December 6, 2024 • 32 mins
We’ve once again asked for voice memos from YOU, the listeners, about a “very special episode” of Boy Meets World that was so controversial, it was banned from The Disney Channel. And now it’s time to hear your opinions on “If You Can’t Be with the One You Love!”
Should it have been banned? Or should it have aired to instill fear in children everywhere? Our hosts seem to be on the same page, but the audience has a wide array of unique takes that just might sway them…
Is it a cautionary tale or a college drinking game? Find out when we lift the ban for a new interactive Pod Meets World!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
The time has come again where we reached out to
our listeners for voice memos. This time we wanted to
talk to them about the infamous Drinking episode. We wanted
to know if they thought that it should have been banned,
if it was too dramatic, that scared them from forever drinking,
did it make them an alcoholic? What did it do
for them? And we once again received what I could
(00:41):
only describe as a butt load of emails.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
That's a very specific term.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Is that is well, it's metric.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Ye, So yeah, so I don't understand that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I don't get it. Yeah. Overall, would you guys say
you liked that episode looking back?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
If you think I remember that episode.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The one I remember Rider saying he hated watching his
performance in that. Yes, but like Benz, liked Benz and
also liked the idea that it was like Michael taught
you how to play drunk by not actually playing drunk.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I remember that.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
My basic takeaway was that the first half of the
episode was awesome or it was just that once it
got redirected to like Sean becoming an alcoholic. Up until then,
I was like, oh, this is actually a pretty important lesson,
and well, it's you know, it's very special episodey, but
still let's go there. But then it just felt like
(01:33):
way too much. And I remember saying it at the time,
like I but I'm curious to hear from listeners, particularly
those who maybe were dealing with an alcoholic parent or
an alcoholic in their family, because I imagine it spoke to
them in a way that, you know, maybe it makes
the episode worth it, you know, like regardless of how
you know, sort of heavy hand.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Every episode is somebody's favorite episode. That's what I just
keep in minding myself.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
That's true except story night. So I will say too,
I didn't pick any clips that say this, but a
lot of people do think this should have been a
two parter.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
We we talked about that. That would have been the
great two parter where a time lapse could have happened,
where everyone could have been shocked by the idea that
wait a minute, Sean is still drinking, right, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
You get a whole episode of the reveal of that,
Yeah really developed.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
A multiple strange behaviors and question and all of us
kind of questioning what's going on with him, only for
that to be the reveal.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, that could have been great, and then saved the
Jack part for the second episode about Yeah our dad.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
That was a great reveal.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's all seen.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Give me a scene Jack and Sean alone having that confrontation.
Speaker 6 (02:45):
Great.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Let's get into some of our clips here. This first
one is from a listener named Sinatra.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
Hi, guys, this is Sinatra. I'm so glad you guys
are finally at this episode. This episode of boy Mes
World is one of the many nineties that shape the
person I turned out to be. I mean, between the
episode of Saved by the Bell with Jesse taking the
caffeine pills, which had me staying away from drugs including
caffeine all the way through college, to the after school
specials and TV movies like One with Ben Savage that
(03:14):
taught me about domestic violence, this is one of those
episodes that just really stuck with me and helped me
make my college decisions. I wasn't touching alcohol to save
my life even after I turned twenty one. I was
scared to death.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
Man.
Speaker 7 (03:27):
Now that I'm an adult and I actually have experienced
in life, Yeah, I've realized that the show went overboard,
and I learned that alcohol can be consumer responsibly, but
for the longest time, I was scared to even go
near it. So if it's a one or two kids' lies,
I guess they did what they were supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Wow, yep, there to go interesting.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
I am still very shocked by the idea that she
made it through college without caffeine.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Well, you know, Mormons don't ever touch caffeine.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I am sure.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I haven't held caffeine in like twenty years.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
But still I call it seems like the time for caffeine.
Speaker 8 (04:01):
Man.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, that's a caffeine over alcohol. I mean, I didn't
even really drink until college, but even I gave in.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, that's what I mean. But that's what TV can do,
especially when you're young, or it does the opposite. And
I started smoking because of different So yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Well let's get into Melanie. She has some thoughts on
special episodes in general.
Speaker 9 (04:21):
Hi, Pop Meets World.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
My name is Melanie.
Speaker 9 (04:24):
I grew up watching Girl metz World, and I was
able to watch Boy Meets World on Disney Plus and
I'm a sophomore in college and all throughout high school
I was judged for not wanting to partake in Andrea's drinking.
And it's become such a normalized thing. And it makes
me wonder if Disney Channel shows that I grew up with,
like Austin and Ali and live in Maddie, like, if
they had topics talked about like this, if Gendi's behavior
(04:46):
would have been slightly different today. So yeah, but thank
you for having this podcast, and I really enjoy your show.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well that I mean, Danielle, this is your world a
little bit and righter too with the directing growing's world.
But Danielle, with all the work you do at Disney Channel,
do they not do very special episodes anymore? Is that
not a thing?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Not really?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
No, man, that's the perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Place to do them.
Speaker 10 (05:09):
See.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
I mean, I think this goes back to something that
we've talked about before, which is like network television inevitably required,
Like it brought about a sense of responsibility because you
were airing to try to the widest possible audience, right
like you're casting the widest net, so if you account
for that net, so when you're not when you're isolating
(05:30):
just like oh, you know, Disney Channel, for instance, is
like a very specific demographic, right like six to thirteen
or whatever, and like those people, you might not feel
like you just want to entertain those people that target audience,
so you don't have this like level of responsibility to
like turn them. You might turn them off with a
dramatic episode, right, they'll turn their TV off. They'll be
like why, Whereas like if they're kind of compelled to
(05:53):
watch it because it's a family audio, a family show
that's targeted to the entire family, they're going to watch it,
like figure, that's.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Your perfect audience to do that, to do the don't
sniff glue, don't take drugs, don't I mean, they.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Do have episodes that are that could be considered like
very special, although they're not necessarily as heavy handed as
some of our very special episodes, but they're more about
I think in trying to let's not add to the
laundry list of episodes about drugs and drinking, there may
be about more modern.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Day problems tweens and teens.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Face, so that would be social on social media, or
things like blended family situations and drama, or racism, micro
aggressions in blended families, or you know, like autism. There's there,
so they there's like maybe topics that weren't as widely
(06:45):
discussed back then. That now they will do an episode
about and I think it's probably because they're like, well,
do we need to see another let's not do drugs.
You know, the nineties was so all about just say
no and dare It was so big for our time.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
But I don't know, like I could see them doing
like don't vape, like like you know, something like that
could be super important for a Disney Channel show kind
of thing, but I don't know if they'd even want
to show that on the channel.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, also like the Save by the bellopisode where they
go to that Hollywood party and are asked to smoke weed,
Now it would be it would be legal.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Wait, there's a Save by the developisode where they go
to a Hollywood party and they're asked to smoke.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Why does it have to be Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
They can't have a party at their own school where
somebody has the smoke weed.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
They've got to go to big bits at Hollywood smoke pot.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Oh my business, celebrity, Well, we love an international memo.
Here is Julia from the Czech Republic and she has thoughts.
