Why Girl Meets World is Still Relevant

Despite some fans’ opinions, I genuinely love Girl Meets World (sometimes more than Boy Meets World). It didn’t have mature subject matter, like Boy Meets World, since it was on Disney Channel and not Freeform. Regardless, it didn’t stop them from addressing powerful real-world issues. So just like I did with Boy Meets World, I want to illustrate why Girl Meets World still matters, even years after the series ended.

Bullying

Girl Meets World devotes a couple episodes to bullying. The world we live in doesn’t often have Harley Keiners pushing us up against lockers on a daily basis. However, we are hit with words from every direction. In “Girl Meets Rileytown”, Riley was being constantly attacked by the words of a virtual bully at her school. You can’t even look at Facebook without someone faceless individual tearing into someone. We can’t control how they act, but we can control ourselves. Like Riley and Farkle (in “Girl Meets Farkle”) learned, it’s up to us to own up to who we are, faults and everything, and be confident in who we are (still working on that myself). If we know who we are, angry people on the internet won’t be able to shake us. 

Forgiveness

Maybe this one seems a bit basic, but in “Girl Meets Forgiveness” we see a more complex side of forgiving people. Sure, there are incidents like Lucas and Zay’s complaints against Farkle that you need to forgive and get over. But there are also hard issues, like Maya forgiving her father, that hit home. I never had to worry about divorced parents, but I’ve had to forgive myself for things that weren’t my fault. And that was Maya’s bigger issue. Sure, it’d be ideal and great to eventually forgive her father. But she was able to forgive herself and stop blaming herself for him leaving. It’s one of the moments that nearly brought me to tears.

Religion

In many respects, religion and politics are among the most taboo subjects of conversation. And “Girl Meets Belief” did a great job demonstrating what civil discourse (at least in the context of religion) can look like. We don’t get anything explicitly said about characters’ religious beliefs (except Farkle’s position as an atheist), but it’s heavily implied that Maya is agnostic and that Lucas and Riley are Christian (though even that is a little subjective). With differing religious beliefs, it can get tense (see Community’s “Comparative Religion”), but I like how the kids were led to appreciate each other’s beliefs and to keep an open mind to understand how others believe. The world could use more of that.

Divorce

With Maya’s story arc, you get a bigger picture of divorce and the effect it has on kids. But I particularly love how in “Girl Meets High School” we get it from another perspective, as Ava’s parents are in the middle of separating. Things come full circle and Maya is able to share what she’s learned from her parents’ divorce: “When people you've loved all of your life suddenly decide to leave? Well, you sit by yourself for a while and you'll try to figure it out. And you'll blame yourself. But it isn't your fault. You probably won't believe that, though, and you'll think you did something wrong, but... you didn't. It isn't your fault. And most of all, you stay with your best friend. People make their own decisions. And sometimes, they decide to go away for a while. Sometimes, it takes time to understand why. It isn't your fault.” And that bit about “Stay with your best friend” could honestly apply to any trauma, not just divorce.

The Secret of Life

From early on in the series we get the lessons about the “Secret of Life”. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it “gospel truth” there’s something to it. But I think Cory was certainly right about one of life’s secrets: People change people. I don’t think anyone would disagree that the people we choose to associate with influence us. And the people we choose to not associate with. Do you let someone build you into a better version of yourself? Do you choose friends who lull you into complacency by never challenging you? Or do you choose friends who drag you down into a gulf of misery? It seems straightforward and easy on paper, but real life is messier than that. 

So as my wife and I finish Girl Meets World again, I want to quote one of Mr. Feeny’s last lines from Boy Meets World (which is posted to the wall of Cory’s classroom): “Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good.”

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Boy Meets World Cameos in Girl Meets World

It may have ended a few years ago, but Girl Meets World is still my guilty pleasure on Disney Plus. I grew up with Cory and Shawn, so when it was in its early days on Netflix a few years back, my buddy David and I had to watch it. It’s definitely a different tone than Boy Meets World and it’s definitely a Disney Channel show. But in my mind it transcends other Disney Channel shows. The series also gives plenty of cameos to important Boy Meets World characters (so many that I couldn’t include them all).

