Girl Meets World’s latest Halloween episode didn’t spook.
Warning: Full spoilers from the episode follow.
Much like last year’s Halloween episode, Girl Meets World’s horror-themed sequel was a neat concept but lacked the same heart as other episodes and only occasionally delivered laughs. But unlike that episode, “Girl Meets World: Of Terror 2” didn’t even have the same anthology element that made the last one as charming as it was, which ultimately left it feeling like a bust.
That said, there were some fun scenes in this. For example, Cory and Topanga’s asides saved the otherwise tedious trick-or-treat subplot. Auggie, “Doi” and Ava’s Oz-inspired costumes were cute, but their candy-crazed antics were typical and didn’t add much to the episode. Meanwhile, the claymation and animated segments seemed half-baked, like the writers wanted to do a whole episode in that style but didn’t have the time nor the budget to do it.
I actually liked the idea of a flapper ghost (Brittany Ross) haunting Riley’s bay window, and this brought about some entertaining song-and-dance numbers, but the execution of the storyline just wasn’t very strong. It didn’t help that it featured the stars of Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally. As someone who doesn’t watch that show, I was initially confused who they even were. (I had to look them up.) That’s not to say Boy Meets World didn’t have its own share of odd crossovers, but even for Austin & Ally fans, the twosome’s appearance felt shoehorned-in and too short to matter. I was also sort of bummed we didn’t get to see Farkle and Lucas at all in this episode, even though it sounded like we were supposed to.
In the end, “Girl Meets World: Of Terror 2” was an episode I could have done without. While I appreciate the show’s attempts to recapture the cheesy fun of Boy Meets World’s Halloween episodes, these just are aren’t as clever or enjoyable as those — at least not yet. On the bright side, there’s still plenty of time to live up to the brilliant “And Then There Was Shawn.”
The premise of “Girl Meets World: Of Terror 2” showed some promise, but there were too many oddball distractions for it to really find its groove. Here’s hoping next year’s third Halloween episode is more cohesive.
