She says she’s not embarrassed, she says, “I love you,” but the clear message is that her mother’s actions have made her uncomfortable. So instead, we see Maya saying one thing and feeling another. She’s not the type to storm off in a huff. But it wouldn’t have fit with Maya’s character Maya is very invested in not caring about her reputation, and is, in general, a little older than her years. The easy and obvious way to show what’s going on in that scene would be to have Maya throw a fit and complain about her mother embarrassing her. Look at Maya’s conversation with her mother after the disastrous Career Day showing. But far more importantly, it has interesting things to say about its characters, and interesting ways of saying them. And it has the nostalgia factor, in the form of a cameo from Minkus (Lee Norris). Which is good, because t’s the characterization that makes “Maya’s Mother.” Sure, it’s funny, probably the funniest episode the show has yet produced. It fits with Riley’s previous characterization, and ultimately really sells me on the idea that she’s Cory and Topanga’s child. I’m not sure the episode was entirely successful at melding the two themes, but honestly, if Cory and Topanga were going to pass on any trait to their offspring, it would be meddlesomeness and an incurable drive to fix things. The show tries to make it dovetail with Maya’s arc by having Riley realize that stubbornness and a determination to do what’s best for friends and family is the talent that she got from her parents. There’s a secondary theme, about Riley’s search for what talent she might have, that never quite crystallizes. Pictured: A class that is not history, taught by a teacher who is not Cory. It’s a mess caused by anger, self-loathing, and years and years of mistakes, and it’s not fixable. Meanwhile, Maya’s mom loves her daughter, wants what’s best for her, and is utterly convinced that not being there is what’s best for her. Maya is simultaneously ashamed of her mother, desperate for her mother’s attention, and stubbornly resigned to the idea that her mother will disappoint her. Maya’s relationship with her mother is complicated and fraught. But she never does manage to convince Maya’s mom to show up. Oh, not completely–by way overstepping her bounds and entering Maya’s work into the show for her, Riley eventually convinces her friend that good things can happen, and are worth expecting. She didn’t expect her mother to show up at Career Day, she doesn’t expect her to show up at the art show, and she doesn’t expect people to like her work–and so she’s never disappointed. Riley, being the daughter of Cory and Topanga, naturally decides that this is something she must fix. After Maya’s mother misses Career Day, Maya explains to Riley that, unlike Riley, she doesn’t expect good things to happen. When Maya, who as established in “Girl Meets Boy” is quite good at art, refuses to display her work in the art show, Riley doesn’t understand why. Okay, okay, let’s back up. “Maya’s Mother” is built around two events: Career Day, and the school art show.

One where Minkus is there, for some reason. I laughed! I cried! It was better than Cats! Maybe I’m overselling it, but it really is almost like watching a different show.

The plot is not wrapped up in a moralizing speech. The storyline has clear emotional stakes. Yes, GIRL MEETS WORLD, yes! This is what I always wanted from you! This is what I always knew you could be! In “Girl Meets Maya’s Mother,” Cory does not do a single insufferable thing.

Farkle minkus mom