Kids Get Acquainted with the Internet

Hi KGAWI,

Another fun podcast. I continue to find it fascinating how my ratings of the episode are a bit similar to yours, yet I still disagree with the points made… to an extent anyways.

Farkle- I don’t want to beat a dead horse. I feel I clearly explained why I have enjoyed his character over the course of the season in my last post and don’t want to repeat the same facts. I will simply address this episodes actions as briefly as I possibly can.

For Farkle, this was a date. Plain and simple. Plus Maya gave him 84%. So he might be a bit deluded and naive, but he acted on what many would consider a natural move during a date. And after Riley kissed Lucas, Farkle saw it as the socially acceptable time to make the attempt.

The fact that you think Maya should have slapped him because of that action is ridiculous. He made a move on a date and was turned away. Yes with a bit of comedic flair added for effect. So for me yes it was obviously a stupid move. But it worked for how it played out.

Josh- I agree with Dan, that the Josh scenes were great. The fact that they may or may not lead to him going back on his three year rule with Maya are inconsequential. The way it was handled in this episode was great, and simply ave them a shared misery that grounded their relationship, whether romantic or friendly, in something more than Maya seeing him and saying “boing.” I really loved it.

Riley- She was the same Riley she has been the whole season. While I certainly agree that she had little agency, I didn’t take it as harshly. She has mostly been a very passive person when dealing with events that could affect her own life while fiercely proactive when helping others. I actually find that an interesting dynamic. She wanted Lucas to ask her out, and there is nothing wrong with that. Especially with how the end played out with her finally taking charge of the relationship. I actually thought it was a nice arc for her.

Lucas- I pretty much agree with everything Keith said about him. There have been moments he was super interesting, but they have been few and far between. At the very least he isn’t annoying for me, and really that’s the best I can say about him. I will say I really enjoyed that he asked Cory for permission. Is it something I would do? Not at all, but it felt completely Lucas. Plus it has been established how close Cory and Riley are. If Riley was going to enjoy their date, he needed to get Cory on board. SO it was a very necessary step.

And hooray for another Topanga/Riley scene. We really need more of these.

My big problems were really Cory monologuing and Ava/Auggie. If they had simply given him another teacher to speak to in the cold open the scene would have been 100% better. The dialogue could have almost been exactly the same, just two teachers commenting on how their students are crazy. And while I don’t hate the Ava/Auggie story, I am just tired of it being used for the same exact laugh every time. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!

So overall a B-

Some good laughs with some frustrating choices and ultimately a fun non first date for Riley.

Anthony

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