Girl Meets World. The sequel series takes place several years after Boy Meets World and follows Riley Matthews, the daughter of Cory Matthews and Topanga.
The '90s sitcom hosts a large and loyal fanbase who are vocal and unafraid of sharing their opinions. One topic of contention is Topanga's decision to choose her relationship with Cory over an opportunity to study at Yale. Topanga's acceptance to Yale happens in Boy Meets World season 5 and is an event the character struggles with for the the remainder of the season. However, in the season 5 finale, Topanga chooses to attend Pennbrook University and propose to Cory. For some viewers, the decision felt like a disservice to Topanga's character development, and after years of mounting criticism, Fishel has finally commented on the controversy.
While speaking to Insider about her new podcast "Pod Meets World", Fishel discussed the criticism surrounding the decision at length. In response to it coming across like Topanga was choosing love over her career, Fishel insists that wasn't the intention. She explains that Michael Jacobs who was intent on telling an idealistic story of high school sweethearts sticking together. Fishel also points out that attending Pennbrook over Yale didn't stop Topanga from pursuing her dreams. Here's what Fishel had to say:
"It wasn't our vision... You can meet someone when you are young and know without a shadow of a doubt that as long as you're willing to work through highs and lows and really fight for someone that you can make a relationship work forever.
"Whether or not Cory and Topanga, or Topanga made the right decision about choosing him over Yale, I'll never know, but I think it worked out for her life.
"I think Topanga had something that she wanted, which was a family and a relationship with Cory, and she also wanted a career. And at the end of the day, it did not stop her from pursuing her career and becoming a lawyer and becoming a judge, regardless of whether or not she got the degree from a more prestigious university."
Fishel seems to think that the decision, while controversial, was ultimately a positive one for Topanga and didn't hinder the character's development. This was Girl Meets World, where Topanga is happily married with children and leading a successful career as a lawyer. Without this continuation, however, it might be harder for Fishel to defend Topanga's college decision, making this a case of a show's sequel actually improving on moment from the original.
That said, the decision remains a point of contention for fans, and understandably so. By making Topanga choose Cory over Yale, Jacob's was arguably reducing the character to a mere love interest and object. Furthermore, Jacob's decision may have prevented Boy Meets World from telling a more compelling story featuring Cory and Topanga coming to grips with heartbreak and new-found singledom. This would have introduced new characters/love interests, and likely changed the trajectory of the show and the series finale. Ultimately, Fishel appears to be content with the decision and the way it shaped both Boy Meets World remaining seasons and its spin-off.
Source: Insider