Everything Wrong With Girl Meets World… (There's A Lot)

Let's talk about all of the problems with Girl Meets World
Patreon: / tronn958
Timestamp:
0:00 Introduction
1:43 Insecure Sequel (Boy Meets World)
6:16 Tonal Whiplash
14:51 Religious Intolerance (Atheism)
27:48 Communism
34:30 Age Gaps
46:50 The Triangle (Lucy and Rucas)
1:06:48 Conclusion
Resources Cory Matthews Doesn't Want You To See:
Thomas Jefferson was a complicated man: www.whitehousehistory.org/sla...
What Communism 'Actually' Means: www.washingtonpost.com/news/v...
McCarthyism: millercenter.org/the-presiden...
#gmw #bmw #disney

[@lautblejman]

The fact that they treat autism like it's a terminal illness 💀💀

[@Sing_A_Rebel_Song]

Honestly that was how the public treated autism at the time, and has barely gotten better since. Honestly it was surprising to me that it even mentioned autism at all

[@lockheart619]

Literally

[@DearMonroeville]

Fr Farkle comes in saying he MIGHT have autism and everyone starts acting like he said he DOES have cancer.

[@liltomboy2593]

@@Sing_A_Rebel_Song it still makes no sense, because they don`t mind Smakle being autistic but when Farkle said, he might have it, Maya just stood up and deathglared at him and both of them just plainly denied the possible diagnosis as "Farkle being Farkle". It also leave a bitter taste in my mouth when all other cast members have "normal names" except Farkle, Minkus, Smakle, who headcanonly are neurodivergent to some degree. You also cannot deny the evident ableism because in Boy Meets World, was WAYYYY more progressive when it was filmed, than Girl Meets World.

[@alanporter4372]

I legit thought it was like cancer

[@acrxlic-183]

the god and communist episodes did NOT feel like disney channel💀💀

[@hurricanejaney]

it’s giving Tiger Cruise

[@Harudodo]

Even as someone who was religious at the time of watching that episode ages ago, it felt so strange and wrong 💀 really rubbed me the wrong way

[@kingpin1498]

The fact that Disney actually aired that but don’t allow a gay couple to kiss onscreen is so fucking crazy

[@Al7249]

Yo what!!??? I remember watching this show kinda growing up. I think I remember the love triangle and how annoying Riley was plus reading fics but WTF! A religious episode AND communist episode. I'm kinda scared to watch now fr lol

[@dude9318]

What's the problem with characters being Christian? Most of the time people in shows are atheists that mock religion constantly Yet then nobody has a problem

[@christophergarrett7082]

Cory is among the worst tv teachers ever. He always tailor made his lessons to his daughter and friends

[@nicoleajobo3415]

Was coming to say this. I always feel bad for the other students who Corey wouldn’t give a shit about

[@ignorant1126]

Yeah, Feeny was definitely better because A. He didn't even like the main characters 💀 No special treatment, no extra punishments, he was forced to interact with those pubescent irritations because they asked the loudest questions. And B. Bro wasn't related to them. He lived next door but at least he wasn't their father. When you take away those two points, you get a teacher who gleefully neglects every other student to focus on his daughter. Yikes

[@brooke4502]

also the way he was trying to convert his students to christianity was very…illegal lol

[@alicehoade2977]

Nobody will ever be worse than will shurtir ( from glee)

[@morganorwhatever]

Imagine being one of the other kids in the class and watching all this unfold

[@introusas]

I never see anyone addressing this so I thought I would - Can we just acknowledge that the only two autistic characters are literally named FARKLE and SMACKLE?! Those are the names of pet turtles, not human beings. It’s dehumanizing and really makes a mockery of those characters. I really strongly dislike that the only two characters who don’t get to have real, normal names are the autistic ones. Talk about ableism.

[@acrxlic-183]

I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE💀 it was insane how they brought in a love interest for farkle and had to give her the most outlandish name to compete with “farkle” like why, what was going through the creators head? and giving them the same exact personalities was wild

[@jtm881]

This is so true! They were really insensitive with their portrayal of autism and I don't know how they were allowed to get away with that🤦‍♀️

[@felixflax19]

Tbf Smackle is her last name - her full name is Isadora Smackle, which isn’t a whole lot better but Isadora is a somewhat normal name

[@SmileyTrenton]

Well, her name is actually Isadora, smackle is her lastname. But, fr

[@ratrat9241]

farkle was not autisic and smackle was her last name :/

[@laialuvv]

I always hated how eveyone treated Maya when she wanted to mature and grow. Everyone ganged up on her claiming she was turning into Riley like what???

[@growingupwithdisney]

like her getting good grades is NOT her turning into Riley lol, she's just being more responsible. The show had a big lesson on how "people change people", shouldn't this be seen as a good thing anyway?I think the writers just wanted to go back to the status quo of the show, took away everyone's growth (specifically Maya).

[@darwinbowman8512]

​@@growingupwithdisneyLegit looking back, that was messed up in every sense of the word. And made 0 sense

[@iwalytahsin]

What annoyed me the most when rewatching is when they wanted the old maya back- the old maya who didn’t have any hope in life??

[@jayekisses]

Yeah they screwed up big time after the Texas episodes

[@musiclover_kb4913]

I agree and I still firmly believe that the in-show reason Riley kept saying that to Maya was because she wanted the love triangle to end so Lucas would choose her. Maya definitely would've figured it out and stopped talking to Riley for an extended period of time.

[@Cabbagelover5703]

This show was so pretentious 💀💀💀

[@jovanym2931]

Cory for me became annoying at season 5 of boy meets world

[@ericmabry1752]

even when i was a kid i didn't like this show cause it felt like it was trying to be really deep just for the sake of it

[@IamjustBruh]

Bruh it’s like the creators made the show bad on purpose 😂😂

[@TheFakeTeo]

@amazingunreleasedalbumsthis show is basically sniffing its own farts with every episode

[@theginimini]

It insists upon itself lois

[@rosiepiantedosi8039]

Honestly how Cory didn’t get fired for that Religion assignment I have no idea because he broke like several different rules by doing that

[@Harudodo]

Even before that in the episode where he stole everyone’s phones for an assignment. Teachers aren’t allowed to do that, I’m surprised the school didn’t get bombarded with angry parents

[@ald7282]

right? even in my backwards state, that doesn't fly. we could discuss religion in class/assignments, but it has to include at least all of the major religions, not just christianity.

[@ridzzz226]

@@ald7282do u learn about islam too?

[@j.m251]

@@ridzzz226I did (Illinois college prep school, then I went to a public school & the only time religion was brought up was like randomly in a book someone would mention looking to the heavens) so 🤷🏾‍♀️ Heck, in my high school’s history class, we had to pick religions.like,discuss that specific one and be all for that one

[@brooke4502]

@@ridzzz226 i did, i think it’s pretty standard to learn at least a little about christianity, judaism, and islam in world history

[@Admg12]

The maya and josh relationship is really annoying too. I dislike when someone has feelings for another character that isn’t reciprocated and people act like they’re the bad guy for not returning feelings

[@duh6599]

Especially in this case. Like, dude, why do you want a college freshman to reciprocate the feeling of a middle school senior? (Sorry if the terms are wrong but in not sure if my country have the same organization)

[@Genericwhite_male]

It’s just creepy to me. Even in real life, If someone isn’t clearly interested in you why keep trying to pursue them?

[@randompromises1038]

There's also an interesting double standard. The girls could reject Farkle all they want even if his advances weren't unlike Maya's, but Josh couldn't reject Maya because that was hurting her feelings. Nevermind that he's 18 and in college and she's not but waahhh he's so meeeean. Why the fuck was this plotline okay to add into a show for teenage girls 😭😭😭

[@trialerrorsharer9398]

​@@duh6599 We just call them 8th or 9th graders usually.

[@Faithandseekerofchrist]

It gives me the creepy feeling that if you just keep pursuing them long enough then you will eventually wear them down where they have no other choice but to like you and settle for you because nothing else has worked for them. Then the person that was doing the pursuing finally gets happy but what about the person that was being pursued because sometimes they get with that person that was pursuing them for the wrong reasons rather intentional or unintentional. In the long run that is not a healthy dynamic and a relationship should be with two people who genuinely and mutually like and respect one another without any motives or gain from it! People are allowed not to reciprocate feelings and they shouldn't be made a bad guy because they don't return it.

[@gisela_oliveira]

Them acting like Capitalism is the best thing ever when Maya's life situatio is a common plot point, when her mom has to work her ass of just for them to have a house...

[@growingupwithdisney]

like they genuinely weren't thinking😅I just gotta laugh at em, cuz these writers can't be serious

[@alen7480]

Not to mention that women were far more likely to be educated in say East Germany, because it was free and they were strongly encouraged.

[@nerdybirdnerd916]

This was all I could think about for that entire segment like-

[@gisela_oliveira]

@@nerdybirdnerd916 the episode is all about how they think capitalism is good because of their privilege 🙄, they don't even bother to touch on the topic of economical inequality in their country, even though Maya and probably other students belong to the less privilege group. It could be an interesting story if she was leading other students against the capitalists, and talking about how they are blind by privilege

[@introusas]

What else can you expect from a show that has a 95% cishet white cast in the middle of NYC? 💀

[@Heather_Duke]

Cory, Lucas, and Riley all getting on Farkle for not believing in God/being Christian is so wild. Leave that little boy alone, Cory. Let him have his own mind on what he believes or doesn't.