Speaker 11 (07:37):
It's Julia Ruth coming to you from Prague, Czech Republic,
where I have lived for the past six years, meaning
the only people I have to discuss this television show
with is you. The thing that bumps me the most,
besides sit on Corey's lap, which is completely inappropriate, the
push in Evangela completely inappropriate, no consequences is the turn
(07:59):
that Alan does. He comes at Sean then just immediately
has this new level of maturity and apologizes in a
scene that actually works, which is a testament to Rusky.
It works, but it's always just how can you go
from these extremes. Maybe it's a testament to that they
made the twenty you know, two minutes work, But come on, Alan,
(08:23):
get your shiz together.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Thank huh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
You know it's funny is that it didn't really it
didn't really bump me that that he made that turn,
because I have, certainly, as a parent, made a turn
that quickly where I have assumed something happened with one
of my kids and have reacted very harshly like like
I know what happened, only then to be proven wrong
and then to very quickly immediately go into I am
(08:51):
very sorry.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I was wrong.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I should not have made that assumption. Thank you for
telling me the truth. I hope you can forgive me,
like you kind of when you screw up, you should
be able to on a dime say I screwed up.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
But also doesn't Amy pull him into the other room.
She pulls him out of the kitchen.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
The first time she does. Second time, I think he
comes about.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
The second time it comes out, but he's upset. She
pulls into the other room. We don't get to see
that conversation. Yeah, we only have twenty two minutes and
we're trying to wrap this up in eight at this point.
And then yeah, the next time that Sean comes over,
but I think presumably they had like, you know, more
conversations and he had time. I don't know that didn't
really Again, like I think we're just dealing with not
(09:36):
enough time, Like it should have been a tall episode
that whole.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yeah, but I also love it's also kind of works
for Alan. Alan, could you know, you get they've set
it up that he was Sean back in the day.
Maybe he was a little bit of a hothead. He
was a boxer in the navy. So the idea that
he like snaps and then takes a minute to like, okay,
wait a minute, that wasn't good, and then brings it back.
I think kind of works for the character.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, I'm happy to say that. I'm happy to say
that because Roxanne agrees with you.
Speaker 12 (10:00):
Here she is Hi, Danielle Ryder and Will. My name
is rox Sayne. I'm calling from Minnesota. I wanted to
share my thoughts on this special episode and give you
guys a different perspective. I come from a Mexican family.
I'm first generation, so my parents are very strict, so
strict that I'm thirty five years old, married, a mother
of two, and I have a tattoo that they don't
(10:22):
know about because I'm.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Too scared to tell them.
Speaker 12 (10:25):
Anyway, growing up, these special episodes were always my favorite,
specifically because of Alan and his parenting.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
When he yells at the boys.
Speaker 12 (10:34):
And then can turn around and apologize and make sure
that Sean hears him, like, no, you need to understand
that I was wrong. Those always stood out to me.
There's another episode coming up where Sean is drinking and
ask Alan to yell at him the way that he
yells at the boys. I just remember feeling.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Like, oh, I just wish my dad was like that.
Speaker 12 (10:56):
Anyway, I love you guys so much. I love the
pod thank you for all you do.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Wow, was just so nice to hear. Yeah, I mean,
I think it's something we noticed, you know, season one
watching the show. It's like, isn't the parents are so
interesting to dynamic characters and they're like obviously very good parents,
like that's the president, but it's nuanced good parenting. It's
not just you know, it's not just father knows best, right,
it's father father needs to figure out how to know
(11:21):
best and in the course of storytelling, becomes a great father.
Like I totally couldn't agree more. You know, we've talked
at nauseam. I wish I wish Amy got the same
you know, amount of space to be as dynamic of
a character. But I think in general, Boy Meets World
really thrives on the adult characters being you know, great,
(11:42):
great role models.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
While we're talking about characters, let's go to Kim uh
Sean is up some for some notes.
Speaker 13 (11:51):
Hey guys, my name is Kim. I'm from Tampa, Florida.
I just want to say I love the podcast. I
listen to it every week. You three are hilarious and
I've been a fan of Boy Me Swirls since I was.
Speaker 14 (12:00):
A year old.
Speaker 13 (12:00):
I'm thirty three right now. So with this particular episode,
I don't believe it should have been banned by Disney
Channel because it really teaches the dangers of underage drinking.
But however, my main concern is with Sean. First of all,
the way he gets heavily influenced by these dangerous is
very concerning. First he was getting Corey out of that
(12:21):
mob for Christmas, and then he himself started working for
the mob. And then also Sean walks into a colt
knowing it was a colt, then joins the coke later.
I mean, I'm just saying, if Course just starts smoking
crack and then Sean tries to get him the cup,
is going to start smoking it himself. He's gonna be
coming in, busting, coming out.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Like this is the five o'clock free crack giveaway.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So that's my thoughts.
Speaker 13 (12:43):
Lovey guys, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
Also pulling up to join our podcast anytime.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
That is true? Yeah, true, I didn't realize the pattern.
There's always like Corey like dips his toes in and Sean.
Speaker 12 (12:59):
Just jumped.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
The bullet. Oh well, let's let's listen to Lauren.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Now, Hey, guys, my name is Lauren.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
I am from Napa, California, and I have to tell
you this episode is what inspired my sobriety.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
No, just kidding, That's not true at all.
Speaker 15 (13:27):
Because apparent I appreciate the heaviness of Alan Matthew's disappointment
for sure and the lessons, but I thought it was
completely overshadowed by the hilarity that is Sean and Corey
outside that liquor store talking about our manga.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 15 (13:46):
This is one of my top episodes. Love the show,
love the pod.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Wish it could go on forever. Bye.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
That's so funny.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Oh my gosh, the oar manga stuff, it's funny.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
I have thought about it a couple of times since
we did the episode.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
That's a really kind of It was.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
An underrated moment between the two of them where.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
He's like, I don't remember what he says our manga,
no my name.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Yeah, it's a pretty It's a pretty underrated joke for
I think this was too drunk.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That was post Capoetta spin, wasn't it outside?
Speaker 4 (14:22):
That was walking hand talking, just making sure, just walking.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
You don't know, I think anything you do like that,
I go cabaletta.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I mean Actually, if you think about it, if they
had taken off the pressure, you know, Sean needed to
become a full blown alcoholic in the course of one episode,
that whole sequence of that night could have been two
more scenes of funny stuff and trouble, you know, like
more trouble, more complications. I mean, because we are we're
paying somebody to get us liquor keep getting into more.
You know, it could have been funny and yeah, I think, yeah,
(14:56):
the consequences could have been just as harsh.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, while we're on the subject to some Seawan notes,
I got more from Michael.
Speaker 16 (15:14):
Hey, guys, Michael from Memoryville, California here, And I feel
this episode was indicative of the writers doing it as
service to Sewan on a more consistent basis for the
remainder of the show's run. This may have been a
very special episode, but this plants the seed of the
idea that Shawn is Corey's very special friend whom he
goes on to treat as a project to fix on
the grounds that he knows what's best for Shawn better
than Shawn does. This feels like such a flanderization of
(15:35):
Shawn's character. Following how strong the writing was for him
in previous seasons, as more light was shown on his
complex nature and his relationships with his parents and mister Turner.
