Boy Meets World: A Fandom Overview

[wickedwonder1.livejournal.com]

Or, This Was a Kid's Show, Right?

Boy Meets World was a television show that ran from 1993 to 2000 on the ABC network as part of the TGIF lineup. It centered around the life of one Cory Matthews and his friends and family, as he experienced the world around him, first as a prepubescent, then as a teenager, and finally as an adult. In those seven years, Cory would learn a lot of things, mostly within a 22 minute period, and audiences would learn to 'whoo' when someone kissed, and that 'couples' came in many forms, But I digress.

Meet the Characters

(Clockwise: Rachel, Eric, Cory, Jack, Angela, Shawn and Topanga)


Cory Matthews
He's our main character, supposed to be an everykid when the show opens, which he is- he likes baseball, hanging out with his best friend Shawn, and being violently opposed to girls, and Topanga in particular. By the second season, he and Topanga are doing the 'will they or won't they' thing (hint, they will) and he's beginning to be the neurotic guy that we know and love. At the end of the show's run, Cory has somehow morphed into a 80 year old Jewish man, but it's okay, because it's Disney!

Shawn Hunter
Shawn's supposed to be Cory's opposite: while Cory's a 'nice boy' (something he comments on frequently) Shawn's a thug in the making, with his leather jacket and trailer park history and the mildly felonious acts he commits. He's supposed to be a little dim-witted too, but when Eric fills the role of 'can't tie his shoes by himself' then Shawn changes into 'tortured poet with a troubled past'. He's quite the ladies' man before he starts dating Angela, a relationship that would pretty much take him to the end of the show.

Topanga Lawrence (Matthews)
Topanga starts out your typical hippie child, complete with New Age speak and odd parents (her dad's a luthier!) and the clothes to go with it, and by the third season, is just Cory's on again, off again girlfriend (and by the seventh season, Cory's wife). She's the straight A student that has dreams of Yale that gives that up to go to college with her boyfriend. In short, she's the girl that most writers bash. (The other two, they just ignore.) Moving on...

Eric Matthews
Cory's older brother, that starts out girl obsessed and shallow, and ends up sorta differently abled. He and Cory aren't that close, first by Eric's choice (who wants to hang out with a younger sibling rather than getting your freak on?) and later, when Cory has his own friends to hang out with, Eric is saddened, something that has consequences all the way to season seven's "Brotherly Shove".

Angela Moore
Shawn's girlfriend, sometimes, an Army brat, and... her middle name is Shaniqua.

Jack Hunter
Shawn's half brother, Jack rooms with, at various times, Eric, Rachel and Shawn. Jack and Eric are friends, and at different times, Jack is vain, a gambling addict, and the other half of the Odd Couple of him and Eric. Jack dates Rachel at different times. He wishes he was closer to his brother and they try, but never quite make it by the end of the show.

Rachel MacGuire
The third roommate for Jack and Eric once Shawn leaves, she at times is pretty level headed (which you'd have to be, living around them) and at other times, was pretty ditzy.


George Feeny
The Matthewses next door neighbor and the kids' teacher from seemingly sixth grade on, Mr Feeny is always on hand to dispense wisdom. Really. If I had the same teacher from 6th grade to college, I'd guess I'd turn to him for stuff too. He rarely shows up in fic, which is understandable, but sad too, 'cause he's cool.


Alan and Amy Matthews
The parents of the Matthews clan are realistic, funny and seemingly happy to be around each other. They support their kids, but not to the point of hand holding, and want them to make something of themselves. Other than Amy's rotating jobs (she was a realtor, worked in an art shop, and several other things) they would get the 'like real parents' award from me.

Other Characters:
Morgan Matthews: Eric and Cory's younger sister, that disappears for almost a whole season and reappears a totally different actress. You can see how integral she was to the plot.
Josh Matthews: The baby of the Matthew's clan that magically becomes around seven by the show's end.
Jonathan Turner: A teacher from the middle school years that takes Shawn in for a couple seasons and then disappears. You know he's cool because he rides a motorcycle.
Stuart Minkus: An uber-nerd that only appears in the first season, but makes his way into a lot of fiction regardless.
Harvey Kiner: A 30 year old bully that picks on Cory and Shawn when they enter middle school. He has minions, Joey and Frankie.