[@jaimicottrill2831]

This is very American...

[@HopeGardner3amed]

​​@@jaimicottrill2831ironically that wouldn't be allowed in American public schools. You can't/couldn't preach in American public schools for any particular religion. Edit: you can't say that being one is better than the others. If you take a religions class it is literally this is what this religion teaches and this is what that religion teaches. Xtianity is the defacto religion culturally but you still need to learn about the other choices to make an educated decision. I had xtian teachers but they couldn't say they were better or dog pile on us for not believing in their beliefs.

[@jaimicottrill2831]

@@HopeGardner3amed There have been several stories of American teachers and coaches trying to start after school prayer clubs, or trying to pressure players to pray before games. Only in the US have I ever been asked about my beliefs or lack by strangers. Most other countries I've been to it is considered rude to ask people about religion.

[@therealopaartist]

It was against school policy to bring up politics or religion, but the teachers and staff skirted by by saying “Trump is such a good BUSINESSMAN! He knows that’s he’s doing!” There was a church club AT the school held by a coach (who also taught geometry). I was a known ‘atheist’ (agnostic, but to Bible thumpers there’s no difference.). A boy was giving a speech and was looking DIRECTLY at me when he said “if you ever want to be saved come to me.”. Speaking to class, but addressing me. A lot of the kids were religious, and excluded the ‘different’. Teachers did nothing to stop it. Wanted to join any extracurriculares before/after school? Unless you were friends with the church kids and staff member who had a stranglehold on it, you didn’t get in. I was told on a consistent basis that if i didn’t go to church, I was going to go to Hell. Teachers openly talking about going to their church and Jesus, but heaven FORBID someone of a different religion (few and far between admittedly but that’s not the point) tried to chime in with their views. They always got shut down to keep it “not political”.

[@oooh19]

not every Christian goes to church or is super religious. on another note, as much as i love degrassi i never liked how most Christian students were portrayed like Darcy. and extracurriculars that have nothing to do w/ religion shouldn't have the church kids in charge. also many religious schools the families attend due to education, sports or discipline.@@therealopaartist

[@simply_ari_j]

"an A divided by 3 is a C" he straight up just made that logic up to fit his agenda - that man should not be a teacher

[@reverbthevocal421]

If anything it's the exact opposite, A multiplied by 3 should be C.

[@saysay7191]

An A is a 90. 90 divided by 3 is 30. They should’ve failed💀

[@matti.8465]

I mean, if he gave them an F when they got a perfect score just to make a statement he might have gotten in actual trouble.

[@blueskythinking6592]

Also did he never assign group projects? Like a shared grade is not some special communism invention

[@wardarcade7452]

@@blueskythinking6592 Oddy enough Cory had something called 'The Class Forgiveness Project' but ONLY Maya was expected to forgive another person (her abandoning deadbeat dad). Morever, it needs to be said, that Maya had NOT volunteered to do so on her own accord but got majorly pressured to 'forgive' her deadbeat by her so-called BFF Riley in front of the WHOLE class (and Cory). Yeah, Maya got to confront the deadbeat dad and was NOT ready to forgive him. However,truly Cory (and especially Riley) would deserved Maya calling them on it because it was HER father, HER family and it should have been HER call alone whether and/or when to forgive him- NOT just to have her attempt it as the ONLY participant of the project (and Riley's supposed 'forgiveness' of her kid brother for eating her own stuffed bear's face three years earlier was IMO fake and just to make HERSELF look good- as usual). The was one of the worst examples of how Riley not only had zero respect for other's boundaries (much less no discretion about others' personal lives re third parties who hadn't been confided about them) but how NO ONE called Riley on how confidences and others' privacy were NOT hers to violate and no true friend would do so! Period!

[@cvcubes8578]

The thing about farkle potentially having autism is that they could have made him autistic and moved on but instead they had to make a whole episode about how autism is inherently bad

[@aurora_skye]

They definitely worked with Autism Speaks.

[@cvcubes8578]

@@aurora_skye I highly doubt they work with any autistic people to make that episode

[@mariannaortiz2426]

It felt like they were portraying autism as a tragedy and then at the end of the episode they turned it around to say it's a serious topic that is heavily misunderstood. The irony. In the end, it felt autism was a bittersweet hardship that sometimes befalls in good people. I think I watched that same episode but I'm glad I did not understood the message. Because I felt the episode was dramatic and infantilizing.

[@LadyLeomon]

I thought that was a joke, that’s seriously his name?! 😅😅😅

[@aurora_skye]

@@LadyLeomon Yes 😭

[@growingupwithdisney]

Maya "turning herself into Riley to see if Lucas is good enough" is the DUMBEST resolution they could've found to that triangle, and I know the writers thought they ate...they did not. They could've just had Maya be tired of how dragged out the triangle was, and choosing herself and I guess Josh. Her feelings for Lucas weren't really that deep. What they SHOULD'VE done is make her end up with Zay, he's actually as interesting/entertaining as her

[@majinally3527]

so were they actually together? like wtf actually happened??

[@growingupwithdisney]

@@amazingunreleasedalbums like that’s not something that actually happens in real life😅what we’re the writers thinking…they chose the stupidest route to resolve that triangle

[@acrxlic-183]

zay was criminally underused and underdeveloped in this show. i wish they actually did his character and actor justice

[@mxngos7493]

Literally!! Or they could've had Maya just be a good friend and be like "hey, I need some space so I can get over my feelings and let you and Lucas be happy together" because that's so in character for her. Then Zay and Maya start hanging out while Riley and Lucas are on dates and boom instant relationship!

[@bcray2548]

They thought they were psychoanalysing her and I cringed so hard watching that entire storyline. The resolution was disgusting. Maya's character got the short end of the stick a lot in that show. Her storylines would annoy me sometimes

[@blazerthewyvernwriter]

Something to add to the autism segment Farkle is made fun of throughout the entire series up to this point, both by the show and the characters. To me, there's this underlying tone from the characters of "If he actually was autistic, then we would have been making fun of the kid with autism instead of just the weird kid." to me.

[@Missmagazinebura]

He wouldn’t be in the same class

[@firelordoregano5632]

@@Missmagazinebura ?

[@bebespeaks7827]

Screech walked so Farkle could run.

[@doperagu8471]

​@@Missmagazineburahuh? Lots of autistic kids are in "mainstream" classrooms. Not everyone with autism requires the type of support only found in special education classrooms.

[@Missmagazinebura]

@@doperagu8471 yea

[@mercuriology45]

maya was the most interesting character with the most potential and i hated how they treated her, when she started getting better.

[@sarahthomas8670]

It was the other main character I dislike😭😭😭

[@mercuriology45]

@@sarahthomas8670 riley wasn’t bad but i think that the show, didnt wanted to let maya become the “better” one. Even riley got petty when maya did better than her

[@sarahthomas8670]

@@mercuriology45 I think Maya was okay. Riley was just awful as a friend and as a person. Have nothing against the actress but no

[@SmileyTrenton]

@@sarahthomas8670riley wasnt bad as a friend. But, she was equally as flawed as everyone else

[@Firespire-793]

@@SmileyTrentonshe was a SHI friend💀instead of being happy for her friend to be doing better mentally and scholastically she said “bîtch why are you trying to be me?”

[@guineppe3405]

An hour long video about a disney channel show that I’ve never watched by a creator I’ve never seen before? YES PLEASE.

[@Tronn9672]

Thanks for giving it a chance lol

[@pokefan006]

Are we the same person or something?

[@nuntiuslibera]

same and same. it was a really good video too

[@sharpc-tudent]

Me too! And I loved the video!

[@itzskye7074]

SAME AND ITS AWESOME

[@fairylucy4042]

Another thing with the GODS NOT DEAD episode, the writers could have had a more interesting talk as Riley is said to be Jewish not Christian. So they could have had four different takes within the characters with Riley as Jewish, Lucus being Christian, Maya being agnostic, and Farkle being an atheist. Although with the shows writing it probably would have been offensive or just badly written.

[@chelseaabel1202]

Farkle is Jewish, not Riley….

[@tinytaleah]

@@chelseaabel1202I thought Farkle was an atheist

[@mxngos7493]

@@tinytaleah Farkle can be both! Judaism is the religion, but being Jewish also is an ethnicity!

[@fairylucy4042]

oh i thought there was a pat where rileys parents tell mention that shes jewish@@chelseaabel1202

[@chelseaabel1202]

@@tinytaleah he is an atheist but he’s ethnically Jewish, his great grandfather fled Germany in WW2, there was a whole episode about it in season 3, and another one where he got mad at Riley for getting him a menorah for Christmas and she was talking about learning about his Jewish ancestry because she loved him and stuff.

[@aynsleyyost5168]

Boy meets world is way more realistic

[@sarahthomas8670]

Defo

[@introusas]

Exactly. I was so upset when I first found out GMW was going to be on Disney because I knew from the get go that it was going to be a sappy, watered down, unrealistic version of BMW and might even ruin BMW’s legacy. And I was right.

