It’s semi-formal time at John Quincy Adams Middle School. For whatever reason “The School Board” sends over an etiquette video from the 1950’s for Corey to show the kids. I’m 99% sure the narration for this video is voiced by Will Friedle. Anyway, Corey’s kid freaks out because her (unofficial?) boyfriend hasn’t asked her to the dance. And I don’t really care. I’m writing about this episode because the biggest dream-boat to ever grace our screens as a Boy Meets World cast member is making a return appearance in this episode.
Eric is in town to meet with a sleazy big business guy .who is going to try to buy his vote. He’s a senator now, by the way. It turns out that Jack (having joined the Peace Corps with Rachel) has shunned his altruistic ways and joined this nasty company. He’s the guy Eric has to meet with. Well, I guess Eric isn’t required to meet with him, but this explains why he took the meeting.
So Eric decides to take Jack to the school dance, which he describes as going “back in time.” He calls Cory “Feeny” lol. And Jack is all like Remember when we were just like these kids? And I want to be like No. They didn’t know you in middle school. They knew you in college. Who compares a college memory to a middle school memory? But whatever. I like seeing the original show’s cast back, so however they need to force it is fine with me.
Jack asks Cory what it’s like having a daughter, so Cory asks Jack to help Riley with her love life. (She’s trying to decide between two boys or something). I mean like wtf why would you ask a friend you haven’t seen in years to do something so ridiculous right in front of your kid? Like deal with your own kid, jerk.
So Jack compares Riley’s middle school situation to that time that he and Eric lived with Rachel and both wanted to date her. Well, I mean he makes it way more PG. Riley asks how Rachel felt about each of them and Jack tells her that she liked him as a boyfriend. Eric tells her that Rachel liked him as a brother. We then learn that Rachel and Jack haven’t talked in a really long time, whereas Eric and Rachel talk all the time. So Jack tells her that having close friends is “the best choice you can make.”
Then no one can figure out who Riley is at the dance with. Like who is her date? And they’re like oh well. “We’re all friends and we’re all dancing. What else is there to figure out?” I mean this is like a sentiment I would have accepted in college, but this is like freaking middle school. Where is the drama? The catty and possessive behavior? It’s a black-and-white world in your thirteen year-old mind and you have to pick one of the boys to be your boyfriend. Then a week later you have to dramatically break up with that boyfriend and realize that the other boy was your true love forever. I mean it’s like these writers have never been to a middle school dance!
Anyway, Matthew Lawrence still looks good, and isn’t that all that really matters?
Shawn and Topanga are both going away for the summer, which leaves Cory totally depressed. Meanwhile, Eric has been rejected from every single college he has applied to, and is now hoping North Southwestern San Diego State University (NSWSDSU) will accept him off the wait-list. Eric’s hoping to have some quality time with Corey before he leaves home, but Cory resents Eric for only wanting to hang out with him now that he’s leaving. He plans to pack up his room in a week and spend the entire summer road-tripping to California. Like woah. I did not have that much mobility right after I graduated from high school, but more power to you, Eric.
room they’ve shared for fifteen years–and they don’t even know each other. Um. Okay. False. I get that you’re bummed this is happening but I’d just like to point out that Eric has been a pretty amazing brother to Cory: He’s a guest speaker in Cory’s 6th grade class, he makes Cory and Shawn a guide to high school on their first day, and earlier this season they even planned a rave together. So like Cory is just being super whiny and raining on everyone else’s parade because he’s lonely. But then again he is fifteen, so I guess that’s to be expected.
The next morning Cory says goodbye (almost tearfully) to Shawn and Topanga. Eric shows up just after they leave and finds a lonely Cory playing basketball and talking to himself. Cory apologizes to Eric about being a jerk. He also admits to stealing Eric’s college acceptance letter from the mailbox because he didn’t want him to leave. He feels like they’re finally getting to be friends (I guess the rave earlier this season was a real bonding moment) instead of being just brothers. Only, it turns out that letter is a rejection letter, and Eric has nowhere to go.
Eric admits that his expectations were a bit unrealistic, since he slacked off for all but the last few months of his high school career. But Cory encourages him to take a few classes over the summer, and apply again to an even better school. That’s still a major uphill battle for a guy who barely graduated from high school, but that’s not the point. The point is that Eric’s always been the supportive big brother for Cory (even though he’s been whining for this entire episode) and now it’s Cory’s turn to be the supportive one. That’s the first time in this entire 30-minute bitch-fest that Cory has actually demonstrated the kind of friendship that he demands from Eric. Omg. The feels. I think I’m going to cry. But seriously, what other hilarious sitcom is also this real in terms of human emotion. Certainly NOT Girl Meets World. New Theory: Boy Meets World is Cheers for the children of the 90’s. It’s all fun and games and harassment until you really need someone and they’re surprisingly deep.
Then Eric decides that Cory should come on his road trip with him and Amy and Alan bankroll the entire thing because they’re going to look at colleges across America. Like as a potential-one-day-maybe-parent I’m a little freaked out by the idea of an eighteen year-old and a fifteen year-old crossing America alone together in the days before cell phones, but if my kids were Eric and Cory, I’d like to think I’d be open to it.
Eric is running for Senator of New York and he wants Riley and her friends to run the campaign. It turns out that this is a great idea (well in the world of this TV Show) because the incumbent senator has taken money away from the school budget and “given” it to his “rich friends.” (We only find this out because the dude who unearthed all of this fiscal drama happens to be sitting in Topanga’s bakery while Eric is talking to the kids.) They all decide Eric has a change at winning the election because he cares about schools.
Anyway, Harley Keiner (former tough guy at John Adams High in Philadelphia, current custodian at John Quincy Adams in New York City) somehow gets involved in the situation. He’s mostly just there so Eric can not recognize him as Harley but think he looks a lot like Harley and then say some dumb stuff about how he wished he had beaten up Harely…only to realize he is, in fact, talking to Harley. But Harley handles it with grace because he’s mellowed and matured.
Stupid Eric is exceedingly funny, but I always loved the charming thoughtful Eric years of his high school to early adult days, personally. I did enjoy his ridiculous behavior in the college years, but it was such a departure from his original character that my brain had trouble reconciling it.
Anyway, Eric does remove his Squirrels outfit and try to help the children work out their friendship issues. (Plays with Squirrels was classically helpful with friendship, if you recall the original series). He comes to school with Corey the next day and is still full-on goofball, putting scotch tape on his face and forgetting what he’s said seconds before. My heart mourns for the loss of the sensitive, intuitive Eric we once knew.
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