In my channel surfing this evening, I came across a show called Girl Meets World. It stars Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel in a spin-off of a series from my youth. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: the Boy Meets World TV series.
How I first came across this moment? I first came across the series in the Fall of 1993, when it debuted in the 7:30pm slot of ABC’s TGIF programming block.
What it meant to me then? I initially liked the show on the strength of Cory Matthews’ love for baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies. But, as I watched more and understood more of the show’s concept, I grew to like the Cory Matthews character as well as that of George Fenny. I was especially a fan of Stuart Minkus, whom I felt always got a raw deal because he was a brilliant student. I was really fascinated with how the relationship between Cory and Topanga (Fishel) evolved over the years. What started as them being adversaries on the opposite end of the student spectrum in grade school ended up with him giving her his denim jacket while playing pool at Chubbie’s to this elevator scene to them getting married. I was actually very envious of Cory’s life. I wanted it for my own.
What it means to me now? The series ended in 2000, when I was a freshman in high school. I haven’t watched any of the episodes in syndication since so coming across Girl Meets World earlier this evening was actually quite refreshing. My life didn’t necessarily turn out like Cory’s but it’s been interesting nonetheless. The show still has a place in my memories because of the way Topanga really fought for Cory’s heart and the relationship between Cory and Mr. Feeny.
