Danielle Fishel Reveals Shocking Truth About Fred Savage’s Controversial Boy Meets World Episode!

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Boy Meets World stands out as one of the finest TGIF comedies due to its portrayal of Cory Matthews, Topanga Lawrence, Shawn Hunter, and their friends dealing with life’s challenges in a realistic manner. As the cast matured, they found themselves in more complex situations that added depth to the sitcom, even bringing about some poignant scenes. Recently, Danielle Fishel has been candid about a particularly emotional episode involving Fred Savage, and her perspective resonates with my own thoughts in numerous ways.

In the streaming series “Everybody Loves Stuart” (accessible with a Disney+ subscription), Fred Savage, famously known from “The Wonder Years,” appears alongside his real-life brother Ben. The show is filled with humor and family-friendly content. While Savage’s character, Stuart, initially seems charming to Cory and his friends, he’s actually a younger college philosophy teacher who they find cool. However, their perception of Stuart changes drastically when he openly flirts with Topanga. Later, Cory responds aggressively (physically) and faces potential consequences such as suspension or expulsion from college.

During a session on their rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World, Danielle Fishel along with her co-stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong viewed a specific episode. While Rider Strong found the episode difficult to watch, Danielle Fishel compared it to an after school special and expressed that it didn’t adequately develop Topanga’s character.

In a nutshell, the incident involving Topanga seemed to shift focus towards how her partner might react and respond, effectively stripping her of her own agency. This change in direction was bothersome to me.

It’s clear to me that Topanga’s autonomy was undeniably compromised in that particular episode. When Stuart enters her dorm, he grasps her hand and receives flattering comments from a teacher who exhibits an excessive confidence and engages in questionable behavior, which can be seen as grooming on Stuart’s part. However, the focus of the episode mainly revolves around Cory’s predicament regarding his potential expulsion for striking Stuart.

The scene in Game of Thrones where Sansa Stark was sexually assaulted brought back memories of a heated debate among fans. They felt upset that the camera focused more on Theon Greyjoy’s reaction, which appeared painful, rather than giving more attention to Sansa’s experience during the assault. In essence, when a woman’s distress is minimized to enhance a male character’s progression in a television series, it suggests that her suffering is primarily being utilized for the sake of a man’s character development.

On Disney+, you can dive into the journey of Cory Matthews and his crew as you stream all seven seasons of “Boy Meets World.” Keep in mind that this ad-supported plan costs $9.99 per month. Alternatively, there’s an ad-free version for $15.99 monthly, or opt for a 16% discount by pre-paying $159.99 for a year’s subscription. Check out the deal here!

Danielle Fishel expressed that “Topanga’s role seemed insignificant.” She felt it would have been more meaningful if there had been a conversation between Cory and Topanga discussing potential solutions for the situation, and she hoped her future husband could support her better. This sentiment resonates with me, particularly during the council hearing scene where Topanga was frequently interrupted by Stuart and Dean Bolander, preventing her from speaking.

According to Friedle and Fishel’s discussion, they both felt that Cory’s storyline was the focus of the episode, and that Topanga’s storyline could have been more intriguing. However, Fishel appreciated the aim of the episode, which was to demonstrate that characters we initially met as children could end up in such complex situations. Fishel primarily had issues with the way the episode was executed, while Rider Strong provided a perspective that might clarify the intentions behind the sitcom’s writing.

The focus isn’t solely on Topanga’s emotions. Rather, we should consider how Topanga being wronged mirrors the way it infringes upon Cory’s rights.

Fishel appeared to find Rider Strong’s point convincing. The title of the series is BMW, indicating that it would be narrated from the boy’s viewpoint. If the show had focused on Topanga, I imagine the ABC production might have chosen a different narrative strategy.

I truly enjoy the thoughtful conversations Danielle Fishel and her group have while rewatching Boy Meets World. It’s a delightful series, yet it’s clear that when seen through a modern perspective, it has its flaws. Fishel expresses understanding towards the writers and their intentions, but she feels they didn’t effectively portray growth for Topanga as intended. I hope contemporary show writers learn from this experience, striving to preserve character autonomy in similar scenarios.

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2025-04-07 00:37