Harley Keiner - Season 1, Episode 13 (Girl Meets Flaws)
He was Cory’s bully for a couple seasons back in the day, but more recently he’s the janitor at Riley’s middle school during Seasons 1 and 2. He appears in several episodes throughout those seasons, so it was hard to pick my favorite. I liked his character because he’s still the snarky Harley Keiner we remember from Boy Meets World, but he’s no longer a bully. Instead, he stands up for the bullied. Just goes to show that anyone can change and anyone can be redeemed.

Mr Feeny - Season 2, Episode 4 (Girl Meets Pluto)
I couldn’t not include Feeny on this list. The question was which of his episodes to include. He appeared five times through the show’s three seasons, but this one was my favorite. Feeny wasn’t the center of the episode by any means, but he appeared as Cory, Shawn, and Topanga dug up a time capsule in his backyard. So of course Riley and Maya pull out their best Feeny call to greet him. Also, I love their heartwarming conversation with him afterwards.

Eric Matthews - Season 2, Episode 5 (Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels)
For some reason grown-up Eric just makes me happy. Partly, his names for Maya just get more ridiculous as time goes on. But also it just shows how much goodness is in Eric’s heart. I still find it so strange that they slowly turned Eric from a ladies’ man to an idiot in the seven seasons of Boy Meets World. But this episode showed how amazing Eric is, even if he’s barely literate.

Tommy - Season 2, Episode 9 (Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels Goes to Washington)
His story arc in Boy Meets World was relatively short, but this was one of those stories that made me love Eric back in the day. The same Tommy that Eric refused to adopt in college, he returned under the name TJ to help Eric win an election. It was beautiful to see Eric find closure to the decision he made for Tommy. A decision that tore him up when he made it. But Tommy never forgot him.

Mr. Turner - Season 2, Episode 10 (Girl Meets New Teacher)
Another story that deserved closure. After his motorcycle accident, Mr. Turner dropped off the face of Boy Meets World. But turns out he survived and married his nurse. This story was a great twist on the story of Mr. Turner from the original series. He got to stand up for Harper, a new edgy teacher, and make some cracks at the principal along the way.

Shawn Hunter - Season 1, Episode 18 (Girl Meets Master Plan)
He appeared so much that he was more of a recurring character than a cameo; he still deserves a mention. It was hard to pick an episode for him. This one is one of my favorites because it shows how much Shawn had begun to care for Maya. He knew what it was like to have absentee parents and (even though he didn’t become her step-dad/dad until later) he became a father figure for her at that time. It changed who Shawn was and I love that.

I knew I couldn’t possibly hit all the Boy Meets World cameos in Girl Meets World, but who were your favorites? Angela is another that I wanted to add. Also Morgan/Morgan in the finale.

Father/Daughter Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! I could spend this post talking about more awesome TV couples, but I’m gonna take a twist on it. While growing up, my wife loved that her parents made Valentine’s Day about more than just romantic love. This continued through college and then into her professional life, as her elementary school students give her cute little Valentines. And now that we have our little girl Lucy, I definitely have more on my mind than just my wife (make no mistake, I’m still getting my wife something for Valentine’s Day). So with Valentine’s Day today and Lucy’s baby blessing this Sunday at church, I’ve got father/daughter relationships on my mind. So in no specific order, here are some of my favorite father/daughter relationships in fandom.

Pete and Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)
The original Pete died when Rose was just a baby, as seen in Father’s Day. When the Ninth Doctor and Rose traveled back in time to see him, she ended up saving him and messing up the timeline. But then Pete made the greatest sacrifice a father can, literally giving his life for his daughter’s life. Later on when an AU Pete arrived, he saved Rose from oblivion and basically adopted her as his daughter in his universe.