On a similar note, I understand that Blake Clark wasn't
a series regular, but the fact that we have zero
context on whether Chet had any sort of presence off
screen after Sean moves in with Jack doesn't do justice
to the Hunter family dynamic either. I get that he
was trying to be a good dad by bringing his
(15:56):
sons together, but are we left to assume that sometime
in the six months since they've lived together, Chet has
just again left town to do his Chet thing. If so,
then that's kind of a jerk move to leaf his
sons to deal with the generational trauma of his alcoholism
by themselves. Or he is still in town and they
don't bring him into the proceedings, which is just as weird.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Wow, it's great, great notes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just
thinking about like all those those moments that you know
where Corey, like in previous season one, right where Corey
is dealing with Shawn's Christmas the fact that Sean doesn't
have Christmas gifts or whatever it was, like Corey did,
(16:33):
like he tried to fix it the wrong way if
I remember correctly, you know, like Corey was making mistakes
and was wrong in a lot of their dynamics too.
He didn't respect that Shawn was his own like individual,
and that was part of the episode. And yet he's right.
I think as the seasons go on, Shawn is just
always needs Corey's you know, constant.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Right, just Sean with go with going into college, where
he's like, you're not, you're doing this wrong. I'm going
to get you into college whatever I have to. You know,
we just saw it, so.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Sewn has kind of like damaged goods from here on out,
which is kind of a bummer, like for anybody to,
you know, for our show to just fall into that pattern.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
He's a drunken cracksmoker. I mean, what do you expect
at this point?
Speaker 9 (17:13):
My god.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
It also does mirror very much what happened in Girl
Meets World, where Riley became the sort of let me
fix my friend Maya.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
My friend Maya is.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
A is a lost soul and she needs my guidance
in every aspect.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Otherwise who knows where Sheryl She'll end up.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Yes, he used a term that I had to look
up at flanderization. He has ever heard that before?
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes, it's turning you into Ned Flanders from the Simpsons.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah that Ned went from a friendly and good hearted
neighbor into a dogmatic, evangelistical Bible thumper.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I was kidding that that's what That's what I.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Was totally fictional characters essential traits are oversimplified to the
point that they can't suit the entire personality.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Yep, Wow, it's a great way to put it.
Speaker 16 (18:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah, Joseph has some other thoughts on this episode. He's
turned it into a game.
Speaker 9 (18:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (18:07):
First time I saw this episode that was probably like eleven,
and it was super funny and I really liked it.
But then later on in college we used to play
drinking games based off of this actual episode. Sean or
Corey took a swig. It was a swag for everybody.
So it was a very fun episode. But at the
(18:29):
end of the day, it was kind of a wrong
as you love to say, you.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Think that was what they were going in the should
have been category band.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Category, everybody take a shot if you think it should
have been banned.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I remember I was told multiple times, like later in life,
that that that there were college gatherings of getting stoned
and watching Borms, So like that was big.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
That was a big thing in the on Friday.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Did I misremember this? Did somebody at one point? And
this could be like the prisoners in the audience, which
I still think I'm right about, But this could be
one of those things. Did somebody once tell us that
the Green Bay Packers used to watch our show before
a game? So that's why it could be wrong. But
I would distinctly remember somebody telling us that, like, oh, dude,
(19:23):
the Packers watch your game, like watch your show in
the locker room before a game or something like that.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Brett fav if you're listening, Brett Favor, if you're listening,
let us go that was real. Danielle is someone who
also sent a voice memo. She might have already heard
the drinking game story, so let's see what she thinks
about banning the show.
Speaker 17 (19:45):
Hey, my Boy Meets World Besties. I wanted to give
you my opinion as a parent on the Disney Channel's
decision to ban the episode. I will say that I
have a seven year old and she recently completed Red
Ribbon at school, which for us ninies kids is basically
dare and she thinks drugs are bad. Alcohol is bad awesome,
(20:10):
but she was also very proud to let us know
that when she is twenty one, she will be allowed
to drink drugs. So the message is kinda close, but
close only counts and hand shoes and horse grenades. So yeah,
it might not be the best episode for some of
(20:30):
the younger audience. Love y'all bye, what kind of drug?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Doesn't drinking or drugs? I hope she doesn't do that?
A funny one, you know, man?
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Well again, I also, I don't know what the demographic
exactly was of our show, but eight thirty Friday nights,
you probably wouldn't figure it's for seven year olds. But again,
this is why it's different on Disney Channel, that is
on ABC. The Disney Channel can aired an three o'clock
in the afternoon, and you know, maybe if you are seven,
(21:04):
maybe it.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Is Saturday Morning cartoon.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, but I mean give the Saturday Morning Cartoons is
a perfect example because Gi Joe always ended with a message,
and it was always the most red Hey, Billy, there's
a down power line, let's go jump it. Don't do that, Billy,
don't do that, And it was always don't do drugs,
don't smoke, So I mean they were doing.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Stuff geared towards little little kids.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
But maybe this would have been a little too much.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I don't know. While we're talking about syndication, I do
want to say that if anyone works for Freeform, send
us an email if you're like involved in the idea
that the rewatch is now synchronized with their syndication schedule.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Wait, what's happening.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yes, so recently we've been getting a lot of emails
from people saying, Hey, you know it's weird. Your recap
aired the same week that Freeform aired that episode. There
is some sort of synchronizing between Freeform and what's been
going on in the podcast.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Thank you producer Tara, who just said I have a
friend a free Form all ask.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, we've been getting a lot of emails. Huh uh.
While we wait for that, we will hear from Jason.
He has a hot take.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Hi, this is Jason from Pittsburgh. I have a hot
take for this episode. The writers copped out a bit
by going the obvious route and having bad boy Sean
be the alcoholic. If they made it Corey instead, this
out of character move could have really raised the stakes.
Sean could have tried to relate to Corey through exposition
about Chet that we didn't know, and Corey and Tapega
could have had some genuinely meaningful conversations that she tried
(22:34):
to get through to him, giving each relationship and character
more layers. I know, the network couldn't make Corey quote
unquote bad, but the message that alcohol can be dangerous
to anyone is pretty important. And yes, it really is
a long walk to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
At you got a lot of voice memos that said that,
a ton of voice memos. Yeah, it's a.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Really good point because actually, Corey, I mean, he is
being bad by drinking in the first place. So it's
like we've already allowed the character to experiment with alcohol,
why not have him people want to have the problem,
especially considering he's the one that current, but he also
has the current depression or the current you know that
he was drinking for a reason. In a lot of ways,
(23:16):
the show leans on this idea of you know, inherited
alcoholism and like sort of just makes it about that
as opposed to you know, yeah, the potential big like
maybe a potential more powerful message which is oh yeah,
to anybody if you.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Just reversal too of having Sean now trying to quote
unquote fix court Corey because of everything he's been through
and when his family had been through. And it's right
if if Corey would think of the scene of Corey
walks in and there's Jack and Sean both standing there
and they're like, we talk, Yeah, it also.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Would have been it would have made more sense for
Corey than to really be hiding his drinking as opposed
to like Sean's beer was just in the fridge, and
so how did how did Jack not see that?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
How did Eric not see that? Like he just walks in.
Speaker 5 (24:02):
And grabs a beer in the middle of the day
from the fridge, whereas if Corey had it under his
bed and was you know, and Sean joined him for
a night, had a great time and was then like whoa, whoa, whoa.
