| “ | We're all human beings. We're all on the same team. And if we sense our own flaws because we see them in others, it's true friends that help us wipe them away. | ” |
—Cory to his class
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Girl Meets Flaws is the thirteenth episode in season 1 of Girl Meets World. It aired on October 17, 2014 to 2.1 million viewers.[1]
Overview
When Farkle is picked on by Billy Ross for not fitting in, Riley, Maya and Lucas rally him to show their classmates how to respect each other's differences.
Plot
Graduation and Awards night are fast approaching at JQAMS, and Cory announces that Maya will receive the Griff Hawkins Totally Cool Award, while Lucas and his teammate Billy Ross are both finalists for the Scholar Athlete Award. When Cory reveals that Farkle will be given the Joseph T.R. Epstein Confidence Award, it's only then that he and the others notice that Farkle is not even in the classroom; on his desk is an office speaker phone with a security camera mounted on top. The phone starts playing a recording of Farkle prompting Cory to wait for a representative. As class ends, Riley laments about the fact that everyone else is getting an award; when she remarks that being without an award makes her feel invisible, they hear Farkle over the speakerphone say, "Sometimes you want to be invisible, Riley. Believe me."
Farkle is hiding out in the custodian's room, and Janitor Harley suspects that he might be hiding from someone, and mentions that he does know that Farkle has issues, though he admits he's ashamed of how he knows. After Harley takes him back to Riley, Maya and Lucas, Farkle reveals to them that somebody is making fun of him and his turtleneck sweaters, saying that they make him look weird. Maya points out that Farkle already embraces his own weirdness, which makes him unique, but Farkle remarks, "What good is being unique if somebody knows you're really not?", and walks away leaving Maya, Riley and Lucas confused and concerned.
The next day in class, Cory, using Mahatma Gandhi, Jackie Robinson and Malala Yousafzai as examples, talks about how the world occasionally presents opportunities for people to be who they really are, and asks the class if they will have the courage to stand up whenever someone tries to take their spirit away. Seeing an opportunity, Riley asks to be excused from class; she goes to the custodian's room and begs Farkle (who for once is not wearing a turtleneck) to come back to class saying that nobody gets to crush his spirit. Farkle claims he's fine, but then says he just doesn't want to be Farkle anymore; he then gives all his turtlenecks to Janitor Harley.
Riley demands to know the truth, and Farkle finally admits that someone (though he doesn't say who) called him "the biggest nothing in the school", and said that he "had no right to walk around acting all confident and pretending that people liked him". After giving Farkle a big hug, Riley says that it's not okay that somebody called him a nothing. Maya and Lucas arrive at the custodian's room and Riley reveals to them what's going on with Farkle; Maya is ready to go after the bully, only to be stopped by Lucas. Harley then remarks on how kids can be cruel, finally admitting that as a kid he himself was one of the cruel ones, and that someone they all know was a frequent target of his bullying, but Harley also admits he is not proud of his past actions, largely because of the other person's stronger will, and also that he helped Harley to get his janitor's job there at JQAMS; that person turns out to be Cory, whom Harley calls "Johnny Baboon" when he comes in the custodian's room.
Lucas visits the Bay Window for the first time
Later, while Riley, Maya and Lucas are at the bay window discussing the situation, Cory gives them one day to find out what's wrong with Farkle and fix the problem, but if they fail, they are to seek out an adult for help. Cory then chases Lucas out through the window, pulling off one of his boots in the process, which Riley takes from him and lovingly holds in her arms.
The next day at school, Lucas, Riley and Maya are preparing for gym class, but again Farkle is nowhere to be found. Billy comes in to invite Lucas to a pick-up baseball game after school, but Lucas declines saying he's still trying to find "his buddy" Farkle. Billy then outs himself as Farkle's bully saying he is a nothing and that Lucas is better off without him. Angered, Lucas pins Billy against the wall and is about to hit him when Maya literally jumps on Lucas' back to stop him. Billy asks how Lucas could possibly be friends with someone like Farkle; Lucas praises Farkle for his dependability and loyalty, and proclaims Farkle is his best friend.
Billy is the bully
Hearing this, Farkle, hanging from the top of one of the climbing ropes in the gym, replies that Lucas is his best friend as well. As Riley and Maya grab and stack floor mats to catch Farkle when he falls, Lucas confronts Billy with the observation that he doesn't hang out with anybody who's not an athlete; Billy says he doesn't want to hang out with people like Farkle because "they're not us", and walks out of the gym, but not before Janitor Harley remarks that he used to think the same way Billy does.
The next morning at breakfast, Riley thinks that Billy believes he did nothing wrong, and Cory points out that kids Riley and Maya's age are just beginning to find out who they are, and people don't usually walk around wearing signs that reveal their flaws; when Ava (wearing a "Spoiled Rotten" T-shirt) bursts through the door demanding breakfast, Topanga takes her up in her arms and tells her to stay just the way she is and wear it proudly. Picking up on her mother's hint, Riley gets an idea.
