Boy Meets World went through many changes in its seven-season run. However, one thing that remained constant was the humor. The characters' likability allowed viewers to connect with them and deliver well-timed and fresh jokes in every episode.
As the characters grew older in the later seasons, although plenty of humor was still around, they started to go through more significant conflicts. These situations defined and gradually developed the characters amidst a series of continuity errors. They led to some of the show's most heartfelt moments and cemented Boy Meets World as a unique sitcom that ultimately defined the era.
10 Cory And Topanga Had To Make Do In A Rundown Apartment
Season 7 saw the main character, Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), finally tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel). However, following their happy honeymoon, the two wind up forced to move into an unkempt college dorm.
The newlyweds are initially unable to make their new living space habitable, and it comes to the point that Topanga breaks down in tears in front of their friends. Cory tries to beg his father, Alan (William Russ), to let them stay with them for a bit, but Alan refuses, creating a rift between the family. Fortunately, Cory learns in the next episode that Alan had legitimate reasons for doing so, and things get better.
9 Eric Made A Hard Choice For A Good Reason
In Season 6, Cory's older brother, Eric (Will Friedle), befriends a young foster kid named Tommy (J.B. Gaynor) while working as a mall Santa. For a few episodes, Eric becomes a big brother to him. Tommy eventually hopes Eric will officially adopt him. Despite being willing, with no suitable job or home, Eric finds himself unable to do so.
Around the same time, another family seeks to adopt Tommy, and, upon reading about how loving they are, Eric decides to let Tommy go. Tommy is left angered and devastated over Eric's choice, and Eric believes Tommy will never understand. Fortunately, the spin-off, Girl Meets World, revealed the adult Tommy fully understood Eric's decision and how hard it was.
8 Chet Hunter Died Before His Time
Season 6, Episode 13, saw the return of Shawn Hunter's (Rider Strong) absentee father, Chet (Blake Clark). Shawn and his brother, Jack (Matthew Lawrence), enjoy spending time with him, but things quickly go south when Chet suffers a heart attack.
Shawn confronts several of his issues in this episode, and Rider Strong genuinely nails the emotion behind them. It all culminates with a tearful scene between him and Chet, with the latter finally understanding and promising to do better with his sons. However, Chet suffers another heart attack, and despite everyone's confidence that he'll make it, he ultimately does not, leaving both brothers in more turmoil than ever.
7 Claire Unpacked An Abundance Of Emotion In One Scene
Season 4, Episode 8, involves Shawn and Cory protecting a young girl named Claire Ferguson (Ariana Richards) from being hurt by her father. Despite the two keeping her safe at their houses, it does not prevent the problem.
The whole subject is handled maturely from beginning to end. Claire continuously excuses her father's actions, and it only worsens until Claire shows up one night with a bruised face. Cory and Shawn explain that she does not deserve to face this issue, nor can she deal with it alone. Claire, in response, can only sadly agree with her friends' words and wonder why it happened.
6 Alan's Words Crushed Shawn To His Core
In season 5, episode 18, Cory resorts to alcohol to cope with his breakup with Topanga. Unwilling to be alone, he convinces Shawn to drink with him. However, they get busted by the cops, and Alan has to bail them out.
Alan angrily initially believes Shawn made Cory drink and writes him off as a bad influence. Cory admits that it was not the case and that he made Shawn drink. Alan wholeheartedly apologizes for his harsh words, clearly not believing what he said, but Shawn believes Alan's assessment is correct. It leads him down a dark road later in the episode.
5 Cory Has To Keep A Devastating Secret From Topanga
In the Season 6 finale, Topanga finds out her parents are on the verge of divorce, leaving her in tears. Season 7 reveals they finally did so, and Topanga, fearing the same will happen to her and Cory, breaks up with him again.
Cory travels to Pittsburg to get Topanga's parents to reconcile. However, he learns the truth that her father left her mother for another woman and is devastated. He honors his promise to Topanga's mother not to tell Topanga the truth, but she gives him the cold shoulder, leading him to call it quits in trying to pursue her for the first time in their relationship.
4 Family Trees Put Shawn Back Into A Wreck
By Season 7, Episode 12, Shawn is happier than ever. He's in a loving relationship with his girlfriend Angela (Trina McGee) and has come to terms with his father's death. Unfortunately, it all comes crashing down when his mother, Virna, sends him a letter informing him that she is not his biological mother.
Shawn tries to find his birth mother, but it proves to be a dead end. This event ultimately drives Shawn to drink again and lament that he's alone and an orphan despite everyone convincing him otherwise. The scene hits harder when Alan offers to adopt him, but it only sends Shawn into more devastation.
3 Amy Had A Heartbreaking Response To Her Son's Marriage
At the end of the Season 5, Topanga proposes to Cory. He accepts at the start of Season 6, but they angrily elope after Cory's parents voice their disapproval. However, Topanga decides against the marriage at the last second, wanting Cory's mother, Amy (Betsy Randle), to be with them. Despite Cory's initial anger, he agrees.
When they return home, everyone believes they got married and celebrate before they can inform their friends and family. However, an upset Amy tells Topanga she should have gone to Yale, which is shocking to hear from her. Cory gets angry and informs her of the truth and that she should have been more supportive, considering Topanga's respect for her.
2 Cult Fiction Tested Shawn Like Never Before
In the penultimate episode of Season 4, Shawn joins a cult due to being pressured about his future. His friends and family try to snap him back to reality, but nothing works. Only when his teacher and former guardian, Jonathan Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn), gets hospitalized in a motorcycle accident does he finally wake up.
Shawn's pleas and vulnerability regarding his relationship with Turner are compelling, and his decision could have gone either way. It's only through Cory's genuine hug that Shawn manages to understand. Worsening matters is that while Shawn says Turner would be okay, the latter is never seen again until Girl Meets World.
1 The Ending Brought Everything Full Circle
At the end of the series, Topanga gets a job at a law firm in New York. Thus, she, Cory, Shawn, and Eric prepare to move there and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Before leaving, they share one last goodbye with their longtime teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). Feeny offers them one last piece of advice, and each student tearfully embraces him in gratitude for how much he changed their lives over the years. The scene hit hard for audiences and the cast. It all culminates in Feeny saying he truly does love them all after they've left.