I drink with you one night, but I haven't touched
it since and you've kept doing it. It's a really
good point.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Let's stay on these heavy topics with Alison.
Speaker 14 (24:33):
Okay, so I love Boy Meets World. It's my one
of my favorite shows. But the moment when Sean pushed Angela,
I hated it. I hated it so much. I think
they sent this message that he pushed her because he
had been drinking, and I think that's very harmful for
(24:56):
young girls to see, Oh, my boyfriend only hit me
because he got too drunk. But I don't care if
you're sober. If you're drunk, it's never okay to put
your hands on your partner. When that happened, that relationship
should have been done or they should have handled handled
it a different way.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Wow wow, Yeah, I mean there is the implication that
I'm talking to a counselor at the end of the episode,
right yeah. They don't specify. They just say, like, I'm
talking to a guy, and you know, but you're right,
it would have been so much more. It's like, there's
the drinking issue, but then there's also the anger and
abuse going on that seems like maybe should be dealt
(25:33):
with separately or considered separately. That's a really good point.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Is there ever another point in the series that Sean
exhibits kind of outbursts or anything really never happens again?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Right, Well, we did get a lot of voice memos
that say he drinks again.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
So yeah, I do get drunk again. But you know,
I remember the beginning of this episode where I just
pushed the guy in the locker.
Speaker 5 (25:55):
And that seemed like they were trying to minimize what
happens later, like oh, he's just a yeah, he's just
a point.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
That's to her point, which is that it actually shows
that a pattern that sean regardless of drinking, already thrown
people around or thinks it's fine to just you know.
Speaker 5 (26:11):
Yeah, she's she has a really good point too that,
like it really is okay and truthfully a really preferable
thing to say. I have some deal breakers and relationships,
and one of those deal breakers should be if a
partner is willing to get physical with me, if a
partner is willing to push me or hit me, And
(26:33):
regardless of whether or not there's a quote unquote excuse
like alcohol, the fact that you were ever able to
do that is a deal breaker for me. And if
it happens, I'm just going to walk away. The fact
that they didn't even address it, it was just like
the next time you saw her, you said, gay, I
guess what, I'm never going to drink again, and she
was like, cool, right, yeah, that that probably never I
(26:55):
did not even think about it in that way of
like what kind of message that tells young girls.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
It's also could have been completely in keeping with Trina's
character too, with Angela to you know, Sean saying Hey,
I'm going to talk to somebody, and she's like, that's great,
We're good, and then she turns around them and she's like,
but if you ever put your hands on the right yea,
Like something like that could have been very powerful as well.
But yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Let's listen to Ella.
Speaker 18 (27:23):
Hi everyone, my name is Ella and I live in
New York City, where I work as a canter on
Long Island. I really appreciated what Ryders said about this
episode being flawed because it's more about ideas than a
fully developed story. But that's actually why it resonated with
me so deeply.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
As a kid.
Speaker 18 (27:40):
As Danielle, I love all I'm talking about you guys
like I know you anyway. As Danielle has mentioned on
the pod, there's nothing tweets want more than to feel
like grown ups, and this episode gave us a glimpse
into a world that was often off limits. She was
like alcoholism and physical abuse that were typically reserved for
films and TV shows for grown ups, but in this episode,
(28:02):
it felt like we were finally being let in on
those conversations. I felt the same way about the iconic
Kiss and a Long Walk to Pittsburgh. Finally, a rom
com made for me, not for my parents.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
That's coo wow, that's a cool way to look at
it too. A rom com made for kids. That's an
interesting way to look at that episode. I've never really.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
World is kind of that a lot.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, but it's almost but it's almost different genres for
kids a lot. We did the horror episode that was
more for kids. We did now the drinking episode that's
more for kids. Slapstick, yeah they really. We really have
kind of hit all the different genres. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
That interesting. Well, we hit a lot of different voice memos.
So this is our final one. This is from Melissa
with the last word on the drinking episode.
Speaker 8 (28:48):
Hi, my name is Melissa from Rhode Island, Connecticuts often
forgot about neighbor. I'm going to try to make this
quick because there's a lot to unpack. I'm thirty five
years old and I remember watching this episode when it
first aired, although I've probably watched it several times in
syndication before it got banned. I believe when this show
first aired was probably around the same time I was
discovering that my own father had a drinking issue. Luckily,
it never escalated to the point of violence, and I'm
(29:09):
proud to say that he sobered up my sophomore year
of high school.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
It has been sober ever since.
Speaker 8 (29:14):
But when I was just rewatching this episode recently with
my husband, during Jack's speech to Sean about how addiction
runs in the family and is dangerous, my husband turned
to me in shock because that speech is almost exactly
verbatim what I have used to defend my sober lifestyle
all through high school and college. So could the episode
have been done better, probably, But did it get its
(29:35):
point across? Absolutely because something I heard on a show
I watched as a kid stuck with me apparently my
entire life. Love the show, Love the pod.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Keep doing what you're doing. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That's so great.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
It just goes to show you that, like, no matter
what kinds of criticisms or critiques or whatever we have,
depending on which lens you look at it from and
how old you are and what your life experiences are,
it can impact people in so many different ways, and
like even just knowing that just for her alone, it
made such an impact on her life for the better.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
It just makes you go worth it, worth it.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
Even if even if fifty or sixty percent of the
people go this doesn't resonate with me, which I don't
think is even actually the case, But even if they
don't like the episode and whatever, there are some who
it will make a difference for. And it's it's such
a great message about the power of television and what
we do.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
I think what I think the question comes down to,
you know, is this, would we rather this episode existed
even with all its flaws than not at all? And
the answer is yeah, I definitely think that. I think
The Boy Meets World is awesome for tackling something like this,
you know, and even and it's sort of you know,
we have our nitpicks, but I'm you know, I'm proud
(30:55):
of like, okay, but we had to show that.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
This original question of this episode though, do you do
you either of you think this should have been banned
from Disney Channel.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
No, I don't think so. I mean, you know, I'm
a firm believer the kids should be exposed to like
a lot like I'm not agree on that. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
I think the pros of the episode drastically outweigh the
potential cons.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I agree.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Well, as always, we want to thank all of the
Pod meets World listeners for sending in their voice memos.
Will continue to do these every once in a while
as a bonus, but as always, the response is massive
and the show obviously affects many many people, not just
the Boy Meets World show, but the podcast. So thanks
so much.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Yes, thank you for being such thoughtful listeners and your
thoughtful messages and also your hilarity.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
So many of you are so funny. We really have
the best. We really do.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
We have the best fans. We've talked about it with
Boy Meets World, but now Pod meets World. We really
appreciate you all.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So thank you.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Thank you for listening to this episode of Pod Meets World.
As always, you can follow us on Instagram pod meets
World Show. You can send us your email at podmeets
World Show at gmail dot com, and we.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Have merch don't ban our March.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Podmeetsworldshow dot com writer send us out.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
We love you all. Pod dismissed. Podmeets World is an
iHeart podcast Producer, hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder
Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in
charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tarasubasch producer,
Maddie Moore engineer and Boy Meets World Superman Easton Allen.
Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow
(32:34):
us on Instagram at Podmets World Show or email us
at Podmeats Worldshow at gmail dot com
The time has come again where we reached out to
our listeners for voice memos. This time we wanted to
talk to them about the infamous Drinking episode. We wanted
to know if they thought that it should have been banned,
if it was too dramatic, that scared them from forever drinking,
did it make them an alcoholic? What did it do
for them? And we once again received what I could
(00:41):
only describe as a butt load of emails.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
That's a very specific term.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Is that is well, it's metric.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Ye, So yeah, so I don't understand that.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
I don't get it. Yeah. Overall, would you guys say
you liked that episode looking back?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
If you think I remember that episode.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The one I remember Rider saying he hated watching his
performance in that. Yes, but like Benz, liked Benz and
also liked the idea that it was like Michael taught
you how to play drunk by not actually playing drunk.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
I remember that.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
My basic takeaway was that the first half of the
episode was awesome or it was just that once it
got redirected to like Sean becoming an alcoholic. Up until then,
I was like, oh, this is actually a pretty important lesson,
and well, it's you know, it's very special episodey, but
still let's go there. But then it just felt like
(01:33):
way too much. And I remember saying it at the time,
like I but I'm curious to hear from listeners, particularly
those who maybe were dealing with an alcoholic parent or
an alcoholic in their family, because I imagine it spoke to
them in a way that, you know, maybe it makes
the episode worth it, you know, like regardless of how
you know, sort of heavy hand.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Every episode is somebody's favorite episode. That's what I just
keep in minding myself.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
That's true except story night. So I will say too,
I didn't pick any clips that say this, but a
lot of people do think this should have been a
two parter.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Oh.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
We we talked about that. That would have been the
great two parter where a time lapse could have happened,
where everyone could have been shocked by the idea that
wait a minute, Sean is still drinking, right, you know.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
You get a whole episode of the reveal of that,
Yeah really developed.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
A multiple strange behaviors and question and all of us
kind of questioning what's going on with him, only for
that to be the reveal.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, that could have been great, and then saved the
Jack part for the second episode about Yeah our dad.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
That was a great reveal.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's all seen.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Give me a scene Jack and Sean alone having that confrontation.
Speaker 6 (02:45):
Great.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Let's get into some of our clips here. This first
one is from a listener named Sinatra.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
Hi, guys, this is Sinatra. I'm so glad you guys
are finally at this episode. This episode of boy Mes
World is one of the many nineties that shape the
person I turned out to be. I mean, between the
episode of Saved by the Bell with Jesse taking the
caffeine pills, which had me staying away from drugs including
caffeine all the way through college, to the after school
specials and TV movies like One with Ben Savage that
(03:14):
taught me about domestic violence, this is one of those
episodes that just really stuck with me and helped me
make my college decisions. I wasn't touching alcohol to save
my life even after I turned twenty one. I was
scared to death.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
Man.
Speaker 7 (03:27):
Now that I'm an adult and I actually have experienced
in life, Yeah, I've realized that the show went overboard,
and I learned that alcohol can be consumer responsibly, but
for the longest time, I was scared to even go
near it. So if it's a one or two kids' lies,
I guess they did what they were supposed to do.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Wow, yep, there to go interesting.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
I am still very shocked by the idea that she
made it through college without caffeine.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
Well, you know, Mormons don't ever touch caffeine.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
I am sure.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
I haven't held caffeine in like twenty years.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
But still I call it seems like the time for caffeine.
Speaker 8 (04:01):
Man.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, that's a caffeine over alcohol. I mean, I didn't
even really drink until college, but even I gave in.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, that's what I mean. But that's what TV can do,
especially when you're young, or it does the opposite. And
I started smoking because of different So yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Well let's get into Melanie. She has some thoughts on
special episodes in general.
Speaker 9 (04:21):
Hi, Pop Meets World.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
My name is Melanie.
Speaker 9 (04:24):
I grew up watching Girl metz World, and I was
able to watch Boy Meets World on Disney Plus and
I'm a sophomore in college and all throughout high school
I was judged for not wanting to partake in Andrea's drinking.
And it's become such a normalized thing. And it makes
me wonder if Disney Channel shows that I grew up with,
like Austin and Ali and live in Maddie, like, if
they had topics talked about like this, if Gendi's behavior
(04:46):
would have been slightly different today. So yeah, but thank
you for having this podcast, and I really enjoy your show.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well that I mean, Danielle, this is your world a
little bit and righter too with the directing growing's world.
But Danielle, with all the work you do at Disney Channel,
do they not do very special episodes anymore? Is that
not a thing?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Not really?
Speaker 4 (05:06):
No, man, that's the perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Place to do them.
Speaker 10 (05:09):
See.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
I mean, I think this goes back to something that
we've talked about before, which is like network television inevitably required,
Like it brought about a sense of responsibility because you
were airing to try to the widest possible audience, right
like you're casting the widest net, so if you account
for that net, so when you're not when you're isolating
(05:30):
just like oh, you know, Disney Channel, for instance, is
like a very specific demographic, right like six to thirteen
or whatever, and like those people, you might not feel
like you just want to entertain those people that target audience,
so you don't have this like level of responsibility to
like turn them. You might turn them off with a
dramatic episode, right, they'll turn their TV off. They'll be
like why, Whereas like if they're kind of compelled to
(05:53):
watch it because it's a family audio, a family show
that's targeted to the entire family, they're going to watch it,
like figure, that's.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Your perfect audience to do that, to do the don't
sniff glue, don't take drugs, don't I mean, they.
Speaker 5 (06:05):
Do have episodes that are that could be considered like
very special, although they're not necessarily as heavy handed as
some of our very special episodes, but they're more about
I think in trying to let's not add to the
laundry list of episodes about drugs and drinking, there may
be about more modern.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Day problems tweens and teens.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Face, so that would be social on social media, or
things like blended family situations and drama, or racism, micro
aggressions in blended families, or you know, like autism. There's there,
so they there's like maybe topics that weren't as widely
(06:45):
discussed back then. That now they will do an episode
about and I think it's probably because they're like, well,
do we need to see another let's not do drugs.
You know, the nineties was so all about just say
no and dare It was so big for our time.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
But I don't know, like I could see them doing
like don't vape, like like you know, something like that
could be super important for a Disney Channel show kind
of thing, but I don't know if they'd even want
to show that on the channel.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Well, also like the Save by the bellopisode where they
go to that Hollywood party and are asked to smoke weed,
Now it would be it would be legal.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Wait, there's a Save by the developisode where they go
to a Hollywood party and they're asked to smoke.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Why does it have to be Hollywood.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
They can't have a party at their own school where
somebody has the smoke weed.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
They've got to go to big bits at Hollywood smoke pot.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Oh my business, celebrity, Well, we love an international memo.
Here is Julia from the Czech Republic and she has thoughts.
Speaker 11 (07:37):
It's Julia Ruth coming to you from Prague, Czech Republic,
where I have lived for the past six years, meaning
the only people I have to discuss this television show
with is you. The thing that bumps me the most,
besides sit on Corey's lap, which is completely inappropriate, the
push in Evangela completely inappropriate, no consequences is the turn
(07:59):
that Alan does. He comes at Sean then just immediately
has this new level of maturity and apologizes in a
scene that actually works, which is a testament to Rusky.
