Boy Meets World/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • In "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh", Eric catches Shawn kissing Topanga. It turns out to be innocent because her family's moving, but before that is discovered we get a nice glimpse of Big Brother Eric when he slams Shawn into a wall:

"You think you can do something that causes Cory pain, you're not gonna get pain back? You don't know what's going on."

  • Also from "A Long Walk to Pittsburgh", this exchange:

George Feeny: "I believe that when you find love, you hold on to it and cherish it because there is nothing finer, and it may never come again."
Prudence Curtis: [steps forward] "Prudence Curtis, I'm Topanga's aunt."
Feeny: [steps forward as well] "George Feeny, I'm Topanga's teacher."
Curtis: "Well, I don't know that I appreciate what you are teaching these children, sir. To plant wild ideas about true love in young undeveloped minds is as irresponsible as my sister and brother-in-law ripping her from the only environment she's ever known. At this... delicate time."
Feeny: "Madam, if you choose to question my opinions, then you disregard 38 years in the public school system, where I have born the responsibility of those opinions for 30,000 students. None held in higher regard than Mr. Matthews and Ms. Lawrence."
Cory Matthews: [sits up excitedly] "You like me?"
Feeny: "Stay out of this."

  • From "Resurrection."

Nurse: * Stopping Shawn as the Matthews file into Amy's hospital room* Oh I'm sorry, it's family only.
Alan: Excuse me, but he is family.

  • And "Santa's Little Helpers" (Doubles as a Tear Jerker and one of Will Friedle's finest performances):

Eric: * sitting alone in the snow* ..."I want to make the happiness of the entire world my responsibility." What an idiot, what am I supposed to do? I made all those little kids smile, took care of everybody that came to see me... No disrespect, but why would you send me that little boy? Why doesn't that nice little boy have parents? Why doesn't that nice little boy have parents? Why did you send me that little kid? ...And why do I only come to you when I need something? I guess you shouldn't have to take care of everything, right? I can take care of this. I can be responsible for the happiness of one little boy.

  • Eric and Mr. Feeny talking about his retiring,

Eric: "Mr. Feeny? If I'm really quiet... will you stay?"

  • Cory and Morgan rarely interacted, but there is the first season episode "Risky Business" where Cory leaves Morgan alone and panics, thinking she's been kidnapped. Then he and Morgan have a nice little talk in the tree house.
  • Eric finally getting into college at the end of season five, even the audience cheered.
  • The finale has Jack & Shawn sharing a moment, after Jack remarks that he doesn't care that his step-father's cutting him off (Jack decided to go into the Peace Corp rather work for his step-father) because "Money doesn't make you rich, life does. Our father taught us that."
  • A second one comes when Chet appears between his two boys, and remarks "I never said that, that's stupid! MONEY makes you rich!" But upon hearing Jack remark about going into the Peace Corp, he looks up and says "That's the sort of thing they like up here", before proudly looking at his boys. He then grabs Rachel's ass.
  • Eric throughout "Seven the Hard Way." The rest of the group is letting current, very bitter disagreements drive them apart, but Eric remains resolute in forcing everyone to work things out and stay together. This is brought to the fore by him imagining what things would be like if he fails, where his future-self has one philosophy: "Lose one friend. Lose all friends. Lose yourself." When asked why he didn't write any more than that, Eric replies, "Nothing else seemed important.
    • Another one follows shortly after this scene where Mr. Feeny turns to Eric and says something along the lines of "You were always one of my favorite students."
  • Eric again in "Can I Help to Cheer You?" Eric's young orphan friend Tommy has been adopted, but will have to move to California. Tommy would rather stay with Eric and vice-versa. However, Eric realizes Tommy would be better off in California. When Tommy begs to stay with him, Eric lies about not wanting Tommy. It's a Tear Jerker for Eric, but also a CMOH, as it shows how much he has grown up and how willing he is to put his own happiness aside for someone else.
  • The end of "The Psychotic Episode". Corey's been having dreams about killing Shawn so Feeny suggests finishing the dream (he always woke up just before Shawn died). He ends up killing everybody except Topanga, who shows up in a wedding dress. When he wakes up, he tells Shawn he's afraid about things changing after he gets married.
  • One of this troper's favorite story arcs on any television show, ever, was the romance between Mr. Feeney and Dean Bolander. Watching William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett (one of Hollywood's most successful marriages in Real Life) blush and fumble around each other like high schoolers never fails to put a smile on her face.
  • Cory asking Topanga to be his girlfriend in the season 3 premiere.
  • Shawn telling Cory his half-brother Eddie is "only blood" and that Cory is his real family.
  • Mr. Turner offering to take Shawn in while his parents were on the road chasing and running from each other.
  • Shawn wishing Minkus a Merry Christmas in season one. Keep in mind what their relationship usually is.
  • The high school graduation episode, when the class sits in Mr. Feeney's room and asks him to teach them one more time

Mr. Feeney: Do good.
Topanga: Don't you mean 'do well'?
Mr. Feeney: No.

    • As a teacher, this is the first and sometimes only advice this troper will give to graduating students.
  • The very last line of the series. I love you all. Class dismissed.
  • Topanga's family moves from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. In the next episode, she shows up on Cory's front porch in the rain. If that's not love...
    • And then Corey's speech to his parents about what he thinks love is.

Cory: All I understood was that she was the girl I sat up every night thinking about, and when I'm with her I feel happy to be alive. Like I can do anything. Even talk to you like this. So that's, that's what I feel is love, Mom... When I'm better because she's here.

  • The Group Hug between Cory, Shawn, Topanga and Minkus in the graduation episode.
  • After Shawn turns up drunk at Alan's birthday party in "Family Trees" following Chet's death, and the midst of a Heroic Blue Screen of Death over the fact that he doesn't have any parents, Alan & Amy promptly offer to adopt him, citing that he's pretty much family anyway. He turns them down because he doesn't want to disrepect Chet's memory, although he does ask Alan to yell at him like he does to Cory & Eric.
  • Shawn's speech to the sickly baby Joshua in "Resurrection" doubles as this and a Tear Jerker.

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