[@DerekBoldiene360]

I agree with you.I think that's the same problem with fuller house. Full house was way more realistic than fuller house. I still like Full House.More than boy meets world. Just a little bit but I prefer.Girl meets world a little bit more than fuller house. Even though I have a crush on Jodie Sweetin.

[@morbidsearch]

Andi Mack aired on the same channel in the same era and is superior in every way.

[@TeenageDirtbag8]

​@@morbidsearchhell yes agree

[@user-kn1so9mg8x]

crazy how disney was trying to get us to believe in god when the way that they treat their child stars probably made many of them lose faith lmao

[@Artryom]

Why would that make someone lose their faith in God when he didn’t have anything to do with that and folks have inconsistent lives all the time? Lose their faith in Disney?

[@SYKOfun]

@@ArtryomTraumatic events can lead to significant changes in worldview. Simple as that

[@Artryom]

@@SYKOfun Doi. I hear of cases of that with the church which is far more sensible but I doubt anybody gets mistreated or done horribly by a Disney exec and instantly thinks of “God”. 110% probably only 3% of their child stars in total were actual Christians to lose any faith to begin with tho. It just seems oddly specific of a case, probably has happened once.

[@morbidsearch]

​@SYKOfun That's true but it's usually in the opposite direction. People turn to religion as a coping mechanism.

[@KateCat420]

​@@morbidsearch It goes the other way just as often. There's only so many times life can sĥĵt on you before you lose faith that God cares.

[@sarahthomas8670]

I didn’t even know there’s a religious episode. Also I understand Maya with the money. She’s a minor and struggling with money and she finds money on the ground that she doesn’t know who it belongs too so idk why riley behave like that

[@alwaysrootingfortheantihero123]

There’s nothing wrong with keeping the dollar if it’s on the floor.

[@sarahthomas8670]

@@alwaysrootingfortheantihero123exactly, she was acting like it was a creator card😭😭😭

[@blastypie]

Literally like who r u gonna give the money to riley?? The lost and found? Or should she have just left it on the ground so that someone else picks it up? I don’t get that logic. Literally eveyone picks up a bill from the ground and keeps it.

[@sarahthomas8670]

@@blastypiefr she made it such a big deal…

[@SpecialInterestShow]

Yeah like the next person is just gonna take it! It may as well go to maya

[@liyahjoon4908]

I love Gmw slander 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@dodoswrld]

same its such a specific guilty pleasure

[@rainbow0027]

Same here lmao. I cant believe i enjoyed it even for a little

[@cranberryrosebud]

It's not even slander, because it's all true lol

[@SmileyTrenton]

it still ate as a show ‼️

[@estebanballinas2604]

@@SmileyTrentondefinitely not 💀

[@notoriouskib]

I think that Maya’s relationships with men are bad all around in that show. You don’t mention it here, but it always rubbed me the wrong way how they introduced the concept of Shawn potentially becoming Maya’s step dad… by having their second actual interaction be an entire episode where Corey and Riley push Shawn to become closer to Maya, without even bothering to have him meet her mother first? And the episode culminates in Shawn buying Maya an entirely new wardrobe??? I’m so sorry, but that is WEIRD. Maya’s mom actually has a normal reaction to this (who the hell are you, why are you hanging with my kid) but SHE’S treated as a bad guy for having that reaction. It always rubbed me the wrong way, like it also felt like grooming in a way.

[@kaibaiarrio1299]

Fr, a better show would have taken this idea and actually treated it like the real problem that it is, having a teenager with an unhealthy relationship with love, family, and romance grow and become healthier would have been fantastic, but instead we get weird wattpad ass lore

[@cosmic7bunny]

But he did meet her mom in the episode in which it’s Maya's birthday and he even takes a picture of them (Maya and her mom) for Maya to put it in her locket.

[@girlpresident]

imaging trying to go to class and learn smthing but you can't because your teacher is dealing with her teenage daughter drama all the time in front of anyone

[@PrincessJax268]

That was actually addressed by some of the background characters in at least one of the episodes. Lol

[@sullyproductions5757]

Funny you say that because in one episode they transfer to another class and Maya and Riley become the background characters while it’s a mother daughter

[@1231heyo]

Gmw teaches SO MANY bad lessons. I always hated the episode where the Spanish teacher is so hard that Riley has to pull an all nighter, and when her mom finds out she THANKS THE TEACHER FOR PUSHING HER KIDS!??! NOOOOOO

[@BratzRockAngels]

Agreed. The lessons are really bad.

[@RasmusVJS]

The Spanish teacher is hard? I hope you mean the homework...

[@LittleMissLounge]

@@RasmusVJS I'm sure you're being facetious, but it actually does make grammatical sense. It's just kind of informal and awkward.

[@christophersmith210]

Why teach kids the importance of sleep or how teachers pushing students doesn't always pay off? Nah let's treat Riley like she's dirt

[@Mskittenlover12]

Only two good things came out of this show for me: Confirmation that Turner was alive and Eric reuniting with the kid he almost adopted in the original show and getting closure on that. Means so much if you know the context behind those original arcs. Not getting Shawn back with Angela however was a HUGE fucking mistake. 🙃

[@mickeycobbler4451]

Uh it also gave us Sabrina Carpenter

[@Heather_Duke]

It was so weird how they threw Shawn with Maya's mom when he easily could've been a father figure to her the way that Turner was for him or how Cory's family was basically his family. Like, he didn't NEED to get with Katy to do that. Heck, Shawngela could've reunited sometime after Boy Meets World and could've adopted a kid of their own (which...I could see them wanting to do, considering both of their experiences with a disappointing parent/parents).

[@parisewellington3664]

​@mickeycobbler4451 and we should be eternally grateful for that

[@jayekisses]

I agree with everything u said expect the Shawn & Angela. She was already married & they both had moved on. Most people don’t stay with their high school partners into adulthood. They broke up in college I was happy becoming a stepdad to Maya & getting with Katy I think it was a great relationship

[@mickeycobbler4451]

@@parisewellington3664 yes we should 😁

[@demitwice]

i understand not minding maya's and josh's relationship since it's fiction, but i'd argue that since this is a show for kids and tweens, they definetely should not be in any shape or form romanticizing this type of age gap in the show. children don't have enough critical thinking skills to realize how problematic this is in real life, and they might normalize this so much in their brains depending on the media they consume that they might get involved into harmful relationships themselves. if it was a show for older people i wouldn't care that much, but when it's children's media, it really worries me

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

True! Things made for kids should be more careful, especially about topics that have an impact on kids. Which are most topics in kid's shows.

[@aynsleyyost5168]

If they dated when Mya was 20 and Josh was 23 it would be fine

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

​@@aynsleyyost5168But they aren't.

[@gisela_oliveira]

​@@aynsleyyost5168 that is exacly what the anti-grooming discourse loves to talk about. if you say the older person should "wait", it's grooming, but if both people just know eachother for longer or meet agaig after 3 years, and know they are both over age... is sudenly fine. I feel like this discourse ignore real life relationships and the complexity of human feelings. you don't become more mature just because you turn 18

[@jayekisses]

“Pretty Little Liars” was on during this time & I was hooked into both shows. At 14 thinking it was ok to 24 knowing it wasn’t. It’s wild & I wonder if these shows made girls my age think age gap relationships r really ok

[@LeahWalentosky]

Lizzie McGuire, a millennial Disney show that aimed at the same age group in the early 2000s had episodes on buying her first bras, which was groundbreaking at that time. In its three seasons, there were topics on body image, heartbreak, and other topics more in line with coming-of-age issues for girls. I am surprised Girl Meets World never covered these topics. Riley was a stereotype of a middle-aged man's view of preteen girls.

[@BratzRockAngels]

BMW touched so many topics, Lizzie Mcguire and even Andi Mack tackled serious issues for children as well. GMW kinda barely touched the surface on its issues, and they never really dove into girlhood as much as they could, like there wasn't one instance on a discussion of periods for example.

[@samflood5631]

Speaking of which, I can't believe Lizzie and Kate ended their friendship because Kate brought herself a bra.

[@ajtriforcegamerofhyrule8538]

The creator of the show should just wrote another Boy meets world revival I've already seen the bad of what happens if you let a middle aged man write a girl

[@GenerationNextNextNext]

@@BratzRockAngels Hey Bratz fan! And yes, I stumbled upon Andi Mack as a grown person flipping through channels and was caught on before I realized it was on Disney Channel. It was literally the last great Disney Channel show to me.

[@logger1176]

oh my god. when josh said "there's a new **maturity** in maya" i couldn't help but see the connection to groomers saying "wow youre so **mature** for your age"

[@ABC-sz7rd]

that’s exactly what it was.. 😐

[@lunarblake]

i’m forever bitter at them ruining shawn and angela. forcing him and mya’s mom together just so mya could have some sort of father figure annoyed me so damn much. they relied wayyyy to much on the OG characteristics instead of being original. they treated her like she wasn’t a big part of the original show. considering how trina (angela) was treated by everyone in real life behind the scenes i shouldn’t be too shocked that she essentially came back and was treated as some sort of villian but it truly made no sense. cory and topanga acted like they didn’t even know her, it was so off putting and annoying. in my mind they got back together eventually lol

[@Missmagazinebura]

So you didn’t want Maya to have a father figure ?

