In a recent episode of the “Pod Meets World” rewatch podcast, actor Rider Strong talked about how uncomfortable he was with a controversial “Boy Meets World” episode that dealt with teen drinking and addiction. He said that he had deep worries about how the show portrayed alcohol abuse.
During the show’s fifth season, Strong’s character Shawn Hunter and Ben Savage’s character Cory Matthews both had problems with drinking in the episode that Disney eventually banned. Strong said his performance was “half-assing it,” which showed he was very uncomfortable with how the episode dealt with a serious issue.
The episode, “If You Can’t Be With the One You Love,” starts with Cory drinking after breaking up with Topanga. It then moves on to Shawn’s drinking problems, which are caused by his family’s history of alcoholism. Strong didn’t like how the episode’s sudden changes in tone made it seem like it wasn’t taking the subject seriously.
“The first half shows Shawn having a good time with Cory, doing handstands and misbehaving,” Strong told us. “Then suddenly, it’s as if he’s a 45-year-old alcoholic.” He said the episode’s short 22-minute length didn’t show how complicated addiction is.
Strong, who first tried drinking when he was about 17, used his own experience to talk about his worries about how the show might affect viewers. “The real issue with drinking is that it’s often sneakier and slower,” he told us. “It gradually takes over people’s lives.”
The actor was especially critical of how the show tried to fit a whole journey of addiction and recovery into a short TV segment. He said that using such a quick narrative style hurts people who are dealing with alcoholism.
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Strong also discussed a controversial scene in which his character pushes Trina McGee’s character, Angela, who plays his love. He said the episode didn’t do enough to show what happens when people do bad things.
Even though Strong didn’t like Ben Savage’s act, he did praise his co-star for how well he played being drunk in the episode.
The honest conversation on the podcast gives you a look behind the scenes at how hard it is to talk about important topics on TV, especially when trying to reach younger viewers.
