Boy Meets World (also the assignment blog post)

Plot Summary for Boy Meets World:
The show is about an average eleven year old boy named Cory. Whose best friend, Shawn, happens to come from the wrong side of the tracks. The two of these boys happen to be kept on their toes by one of their teachers, Mr. Feeny, and there is a girl, Topanga, who no matter what Cory does, he has trouble understanding her. His home life is kept very interesting by his older brother, as time passes seems to become more idiotic. As the show goes on, Cory and Shawn’s lives start to change, from the stains on their lives to Topanga and Cory becoming more then just friends. This all happens as Cory becomes less naive about the world to also becoming more responsible.

Show Information:
Seasons run/running- 7 seasons (1993-2000)
Episode length- 30 minutes (half an hour)
Animation/Live- Live
Type- Comedy

Situation of Discourse:
Author-
1. Implied: I think that Cory is the implied author. This is because it is his story and it is really all about his life. Yes, there are points about other people, but that is really on the side, kind of like a side dish. The show is also really told from the view of how Cory sees things happening or how it has happened to him.
2. Assumptions: I think that the real authors might have planed to have the story written like this for a reason. It makes it easier to follow the story line if it is all written some what the same. Knowing the title is Boy Meets World, someone could tell that it is about a boy and how his life meets with the world around him. Knowing that, I would have to say that I assume that the authors wanted the story to be told from the boy’s point of view, and that would be Cory’s point of view.
3. Names: Jeff Sherman, Steve Young, Jeff Menell, Mark Blutman, Howard Busgang, Andy Guerdat, Matthew Nelson, Carlos Aragon, Eric Brand, David Brownfield, Janette Kotichas Burleigh, Patricia Carr, Ed Decter, Barbara Feldman, Mark Fink, Patricia Forrester, Allison M. Gibson, Stephen Hibbert, Ellen Idelson, Susan Estelle Jansen, April Kelly, Kevin Kelton, Robert Kurtz, Bill Lawrence, Rob Lotterstein, Glen Merzer, Susan Meyers, Gary H. Miller, Erica Montolfo, Eileen O'Hare, Lara Runnels, Barry Safchik, Michael Swerdlick, Bob Tischler, Judy Toll, Donna Trujillo
Audience-
1. Implied: I think that the implied audience is teens. For the show is about how Cory lives his life, starting at 13 and going till college (or so). I think that the show is trying to apply to the masses of teens, at the time that the show came out, to the same kinds of things that Cory and his friends were going through. This helps the audience connect better with how the characters grow and change because they have gone through some of the same things.
2. Goals/Influence: I think that the goals might have something to due with the fact that Cory is always with or wanting to be with Topanga. This relays, onto me, an idea of one to one, and I think that is what the show was trying to get across. The idea that you should be with one person and do what you can to make them happy. Or at least that is the goal I can see within this show.
3. Actual: My feelings on the actual audience is that it was geared for teens about the same age as those teens within the show, or even who ever could relate to the characters. I think that the show did well to play to the young adults that were going through the same kinds of things that these teens were. This made it a show that even watching know, teens can relate to. So I think within the next few years that the show will still have a wide group of people that is its target audience, but that group is going to start to fade.
4. Include Self: At times I think that I could include myself with in the actual or implied audience, but most of the time the show just felt to old for me. I know that I was a little young to be the right age that Cory, Topanga, and Shawn were. But once again I think I will have to say, I watched more of this show with my sister or with my friends that started watching it on the reruns and loved it.

Message/Appeals:
One thing about this show that I think really helps it message/appeals is that it is a comedy. Being a comedy it adds humor to many things that would normally be very stressful or just something that people would not be able to deal with. I think that the show works because of its humor. Thinking about how the show would be, with out playing fun at many different things, I don’t think that it would be very good. It is really made because of the playing up of the humor. Making it able to poke fun at many parts of high school and college, this might also help with some of the people from the audience being able to be a little more relaxed about some of those things that they, later in their lives might have to go through.

Characters:
Cory Matthews- does not understand Topanga, but in spite of that likes her
Topanga Lawrence- always keeping Cory on his toes, and likes him back

Main Courtship “Sighting”:
Cory and Topanga’s romance that travels through high school to college and ends in marriage

My Views on the “Sighting”:
All I really have to say is, true love. The idea of one to one coupling is back, and it is back strong in this show. Cory and Topanga date through high school and college and then they end up getting married. Know I don’t want to rain on any ones parade but this is something that is hard to do. Knowing that they did take a break from dating each other, they always ended up back together. This also makes a point about how dating a really good friend is a good thing and that you two will probably stay together. This, I know, affected me when I was younger and watched the show. I did always want to find out that my good friend liked me and that we would be together. That is not really true, for me (not that I have dated any of my good friends) or my friends that have dated really good friends, it ended badly. I think for this idea to really work it has to be the right friend and man, I think the two of you must really like each other.

I would also like to add:
Once again the idea of one to one has returned. Do you see a common theme throughout many different shows? I also think that the longest lasting relationships have to deal with the good friend because you know each other. Knowing how to deal with each other before you start dating might help the relationship. Making the bond that the two people hold stronger, or that is really just a guess on my part. I think that it is really hard to say, why so many shows have the same idea or end in the same way, but they are so different that it makes you want to see more.

Main References:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0105958/