It works, but it's always just how can you go
from these extremes. Maybe it's a testament to that they
made the twenty you know, two minutes work, But come on, Alan,
(08:23):
get your shiz together.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Thank huh, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
You know it's funny is that it didn't really it
didn't really bump me that that he made that turn,
because I have, certainly, as a parent, made a turn
that quickly where I have assumed something happened with one
of my kids and have reacted very harshly like like
I know what happened, only then to be proven wrong
and then to very quickly immediately go into I am
(08:51):
very sorry.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I was wrong.
Speaker 5 (08:53):
I should not have made that assumption. Thank you for
telling me the truth. I hope you can forgive me,
like you kind of when you screw up, you should
be able to on a dime say I screwed up.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
But also doesn't Amy pull him into the other room.
She pulls him out of the kitchen.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
The first time she does. Second time, I think he
comes about.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
The second time it comes out, but he's upset. She
pulls into the other room. We don't get to see
that conversation. Yeah, we only have twenty two minutes and
we're trying to wrap this up in eight at this point.
And then yeah, the next time that Sean comes over,
but I think presumably they had like, you know, more
conversations and he had time. I don't know that didn't
really Again, like I think we're just dealing with not
(09:36):
enough time, Like it should have been a tall episode
that whole.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yeah, but I also love it's also kind of works
for Alan. Alan, could you know, you get they've set
it up that he was Sean back in the day.
Maybe he was a little bit of a hothead. He
was a boxer in the navy. So the idea that
he like snaps and then takes a minute to like, okay,
wait a minute, that wasn't good, and then brings it back.
I think kind of works for the character.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Well, I'm happy to say that. I'm happy to say
that because Roxanne agrees with you.
Speaker 12 (10:00):
Here she is Hi, Danielle Ryder and Will. My name
is rox Sayne. I'm calling from Minnesota. I wanted to
share my thoughts on this special episode and give you
guys a different perspective. I come from a Mexican family.
I'm first generation, so my parents are very strict, so
strict that I'm thirty five years old, married, a mother
of two, and I have a tattoo that they don't
(10:22):
know about because I'm.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Too scared to tell them.
Speaker 12 (10:25):
Anyway, growing up, these special episodes were always my favorite,
specifically because of Alan and his parenting.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
When he yells at the boys.
Speaker 12 (10:34):
And then can turn around and apologize and make sure
that Sean hears him, like, no, you need to understand
that I was wrong. Those always stood out to me.
There's another episode coming up where Sean is drinking and
ask Alan to yell at him the way that he
yells at the boys. I just remember feeling.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Like, oh, I just wish my dad was like that.
Speaker 12 (10:56):
Anyway, I love you guys so much. I love the
pod thank you for all you do.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
Wow, was just so nice to hear. Yeah, I mean,
I think it's something we noticed, you know, season one
watching the show. It's like, isn't the parents are so
interesting to dynamic characters and they're like obviously very good parents,
like that's the president, but it's nuanced good parenting. It's
not just you know, it's not just father knows best, right,
it's father father needs to figure out how to know
(11:21):
best and in the course of storytelling, becomes a great father.
Like I totally couldn't agree more. You know, we've talked
at nauseam. I wish I wish Amy got the same
you know, amount of space to be as dynamic of
a character. But I think in general, Boy Meets World
really thrives on the adult characters being you know, great,
(11:42):
great role models.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
While we're talking about characters, let's go to Kim uh
Sean is up some for some notes.
Speaker 13 (11:51):
Hey guys, my name is Kim. I'm from Tampa, Florida.
I just want to say I love the podcast. I
listen to it every week. You three are hilarious and
I've been a fan of Boy Me Swirls since I was.
Speaker 14 (12:00):
A year old.
Speaker 13 (12:00):
I'm thirty three right now. So with this particular episode,
I don't believe it should have been banned by Disney
Channel because it really teaches the dangers of underage drinking.
But however, my main concern is with Sean. First of all,
the way he gets heavily influenced by these dangerous is
very concerning. First he was getting Corey out of that
(12:21):
mob for Christmas, and then he himself started working for
the mob. And then also Sean walks into a colt
knowing it was a colt, then joins the coke later.
I mean, I'm just saying, if Course just starts smoking
crack and then Sean tries to get him the cup,
is going to start smoking it himself. He's gonna be
coming in, busting, coming out.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Like this is the five o'clock free crack giveaway.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So that's my thoughts.
Speaker 13 (12:43):
Lovey guys, Thank you.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
Also pulling up to join our podcast anytime.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
That is true? Yeah, true, I didn't realize the pattern.
There's always like Corey like dips his toes in and Sean.
Speaker 12 (12:59):
Just jumped.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
The bullet. Oh well, let's let's listen to Lauren.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
Now, Hey, guys, my name is Lauren.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
I am from Napa, California, and I have to tell
you this episode is what inspired my sobriety.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
No, just kidding, That's not true at all.
Speaker 15 (13:27):
Because apparent I appreciate the heaviness of Alan Matthew's disappointment
for sure and the lessons, but I thought it was
completely overshadowed by the hilarity that is Sean and Corey
outside that liquor store talking about our manga.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 15 (13:46):
This is one of my top episodes. Love the show,
love the pod.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Wish it could go on forever. Bye.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
That's so funny.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Oh my gosh, the oar manga stuff, it's funny.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
I have thought about it a couple of times since
we did the episode.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
That's a really kind of It was.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
An underrated moment between the two of them where.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
He's like, I don't remember what he says our manga,
no my name.
Speaker 5 (14:11):
Yeah, it's a pretty It's a pretty underrated joke for
I think this was too drunk.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
That was post Capoetta spin, wasn't it outside?
Speaker 4 (14:22):
That was walking hand talking, just making sure, just walking.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
You don't know, I think anything you do like that,
I go cabaletta.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
I mean Actually, if you think about it, if they
had taken off the pressure, you know, Sean needed to
become a full blown alcoholic in the course of one episode,
that whole sequence of that night could have been two
more scenes of funny stuff and trouble, you know, like
more trouble, more complications. I mean, because we are we're
paying somebody to get us liquor keep getting into more.
You know, it could have been funny and yeah, I think, yeah,
(14:56):
the consequences could have been just as harsh.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, while we're on the subject to some Seawan notes,
I got more from Michael.
Speaker 16 (15:14):
Hey, guys, Michael from Memoryville, California here, And I feel
this episode was indicative of the writers doing it as
service to Sewan on a more consistent basis for the
remainder of the show's run. This may have been a
very special episode, but this plants the seed of the
idea that Shawn is Corey's very special friend whom he
goes on to treat as a project to fix on
the grounds that he knows what's best for Shawn better
than Shawn does. This feels like such a flanderization of
(15:35):
Shawn's character. Following how strong the writing was for him
in previous seasons, as more light was shown on his
complex nature and his relationships with his parents and mister Turner.
On a similar note, I understand that Blake Clark wasn't
a series regular, but the fact that we have zero
context on whether Chet had any sort of presence off
screen after Sean moves in with Jack doesn't do justice
to the Hunter family dynamic either. I get that he
was trying to be a good dad by bringing his
(15:56):
sons together, but are we left to assume that sometime
in the six months since they've lived together, Chet has
just again left town to do his Chet thing. If so,
then that's kind of a jerk move to leaf his
sons to deal with the generational trauma of his alcoholism
by themselves. Or he is still in town and they
don't bring him into the proceedings, which is just as weird.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Wow, it's great, great notes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just
thinking about like all those those moments that you know
where Corey, like in previous season one, right where Corey
is dealing with Shawn's Christmas the fact that Sean doesn't
have Christmas gifts or whatever it was, like Corey did,
(16:33):
like he tried to fix it the wrong way if
I remember correctly, you know, like Corey was making mistakes
and was wrong in a lot of their dynamics too.
