I first watched Boy Meets World in the last season in the year 2000 or so, so whenever I would watch non college year episodes in reruns, they felt like watching a prequel. It was weird as they felt like a very different show from the one I enjoyed watching. Because I started with the more comedy oriented seasons that’s the tone of the show I enjoyed the most, and while I could enjoy the drama of earlier seasons and less zany comedy, it didn’t hit as well. But time to dig through the entire show, it’s not often you get a show where you get to see the cast grow up over the course of the show like this.
Since I was watching seasons randomly I also always felt I was missing seasons that took place between the seasons I did get to watch. Like a missing season 1.5 or missing season 3.5 since the show changed a lot between some of those seasons. I mean they’re in 6th, 7th and 8th grade with each season and then season 4 is like a 3 year hybrid? The timeline does not make sense at all, especially when binge watching it. So because of that I’ll keep my discussions on a season by season basis. I’ll begin with the intros: The openings are all awful in different ways, first one is too 90s, and so long so bad. Season 2 is so short I don’t think it’s even a real intro, S3 is just bad, it’s just there. Fourth season intro is bad but in a so bad it’s good. They finally get the theme right for the fifth season and they keep it for 6 and 7.
Season 1:
We see Cory playing the NES, didn’t realize this was 1993-1994, a bit late for the Nintendo Entertainment System but hey. It does feel like an early 90s show and the show is a bit bland, boring. Cory is not that intersting and annoying at worst. Minkus on the other hand is entertaining, Sean not so much. His parents don’t feel too stereotypical and that’s fine Eric always has a different girl. It’s really a different show. I don’t think the kids seem like they’re in 6th grade, it seems like they’re younger. I love To[anga, she’s a cute girl with a great personality and likely the best personality she had in the entire series. Mr.Feeny is a great teacher from the beginning. You see some of the seeds of the characters that will be in later episodes here even if barely here.
Season 2 changed so much, it’s nice to see Topanga more, even if still a one sided relationship l ike in the first season. Cory is still the dork you knew but at least he’s being called out on it. The season is all over the place, and you see more coming of age topics. I did miss some of the elements from the first season that gave it innocence even if a bit cringe. The drama with Sean really starts to take the stage here, the bullies can be funny though I used to find them annoying and unrealistic as a kid, now as more comedy oriented they’re great. Mr. Turner was an odd addition but he was fine as well. All of this in 7th grade.
Season 3 has the characters look a bit more like what you’d expect them to look like as their personalities. I liked, in fact it’s from this season when as a kid I started to have a crush on Topanga and seeing her as the attractive girl later seasons would say she was. I liked Eli as the new teacher even if he didn’t get much screen time. The new leader of the bullies is entertaining though he doesn’t last very long, the show is already shifting to the things season 2 had set up as the status quo. The Topanga Cory drama continues, I guess they’re in 8th grade but I guess you could say some of it takes place in 9th grade? The actors grew so much that they didn’t seem the kids they used to be.
Season 4 needs to be a sophomore and Junior eyar hybrid perhaps even part of freshman year I guess? Overall here the show starts to be more the show I remember watching it, the characters feel more mature and older, although it’s trying to depict too much stuff in such a short season which makes it interesting but at the same time like we’re missing some type of season breaking up 3 years into one season is weird.
Season 5 is finally the season I remember considering the beginning of the show I liked. There are some nice arcs, it’s senior year, it’s a lot of fun. It’s less serious than before but that’s a plus fo rme. I enjoy Eric having someon to play of off again and Angela works well for Sean. The parents work changes, the last year of high School, fun. As I’ve mentioned it felt like we skipped a year, the show needed at least one more year before senior year.
Season 6 is the truest form of what I’d call boy meets world, it’s more comedic, they are now all in college, they have some drama but it’s not s uper drama like before. I enjoy everyone having more time in episodes and the different setting. Feeny getting a wife is a bit odd since we never really see her again next season. Characters are pretty much flanderized by this point. Topanga started to gain weight in season 5 and then 6. Morgan is not too interesting but it’s nice to see her again from time to time. Rachel being the tall sexy girl worked when I was a kid, she was my original crush on the show, she seems too “you have to like her” thrown at your face by the writers of the show now, so not as big of a fan anymore. Angela is more subtle and now I enjoy her far more. Jack also helps sean have something new to do instead of being
Season 7 is the final season, I remember always feeling this one felt “new” with their updated looks. I like that it starts wrapping things up, even more comedy, Topanga does seem at her fattest here although it’s also her body shape. Overall I love the last 3 seasons more than the previous though I can appreciate the whole show. Topanga does become far too moody and a nagger which is a shame, her character was so good in the early seasons, I think in the end she really was the prettiest girl in the cast The drama is usually really short which is good since it’s not as believable. The new cast doesn’t get as much attention so their stories are not as important. It’s nice having extra characters for them to itneract with but it’s really the main 4 we care about. Eric steals the show. It really feels like 2/3 seasons worth of status quo changes, they knew they had to finish the show so the marriage just happens and makes the Mr. & Mrs. Matthews couple even more boring, though it doesn’t matter since the season is rushed. The last episode feels like a rebranding and reboot of the show but I guess they couldnd’t get picked up for a Season 8 in New York.
Topanga went from a very interesting character and slowly becoming less interesting and less likeable sadly ine ach season. I loved some of the characters we never see again, Minkus, the bullies, so many characters like Frankie deserved more screen time Sean gets a lot of development but in a way he gets the same development over and over again, Cory become a bland version that he always was but older, it’s odd to describe but that’s his character. Jack arrives late but felt like part of hte cast, Angela was nice but a bit too vanilla. Eric changes way too much that it’s not logical but he also gets the most character development, my favorite character in the show. Which by the way a lot of repeated plots over the courses of the series, they even joke about how much they recycled ideas in the show itself.
i love dminkus. the bullies were ok, we needed more time with the new leader, frankie was the best we got plenty fo him at least. turner should’ve appeared less at first and more later. sean gets a lot of developmment in seasons but they arne’t great. cory becomes his character eventually and i don’t know how i feel about him, he works as a transitional character between ot her interesting ones. jack arrives lat ebut feels like a great cast memnber, angela is a nice addition though a bit too vanilla. eric likely gets the best character develoment. a lot of repeated plot points over the course of hte series, they een jooke about it but they did recycle a lot. They changed the status quo so much that it makes you wish you could have some more time in some of the things they set up before they move on. To be honest the show is memorable but it was never that good..Luckily we did get to see the characters again in Girl Meets World.