Major Plotlines
Well, considering this was a teen sitcom and the writers didn't seem to know what 'continuity' meant, there were a few arcs that made it through to the end of the show.

1)The evolution of Cory and Topanga. From when they looked at each other in sixth grade, you knew that the C/T pairing was sure to take a backseat to the much more popular Cory/Shawn pairing be a romance for the ages. Even though they break up with distressing regularity, somehow you knew they'd just end up back together. (Of course, having them gave at each other with longing sighs didn't hurt.) Actually, once the two were married, the storyline became more realistic, as the newlyweds struggled for housing (and Cory's parents wouldn't buy them the dream house they wanted), and with their financial situation.
2)Growing up is hard to do. When high school entered the picture, and later, college, the show became better for it. Most fans like the later seasons better, and the majority of 'during the show' fic is set during that time. Cory's bewilderment of the strange new environment really resonates (who hasn't wanted to be the big man/woman on campus and failed miserably?)
3)The education of Mr Shawn Hunter. Shawn's backstory was complicated and sad, with a (somewhat) happy ending. When you first meet him, he lives with his parents in the trailer park (in the middle of the city). His mother runs off, with his dad soon to follow. Shawn tries to live with the Matthewses, but when that fails, he stays with Jonathan Turner, one of his teachers. This lasts for a while, but after Jonathan gets written out… um, leaves, he goes back to the trailer for a while with his dad, ends up in an apartment with his half brother, who he doesn't get along with, and along the way, learns that his mother, well, isn't, and his dad dies. Good times for all!

Pairings, or, They're Sleeping With Who?
This is a show that the canon couples get just as much love as the fanon ones. Cory/Topanga and Shawn/Angela are the most popular, followed by Jack/Rachel. Some people, to be counterculture, go for the Shawn/Topanga. For the slashers, both Cory/Shawn and Eric/Jack are popular, with all the variations thereof, and there's some Topanga/Angela out there too.

Gee, Thanks Lady. How Can I Find Out More?
By far, the majority of BMW fic is found at the Pit here.
There is a BMW LJ community, but it's not really fic centered. The actual fic community is pretty dead. However, the BMW Slash community is alive and kicking! Here you will find a variety of pairings. And because I'm thorough, here's the links for the Cory/Shawn and Eric/Jack Shippers Manifestos.
Eric/Jack
Cory/Shawn

Happy Reading!

Comments

[katie__pillar.livejournal.com]

Oh, I used to love Boy Meets World. Why did I never think to look for fic? I am a bad fangirl.

I had the biggest crush on Rider Strong (isn't that the best name ever?)

[cwazy-weiven.livejournal.com]

I second the Rider thing 8D

[(Anonymous)]

This is great! It's been years since I thought about 'Boy Meets World.'

A couple of minor additions that I've included simply because they amuse me:

1. Minkus shows up at the kids' high school graduation. They ask where he's been for the past few years and he points off camera and says "Over there."

2. Topanga has an older sister (Nebula Stop-the-War Lawrence, nicknamed Nebbie) who shows up once or twice in the first season and then is never seen or mentioned again.

And I always kind of wondered if Eric was in some kind of accident that was never mentioned, because he really did suffer a serious mental decline in the last few seasons.

[i-amthecosmos.livejournal.com]

Well, there was a mention of Eric shutting himself in the dryer at seven to straighten his hair. The family believes the conks on the head are responsible for his dimness.

[i-amthecosmos.livejournal.com]

Hey, you did a great job. I'm sorry I never dropped you a line about this, but I've had a really strange year. Also, I'm obsessed with one pairing in my current fandom so much, I've barely been able to write anything else.

One thing I'd like to mention about the slash pairings in BMW, is that the Corey/Shawn and Eric/Jack are so overwhelming, a lot of people ignore what would be perfectly legit pairings for most shows. (You know, shows with a normal amount of slashiness rather than a cubic fuckload of slashiness.) I've always been a big fan of Angela/Topanga, myself. And there's only a little bit of it.

[lizwinlove.livejournal.com]

hehe...Cory even ships Topanga and Angela. Or at least, he came up with "Topangela" (to save time, of course.)