He didn't respect that Shawn was his own like individual,
and that was part of the episode. And yet he's right.
I think as the seasons go on, Shawn is just
always needs Corey's you know, constant.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Right, just Sean with go with going into college, where
he's like, you're not, you're doing this wrong. I'm going
to get you into college whatever I have to. You know,
we just saw it, so.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Sewn has kind of like damaged goods from here on out,
which is kind of a bummer, like for anybody to,
you know, for our show to just fall into that pattern.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
He's a drunken cracksmoker. I mean, what do you expect
at this point?
Speaker 9 (17:13):
My god.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
It also does mirror very much what happened in Girl
Meets World, where Riley became the sort of let me
fix my friend Maya.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
My friend Maya is.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
A is a lost soul and she needs my guidance
in every aspect.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
Otherwise who knows where Sheryl She'll end up.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Yes, he used a term that I had to look
up at flanderization. He has ever heard that before?
Speaker 3 (17:34):
Yes, it's turning you into Ned Flanders from the Simpsons.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Yeah that Ned went from a friendly and good hearted
neighbor into a dogmatic, evangelistical Bible thumper.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I was kidding that that's what That's what I.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Was totally fictional characters essential traits are oversimplified to the
point that they can't suit the entire personality.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
Yep, Wow, it's a great way to put it.
Speaker 16 (18:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Yeah, Joseph has some other thoughts on this episode. He's
turned it into a game.
Speaker 9 (18:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 10 (18:07):
First time I saw this episode that was probably like eleven,
and it was super funny and I really liked it.
But then later on in college we used to play
drinking games based off of this actual episode. Sean or
Corey took a swig. It was a swag for everybody.
So it was a very fun episode. But at the
(18:29):
end of the day, it was kind of a wrong
as you love to say, you.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
Think that was what they were going in the should
have been category band.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Category, everybody take a shot if you think it should
have been banned.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I remember I was told multiple times, like later in life,
that that that there were college gatherings of getting stoned
and watching Borms, So like that was big.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
That was a big thing in the on Friday.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Did I misremember this? Did somebody at one point? And
this could be like the prisoners in the audience, which
I still think I'm right about, But this could be
one of those things. Did somebody once tell us that
the Green Bay Packers used to watch our show before
a game? So that's why it could be wrong. But
I would distinctly remember somebody telling us that, like, oh, dude,
(19:23):
the Packers watch your game, like watch your show in
the locker room before a game or something like that.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Brett fav if you're listening, Brett Favor, if you're listening,
let us go that was real. Danielle is someone who
also sent a voice memo. She might have already heard
the drinking game story, so let's see what she thinks
about banning the show.
Speaker 17 (19:45):
Hey, my Boy Meets World Besties. I wanted to give
you my opinion as a parent on the Disney Channel's
decision to ban the episode. I will say that I
have a seven year old and she recently completed Red
Ribbon at school, which for us ninies kids is basically
dare and she thinks drugs are bad. Alcohol is bad awesome,
(20:10):
but she was also very proud to let us know
that when she is twenty one, she will be allowed
to drink drugs. So the message is kinda close, but
close only counts and hand shoes and horse grenades. So yeah,
it might not be the best episode for some of
(20:30):
the younger audience. Love y'all bye, what kind of drug?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Doesn't drinking or drugs? I hope she doesn't do that?
A funny one, you know, man?
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Well again, I also, I don't know what the demographic
exactly was of our show, but eight thirty Friday nights,
you probably wouldn't figure it's for seven year olds. But again,
this is why it's different on Disney Channel, that is
on ABC. The Disney Channel can aired an three o'clock
in the afternoon, and you know, maybe if you are seven,
(21:04):
maybe it.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Is Saturday Morning cartoon.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
Yeah, but I mean give the Saturday Morning Cartoons is
a perfect example because Gi Joe always ended with a message,
and it was always the most red Hey, Billy, there's
a down power line, let's go jump it. Don't do that, Billy,
don't do that, And it was always don't do drugs,
don't smoke, So I mean they were doing.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Stuff geared towards little little kids.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
But maybe this would have been a little too much.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
I don't know. While we're talking about syndication, I do
want to say that if anyone works for Freeform, send
us an email if you're like involved in the idea
that the rewatch is now synchronized with their syndication schedule.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Wait, what's happening.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yes, so recently we've been getting a lot of emails
from people saying, Hey, you know it's weird. Your recap
aired the same week that Freeform aired that episode. There
is some sort of synchronizing between Freeform and what's been
going on in the podcast.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Thank you producer Tara, who just said I have a
friend a free Form all ask.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Yeah, we've been getting a lot of emails. Huh uh.
While we wait for that, we will hear from Jason.
He has a hot take.
Speaker 6 (22:12):
Hi, this is Jason from Pittsburgh. I have a hot
take for this episode. The writers copped out a bit
by going the obvious route and having bad boy Sean
be the alcoholic. If they made it Corey instead, this
out of character move could have really raised the stakes.
Sean could have tried to relate to Corey through exposition
about Chet that we didn't know, and Corey and Tapega
could have had some genuinely meaningful conversations that she tried
(22:34):
to get through to him, giving each relationship and character
more layers. I know, the network couldn't make Corey quote
unquote bad, but the message that alcohol can be dangerous
to anyone is pretty important. And yes, it really is
a long walk to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
At you got a lot of voice memos that said that,
a ton of voice memos. Yeah, it's a.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Really good point because actually, Corey, I mean, he is
being bad by drinking in the first place. So it's
like we've already allowed the character to experiment with alcohol,
why not have him people want to have the problem,
especially considering he's the one that current, but he also
has the current depression or the current you know that
he was drinking for a reason. In a lot of ways,
(23:16):
the show leans on this idea of you know, inherited
alcoholism and like sort of just makes it about that
as opposed to you know, yeah, the potential big like
maybe a potential more powerful message which is oh yeah,
to anybody if you.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Just reversal too of having Sean now trying to quote
unquote fix court Corey because of everything he's been through
and when his family had been through. And it's right
if if Corey would think of the scene of Corey
walks in and there's Jack and Sean both standing there
and they're like, we talk, Yeah, it also.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Would have been it would have made more sense for
Corey than to really be hiding his drinking as opposed
to like Sean's beer was just in the fridge, and
so how did how did Jack not see that?
Speaker 2 (23:59):
How did Eric not see that? Like he just walks in.
Speaker 5 (24:02):
And grabs a beer in the middle of the day
from the fridge, whereas if Corey had it under his
bed and was you know, and Sean joined him for
a night, had a great time and was then like whoa, whoa, whoa.
I drink with you one night, but I haven't touched
it since and you've kept doing it. It's a really
good point.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Let's stay on these heavy topics with Alison.
