Before watching the seasons on DVD for review, I never really realized what a phenomenon “Boy Meets World” was. It wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill family sit com. It was a defining element of many people’s lives.

I learned this by the random conversations you end up getting into when you carry the DVD case for “Boy Meets World: Season 3” around with you. Without fail, everyone I talked to was a fan of the show. From the video store clerk who spent two years of his life hitchhiking to California, to the waiter at Steak & Shake who had his own alternative band on the side. The common factor of people in the generation just below me was that they loved “Boy Meets World.”

You’d never know this from the underlying pulse of popular culture. There’s more influence in our lives from Britney Spears and Madonna than Cory Matthews and his friends from high school. However, walk down your average street, and you’ll find few people in their twenties who don’t know who these characters are.

By the third season, Cory Matthews and company had really begun to find themselves. Cory (Ben Savage) and Topenga (Danielle Fishel) had a burgeoning romance that finally blossomed into full-blown boyfriend and girlfriend. Sean Hunter (Rider Strong) was sticking with his vests-over-his-t-shirt fashion sense, living with Mr. Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn) and keeping his reputation as a bad boy and ladies man. And brother Eric (Will Friedel) was becoming the biggest moron on the planet.

Through this third season, we saw the rise and fall of Mr. Turner, whose days are numbered after his guardianship over Sean comes to an end. Principal Feeny continues to foster relationships with the kids, and we see the early stages of his true foil in the idiot savant of Eric Matthews.

The third season pulled away from the bully struggles that Cory had with heavies like Frankie “The Enforcer” Stacchino and Harley Keiner. The thugs of Frankie and Joey the Rat become secondary comic relief in favor of the teenage soap opera of Cory’s life.

There are some special episodes featuring guests stars like Tom Bosley and Anson Williams from “Happy Days” and a couple of the original Monkees. There’s also a season finale in Disney World as Cory chases Topenga in a quest for love. And watch for a clever reintroduction of the daughter Morgan. The folks making this show definitely had a sense of humor.

By the time “Boy Meets World” hit its third season, the crew realized they had a good thing going. They weren’t afraid to develop the characters and refine the structure. Relationships grew and Cory Matthews et al started to grow up.

This DVD set doesn’t have the same spread of bonus features as the earlier seasons. This one only has “The World According to Boy” quiz, which tests your knowledge of the show. Are you going to be a Feeny or an Eric Matthews? This trivia knowledge test is small potatoes, but still fun.

Regardless of how things develop in future episodes, I am always going to have a soft spot in my heart for these kids and what they stood for. And I’m not embarrassed to say that I’m looking forward to season four.



Specifications: Dolby Digital Surround Sound. Full frame (1.33:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.