‘Girl Meets World’ episode 2 review: Girl also meets library; we stay confused

We are now two episodes into “Girl Meets World,” and we are still trying to figure out whether or not this show really has the potential to be anywhere near as close as “Boy Meets World.” There are moments and characters who we definitely like, and even some moments that had us laughing out loud with Friday night’s “Girl Meets Boy.”

Let’s go ahead and get the bad part over with: There are a few things holding the show back right now, and the primary one is strictly confusion about what the show could be, and who it should cater to. We feel the writing right now struggling to tell a show for the Disney demographic, and still also include something in there for the adult “Boy Meets World” fan like the wink that Cory Matthews knows all about falling in love at an early age. We hate to say it since some longtime fans may disagree, but the show needs to focus more on being its own thing. If there are allusions, have them pop in organically, and don’t force something just because you really want to make people happy.

The other problem right now? We’re not feeling Lucas. he looks way older than seventh grade for one, and there’s just not that much there between he and Riley yet. There’s not the energy that Topanga had at an early age during the show’s first season or two. Right now, we’re so much more intrigued by the possibility of a Farkle / Maya romance down the road than something between Lucas and Riley.

Now, the current stars of the show: Farkle and Maya are still outstanding, and this episode proved to us that Riley’s little brother Auggie may be the star of the entire series. He is laugh-out-loud funny, and can do so without a ton of screen time. The story this week, which had the kids all “disconnecting” to their phones and going to the library for a change to do research, was a little cheesy but still sweet at the end. We also saw a little bit of overprotective dad Cory in getting Maya a phone, just to help ensure that nothing bad ever happens to his daughter.

Right now, we feel like “Girl Meets World” is basically a combination of really good ideas and things that producers really want to work that aren’t just yet. Despite being a spin-off-of-sorts, it has the same struggles right now that many comedies do out of the gate: It’s an identity crisis. Maybe it will figure them out soon; based on what we’ve seen and heard when it comes to episode 3, the show starts to really pick things up and get going then. Grade: C+.

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Photo: Disney Channel