Alan and Maria Jackson (Sarah Jane Adventures)
This Doctor Who spin-off had an interesting take on a father/daughter relationship. In the first episode, Maria and her dad moved in across from Sara Jane Smith after an interesting divorce. Throughout Season 1, Maria dealt with her mom, who is a bit of a narcissist. Her dad supports her and loves her throughout the whole ordeal, even after he discovers that Maria has been running around with Sarah Jane fighting aliens. He even helped a bit, all the way up until they moved to America. It was refreshing to see a good dad during a messy divorce, just trying to do his best.

Noah and Claire Bennet (Heroes)
“The Company” may have coerced Noah into the adoption in the first place, but Noah became an ideal father for Claire over the years. There were definitely times that their relationship was strained, usually when Noah started lying to his family again and again. But Claire and Noah always reconciled. When it came down to it, Noah’s priority was definitely his family, even to the point of going on the run from “The Company” to keep Claire safe.

Emma and Charming (Once Upon a Time)
Being the same age post-curse, Charming didn’t exactly have a lot of opportunities for traditional parenting. That being said, he definitely made those moments happen still. Typically it came out when it pertained to Emma’s romantic life (especially with Hook) and her grief (losing Henry or Neal’s death, but some of my favorite father/daughter moments with Charming and Emma were when she was hurting and her father was the one who rushed to comfort her. Also, let’s just talk for a second about how awesome it was to see Charming fight to save newborn Emma.

Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyme (Ant-Man)
After the death of her mother, Hope’s relationship with her father was immediately strained and it never really recovered until after he told her the truth during the events of Ant-Man. Between the events of that film and its sequel, Hank and Hope obviously reconciled and pooled their intelligence to rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm. Seeing them work together so flawlessly in Ant-Man and the Wasp was a beautiful sight. I love that movie in general, but the father/daughter relationship was definitely a highlight among the rest of it.

Phil Coulson and Daisy Johnson (Agents of SHIELD)
From the very beginning, Coulson had a special relationship with Skye/Daisy. As things progressed, especially in Season 2 as Daisy met her parents, Coulson definitely became a pseudo-father to her. With how Jekyll/Hyde her birth father was, it only made Daisy cling harder to Coulson. After letting her father go, she didn’t have a father anymore per se, except for Coulson. So it was natural that when Daisy needed guidance, she ran to Coulson. Unfortunately, that also meant that Daisy was the most heartbroken (except maybe for Agent May) when Coulson was dying.

Wilf Mott and Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
Donna had a great father growing up, from what we know. However, after her father, Geoff Noble, died, her grandfather Wilf really stepped up and became the prime father figure to her. Despite her mother’s taunting and criticism, Grandpa Wilf never ceased to encourage Donna to follow her dreams and her passions, even when it meant that she traveled with the Doctor to potentially life-threatening worlds. It was also Wilf who was there for her after the Doctor wiped her memory, watching out for her since the Doctor couldn’t.

Quentin Lance and Laurel Lance-2 (Arrow)
Two years after the death of his daughter Laurel on Earth-1, Quentin was “reunited” with a version of her from Earth-2. This alternate-universe Laurel was a villainous lackey when we first met her. However, over time with her new “father” she changed. Even after Quentin’s death, Laurel-2 continued to honor his memory by fighting the bad guys and continuing to change, even when the world thought she was a lost cause. Her new father’s encouragement changed her for the better and made her into a new hero Laurel.

Shawn Hunter and Maya Hart (Girl Meets World)
When we left off Shawn Hunter at the end of Boy Meets World, he was single and living life. When Girl Meets World picked up, Shawn was nowhere to be seen, but when he came back into Cory and Topanga’s life, she quickly took a liking for their daughter Riley’s best friend Maya. At first it was just a matter of affection, as Maya’s family life reminded Shawn of his own. Later on, as Shawn got to know Maya and her mom, it became about family, as Shawn married Maya’s mom. As a pseudo-father or a step-father, Shawn was amazing with Maya, treating her as though she were his daughter. Eventually that happened, as he adopted Maya in the series finale.

