"Boy Meets World" is a great show! Unfortunately they went the "Saved by the Bell," route and detailed "the college years." The first couple seasons of "BMW" are lightning in a bottle. It's funny, charming, clever, AND you get your moral lesson of the day with each episode. The series was character driven and it was very entertaining! You had the relatable Cory Matthews, a class clown type who at the end of the day was a good kid. Sean Hunter, the ladies man kid with family problems, and Topanga Lawrence, who was just an oddball. Supporting cast included Cory's family, his brother Eric (a suave ladies man), and Mr. Feenie, a tough but fair teacher who also doubles as Cory's neighbor. The writing combined with these quirky characters really made for a funny show. The scenarios were hilarious and heartwarming without being overly ambitious. The show knew its shortcomings (some gaping plot holes and missing characters.) In my opinion, the show was good until the senior year of high school which is when the show shifted its paradigm from fun adventures and mishaps of high school kids to being a mushy show all about "feelings." Don't get me wrong, there were still plenty of mishaps and fun scenarios, but the show became way too dramatic.
I know the show needed drama and MORE characterization to occur, but they really overdid it. Here's what I think sunk the show.
Characters CHANGED and not in a good way. Cory went from a mischievous, good willed teen to an overly sensitive, neurotic, emasculated, and plain annoying "boyfriend." His character had probably the worst fall of them all. Eric became a straight up retard. Forreal. He used to be the suave ladies man who though not the brightest bulb in the shed was at least somewhat intelligible. In the college years he becomes a raving lunatic who likes to cross dress. Nuff said. Sean Hunter becomes an emotional sap who always wants to talk about "feelings." His relationship with his girlfriend, Angela, becomes the focal point of a number of episodes (beginning senior year of high school) and it's just awful. It's basically just them breaking up and getting back together OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. It gets so old. Mr. Feenie remains pretty much the same and is actually one of the few enjoyable aspects of the later episodes...I just find it weird that he happens to follow Cory and Sean wherever they go in the sense that he basically teaches them every academic step of the way. Kinda odd. Another big change is Topanga. She went from being a "new age," hippy kind of girl with a genuinely interesting personality to just a plain jane. She pretty much loses all the interesting aspects of her character and just becomes "Cory's girlfriend." No depth in her character.
The plot lines also become less and less interesting with every episode after the high school seasons to the point where you question why you are even still watching the show. Plot lines revolve on Cory and Topanga choosing furniture for their apartment, Eric cross dressing, Sean losing his father to an illness, and most dreadfully, Sean talking to his on again off again GF "Angela." Seriously, it's a yawnfest.
I feel like I am harping on the negatives too much in this review. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but I couldn't help but lose interest in the college years. I've seen every episode probably 2 or 3 times so I feel like I have enough...experience to be able to comment on it. I didn't go as in depth as I would have liked to, but I feel I covered the basics of the show and its problems.
Jack
I know the show needed drama and MORE characterization to occur, but they really overdid it. Here's what I think sunk the show.
Characters CHANGED and not in a good way. Cory went from a mischievous, good willed teen to an overly sensitive, neurotic, emasculated, and plain annoying "boyfriend." His character had probably the worst fall of them all. Eric became a straight up retard. Forreal. He used to be the suave ladies man who though not the brightest bulb in the shed was at least somewhat intelligible. In the college years he becomes a raving lunatic who likes to cross dress. Nuff said. Sean Hunter becomes an emotional sap who always wants to talk about "feelings." His relationship with his girlfriend, Angela, becomes the focal point of a number of episodes (beginning senior year of high school) and it's just awful. It's basically just them breaking up and getting back together OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. It gets so old. Mr. Feenie remains pretty much the same and is actually one of the few enjoyable aspects of the later episodes...I just find it weird that he happens to follow Cory and Sean wherever they go in the sense that he basically teaches them every academic step of the way. Kinda odd. Another big change is Topanga. She went from being a "new age," hippy kind of girl with a genuinely interesting personality to just a plain jane. She pretty much loses all the interesting aspects of her character and just becomes "Cory's girlfriend." No depth in her character.
The plot lines also become less and less interesting with every episode after the high school seasons to the point where you question why you are even still watching the show. Plot lines revolve on Cory and Topanga choosing furniture for their apartment, Eric cross dressing, Sean losing his father to an illness, and most dreadfully, Sean talking to his on again off again GF "Angela." Seriously, it's a yawnfest.
I feel like I am harping on the negatives too much in this review. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but I couldn't help but lose interest in the college years. I've seen every episode probably 2 or 3 times so I feel like I have enough...experience to be able to comment on it. I didn't go as in depth as I would have liked to, but I feel I covered the basics of the show and its problems.
Jack