Girl Meets World: Season 1 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

Episode 17: “Girl Meets Game Night”

Overview

As Cory & Topanga deal with Riley eventually becoming a rebellious teenager, she reminds them all she wants to do is bring her friends into the family.

Topic 1: Puppy Love – Maya, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, and Auggie

Topic 2: The Initial Betrayal – Riley, Cory, and Topanga

Topic 3: The Long Game – Riley, Cory, and Topanga

Review (with Spoilers) – Below

Topic 1: Puppy Love – Maya, Riley, Lucas, Farkle, and Auggie

As noted in topic 2, the main cast comes together and it leads to a reminder of who likes who: Ava and Auggie; Riley and Lucas, though he feels embarrassed when she comments on how nice he looks during the episode’s history lesson; and then there is the Maya situation. Of which you can see Farkle likes her, she likes Josh, and Josh doesn’t want her.

Commentary

I am still hoping that if this show runs for years, we get to see Auggie and Ava grow up together and fall in real love. For just the idea is just so cute to the point of envy. However, when it comes to the older kids, I have such mixed feelings. If only because I badly want Maya and Lucas to come together, since I think the actors chemistry is good, and yet there is a certain fear of a love triangle [1]. Which, probably isn’t likely, but who knows what may happen?

Topic 2: The Initial Betrayal – Riley, Cory, and Topanga

In the Matthews household, family game night is when Auggie, Cory, Topanga, Riley, and perhaps Josh on occasion, come together to play a board game. However, this time Riley has invited Maya, Lucas, and Farkle. Something Cory is vehemently against for with Riley being 12, he knows eventually she will choose her friends over her family, but he just wants a bit more time with her.

As for Topanga, she notes that Cory gets the sweet deal of being with Riley all the time. Leading to her fearing that she isn’t getting to make an impression on Riley.

Commentary

While with Cory’s freak-out you get the Disney Channel end of things, but with Topanga’s side you get the spirit of the original. For Cory freaking out, presenting himself, to connect with this week’s history lesson, as King George, and Riley as John Adams, you get all the over the top Disney stuff. Which includes costumes. However, with Topanga you get this real sense of something you genuinely notice on the show.

For, as I might have said before, Topanga is usually in scenes with Auggie, with the occasional moment with Riley, and Cory pretty much connects with Riley all day because of school. So with her words comes the acknowledgement of almost a sort of guilt. Like she isn’t able to be the mother she would want to be and fears that maybe Cory is getting all the time he needs to shape her, while she doesn’t. Something we learn isn’t necessarily true.

Topic 3: The Long Game – Riley, Cory, and Topanga

Being that Boy Meets World, Girl Meets World, and The Disney Channel, are all about families, including the extended kind, naturally the episode ends on a happy note. For with Riley reassuring Topanga she has an impression on her, and that she wants to be like her, and that she very much loves Cory, despite his episodes, all ends well.

Commentary

The adult in me really would love for an issue to go unresolved, and yet I recognize that pretty much that is Maya’s place on the show. For while Riley always gets her happy ending, Maya just gets a silver lining. Making it when the show may try to get more mature, I can only wonder how dark they may go? Will they test Riley’s optimism and sunny disposition? Who will upset or betray her, and how? Also, will the show perhaps leave Riley untouched and just make Maya suffer the real world while Riley maintains this sort of unspoken protection? Only time will tell.

Things To Note

[1] There is a better tweet, but it would take a year and a day to go through the different fan sites. Though, I should note, it seems they are more so for Farkle/ Maya (Bleh) especially considering this. Though I could be reading the tweet wrong.