Honorable Mentions:
There are so many other father/daughter combos that I wish I could include. This post would be forever long if I included them all. But here are a few honorable mentions. Cory and Riley, Rory and River, Joe and Iris, Jack and Monica, Tony and Morgan, Scott and Cassie

I hope you have a great Valentine's Day, however you spend it. Personally, I have an 8-week old date that I can't wait to snuggle.

Comedy Christmas Episodes

In years of Christmas past, I've shared my thoughts on different holiday specials (Disney, Doctor Who, and some others). This year I'm picking some (mostly) family friendly comedies. With a lot of crude humor in modern days, I like these for some classic Christmas humor and feel-goods.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Episode 3x11 - "Christmas Amnesia")
As a typical teenager, Sabrina found something to complain about. Despite her aunts trying to get her in the Christmas spirit, Sabrina only became more pessimistic. But in an It's-A-Wonderful-Life kind of way, Sabrina got to see what life would be like without Christmas, after accidentally deleting it. The heartwarming part is that Christmas didn't return until she stopped focusing on the "hooplah of Christmas" and started focusing on her family. PS: RIP Bobunk

Community (Episode 1x12 - "Comparative Religion")
My top Christmas episode for Community is easily "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas", so instead I went with the season 1 holiday episode. It set the precedent to make fun of Greendale's excessive political correctness. In a subtle and sarcastic way, it also indirectly promoted religious diversity. Also, I enjoy the humbling that Shirley went through, learning to be a better Christian, something we could all do. On the flip side, Jeff learned to turn the other cheek (somewhat) at least out of respect for Shirley. "Oh Christmas Troy. Oh Christmas Troy"

Friends (Episode 7x10 - "The One with the Holiday Armadillo")
More or less every season of Friends has at least one holiday-themed episode, in addition to their annual Thanksgiving episodes. This is probably one of the more endearing Ross episodes. He genuinely wants to teach his son Ben about his Jewish heritage. But also, he got caught in a tough spot with Ben, in regards to Christmas. So in an attempt to find a Santa costume, Ross shows up in an armadillo outfit, who teaches Ben about Hanukkah. To supplement one of Ross's better moments, there are also some funny antics between Phoebe and Joey, which I always enjoy.

Full House (Episode 6x12 - "A Very Tanner Christmas")
As Full House does, this episode has dozens of mini-plots to include the whole family. I suppose it all has to do with personal expectations. Stephanie and Michelle expect tons of presents. DJ expects Steve to stay nearby for college. Becky wants snow. And Danny wants Vicky nearby. The best part for me is how Jesse goes to such extravagant lengths to bring Becky a white Christmas. I also enjoyed how they tried to teach Michelle and Stephanie what Christmas means, apart from presents. Something every kid should know.

Fuller House (Episode 4x01 - "Oh My Santa")
There were a few wonderful teaching moments in this episode (Ramona and Stephanie performing service at Christmastime) and funny moments (Tommy being the typical little kid, freaking out at Santa). The great part of this episode is how realistic Max's grief was. The holidays are hard when you've lost loved ones. I can't imagine that feeling. Whether it's a child taken too soon or a parent gone prematurely, the holidays are a hard time to miss the ones we love.

Boy Meets World (Episode 6x11 - "Santa's Little Helpers")
Amidst Cory and Topanga trying to get Shawn and Angela back together, my favorite part of this episode was Eric, Rachel, and Jack. They may have gone about things the wrong way (nabbing the family's Christmas presents) but there's something to be said for trying to make that Christmas special and amazing for others, especially those who don't have family. In the end, Eric became friends with a little boy named Tommy. And Tommy's life was never the same again.

Girl Meets World (Episode 3x18 - "Girl Meets a Christmas Maya")
As Riley encourages Maya to spend the holidays with her new family, they also enjoy Secret Santa with their friends. Despite her friends' apprehension, they found a way to have a meaningful Secret Santa. The gifts may not have been what they originally wanted or expected, but they got to see how much the others cared about them. That's my favorite part of Christmas presents, getting to see the thought put into a gift. Not even the gift itself. (Also there's sugar-buzzed Ava and that was really funny).

