Girl Meets World: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal" Review - IGN

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http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/08/...-formal-review

Refreshingly, this week's Girl Meets World (which, fun fact, was written by Will Friedle!) built on an epiphany Maya realized in the previous episode: that Lucas and Riley see each other as brother and sister rather than romantic interests (unbeknownst to them). And with the semi-formal upon John Quincy Adams, now was the perfect time to follow up on said epiphany, as Riley found herself in "quite the pickle," as Maya put it, with Lucas and another boy Charlie Gardner (Tanner Buchanan) both asking her to the school dance.

While Cory's etiquette lesson had nothing to do with history -- unless you count 1950s educational film reels -- these early scene did bring about some fun moments. For one, it was nice to see Farkle still rocking his "Donnie Barnes" look, another continuation from "Girl Meets Yearbook." The film reel itself was also funny and paved the way for Maya to recount Riley's misery in an old-timey narrator voice. ("Look how Billy opens the door for Sally, so she won't develop unsightly arm muscles!" "Yikes.")

Of course, the most noteworthy thing about this episode for Boy Meets World fans was the return of Jack Hunter (played once again by Matthew Lawrence!), who was there to convince Senator Eric to deal in some "evil business." It was definitely interesting -- and a little bit sad -- to find out that Jack and Rachel ("RACHEL!") parted ways and Jack was never the same after that. It also tied in perfectly to Riley's dilemma, which bared a striking resemblance to Eric, Jack and Rachel's love triangle back in the day.

I also thought it was sweet how Cory (or is that "UNDAPANTS!"?) let Jack and Eric drop some knowledge on Riley, who finally made the connection that she and Lucas were probably better off as friends (much like Eric and Rachel, who apparently still keep in touch). The final moments of the semi-formal were also notable, as Lucas ended up dancing -- well, more like "jumping frantically," but, you get the idea -- with Maya instead of Riley. Also, I guess Sheppard is a thing the kids are into these days? I admit, "Geronimo" was catchy as all get-out.

Really, the one thing that didn't click with me was Jack and Eric's subplot, which didn't really go anywhere. The writers took all that time setting up a seedy vote-buyout from Eric that never actually transpired nor fell through. Granted, maybe this storyline will come into play in a future episode, but in terms of "Girl Meets Semi-Formal," the whole proposition was just kind of left hanging. Regardless, it was great seeing Jack again, especially at a time when it related to Riley's situation.

THE VERDICT

This week's Girl Meets World storyline featured a fun semi-formal plot that actually continued a storyline from the previous episode -- and to good effect, with the introduction of Charlie Gardner (although his stalking skills could use some work). Of course, the highlight of this episode was the return of Jack Hunter, whose past with Eric and Rachel factored in heavily to Riley's own dilemma with Lucas and Charlie. And while Jack's storyline with Eric didn't quite pan out, the rest of this episode was really solid.