Later in History class, Cory walks in to find all of the students (except Billy) sporting their own personality flaws written in marker on their foreheads (see below for full list of each one); Cory mentions that before someone can use our flaws against us, it might help to admit we have them. Billy is about to walk out of the classroom when Cory stops him; Billy says he knows he'll never be a "genius freak" like Farkle, and feels he's entitled to make fun of that, to which the others disagree. He also says he likes people who are like him, and openly admits he feels left out over the fact that people like Farkle can have such great friends without being able to hit a baseball. Riley accuses Billy of being jealous, to which Billy concedes by allowing Farkle to write "jealous" on his forehead. Cory then tells the class that "when we sense our own flaws because we see them in others, it's true friends who help us wipe them away". Riley and Maya each take a moist towelette and erase each others words from their foreheads, and then Billy takes a towelette and, apologizing to Farkle, wipes Farkle's flaw, "nothing", off his forehead. Farkle offers to wipe Billy's forehead off, but Billy declines saying, "I just got it. I think I'd better try to understand it more". Janitor Harley then comes in to the classroom and returns Farkle's turtlenecks to him.
Later at the awards ceremony, Maya coolly accepts her "Cool" award while Lucas wins the Scholar Athlete award, which Billy admits to being jealous of, but he's working on it. Cory then announces the final award, the winner of the John Quincy Adams Spirit Award, voted on in secret by the student body and given to the one who courageously stands up for what they believe in. To his own surprise, Cory announces the winner is Riley, who, as only she can, elatedly jumps to her feet shouting "Yay!"
Cast
Main cast
- Rowan Blanchard as Riley Matthews
- Ben Savage as Cory Matthews
- Sabrina Carpenter as Maya Hart
- Peyton Meyer as Lucas Friar
- Danielle Fishel as Topanga Matthews
Also starring
Guest cast
- Danny McNulty as Harley Keiner
- Ava Kolker as Ava Morgenstern
- Zachary Mitchell as Billy Ross
- Darby Walker as Darby (Student 1)
Absent cast
Quotes
| “ | So before someone can use our own flaws against us, maybe it's best to admit we all have them. | ” |
—Cory to his history class
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| “ | What's the point of being unique if someone knows you're really not? | ” |
| “ | Riley, you can't fix everything.. (pause) Okay, go ahead. | ” |
Trivia
- The students' flaws:
- Riley: "Insecure" (she mentions she has issues with how other people think of her)
- Maya: "Broken" (she says that when she owns it, she doesn't feel so bad)
- Farkle: "Nothing" (meaning he isn't anything; not that Farkle has no flaws)
- Lucas : "Mr. Perfect"
- Sarah : "Afraid"
- Darby: "Tattletale" (She blurts out that Riley made them write on their foreheads)
- Dave : "Self Centered"
- Jade: "Stubborn"
- Jeffrey : "Quiet"
- Nigel: "I Lie"
- Billy : "Jealous"
- August Maturo (Auggie Matthews) does not appear in this episode, but he's mentioned to be visiting his grandparents (presumably in Philadelphia).
- When Ava is talking to Cory and Topanga, she is looking off stage (probably at someone feeding her lines) instead of at them.
- This is also the first episode where Ava appears while Auggie is absent.
- First mention of Ava's mother who will appear in "Girl Meets Farkle's Choice."
- Although it had been shown twice before in (episodes actually filmed afterwards), this is the actual first time Riley and Maya create their "Stop It" version of the "Handshake of Awesomeness."
- At the awards ceremony, Riley, Maya, Lucas and even Billy are all wearing turtleneck sweaters similar to Farkle's.
- First (and, to date, only) appearance of Billy Ross.
- For the first time, Harley refers to Cory as "Mr. Matthews" as opposed to his usual "Johnny Baboon," with Cory citing that people really do change.
- Farkle reveals he has an aunt named Barbara who tends to kiss on the lips.
- Harley calls Riley "Pippi Longstocking," the popular heroine of a line of childrens' books written by Swedish author, Astrid Lindgren. He was either referring to Riley's height, or the fact that her red and striped skirt reminded him of the mismatched red and white sock the character often was portrayed as wearing.
- Originally, Riley's plan was to be known as "Be Who You Are Day," and a school guidance counselor character, Carrie Russo was to be introduced, but was dropped.
- Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan has since become the youngest winner (17) of a Nobel Peace Prize, as she was identified by Riley in class.
- The Awards are named after:
- Griff Hawkins Totally Cool Award — Griffin "Griff" Hawkins was played by Adam Scott in Boy Meets World.
- Joseph T.R. Epstein Confidence — Joseph "Joey the Rat" Epstein, one of Harley Keiner's and later Griff Hawkins' lackeys, played by Blake Soper in Boy Meets World.
- First episode of Girl Meets World to feature bullying.
- First time Lucas is in the Matthews house, and also in The Bay Window, and thus the first time Cory chases Lucas out of Riley's room, pulling off one of his boots in the process.
International premieres
- November 21, 2014 (UK & Ireland, Canada)
- January 18, 2015 (Latin America, Brazil)
- January 20, 2015 (Australia)
- March 1, 2015 (Italy)
- March 19, 2015 (Israel)
- April 4, 2015 (Romania, Bulgaria)
- April 18, 2015 (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland)
- April 24, 2015 (Spain, Portugal)
- May 26, 2015 (Germany)
- August 23, 2016 (Philippines)
Videos
Girl Meets Flaws - Episode Clip - Girl Meets World -Disney Channel Official
Girl Meets World - New Episode - "Girl Meets Flaws"
GIRL MEETS WORLD "Girl Meets Flaws" Clip - Rowan Blanchard, Corey Fogelmanis, Danny McNulty
Gallery
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The image gallery for Girl Meets Flaws may be viewed here.
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Transcript
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To view the Girl Meets Flaws transcript, click here.
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