What is your favorite Christmas special to watch each year? Any others you'd add?

Also check out our thoughts on some Doctor Who, Disney, and other Christmas specials.

Top TV Dads

Happy Father's Day! To complement my Mother's Day post from last month, I wanted to do a Top TV Dads. Too often fathers are degraded and viewed as unimportant in the media, so let's celebrate the ones who were actually good.

Takehiro Matsuki (Digimon Tamers)
To be fair, he was a bit of a permissive dad at times, seeming to want to appease his son Takato. However, he also proved to be a big support throughout the season. When Takato's mom was frantic about the Digimon, Takehiro was level-headed and trusted Takato to be safe and smart and mature. Even before he knew about the Digimon, Takato was seen having a friendly, healthy relationship with father, talking to him about school and everything.

Prince Charming (Once Upon a Time)
He missed the first 28 years of his daughter's life due to a magically-induced coma, but after the curse was broken he strived his hardest to be a good father to Emma. He struggled with the idea of having another child, causing him great fear, but he seemingly conquered that fear (despite leaving Neal behind during various adventures). Despite being the same age physically as his daughter, he and Emma were shown to have many heart-to-heart moments, including when she was grieving over the loss of her boyfriend.

Joe West (The Flash)
Let's start with the fact that he was a single father after his wife walked out on him. For years he cared for Iris on his own, being a solid male influence in her life, leading to healthy dating relationships for Iris. Now let's fast-forward to when he became foster-dad for Barry, after the death of his mother and incarceration of his father. Sure the transition was bumpy, but he developed a great relationship with Barry, supporting him, even though he didn't understand Barry's wild tales about the Man in Yellow. Their relationship was solid enough that Barry brought him on to Team Flash not long after donning the red suit. Finally, decades after his wife left, he met his son Wally. It was rough at first, trying to parent too fast, but after slowing it down, Joe was able to be a solid influence for Wally as he became Kid Flash.

Jack Geller (Friends)
While his wife is a piece of work, Jack was very compassionate and loving towards his two kids. Granted, sometimes this compassion bordered on cluelessness. While his wife was a bit more nasty towards Monica, his negligence was a bit more passive. All the same, despite his faults, he genuinely loves his children. No moment portrays this more than when he came to comfort Monica after her break-up with Richard.

Cory Matthews (Girl Meets World)
After seven seasons of life lessons of his own (plus 14 unseen years), Cory became a bit of a mix of his young adult self, his father, and Mr. Feeny. Not only was a loving father (albeit crazy and quirky) to his own children, but as a teacher he was also a father-figure to some of his daughter's friends, especially Maya. Like Mr. Feeny before him, he tried to teach life lessons all the way along through middle school and into high school.

Pete Tyler (Doctor Who)
We've got two incarnations of this character to look at, both amazing fathers. The original Pete, Rose's biological father, was a bit of a clever airhead, schemes running through his head and driving his wife crazy (not that she needed help). When adult Rose showed up suddenly with the Ninth Doctor, he was willing to sacrifice himself to set the timeline straight, all for the sake of his daughter. Now jump to the parallel universe, Pete Tyler never fathered Rose, but he became the adoptive father for her after the Battle of Canary Warf. During the battle, he risked his life to save Rose from falling into the void, despite the risks to the universe.

Solomon Moto (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
We don't particularly know what happened with Yugi's parents (his mom briefly appeared in a Japanese episode once), but Grandpa Moto seemed to raise Yugi through his teenage years (if not even earlier). Despite all the crazy battle (and all the times his soul was trapped), Solomon stuck it out for his grandson and his friends. Perhaps it was his understanding of the Egyptian origins of it all, but he was surprisingly trusting of Yugi running into battle at least half a dozen times between Battle City and the Memory World.

Who's your favorite TV dad?

