“Boy Meets World” aired its final episode on May 5, 2000. Now, more than 14 years later, a new generation can enjoy the life lessons delivered by the Matthews family with Disney’s spinoff, “Girl Meets World.” The new series will premiere Friday at 9:45 p.m. EDT, but before that first episode airs, let’s take a walk down memory lane and look back at the “Boy Meets World” finale.

The long-running ABC show (part of the famous TGIF Friday block with “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch”) ended its course with an hourlong two-part episode called “Brave New World.”

“Brave New World, Part 1” Recap

Part 1 of the finale was packed with flashbacks to old episodes and kicked off with Cory FREAKING out about moving to New York with Topanga. Jack, on the other hand, is having a meltdown of his own about a big life-changing decision: joining the Peace Corps. But in usual Jack fashion, he’s got ulterior motives for joining: He wants to teach his stepdad a lesson.

Fortunately for Cory, he gets an immediate solution to his New York problem.

“This is where our friends are,” Topanga tells Cory. “This is where we grew up. This is where we should stay. I’m going to turn down the internship.”

Needless to say, Cory was ecstatic (and did a little dance to celebrate). But Shawn was there to pull him right back down to reality by breaking the harsh news that Topanga didn’t really mean what she said.

Desperate for a little pep talk, Cory turned to Mr. Feeny for some last-minute advice. It was Feeny who told him that Topanga didn’t turn down New York for him … She turned it down because she was nervous about being successful in a new environment.

Wanting to be supportive, Cory turned the tables on Topanga and told her that he wanted to move to New York with her. And it was then that Topanga finally broke down and revealed that she was scared. Now on the same page about starting the next chapter of their lives, Cory and Topanga agreed that the only way to do it is to move to New York. While Cory’s mom, Amy, was a little upset about their change of heart, she ended up agreeing to the move when she found out that Eric was going along with them. Then Shawn surprised everyone at the end when he got emotional about saying goodbye.

“We have to say goodbye for an hour,” he tells Cory when his best friend asks for a quick farewell.

But it was Topanga who had the last shocker of the episode. Throwing a bag into Shawn’s arms, Topanga revealed that he was going with them to New York!

“Brave New World, Part 2” Recap

The second half of the “Boy Meets World” series finale continued with the heartfelt goodbyes – this time between Jack and Shawn. The two brothers always bickered, but in the end they were able to cast their differences aside in order to say a proper goodbye. And in a touching twist, their deceased father, Chet, showed up as a ghost to watch over the pair … and freak out over Jack giving up his stepfather’s money to join the Peace Corps.

“Money doesn’t make you rich, life makes you rich,” Jack tells Rachel. “Our father taught us that.”

But ghost Chet doesn’t agree with that statement anymore.

“Did not. That’s stupid,” he yells at Jack. “Money makes you rich. You ask anybody, ‘What makes you rich?’ MONEY. I got two stupid boys. Ya’ll are embarrassing me in front of my dead friends.”

But Chet has a change of heart when he learns that Jack’s actually giving up the money to join the Peace Corps and do good for people. “They like that up here,” Chet says to himself.

The tear-jerking moments continue when Cory’s little brother, Joshua, comes to say goodbye, leading Cory to make one of the most memorable speeches in “Boy Meets World” history:

“Come here, I want to tell you something. You know what’s out there? The world. You’re going to be part of it someday. You’re going to learn something from it every day. You’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to make good friends. And Mr. Feeny will probably teach you every grade you’re ever in. And maybe, you’ll meet a woman as wonderful as Topanga. How’d you like that? And maybe you’ll make a friend like Shawn. But when you’re not a little boy anymore; when the world taught you to be this man … you know, you’re still going to make mistakes. But your family and the friends you made along the way are going to help you. Even though it will seem like the world is going out of its way to teach you all these hard lessons you’re going to realize that, you know, it’s the same world that has given you your family and your friends. You’re going to come to believe that the world is going to protect you too. Boy meets world … now I get it.”

Cory, Topanga, Shawn and Eric left the Matthews house, but they still had one last stop ahead of them before they could head to New York – Mr. Feeny’s old classroom. The four filed in and sat in their old desks waiting for one last piece of advice from their teacher. But Mr. Feeny told him that his work with them was done.

“Believe in yourselves. Dream. Try. Do good,” Feeny said as his parting words.

But Eric wanted more than that from him. He wanted Feeny to say “I love you.”

“Now, look,” their teacher countered. “If there is one thing that I’ve taught you is that there is a line between teacher and student that must never be crossed.”

That wasn’t a suitable answer for Eric, though. “Tell us you love us,” he said again.

“I regard all my students equally,” Feeny added.

And that was enough to make Shawn, Topanga and Cory jump in.

“You haven’t even talked to another student in seven years,” Cory noted.

But Feeny still wouldn’t budge. “I surely will not,” he stated.

Topanga said her goodbyes first, tearing up and giving Feeny a hug. Shawn’s waterworks followed, and he thanked the teacher for never giving up on him. Eric swooped in next for a hug and a goodbye, leaving Cory with the final goodbye.

It was only when the four kids walked out of his classroom that Mr. Feeny finally said the words they wanted to hear – “I love you all.”

The final scene of the show featured Mr. Feeny walking out of the classroom and saying, “Class dismissed.”

“Girl Meets World” will pick up years later with Cory and Topanga still living in New York … but with kids! The premiere will introduce their daughter, Riley, and her Shawn-like BFF, Maya. Maya will lead a rebellion in class in the first episode, leading Riley to jump on board to “be like her” … something that Cory’s not happy about.

“Girl Meets World” will premiere on Disney Channel on Friday at 9:45 p.m. EDT. Will you be tuning in? Tweet @AmandaTVScoop.

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