[@hayden9178]

@@Missmagazineburanot all father figures do have to be your actual dad. I know plenty of people with absent fathers and often older brothers take on a more fatherly role idk just some food for thought

[@BabyGirlTiny]

@@Missmagazineburadid Turner marry Shawn’s mother to be his father figure?

[@Missmagazinebura]

@@BabyGirlTiny no ?? I don’t remember .

[@aswespeak165]

@@Missmagazineburathey didn’t want SHAWN to be the father figure. stop putting words in their mouth ppl like u are so annoying

[@johannaelloso9418]

I wonder if Sabrina ever looks back on this 😭😭😭

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

I mean probably. It was a few years of her life.

[@noelle2k3]

Same with Rowan because it certainly doesn’t seem to align with who she is

[@growingupwithdisney]

She avoids talking about it lol, I remember an interview where she had to list things she was in, and the interviewer said oh you forgot Girl Meets World and she said I didn't name it on purpose👀

[@tomobooy]

oh i know shes embarassed

[@a.p6462]

​@@noelle2k3😮

[@greenginger6668]

25:42 Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses what used to be called Asperger syndrome and autism. Asperger syndrome is no longer used due to the horrible history behind the name as well as the fact that the line between the two diagnosis was so blurred which one you were diagnosed with depended on the doctor who diagnosed you.

[@deinodinosuchus]

thank you! as an autistic person not enough people know this 😭

[@kyrroti9921]

I assumed that the show called it Aspergers as a product of its time, and the video creator used the same term the show used. An offhand correction would’ve been appreciated though

[@deinodinosuchus]

@@kyrroti9921 unfortunately asperger's was removed from the DSM in 2013, a year before the show even aired 😭 so it seems to be mostly due to ignorance and improper research (not to mention the entire rest of the episode but that's... yeah)

[@peachfroggg_]

@@deinodinosuchus could have been up to date when it was written and or filmed tho, hard to know with production deadlines for shows like this

[@walkingonneedles]

​@@peachfroggg_ i highly doubt it takes years to produce an episode,

[@polaroideyes]

i actually kind of liked the idea of maya turning into riley but they did it so poorly. maya wants a nice family life like riley so she starts dressing like her and acting like her. instead of everyone around her wishing she was her old trouble maker self, they’d encourage her to find her own style and continue to grow

[@BabyGirlTiny]

The issue is that her wardrobe was thrown out because of Shawn and Shawn bought her a new one with Riley’s help. That can’t work with that storyline in place. Also Acting and dressing like Riley wouldn’t give Maya a better home life so why would she act like her and dress like her?

[@polaroideyes]

@@BabyGirlTiny dude idk i’m not a writer

[@BabyGirlTiny]

@@polaroideyesI could tell

[@growingupwithdisney]

Girl Meets Texas part 1-3 is when the show was at its peak though, because they weren't forcing too many jokes and lessons (it still happened but was less), I felt there was true potential if the show kept that kind of tone/quality. They weren't having Riley being overly dramatic/childish, forcing us to feel bad for Maya, and Lucas & Farkle actually had purpose besides being a love interest & comedic relief. Riley realizing Maya likes Lucas was finally a moment of maturity for her, and actually showed off that Rowan can be a relatively good subtle actress...but most of the show made her & the others seem annoying

[@dancingsun2]

Yep!!!! Honestly the girl meets texas episodes are still fairly enjoyable to watch to this day, it's too bad the show didn't keep that energy in season 3.

[@musiclover_kb4913]

Actually there was rarely a time where Lucas served a purpose beyond being a love interest. As for Farkle, he grew up a lot overtime, u can't tell me he either changed for the worst or didn't change at all

[@SmileyTrenton]

Rowan could always act, she was just always having to only portray happiness.

[@superjackster0165]

I honestly hated that episode because of how out of character Riley was. She signs Lucas up to ride a dangerous bull without his consent and then outright calls him a disgrace to his community. Where the hell did that behavior come from?

[@musiclover_kb4913]

@@superjackster0165 When did she say that about him? Also if u remember at all, Riley was supportive of him riding the bull, it was MAYA who was against it. So u saying she called him a disgrace to his community doesn't add up with her wanting him to do it so he can "succeed and make his grandfather proud"

[@Missmagazinebura]

I dont think josh likes maya . Josh just wants to be liked .

[@Missmagazinebura]

@amazingunreleasedalbums farkle stole Lucas moment with Riley

[@sarahthomas8670]

Ewww the way the gang up on him when he wanted to see he has it . That’s very abelist. They missed out on the opportunity of having autistic representation

[@sarahthomas8670]

In the main cast

[@lockheart619]

Right?! If you're really their friend you would be supportive and let them know you still accept them the way they are. Not go out of your way to convince them they don't.

[@deen7530]

I legit got chills when Maya and Riley stood up and went "You don't. Let's tell them that you don't." after Farkle says he's been tested for autism. It sounded like a warning. I half expected them to slap Farkle when he started talking again.

[@strawberryqueen0382]

As a student teacher I fully cackled when I heard the autism episode started with a “genius” status from an IQ test. I will spare you my lengthy soap box about this but an IQ test does jack all to actually test someone’s intelligence. Like does it test…something? Yeah I can say that, but the test shouldn’t be put on some unquestionable pedestal as a measure of someone’s intelligence.

[@rachelmatthews3070]

Absolutely! 💯

[@somedragonbastard]

From statistics, it seems to mainly test how rich your family is

[@angelad230]

It's not meant to test high IQs, it's meant to be accurate for low IQs. It's useful for the special olympics, or when people are applying for certain kinds of government aid.

[@misschanandlerbong753]

Also smartness doesn’t equal autism. I’m autistic and stupid as shit

[@sketcher445]

@@misschanandlerbong753Shut up. We're all super smart and never wrong

[@sweettooth4759]

I’m so glad that people are finally realizing how bad this show was. Even as a kid, I have always disliked it.

[@sarahthomas8670]

SAME. I always avoided it

[@angleslikeyou537]

couldn’t stand the dialogue as a kid so i avoided it

[@darylesells19]

People were dog piling on this show from before it aired and every day since. lol And in my opinion for good reason, the writers really dropped the ball when it came to many aspects of the show. None more so than how they did Angela, though Boy Meets World didn’t exactly do much better with how they handled her and Shawn’s make up. They pinned the whole break up on her mommy issues (which came out of absolutely nowhere) instead of focusing on Shawn’s abandonment issues. Loved the couple to death, but GMW genuinely didn’t disappoint me any worse than the og show where they twisted things around for the sake of one plot point or another.

[@Zombina638]

Nah i didnt

[@flannelfan433]

I always found this show to be incredibly lame

[@growingupwithdisney]

Girl Meets World's biggest flaw was not putting Riley and Farkle together, aka the new and improved Cory and Topanga🙃the triangle wasted so much time

[@gisela_oliveira]

Riley looked more autistic than farkle. she is just like my sister, who has low autism

[@growingupwithdisney]

@@gisela_oliveira she definitely did, now that would've been a more interesting ending to the episode and really prove their point of how they won't judge and everyone in the friend group can be themself

[@gisela_oliveira]

@@growingupwithdisney Disney sure likes to throw away good storylines

[@Supernaturalbones2895]

yep I'm still a Riley & Farkle & Lucas and maya shipper to this day

[@offbranddorito9668]

@@gisela_oliveira Do not use the terms "high" and "low" for autism.

[@christophergarrett7082]

As someone with autism the autism episode is complete awful. They treat as something horrible that need fixing

[@theghosttm8245]

“I can fix it”

[@olandir]

I know this video is highlighting a lot of mistakes in this series, but I really think the main problem is that they made the original cast too much a part of this new show. Corey should have never been the girls' teacher. Having Riley be his daughter, sure, that's fine, but having him be the "Finny" of the series (or rather a very poor substitute) was a bridge too far. Corey and Topanga should have been the "barely there" parents of the series, not that they were barely in their kid's life, but barely in the show because the focus wasn't on them or their lives. It felt so wrong, like somehow the creators were just trying to continue "Boy Meets World" under the guise of a new show and that shouldn't have been what this was about.

[@tamarag9975]

I hated this show as a kid and was always confused why so many people loved it. The best thing GMW gave us was Sabrina Carpenter

[@hey-zel]

Exactly why I continued watching till it ended or else I would’ve ditched it

[@saf_k.33]

who is us

[@SpecialInterestShow]

Can't believe Mr Feeney tried so hard only for Corey to turn out like that

[@wardarcade7452]

You got THAT right! Sad thing is that Cory did a MUCH better job being a teacher when he switched with Mr. Feeny in the 6th grade than he wound up being as an alleged adult!

[@rosiepiantedosi8039]

Honestly I hate how they spun the Josh and Maya relationship. It was harmless at first then it became grooming. Also they made it that Josh is still aware he’s too old for her. During season three the trip in Maya’s fantasy Josh still says he’s “three years older than her” it’s bad. But what’s also annoying is that the only reason why they had that relationship is to resolve the love triangle. so they resolve the love triangle by creating a relationship that is predatory

[@quickslate28]

Ok, the line “Is it just me or is there a new… maturity in maya that I haven’t seen before? I find it intriguing.” caused me to have a *physical* reaction. That’s just not ok.