TV Power Couples

Happy Valentine’s Day! This is a new one for me, since it’s the first time in my life that I’ve been in a relationship for Valentine’s Day. Every year so far it’s been about friendship (which it still is), but in honor of romantic love this year here are a few of my favorite TV couples.

Barry Allen and Iris West (The Flash)

                So while they may have grown up as foster brother and sister, Barry was in love with Iris from an early age. After the particle accelerator explosion, Barry lost some time and in the meantime Iris started dating her father’s partner. But Barry is the eternal optimist and romantic and three years later they ended up married. In the end, Barry is the epitome of a geeky boy who got his dream girl.

                Maybe it’s because I was dating my now-wife when I binged The Flash, seeing the development of Barry and Iris’s relationship, but in many ways (not all) my relationship with my wife seems to parallel Barry and Iris’s. Can’t look at Iris without thinking about her. Barry and Iris have been through more than their share of trials together, Savitar’s threat being the least of it. If Barry and Iris can survive Savitar’s attempted murder of Iris, couples in real life can handle anything.

Chandler Bing and Monica Geller (Friends)

                I don’t know if the writers of Friends originally intended Chandler and Monica to end up together, but I love them as a couple for that reason. Even before their relationship was planned, they had a playful, friendly relationship. As early as “The One with the Birth” they joke about getting together, which intermittently continues through relationships with Janice, Richard, etc. until they got together at Ross’s wedding. So when they got together it was the perfect relationship.

                My wife and I relate to Monica and Chandler in my ways, jokingly and seriously. I don’t consider that bad. They became best friends and they worked through their issues (body image, commitment issues, etc.) and eventually became one of the best power couples I’ve seen on TV. Minus the pre-marital sex, I’d probably recommend every couple look up to them.

Cory Matthew and Topanga Lawrence (Boy Meets World)

                What better couple is there on TV? Goofy, sort-of friends in the first season and then developing into a couple in later seasons. Very rarely on TV or in real life do high school sweethearts lead to real marriages, but they did. They worked through fights, break-ups, and other issues together. In Girl Meets World, they dealt with some intense parenting issues together too. If we’re talking TV power couples, I’m putting Cory and Topanga up there with Monica and Chandler.

Rory Williams and Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

                Some people (TJ in particular) might be surprised that I’m putting Rory and Amy on my list. It’s no secret that I have issues with Amy. Granted, she was obsessed with the Doctor from a young age, but trying to make out with the Doctor the night before her wedding still rubs me the wrong way. Still, her relationship with Rory is still one to be envied.

                Despite her obsession with the Eleventh Doctor, Amy was so committed to Rory. Even after he was erased from existence and she forgot about him, Amy still felt strongly for Rory. After Rory was “reincarnated”, she ultimately committed to her husband. When the choice was between the Doctor and Rory, she always chose Rory, even when it meant never seeing the Doctor again. Sacrifice is part of love and marriage and, despite my initial distaste of Amy, she knew that.

James “Sawyer” Ford and Juliet Burke (Lost)

                Despite being together about 3 years, we never really got to see much of Sawyer’s relationship with Juliet. I can only assume that it developed naturally and powerfully. They started as enemies when she arrived at the survivors’ camp in Season 3, but during the time jumps of Season 5, they bonded and had to stick together. Eventually getting stuck in the 70s, Sawyer leaned on Juliet for support.

That support grew into a stellar relationship. So when Juliet died, it was understandable that Sawyer was destroyed. I can’t begin to describe how I felt when they reunited in the afterlife. Sawyer loved Juliet through her insecurities and into her death. Sawyer had many faults, but Juliet made him a better man, who he was always meant to be.

Who are some of your favorite TV couples? Anything you’d add to the ones I’ve described? Whether it’s with your significant other or with friends, enjoy Valentine’s Day. Above all other kinds of love, our Father in Heaven loves you and our Savior loves you enough to have died for you. Even if you’re single and/or struggling, there’s always someone who loves you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!