But Farkle’s risk pays off, and the emotional connections in this episode truly reached me in a way that goes beyond the normal fare. Over an accidental brushing of hands, GMW takes a big chance with reminding the audience that it is a real possibility that this 13-year-old girl could reject her crush due to his confession. ![]() He confesses to her that he might have Asperger’s, and asks if she would still be interested in him. After encouragement from friends, Farkle joins Isadora privately at a café table. Isadora Smackle is frequently shown as a potential love interest for Farkle, and provides occasional comedic flare with her flat affect and quirky personality. Due to the fan base of the original series, Girl Meets World has managed to appeal to millennials while still capturing the current generation of pre-teens.Īs the friends await the results of Farkle’s behavioral interview and testing, a minor character joins the group. By contrast, Parenthood’s audience was, as the title suggests, mostly adults and parents, whereas Girl Meets World targets a dual audience much more in need of this kind of normalization: pre-teens and millennials. Similarly, NBC’s Parenthood had the character of Max, a young boy with Asperger’s. This is exactly why I feel that episodes like this, titled “Girl Meets I Am Farkle,” are so important. I also agree that in 2015, youth faced with this kind of circumstance would likely turn to the internet, and their old friend – mainstream media. I do, however, strongly believe that showing the group of 8th graders working together to educate themselves about Autism, in an attempt to show support and solidarity, was well done. WebMD for researching/self-diagnosing, which this episode unfortunately did. I don’t recommend encouraging youth to turn to Dr. Not just acceptance that their friend could possibly be labeled as such, but acceptance that it would be “ok,” and that their bond was bigger than any label. Ultimately, the message they landed on was acceptance. In the beginning, when the possible diagnosis was revealed, the lead characters showed concern - fear, even - that their friend could have something “wrong with them.” Things took a turn, thankfully, with those characters later sitting down to research the condition together, and to discuss characteristics that did and did-not fall in line with Asperger’s Syndrome. While some may feel that this should be a private, even hush-hush circumstance, Farkle and his parents discussed the situation openly with each other and their close friends.Īs a parent who has had their child evaluated for a possible Autism Spectrum Disorder, this episode spoke to me as a step in the right direction. His unique behaviors, though, warrant more testing. Farkle’s main interests include taking over the world, maintaining his friendship with Maya and Riley, and knowing everything there is to know about everything.ĭuring this episode, i n the process of stan dard IQ and Aptitude testing, Farkle’s superior IQ is confirmed by the school’s guidance counselor. Over the course of two seasons, Farkle’s character has evolved in many ways. ![]() Normally I’m a stickler for avoiding spoilers, but in this instance, the Disney Channel indicates in the episode’s summary that the character in question is Farkle. On a recent episode, which aired on Sep tember 11, 2015, Girl Meets World brought to its viewers the possibility that a main character could be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, known as Asperger’s Syndrome*. While Girl Meets World tends to rely a little heavily on recreating the plot-lines of its predecessor, it has done a fair job of pushin g boundaries of representation. ![]() Rounding out the quartet is the main character’s love interest, Lucas Friar. Farkle Minkus, the class nerd, carries on th e legacy of his father – the similarly portrayed Stuart Minkus. ![]() P erky and naïve Riley is complemented by bad-girl Maya Hart, a moody and dark alternative to the original Shawn Hunter from BMW. For those not familiar with Girl Meets World, it carries on the storyline and many main characters from the millennial favorite Boy Meets World, and follows Riley Matthews, the pre-teen daughter of BMW main characters Corey and Topanga. In the case of Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, currently in its second season, I think these changes have been for the better. Over the last 20 years, television for teens and pre-teens has changed pretty drastically.
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