Girl Meets World: Season 1 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
Though certainly a bit cheesy, and featuring the comedic style of many Disney Channel shows, Girl Meets World has just enough of Boy Meets World to be considered a success.
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Though certainly a bit cheesy, and featuring the comedic style of many Disney Channel shows, Girl Meets World has just enough of Boy Meets World to be considered a success.
Each Page Corresponds to the Episode Associated
Episode 1: “Girl Meets World”
Review (with Spoilers)
I really thought after That’s So Raven ended I would likely never watch another Disney Channel program on the regular. And outside of checking out Good Luck Charlie, Wizards of Waverly Place and a few others sporadically, I realized I did indeed outgrew the channel. And yet, now at 22, I find myself watching a show about two tween girls, featuring characters I only remember seeing in reruns. But, despite me definitely not being part of the demographic they are seeking for this show, with seeing Cory, Topanga, and even a short cameo from Mr. Feeny, I realized that while nostalgia may have gotten my interest, I wouldn’t mind staying if the characters get to grow like in the show’s predecessor.
Topic 1: What’s happened since Boy Meets World – Cory & Topanga
Well, Cory (Ben Savage) is now a history teacher in New York, and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) hasn’t revealed her profession yet. They have two kids, one being Riley (Rowan Blanchard), and a son whose name I don’t think we hear once. There is no sign of Shawn or anyone else who were Cory and Topanga’s friends, but they seem rather happy. But, for those who remember the original, you can see that Cory hasn’t changed much, and the bits we see of Topanga are familiar as well.
However, Topanga really is only in a handful of scenes and doesn’t say much, so we are going to focus on Cory. As a history teacher, you can kind of see him emulating Mr. Feeny (William Daniels) just a tad by trying to get his kids thinking. At the same time though, he doesn’t have the disposition Feeny had, so while he is trying to get them to think, he comes off as friendly as the dog from Up. Which leads him to kind of get ran over in his class by his class.
But, when it comes to parenting, I can’t recall if he acts like his dad or not since it has been so long. However, with Cory raising a girl, there is a huge difference. Especially since Cory is very protective of Riley and when she shows interest in a boy, Lucas (Peyton Meyer), you can see the Disney Channel humor in the show. Also with one of his students Farkle (Corey Foelmanis), who climbs on Cory like a monkey, you can see that being on the Disney Channel will have some side-effects. It all ends well though, for as Cory watches his little girl grow before his eyes, we see Mr. Feeny in the distance giving words of approval, and though the actor is alive, his random appearances gave me the feeling he was dead and Cory mentally imagines him to try to figure out if he did the right thing or not.
Topic 2: Meet Maya
After watching the episode, Maya (Sabrina Carpenter) could easily be seen as a PG version of Miley Cyrus. She is rebellious, extroverted, and perhaps could be considered outspoken. But, part of the reason for this is because she isn’t grounded to anything. Her family seems absent, or just indifferent, and Cory maybe more of a dad to her than her biological one. Her main place though seems to be getting Riley out of her shell and forcing her to experience the world and all its wonders.
Topic 3: Meet Riley
Riley is very much almost a generic young girl. But, with her currently being generic, though more so an unmolded piece of clay, comes an ease in identifying with her. Her anxiety over talking to someone who is cute, inspiring to be like her friend who seems fearless, and having this loyalty to said friend because she gives her a place in the world, really gave me personal flashbacks.
And I think, even after one episode, while I’m sure she won’t have a similar growth like Cory did since this show is on the Disney Channel, it doesn’t mean her journey is going to be fully watered down. Her trying to be like Riley, and learning to accept herself was quite good for the opener and gives a good taste on how they may handle issues. Pair that with Blanchard’s performance with expressing to Cory how much Maya means to her, and you can see a show which has vast potential which hopefully doesn’t get stifled as time goes on.
Things To Note
- Jackee Harry is in the episode, in what maybe a recurring role as someone coming to, or from, work. She is kind of funny, but could possibly become annoying with time.