[@Ms.poopie]

Ok maybe this is me but I took that line as sarcastic ( I haven’t seen the whole episode just that clip so maybe it’s different) but that line didn’t feel like it should be taken seriously since maya was obviously doing a terrible job at acting immature

[@gracelessw.e]

Apparently the creator said that if this show was renewed for a 4th season, Riley and Maya would’ve gotten together. I thought he was completely lying until this video. I never realized how much of pandering to the fandom’s ships got put directly into the show, you’re absolutely right about all of it!

[@blastypie]

I remember I so shipped riya when I was 12 lol :p

[@voidtectonic]

Maya deserves better

[@gracelessw.e]

@@voidtectonic every character in this show deserves better writing lolol

[@wyssmaster]

He never said that.

[@Velvettyy_]

while that could’ve been a possibility, Disney wouldn’t allow that bc they hate gay relationships

[@demitwice]

i loved gmw at 12, and then during the pandemic i decided to rewatch it and i was shocked at how bad and harmful it was lol also the episode about communism is genuinenly one of the worst things i have ever watched and i remember it rubbing me the wrong way as a kid too, maybe because i'm not american so all the propaganda was super obvious

[@devilinred3319]

X2 As a tween back then the comunism episode make me very unconfortable, an the religion one too.

[@SealandRoyal]

I also felt uncomfortable when I watched it, and I am American the propaganda was just obvious

[@morbidsearch]

GMW came out after I stopped watching Disney Channel but over lockdown I watched Andi Mack and it immediately became one of my comfort shows. Glad I made the right choice.

[@mbanerjee5889]

All these problematic issues that you mentioned really stem from one core problem: Maya is a terrible character. Everything in the show is designed to teach her a lesson but she never actually grows or learns anything. The show can be summed up into: Maya is broken, I can fix her. Boy Meets World worked because Corey was just an average kid. Shawn wasn't the opposite of him, just less privileged. Most of the plot is Corey realizing that he can’t fix the problems in Shawn’s life. Riley on the other hand, is cartoon at best and a 2-year-old child at worst. She is not average so Maya only "seems" mature in comparison. Corey is meant to serve as the wise voice of reason but that doesn’t work because Corey is just a terrible teacher. Everyone treats Maya as a victim and criticizes her when she doesn’t fit that narrative. Shawn adopting Maya and marrying her mom is so contrived. Again, it’s the show trying to fix Maya instead of staying true to Shawn’s character. The show wants Maya to be the focal point but needs to pull in all the old BMW cast to make you care for her. Maya must have every BMW cast member spoon feed some value lesson to her.

[@madi5194]

and the problem is when maya does attempt to mature, they gaslight her out of doing so by saying she’s “turning into riley”. like?? i hate the way they handled her arc. riley preaches about being a better person but when maya actually tries it’s a problem

[@SmileyTrenton]

@@madi5194That came from everyone more so than riley, though.

[@madi5194]

@@SmileyTrenton fair enough, its been a minute since i’ve watched this show i just remember that whole plot irked me

[@amberwasatomic8330]

What got me is that along with the "Maya as Riley" gaslighting they also highlight Maya's life and "bad behavior " anytime she doesn't agree with Riley. Specifically leading up to the ski trip And when Maya does the mural it's always talked about how "dangerous " Maya is ... they treat her like a volcano and it's actively insane

[@SmileyTrenton]

@@madi5194 I agree too though, truly!

[@BabyGirlTiny]

One of the many things that pisses me off is that Maya is supposed to have these really real feelings for Josh. So why the hell couldn’t she tell the difference between how she liked Josh and how she liked Lucas? Wouldn’t she have figured out herself that something was weird with how she liked Lucas? That it wasn’t the same as how she looked at Josh. Even without that the triangle makes no sense, but this just solidifies that they really really really really really didn’t know what they were doing

[@superjackster0165]

You could tell that Maya liking Lucas was not originally the plan since previous episodes gave absolutely zero indication that she had a crush on him

[@pamayapaya]

@@superjackster0165Apparently according to Lucas’ actor, Maya and Lucas were not at all part of the original plan but the writers saw how much more chemistry they had and gave them more scenes together which obviously got a reaction from fans and then they forced themselves into a corner and couldn’t ignore the possibility of Maya and Lucas. If they were good writers, they would have just realized that they can’t force chemistry where it doesn’t exist and would have just went forward with Maya and Lucas since it was what worked better instead of making a super drawn out love triangle.

[@noelle2k3]

I wish Angela made more of an appearance and wasn’t seen as a villain. Watching bits of the original show the characters were welcoming to Angela (not the cast but that’s another story). And then Cory and such treats her as a villain that’s getting in the way of Shawn and Maya’s mom…. I didn’t see bmw till after gmw so I fell into the villianization that gmw put on Angela.

[@liyahjoon4908]

I HATE how this show handled Angela🙄 why did they bring her back for her to talk to Shawn about her having kids huhhhh I'll never forgive the writers for that bs

[@growingupwithdisney]

That is also one of the most ANNOYING things this show has done. They acted like Angela was just another of those people who left Shawn...that is NOT what happened. She left (after Shawn encouraged it) to spend time with her dad who she has barely seen, and Girl Meets World revealed her dad passed away after that, so it was absolutely the right decision. GMW should've brought the two back together, instead of trying to force Shawn to be Maya's new step dad

[@Heather_Duke]

@@growingupwithdisney Yes! Shawn understood why Angela would want to spend time with her father considering he'd just lost his! Not to mention, something Angela and Shawn had in common was having a parent who abandoned them (for Shawn, his father was never around and then his Verna also was always leaving. For Angela, it was her mother). I'd have loved for Shawngela to have gotten back together and then maybe adopted or fostered a kid/teen, because that is something I could see them doing.

[@catsandpiano3072]

Yeah, it wasn't right to have Corey seem like he hardly knew Angela/didn't like her when in the original show he tried really hard to be friends with her

[@Heather_Duke]

@@catsandpiano3072 I think that's the thing that was most bothersome. He, Shawn, Angela, and Topanga were all friends. Cory liked her both as a person and because she made his best friend happy.

[@nyawalker14]

Okay, but can we talk about how Lucas NEVER shown hints of those anger issues anyway. So, it came out of left field. Also, how that love triangle made absolutely no sense. Riley had a somewhat cute reaction to Lucas and her relationship with him, but the girl needed some help.

[@superjackster0165]

That's what annoyed me. Lucas only had anger issues when the plot required him to. For about 98% of his screentime, he was just this pretty chill and nice guy

[@nyawalker14]

@@superjackster0165 Plot 'demanded' him to have anger issues all of a sudden. Just how it demanded for them to get in a love triangle.

[@rachelmartin5187]

I dont think Lucas showing anger was a bad thing. It's like always say. The nice and quiet people are the ones you shouldn't mess with. Hell, Topanga was very nice, but even she was known to get angry when pushed too far. That being said, Lucas and Riley had no chemistry...at least romantically. I thought she matched better with Farkle.

[@BexTheBoo388]

I can't believe they coerced a 17 year old into falling in love with a 14 year old 😭

[@yolanda6392]

Right 😭 they could have used that college episode to make him find someone else but no…

[@jenm1]

It plays into that creepy fantasy men have of being chased by a young girl and this isn’t shown but it’s often accompanied with an older woman encouraging it

[@nottodayimbusy7146]

​@@jenm1 yeah you clearly don't know anything about men so I'm not going to bother to dive into the stupidity of that statement but a 17 year old and a 14-year-old is not creepiest only a 3-year age Gap and also they're both teenagers y'all are tweaking

[@lauracerqueiramachado8979]

@@nottodayimbusy7146 True, if the show didn’t treat their 3 years age-gap as a big deal then awesome they could make it work, the problem is that it did, they kept saying about how “it couldn’t happen because he was older than her” and “this is wrong” but they did it anyway so it felt like they were pushing their boundaries, it’s not about Josh and Maya’s ages, it’s what they represent

[@Daydream_N]

​@@nottodayimbusy7146okay but college dating a middle schooler is creepy and gross

[@jay__birdie]

im 21 and i cant even FATHOM dating an 18 yr old. people grow up soooooo much in their young adult years, an 18 year old is still so young. let alone a 14 yr old when you're 17

[@VforVendettas]

Right? Super weird and creepy.

[@BratzRockAngels]

Exactly.

[@samflood5631]

3 year age difference is considered wrong and creepy? My parents have a 4 year age gap and there’s nothing wrong with it.

[@BratzRockAngels]

@samflood5631 When you're a teen, small age gaps like that makes a huge difference. 2 years is fine, but 3 is different, a 17 year old and a 14 year old are at completely different stages in their life. If your parents met as teens with the four year age gap, then it would've been weird. Imagine a 19 year old and a 15 year old together, or a 16 year old and a 12 year old together, that's clearly wrong. When you're an actual grown adult, 4 years don't make a huge difference, like 30 and 34 for example.

