Art class! So their curriculum DOES include subjects other than history. Live model Farkle whips off his robe to reveal an old fashioned swimming costume. As he poses, Riley asks why the class can’t draw Lucas instead. “Nobody looks like that,” Ms. Art Teacher (her name escapes me, if they gave her one) says. “Get used to this.” If she’s talking specifically about how over-make-upped Lucas is this week, she is correct. When she’s done insulting and making uncomfortable comments towards her students, Ms. Art Teacher admires Maya’s sketch of Farkle as a baby bird in a nest. The following exchange ensues:
Farkle: “You see me as a baby bird?!”
Maya: “You need to be protected.”
Farkle: “You love me.”
Maya: “Leave me alone.”
I. Ship. It. They could be everything. Anyway, Ms. Art Teacher wants Maya to display her work at the art show, but Maya refuses; she doesn’t want to give herself any false hope about her future.
Back at the Matthews’ apartment, Riley is upset because Maya is clearly destined to become a famous artist, while she has no specific talent and cannot speak French. “You are a simple girl and people like you,” Auggie says to her in French, exacerbating the issue. To help soothe Riley, the parents Matthews reveal their secret talents: Cory has a gift for close up magic and Topanga’s hips don’t lie. Riley puts her face down on the table while her parents swivel their hips and make salt shakers appear in their children’s pockets as if by magic.
It’s Career Day at John Quincy Adams Middle School, featuring Topanga and MINKUS! Thank god, we were due another Boy Meets World character appearance. “Sorry I’m late everybody. I was having helicopter trouble. Do YOU have a helicopter, Cory?” Minkus gloats. Never change, Minkus. “No. Do you have a Topanga, Minkus?” Cory shoots back. Topanga and Minkus compete over the number of A’s their children have. After that academic pissing contest is over, Farkle introduces Minkus to Riley and Maya. “Are you the ladies that are always chasing Farkle?” he asks. When met with Farkle’s pleading, Maya reluctantly agrees. “Yes sir, it is us. We hope that one day one of us will be lucky enough to become the future Mrs. Farkle Minkus and have a lot of baby Minki.”
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The next day, Maya’s mother Katie Hart strolls in and recites a monologue about the Colorado River and delivering her own baby. That is to say, she was auditioning for a soap opera instead of attending Career Day. She gets anxious when Farkle and Lucas both ask her about the waitressing uniform. She runs out of the room when some snide student in glasses tells her that her director father says that actors are just people that haven’t grown up. Thanks for your dad’s opinion, kid, but no one asked you. Where’s Cory and why is he letting his students be rude to visitors? Maya and Riley follow her out. Maya assures Katie that she isn’t embarrassed of her, but Katie regrets it anyway. Riley, realizing that her talent is never giving up on something that could help her friends, insists that Katie come to Maya’s art show to make it up to her.
Back to art class: Riley pre-emptively asks Maya not to get mad at her. She slipped a note to Ms. Art Teacher saying that Maya would participate in the art show. A paint fight ensues. When Riley reveals that she invited Katie to the art show, Maya hands her a bowl of purple paint to pour over her own head. Week after week, the writers prove that they know how to write a believable set of best friends. Even if they can’t write subtle life lessons.
The Matthews go to the art show to support Maya, while Katie is nowhere to be found. Riley confronts Katie at the diner. Katie didn’t want to show up since she always ends up disappointing Maya somehow. She’s glad she has friends like Riley, since she wants more for Maya than she can give her. This is crap.
Riley comes back and explains the situation to Maya. Maya seems unfazed as she comforts Riley. She points out that Katie sent Riley back to the school with a tuna melt since she knew she would share it with Maya. She thinks Katie’s understanding of their friendship is enough for Maya, a reaction that’s both mature and unexpected.
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