In another review, I wondered whether Girl Meets World has actually improved in its second season, or whether it has simply been astute about addressing its problems and attempting new and better things to solve them. “Girl Meets the Tell-Tale Tot” further complicates this by dropping the ball on a big one: the Josh/Maya relationship.
Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the promise of more Josh in the future, as he returns this week to announce his acceptance to New York University and drop in on a college party. As always, Uriah Shelton is a delight, kinetic and funny and sympathetic and inherently Matthews, and it’s a no brainer on the show’s part to find more ways to bring him in. The set piece of the college party is also winning enough, with Riley overly succeeding in blending in with the various cliques of college, so it’s not like “Meets the Tell-Tale Tot” is a failure. It suffers from more of GMW’S problems than other episodes this season have. Overlong scenes, unnecessary sentiment, only half-formed high concept ideas (as much as I like the idea that Cory has a weird fixation over equal tater tot distribution, no one needs an entire episode of a talking tot puppet). But these are strangely not what I keep thinking back to, in consideration of why “Meets the Tell-Tale Tot” didn’t work for me. I recognize them, but mostly I think of the good. Auggie’s celebration of the NYU letter even though he has no idea what is going on, Riley’s quick progression through a sorority, Josh’s friends committing to the bit of being dead when an ex spots him.
But then, there’s Josh/Maya.
Is there chemistry there? Yeah. It’s the magic of Sabrina Carpenter—you can throw her into any combination you want and still get something great, and Shelton is more than capable of matching her. I was quite charmed by their struggle over the envelope and the letter as she reads it, and it’s all about the joy in watching good young actors be good together. But we’ve seen this before. We’ve in fact mostly only seen this, this exact struggle. Maya can’t keep her cool, Josh thinks she’s a kid, Maya pursues but oh no! Josh is seeing another girl! Maya is upset but comforted. Last season’s finale suggested we were finally though this, and it’s frustrating to see the cycle repeat yet again.
Especially since this time, it seems like the moral of the story is that Maya is right.
Maya’s crush is of course a valid feeling. She’s brave for approaching Josh, and had this been the first time, I might be less inclined to criticize. It’s rewarding to see the show champion her passion, as far too often, television likes to do the opposite. But, here’s the all-important other hand: Josh is right. Just objectively. It might be three years, but in life experience, that three years is currently a ton. Frankly even when she’s 18 and he’s 21, it can be iffy. Freshmen are in a very different mindset than Juniors, especially when you consider how generally mature and level-headed Josh is for his age. Obviously plenty of couples form this way, but if it’s not was Josh wants, he has the right to find it awkward. I wouldn’t in his situation either.
Actually, this may in general be my issue, and it’s baffling to me often the show skips over this. Josh has a right to find it awkward—but also, Josh has a right to not like her that way. Obviously Josh generally enjoys her as a friend of the family, and we can intuit he thinks she’s pretty, but finding someone attractive is not the same thing necessarily as being attracted. And, as he himself brings up this episode, they don’t know each other. They have never hung out separate from the family, and I am baffled by the show’s validation that Maya likes him as more than just an extension of Riley’s family being her … talking about how great he is with Riley’s family? What is meant to come off as explanation ends up playing as affirmation of precisely Riley’s point to me. Maya doesn’t know what kind of music he likes, what sports he plays, what major he’s thinking of pursuing. Maya knows he’s a Matthews, with everything that entails. That’s not enough for love, however much she might think it is.
Now, I do think it’s understandable and interesting that Maya has latched on to Josh because he’s an in to that world. I am actually fascinated by how Maya could grow past that to like Josh on his own merit (because let’s face it, he is a great kid, and her examples are not inherently wrong). I am not however sold based “Meets the Tell-Tale Tot” that she already does. Nor am I really excited about Josh’s comment that he should stop looking at her as a kid. He already respects her. Again—Josh is a great kid. He’s never been anything less than respectful, even if he gets understandably tired of the unwanted physical attention. It appears the show’s not offering respect, but possible liking, with that line, and because it can’t be said enough, I’ll say it again:
Josh has a right to find it awkward.
Josh has a right to not like her that way.
He also has a right to like her. Everyone does. And while I’m sure I can be brought around on the idea of their relationship, should the show choose to pursue that at a more acceptable time, I really hope the show keeps that equal opportunity in mind. If Josh falls for Maya, we need to see the fall—not a bend to pressure because “what’s wrong with [him]” if he doesn’t.
What are your thoughts though? Sound off in the comments!