Speaker 14 (24:33):
Okay, so I love Boy Meets World. It's my one
of my favorite shows. But the moment when Sean pushed Angela,
I hated it. I hated it so much. I think
they sent this message that he pushed her because he
had been drinking, and I think that's very harmful for
(24:56):
young girls to see, Oh, my boyfriend only hit me
because he got too drunk. But I don't care if
you're sober. If you're drunk, it's never okay to put
your hands on your partner. When that happened, that relationship
should have been done or they should have handled handled
it a different way.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
Wow wow, Yeah, I mean there is the implication that
I'm talking to a counselor at the end of the episode,
right yeah. They don't specify. They just say, like, I'm
talking to a guy, and you know, but you're right,
it would have been so much more. It's like, there's
the drinking issue, but then there's also the anger and
abuse going on that seems like maybe should be dealt
(25:33):
with separately or considered separately. That's a really good point.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Is there ever another point in the series that Sean
exhibits kind of outbursts or anything really never happens again?
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Right, Well, we did get a lot of voice memos
that say he drinks again.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
So yeah, I do get drunk again. But you know,
I remember the beginning of this episode where I just
pushed the guy in the locker.
Speaker 5 (25:55):
And that seemed like they were trying to minimize what
happens later, like oh, he's just a yeah, he's just
a point.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
That's to her point, which is that it actually shows
that a pattern that sean regardless of drinking, already thrown
people around or thinks it's fine to just you know.
Speaker 5 (26:11):
Yeah, she's she has a really good point too that,
like it really is okay and truthfully a really preferable
thing to say. I have some deal breakers and relationships,
and one of those deal breakers should be if a
partner is willing to get physical with me, if a
partner is willing to push me or hit me, And
(26:33):
regardless of whether or not there's a quote unquote excuse
like alcohol, the fact that you were ever able to
do that is a deal breaker for me. And if
it happens, I'm just going to walk away. The fact
that they didn't even address it, it was just like
the next time you saw her, you said, gay, I
guess what, I'm never going to drink again, and she
was like, cool, right, yeah, that that probably never I
(26:55):
did not even think about it in that way of
like what kind of message that tells young girls.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
It's also could have been completely in keeping with Trina's
character too, with Angela to you know, Sean saying Hey,
I'm going to talk to somebody, and she's like, that's great,
We're good, and then she turns around them and she's like,
but if you ever put your hands on the right yea,
Like something like that could have been very powerful as well.
But yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
Let's listen to Ella.
Speaker 18 (27:23):
Hi everyone, my name is Ella and I live in
New York City, where I work as a canter on
Long Island. I really appreciated what Ryders said about this
episode being flawed because it's more about ideas than a
fully developed story. But that's actually why it resonated with
me so deeply.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
As a kid.
Speaker 18 (27:40):
As Danielle, I love all I'm talking about you guys
like I know you anyway. As Danielle has mentioned on
the pod, there's nothing tweets want more than to feel
like grown ups, and this episode gave us a glimpse
into a world that was often off limits. She was
like alcoholism and physical abuse that were typically reserved for
films and TV shows for grown ups, but in this episode,
(28:02):
it felt like we were finally being let in on
those conversations. I felt the same way about the iconic
Kiss and a Long Walk to Pittsburgh. Finally, a rom
com made for me, not for my parents.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
That's coo wow, that's a cool way to look at
it too. A rom com made for kids. That's an
interesting way to look at that episode. I've never really.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
World is kind of that a lot.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, but it's almost but it's almost different genres for
kids a lot. We did the horror episode that was
more for kids. We did now the drinking episode that's
more for kids. Slapstick, yeah they really. We really have
kind of hit all the different genres. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
That interesting. Well, we hit a lot of different voice memos.
So this is our final one. This is from Melissa
with the last word on the drinking episode.
Speaker 8 (28:48):
Hi, my name is Melissa from Rhode Island, Connecticuts often
forgot about neighbor. I'm going to try to make this
quick because there's a lot to unpack. I'm thirty five
years old and I remember watching this episode when it
first aired, although I've probably watched it several times in
syndication before it got banned. I believe when this show
first aired was probably around the same time I was
discovering that my own father had a drinking issue. Luckily,
it never escalated to the point of violence, and I'm
(29:09):
proud to say that he sobered up my sophomore year
of high school.
Speaker 4 (29:12):
It has been sober ever since.
Speaker 8 (29:14):
But when I was just rewatching this episode recently with
my husband, during Jack's speech to Sean about how addiction
runs in the family and is dangerous, my husband turned
to me in shock because that speech is almost exactly
verbatim what I have used to defend my sober lifestyle
all through high school and college. So could the episode
have been done better, probably, But did it get its
(29:35):
point across? Absolutely because something I heard on a show
I watched as a kid stuck with me apparently my
entire life. Love the show, Love the pod.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Keep doing what you're doing. Thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
That's so great.
Speaker 5 (29:49):
It just goes to show you that, like, no matter
what kinds of criticisms or critiques or whatever we have,
depending on which lens you look at it from and
how old you are and what your life experiences are,
it can impact people in so many different ways, and
like even just knowing that just for her alone, it
made such an impact on her life for the better.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
It just makes you go worth it, worth it.
Speaker 5 (30:14):
Even if even if fifty or sixty percent of the
people go this doesn't resonate with me, which I don't
think is even actually the case, But even if they
don't like the episode and whatever, there are some who
it will make a difference for. And it's it's such
a great message about the power of television and what
we do.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
I think what I think the question comes down to,
you know, is this, would we rather this episode existed
even with all its flaws than not at all? And
the answer is yeah, I definitely think that. I think
The Boy Meets World is awesome for tackling something like this,
you know, and even and it's sort of you know,
we have our nitpicks, but I'm you know, I'm proud
(30:55):
of like, okay, but we had to show that.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
This original question of this episode though, do you do
you either of you think this should have been banned
from Disney Channel.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
No, I don't think so. I mean, you know, I'm
a firm believer the kids should be exposed to like
a lot like I'm not agree on that. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
I think the pros of the episode drastically outweigh the
potential cons.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
I agree.
Speaker 6 (31:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
Well, as always, we want to thank all of the
Pod meets World listeners for sending in their voice memos.
Will continue to do these every once in a while
as a bonus, but as always, the response is massive
and the show obviously affects many many people, not just
the Boy Meets World show, but the podcast. So thanks
so much.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Yes, thank you for being such thoughtful listeners and your
thoughtful messages and also your hilarity.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
So many of you are so funny. We really have
the best. We really do.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
We have the best fans. We've talked about it with
Boy Meets World, but now Pod meets World. We really
appreciate you all.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
So thank you.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Thank you for listening to this episode of Pod Meets World.
As always, you can follow us on Instagram pod meets
World Show. You can send us your email at podmeets
World Show at gmail dot com, and we.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Have merch don't ban our March.
Speaker 5 (32:07):
Podmeetsworldshow dot com writer send us out.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
We love you all. Pod dismissed. Podmeets World is an
iHeart podcast Producer, hosted by Danielle Fischel, Wilfridell and Ryder
Strong Executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in
charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor, Tarasubasch producer,
Maddie Moore engineer and Boy Meets World Superman Easton Allen.
Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow
(32:34):
us on Instagram at Podmets World Show or email us
at Podmeats Worldshow at gmail dot com
Hosts And Creators
Will Friedle
Danielle Fishel
Rider Strong
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