[@livyykitty]

@@BratzRockAngelsare you in your 30s

[@nixthelapin9869]

That “God” episode made me really mad and uncomfortable as a Christian. I knew it was going to be garbage the second taking money from the floor was framed as sinful. Since when??? I think talking about religious topics is not necessarily bad, but it’s touchy for so many people and hard to do with nuance, which this show very much does not have the skill to do. Topics within even a single religion are super complex and have so many angles, and that only gets more complicated when bringing in other belief systems. Then factoring in how each person relates to their beliefs (or lack thereof) and why. It’s not really something a (bad) sitcom can handle in a single episode. I think the best way this has been done in the past is by addressing a single issue in belief or a character’s struggle within the system they already have (so it’s therefore important to the character and their story. Tackling belief as a whole just isn’t feasible. Plus, as a Christian, the point isn’t to “own” someone or win an argument. If your intention in having a religious discussion is to humiliate them or “win,” then you are completely missing the point. I do believe in sharing my religion, but we do that (or we’re supposed to) with discussion and compassion, building a relationship and connection with them, because that’s our relationship with God. And if they don’t want to believe, then it’s not our job to force them! I also think it’s weird that Topanga believes in God (which is also an issue I had with BMW, not just GMW) bc it doesn’t really make sense for her character. She had this whole mystic, cosmic universe, almost pagan thing going on (she literally had a scene in BMW where she channels a spirit into her body, or at least claims to). Very much not Christian… but then they changed her beliefs later with no explanation

[@pinkmintleaf]

the thing i hate the most about gmw is the portrayal of cory. when i watched bmw (which was after gmw bc i was curious to see how that dumpster fire of a show came to be), i was shocked to see that cory wasn't a pretentious, self-righteous asshole. even as a kid he wasn't as immature as he was as an ADULT. this truly makes my blood boil. also, shawn being an absent father is literally the most out of character decision ever made. it doesn't make ANY SENSE considering his arc in the original series and it bothers me to no end. i pretend gmw doesn't exist to preserve my sanity.

[@BratzRockAngels]

Shawn being an absent father literally goes against everything he went through and learned in the original series. Alongside him and Angela not being together and them villainizing Angela for going with her father to Europe.

[@niyanna]

Shawn isnt an absent father. What do you mean?

[@michelle_5633]

As a junior in university. I could never see myself or anyone I know go for a junior in high school. My friend called herself a pervert for dating a freshman as a junior. (He’s 18 or 19 I don’t remember and she’s 21) And the maya situation is even weirder

[@oooh19]

she's not a pervert to date an underclassman. it's normal to try to date different people in college. it doesnt even need to be serious

[@michelle_5633]

@@oooh19 I know 😭 she was calling herself that but we all knew it was consensual and plus they are both of age to be making decisions by themselves.

[@paidendenae]

omg I relate lol I had to retake an intro course this semester, and this freshman was trying to hit on me and I'm like bro you look like a baby. I'm 22 😭 but then again when I was 19, I was briefly dating this girl who'd just graduated college lmao

[@ABC-sz7rd]

@@oooh19nah, she definitely is one. 😐 and you are too.

[@ABC-sz7rd]

@@oooh1918 and 22…??? hell nah.

[@nickronca1562]

I never hated the show as a whole, but as an Atheist, I can tell you that the "God's Not Dead" episode as you named it is SO dishonest in its portrayal of Atheists, that that was the one episode I actively hated growing up.

[@flamingrainbows9758]

The thing about the autism episode, I am 100% convinced he was diagnosed with autism but told his parents to pretend he wasn't and lie because of how his friends initially reacted.

[@kingofcomics5951]

Sadly realistic

[@YumikoMayamine]

As a french person, the communism episode and religious one are... unbelievable. Are you guys ok ?

[@dovahkiinthe3rd]

no 💀

[@chelscara]

Not at all

[@jo-ri-oh8950]

Absolument pas... 💀

[@christophergarrett7082]

The whole God plot line is insane. You can't make someone believe in God. Its up to them to believe or not. Either one is acceptable

[@sarahthomas8670]

The age gap with Maya is scary

[@hypersonic2.060]

3 years is crazy ?

[@sarahthomas8670]

LMAO YES. I think because like he is an adult and she’s a child middle school so that gap is crazy. Bruh everyone in the show was even against it and disgusted lol

[@KindredKaye]

@@hypersonic2.060when one is a child in middle school and the other is an adult, yes, 3 years is a big age gap. It’s wildly inappropriate and illegal in the us. Also, it doesn’t make sense that it’s three years if she’s in 8th grade and he’s a sr. That 4-5 years. The writers might have gotten it wrong when they said 3. Even so, 18-21 is different from 14-18. 14 you have no life experience. You can’t even get a job in most states. Your brain just isn’t ready for an adult relationship

[@oooh19]

yea but 14 also isnt 5. and he was 17 so i think he was ahead if school. grade isnt determined by age it's birthday.@@KindredKaye

[@KindredKaye]

@@oooh19 Grade is ususally determined by age... (At least, in the US. I know, because I was a teacher). Yes, there are a few outliers, but most children in the US start school at age 5, in kindergarten. That's why the year before that (which isn't mandated in every state) is called pre-k or 4-year-old-kindergarten. The cut-off in a lot of states is Sept 1 (meaning you must have turned 5 before Sept 1). This means that most kids are 18 by the time they graduate. Also, I don't think you fully understand what I'm saying. Maya technically should be 13 in 8th grade. The writers likely retconned it to make the age gap less creepy. (Personally, I believe they failed and it's still creepy.) Middle school brains are wildly different from a high school sr's brain.

[@kofigh5]

GMW was essentially was grooming the audience into tryna accept the relationship by the framing saying “it’s only 3 years” but never mention the context of those 3 years😭 ts never sat right

[@samflood5631]

A 3 year age gap isn’t that big of an age difference.

[@kofigh5]

@@samflood5631Add context to the gap. She was in middle school & he was going off to college.

[@samflood5631]

Wanna know what’s creepier, if a 28 year old man falls in love with a 14 year old girl.

[@rionaka8835]

@@samflood5631Ok? This is what’s known as a non sequiter, it has no bearing on what anyone is saying. No one is arguing the levels of creepiness here, your statement can be true as well as what’s being actually discussed. The fact the SHOW can point out the issue that people have (that they are essentially in entirely different worlds emotionally, muturity-wise, how they’re dealing with things in their lives, etc.) yet tosses it aside smacks of trying to have their cake and eat it too. And you know this, you’ve had it pointed out to you in other comments. If they were both adults, it’s fine. But it’s not here. Even if you remove any idea of it being icky, they’re not going to have close enough life experiences yet to work as a couple. It would flame out really fast and/or one or both of them would end up unhappy. The show has a perfect opportunity to say “no, this wouldn’t work”, even if it wants to also say “maybe later in life it will”, but it waffles on this because….why? Especially for a show trying to teach lessons while telling a story. What do we actually get out of the message that they’re implying at the end? What do *kids* get out of it?

[@samflood5631]

@@rionaka8835 I get where you guys are coming from. It's ok for a couple to be together 1/2/3/4 year age difference if they're adults not just chronologically and sometimes physically, but maturely as well. This show has is pushing for an immature 14 year old who has the intelligence of a broken condom to hit on a 17 year old whose inspiring to go to college

[@canarywithbedhead]

the episode that handed autism 💀 it was so harmful to so many people, including me. i’m undiagnosed (technically self diagnosed and working on getting proper testing) auadhd person and watched it when i was a kid. i remember seeing a fem presenting character being SO similar to me and really connecting to both farkle and smackle. seeing characters interact that i really related too and really liked having their characteristics mocked, their preferences being ignored because the main characters needed to do things, and even just being tucked under the rug really sucked. gmw slander all day

[@mbanerjee5889]

I'd like the Maya/Josh plot if it was handled like Dipper and Wendy in Gravitiy Falls. It should have been kept as one sided and Josh should not acknowledge it as more than friendship. But as it stands, what is the lesson? It's a ship that would have worked if the show went into their college years. GMW is strictly for tweens that don't behave like highschoolers which makes the age gap seem way worse.

[@furmewolfy]

Josh and Maya is SO uncomfortable. It is giving the "Lolita" trope where the minor "seduces" the adult. I hate it so so much

[@samflood5631]

There’s nothing wrong with a 3 year age gap.

[@furmewolfy]

@@samflood5631 When you are both adults, yes u are completely correct! But 17 and 14 is weird and 18 and 15 is illegal

[@ABC-sz7rd]

@@samflood5631ughh hush. 14 & 17 isn’t okay.

[@Velvettyy_]

@@samflood5631 there’s something wrong with you if you don’t find it 14 & 17 years old weird.

[@agustinrodriguez3765]

A comment for the Autism episode. Aspergers and Savant sindrome are not diagnosible (sp?.) anymore. They are all just Autism. This is because we don't want to associate Autism with Aspegers (a n*zi medic who did eugenics on people with autism) or Savant which literally means "smart" because people that used to get the Savant syndrome diagnosis were stigmatised for being smart and their whole disability was reduced to "they're just smart and have super inteligence" when Autism is so much more than just being smart in certain topics.

