial help and they will keep you on top of high directories for any further needs. Once again I commend yourself and your staff for extraordinary service and customer service, as this is a great asset to your company and a pleasant experience to customers such as myself. Wishing you all the best for the future.Le meridian funding service is best way to get an easy loan,here is there email..lfdsloans@lemeridianfds.com Or talk to Mr Benjamin On WhatsApp Via_+1-989-394-3740 Thank You for helping me with loan once again in my sincerely heart I'm forever grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm only about 6 years late to the post! I watched BMW as a kid (born in 96 and I guess I watched reruns until they stopped airing) but not religiously, didn't have super vivid memories of it. I decided on a whim to watch the entire series and I found your blog about halfway through. I mentioned on the episode but I googled the "bitchin' board" line, incredulous that they included it, and found the blog that way. I decided I'd read through the whole thing once I finished the show and now I'm finished reading it! It was a lovely way to relive the show and get some fresh opinions on it. I left some comments throughout, I was probably pretty annoying sometimes and given how late I am to the party no one is ever gonna read it. But I still had fun! If I ever watch GMW (which personally I think is way worse from what I've seen, so that's a big if) I'll be sure to check out your other blog too.

    ReplyDelete
  33. No idea if you'll ever see this, but I just want you to know that your reviews of this show have left such a mark on me, that I reread each episode's review after watching it every time I rewatch this show. Thank you for the work you did on these reviews, they have brought me much joy.

    ReplyDelete