[@aurora_skye]

Exactly!

[@darwinbowman8512]

Sydney to the max is basically girl meets world done RIGHT👏. It used its throwback angle to flesh out characters and tell proper generational stories that young and old could relate to. And it never spoon fed its messages. You were allowed to pick it up on your own. Both shows are eerily similar to each other in every way especially premise wise hence why i make the comparison.

[@audreytheausllyologist502]

Andi Mack too, Andi Mack was sooooo much better than Girl Meets World.

[@usersareoverrated5652]

and sydney to the max actually had a girl meets world character in the show

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

I love Sydney to the Max. I wish it didn't get cancelled. Truly was far better than GMW.

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

​@@usersareoverrated5652Yeah! The girl who played Ava played Sydney's best friend.

[@growingupwithdisney]

I didn't actively watch the show, but I seen a few clips, and definitely did like the way they did it. Maybe they were inspired by the faults of Girl Meets World, and actually made a good version of that

[@galaxiegoddess]

Girl meets world made me feel dumb, because I had no clue what was going on half the time. Like the dialogue was so weird and hard to understand. Like I felt they were too vague and I had to read in between the lines WAY too much to pick up what they were implying. Specifically the main brunette girl.

[@soundofmusic8838]

Yeahh^^ the way they talk is very pretentious and almost tries to make us feel like we’re stupid but in reality they were just spewing nonsense 😭😭

[@Eli02143]

When I watched this show when it first premiered I immediately disliked Riley. They wrote her like a 5 year old, & she was supposed to be older than me I believe at the time. If I met someone like Riley in real life, I wouldn’t be their friend. Every character has there flaws but they really miswrote Riley. Riley has always been the villain to me lowkey. I’m sorry but I hated the episode where she was upset the girl didn’t like her when they entered high school. Riley needed to grow up fast because welcome to the real world it’s not Riley town. I don’t know why they would have made her so naive when Maya is constantly showing her the real world. Riley doesn’t understand when to stop & when is it okay for her to intervene.

[@superjackster0165]

I hated how Riley was so naive to the point where there were times that she’d put more faith and trust in random strangers she’d just met than she did with her own friends and family

[@KP-vr6sm]

Justice for maya

[@aaliyahu0904]

This show feels like a conservatives safe haven tbh. Capitalistic, God fearing, anti-neurodivergence in some way, heternormative etc.

[@lemonadec0re]

This was my favorite show as a kid and now I struggle with almost everything you listed…😬(there is definitely other factors to why I am the way I am but still)

[@aaliyahu0904]

@lemonadec0re no same. I remember being so influenced by this show growing up, but looking back it just makes me cringe. I had to do a lot of un-learning from this show

[@lemonadec0re]

@@aaliyahu0904 we twining fr

[@aaliyahu0904]

@WinWinWoo I meant heteronormative in the sense of what teh show pushes. The ideal American family. Even when it was hinted that Maya could be gay or bi that idea was shoved to the side. There's also only one poc character who was used for comic relief, an ideology against communism, an entire plot line dedicated to villainizing another POC legacy character, AND even though Boy Meets world was in the 90s and owned by Disney, they still had gay characters on the side and insinuated queer characters.

[@Velvettyy_]

@WinWinWoo that’s not the point but go off i guess

[@nateneill2271]

Not only did Thomas Jefferson own slaves but he was also one of the main reasons behind the trail of tears and the horrible treatment of the Native Americans

[@shayla106]

Most historical figures were horrible

[@Valentineatelier]

The “you failed me” episode always pissed me off, especially because I knew people like that in real life, like bitch you failed because you didn’t study that is not Cory or your absent father’s fault 😭😭😭

[@growingupwithdisney]

Riley liking Lucas as a brother thing made ZERO sense, she clearly didn't lol. Maya's mom did say, "if you have strong feelings for someone, you can't see straight when imitating them", so I like to just think Maya just loves Riley so much, she just misinterpreted her feelings. Also this could be Maya subconsciously trying to make it okay for herself to like Lucas. Since before as Maya she would have to just flirt with Lucas through making fun of him, but now as Riley, she can openly shows a crush on Lucas, so that probably made her see something in herself. Idk, I genuinely don't really get the timeline on Maya liking Lucas, maybe it just slowly happened gradually. I don't think she truly likes him like a brother either though, a small part of her just wants something good in her life, and she sees Lucas as a good guy. However this whole time, she just thought she was too much of a mess for him to truly have feelings for her too (plus her best friend liking him makes it messy)

[@amberwasatomic8330]

I always took it as Maya trying to give herself a reason it was ok to like Lucas. Riley does the same thing to Maya though Riley is way more damaging

[@majinally3527]

no the fact that they knew a relationship with maya and josh was so wrong she was LITERALLY a child and it was STILL GREEN LIT?!?! what was disney THINKING??

[@kileyeileen]

Never mind the fact that girls being told they're "different" and "more mature" is often something that leads to young girls being groomed by older guys. Definitely makes the whole Maya/Josh relationship weirder.

[@sarahthomas8670]

There’s no way they had a communist episode….

[@Velvettyy_]

ikr? that shit looked like a banned episode 😂

[@anakin-is-panakin]

Boy meets world did too lol

[@christophergarrett7082]

Boy meets world feels like real people where girl meets world feel like A.I writing kids and teens

[@connor_patrick]

i have conspiracy theory that explains the messiness of the triangle and maya and josh. riley and lucas were set up to be gmw's cory and topanga and i think they originally wrote maya and lucas's interactions to be friendly silly rivalry but a huge portion of the fanbase saw chemistry with lucas and maya and started to ship them. so the writers did lean into more but i think they still wanted their cory and topanga 2.0. and i honestly think they just got mad at the fans for liking lucas with maya more which is why they tried to pair her with josh and ignore the problems with that relationship and why they acted like maya only liked lucas because she was "pretending to be riley." i think the writers just threw a tantrum and wrote really stupid storylines because the fans didn't like their main ship

[@BabyGirlTiny]

Yeah the writers wanted Lucas to be Riley’s topanga, but instead they wrote farkle as topanga. They legit treated Topanga as nothing more than a love interest because that’s about as much in common Lucas has with her character lmfao.

[@camdecay]

if they wanted to do a religious episode, they should’ve used something else in its place (like maybe some of them believe in magic and some dont) but then at the end a believer starts questioning, and a nonbeliever starts wanting to believe. i think it would portray the message of tolerance of different beliefs way better.

[@Velvettyy_]

or maybe even ghosts

[@camdecay]

@@Velvettyy_ ooh thats an even better idea!! literally anything but what they did do…

[@jayekisses]

50:57 idk how Disney screwed up the triangle. Maya Lucas were so much better together in my opinion because the actors(Sabrina & Peyton)were the same age of 15 in season 2 & Riley’s(Rowan)actor was 13 so of course the chemistry was better. Riley being so naive to dumb just wasn’t mature enough for a boyfriend as opposed to Maya who was street smart & more aware of the world was over all way more mature. Riley was a happy child compared to the rest of the group

[@oooh19]

what if Riley had autism or Aspegers or some form of it? and Maya being more street smart and worldly you could take it like she WOULD be ready for a relationship w/ Josh in that case.

[@jayekisses]

@@oooh19 no I wouldn’t actually. I would still pair Maya with Lucas. I never really wanted Maya with Josh. Riley being any kind of autism still would prove my point that she still wasn’t mature enough for a serious relationship with Lucas. But that wouldn’t mean she wouldn’t be capable of having any kind of relationship. If anything I would have paired her with Farkle or Zay just on compatibility

[@thegreatscribbles960]

​@@oooh19 Maya turning to Riley:No you don't 😐

[@glip6531]

The age gap segment has to be the worst of all of these, it’s literally convincing children to be groomed, it’s actually disgusting. People protest queer representation all the time for “grooming” when really they should have been protesting girl meets world.

[@akisatsuki8444]

It’s straight so it’s ok lol

[@Eva-wo1um]

Nah, I was protesting it , and people attacked me

[@samflood5631]

A 3 year age difference is not that big of a deal between two people. Same goes for a 4 year age difference, a 2 year age difference and a 1 year age difference.

[@glip6531]

@@samflood5631 you have to take in consideration that this is a kids show and kids are impressionable! To show a college student dating a freshman, is weird no matter how small the age gap is. Kids will leave thinking that if someone in college (regardless of age) wants to date them, they’ll remember how maya was around their age and it was depicted as appropriate.

[@glip6531]

@@samflood5631 also you commented that a lot to other people and I can’t tell if you’re a victim or the predator… very odd

[@hannahhickman8663]

I’m surprised you didn’t talk about the racism in the show. Like the first few episodes where Black boys hit on Riley and Maya and Farkle steps in and says things like “I don’t say yo but I’m tough” when neither one of the actors said yo. It always stuck out. And then the introduction of Zae when they realized they made Topanga white (see the heritage episode where they forget that topanga is native American and Riley acts like she’s basic white) so they didn’t have any people of color. And then zae was a bad influence. Then Maya had an episode where she is influenced to do wrong by a group of WOC it’s just so weird. And then retconning Angela and Shawn’s love.

[@egghead_felix]

What's crazy about what Cory said in the Communist episode is that Riley said, " oh you're using Farkle's methods?" And they act like Maya doing that is a BAD thing??? "That's what communism gets you." HUH??? Some of the best ways to learn is in a peer-collaborative setting. We often get better by learning from our peers. That just taught kids that they have to do everything on their own or its invalid. Which is false! People have to collaborate. People need help from others. It isn't cheating to help one another.

[@Thistlespawn]

"Some of the best ways to learn is in a peer-collaborative setting. We often get better by learning from our peers". Yep, and it's so important collaborative learning is now literally a part of European directives for teachers.

[@growingupwithdisney]

I can't stand how objective this show thinks they are being lol, like they can't possibly be serious for that religious episode...I used to be obsessed with this show, but it's SO annoying. Like they thought they ate that🤣I thought when Cory joined the conversation that he would be more a mediator, but he just forced his beliefs on Farkle

[@Artryom]

What is “Forcing belief” onto someone?

[@KateCat420]

​@@Artryom It's refusing to drop the subject and agree to disagree.

[@dannylavender]

Cory's taught actual history like one time in the whole show.

[@madisonharrill1935]

It’s important to note that BMW aired on ABC so it was able to handle more serious topics better

[@yolanda6392]

This is a good point

[@Mossymoss69]

Disney really thought they ate with this show 💀

[@rainbowgachafox6093]

Why did they make Riley so dumb. She’s naive and acts so childish in certain situations that it’s like she’s 3 she gets 0 qualities from her parents and it’s like she’s not even there kid

[@superjackster0165]

I hated how she was so naive to the point where she’d put more faith and trust in random strangers she’d just met than she did with her own friends and family

[@reyfan011]

Personally I hate love triangles cuz no matter what there will be a loser who’s love was rejected and has to see who they like with someone else. Depending on the character as a villain or hero in the story, they either rub it in their face that it’s not gonna happen or they make us feel bad for them and see them mope. Love triangles could either be 2 possible love interests for one person where there’s no clear favorite or there are the two main love interests and a third whose affection is one sided and never reciprocated. In kid shows like girl meets world, once you introduce shipping that becomes what the show is about for certain fans. And a love triangle with 3 main characters will bring out the bad side of shipping. When fans of one ship attack the other online, or the actors playing the love interests get harassed online, or maybe even the creators getting pushback for not making a ship canon. So rather than unnecessary drama, I wish shows would lighten up on the love triangle storylines. It won’t disappear cuz everyone loves drama, but maybe less shows feeling the need to include it.

[@Velvettyy_]

the only show i think did a good job at one character having two love interests was iCarly with Freddie having a crush on Carly and eventually dating Sam. Carly had no illwill with Sam dating Freddie, granted they were a toxic couple but Carly was still supportive of Sam and Freddie (even though I think Carly may have had some feelings for Freddie.) Maya, Riley and Lucas love triangle thing could’ve worked if they just made Maya and Riley like Lucas at different times instead of at the same time.

[@seven.2352]

one thing about this show that irritates me is how they treat riley like she's some baby that doesn't have any sense and she can't do anything on her own, they infantilize her and make her seem like "this is my world and everybody else is just living in it" like everything and everyone has to fit her standards for it to be "normal" like maya was finally doing better in school and in a much healthier mindset all of a sudden shes acting like "riley" and not like herself???

[@superjackster0165]

I also hated how they made Riley just so naive to the point where she would put more faith and trust into random strangers than she did with her own friends and family

[@seven.2352]

@@superjackster0165 she always just struck me as super selfish and only cared about issues when it didn't fit her "riley town" fantasies if im being honest maya would have been a way better mc than riley, mayas storylines were actually decent and made sense

[@superjackster0165]

@@seven.2352 That’s another thing I hated about Riley. Also, whenever someone finally called Riley out for her ridiculousness, Riley would immediately play victim and act like the person rightfully calling her out was the bad guy

[@mllemystery]

Look, that might just be me, but as a French person, I have absolutely zero memory of ever seeing the episode about religion, and I watched this show everytime it was on air. I wouldn't be surprised to learn it was censored here

[@rachelmatthews3070]

I never watched the series in the UK. But I wonder if something like that would have been censored here as well, it seems very overt for something directed at children. 😅

[@morbidsearch]

France has strict laws when it comes to public displays of religion (e.g. banning public prayer in 2011) so it wouldn't surprise me.

[@kunokoaeri3505]

Il faudrait trouver l'épisode dans la version originale et voir si ça correspond en France mais ça m'étonnerait à moitié qu'on l'ait refusé dû à comment c'est interprété

[@danidkg4071]

the biggest problem to me is that the characters rarely acted in a human way. and by that i mean that even during the emotional, 'serious' moments, the characters still moved and talked so stiffly. as if they were aware that they were fictional characters, reciting lines for an audience. like, they said every line like they wanted to come off as some PSA. and i don't think it's the fault of (most) of the actors, there are genuinely emotional and well-acted moments and i know that they're good actors. but on boy meets world, characters didn't just say sad lines with a sad tone. when they were sad, they had sobbing fits. when they were angry, they yelled over each other. it was ugly, but human. maybe it's because gmw was a disney channel show, but characters rarely acted this 'messy' in a human way. for instance: i think the episode where riley admits she's being cyberbullied actually has a good moment. when she finally cries and lets it out to maya. because the directors allow the actress to just feel what the character is going through, without immediately turning it into an educational moment. of course, most of these serious episodes and plotlines are there because they want to teach the (mostly child) audience something, but if you want to do that, you have to allow your characters to be human and feel their pain first.

[@nicksgottalent]

That girl was really going to bully him for not going out with Maya and everyone acts like blackmailing him is ok🤦🏾‍♂️

[@BratzRockAngels]

Yeah that was ridiculous. They're mad at him for not being interested in a 14 year old.

[@katiebailey3439]

It could have been about a girl growing up similar to the original show. The problem from the start is the show runner knew what it was like being a boy growing up, but not a girl 😅

[@BratzRockAngels]

That could've been easily solved if they got a female writer as a consultant. There's no reason the show should've been less impactful than the original.

[@kunokoaeri3505]

I honestly think it was like one problem and not the main one. You can write badly about a woman because u r not one. But u can't be wrong for the whole show. There is a serious problem here

[@sillygooseygirl]

Besides it’s god awful writing, I think the show was also held back by the network. Boy Meets World flourished because it aired on a family channel as opposed to a kids channel. They were able to address adult topics in a more mature, and healthy way because the rules were less strict. I think the show would’ve felt a lot less childish and pretentious if it aired on a network like ABC as opposed to Disney Channel.

[@statesofgracie]

this show thought very highly of itself very undeservedly

[@analauraraymundimoreira9061]

The religion, the autism and the communism episodes were the most ridiculous things I've ever seen 🤦‍♀️ I wonder what made Disney think those were a good idea

[@blairwilliams3311]

Looking back I realized this show really had no clue on what to do with Lucas. He felt like a toy for the girls and tbh Riley/maya should have just been a thing since it felt like they could have made for some interesting developments

[@sarahthomas8670]

I want the actors to come out to speak about it

[@riiseingirl]

josh + maya’s relationship is VERY weird to me. im 17 right now and i cant imagine having feelings for a 14 year old or telling them we should “play the long game”. the fact that the show acknowledges the age gap and STILL tries to make the relationship a possibility is so gross to me. this is a KID’S show. a child could very well think age gaps like that arent that bad just bc of maya/josh’s relationship (if that sounds like bullshit, the communism episode was my first ever introduction to communism and made me think it was terrible when i was like 10 so yes this show can influence a child’s beliefs) i sound rlly self righteous sorry 😭 it just feels a bit sinister to me that the show would try to make a romance between a senior in HS and a middle schooler seem like its not that bad.

[@UnlimitedRadioButNoSoap]

is 3 years really that big of a gap? i can't tell you toddlers apart tbh

[@lovestumacher]

@@UnlimitedRadioButNoSoap It still doesn’t really make sense even if it’s only three years. One is just starting their high school career while the other is about to graduate and become an adult. As a 17 year old I would never find a 14 year old attractive. I feel like morally it’s just wrong. Same thing with an 18 year old going after a 14 year old. Gross.

[@UnlimitedRadioButNoSoap]

@@lovestumacher like i said, i can't really tell the difference. it's like trying to compare one dumb person to another possibly slightly less dumb person. it's difficult to draw a hard line. you're all still kids at the end of the day.

[@lovestumacher]

@@UnlimitedRadioButNoSoap Maybe if Maya was 15 I feel like it wouldn’t be that bad. However, she hasn’t even started high school yet, while Josh is about to start college. Doesn’t make it any better considering he’s her best friend’s uncle. Even the other main characters acknowledge that it isn’t appropriate for them to be together. But that’s just my take on the situation.

[@UnlimitedRadioButNoSoap]

@@lovestumacher well sure, but i'm talking broadly. if all there is to go off is age, 14 and 17 seems questionable at worst. like most things, more factors are necessary to make a proper judgment. at such a small scale, the details are what really matter. for instance, is it fine for a 16 year old in college to date a 16 year old in highschool? even with no age gap, it's not always clear cut.