PRODUCTION/CULTURAL REFERENCES (written 5/25/17)

-With this episode, season five is now officially the longest season in the history of the series.

-So, how the hell did I even think of this episode? Well, I have to take it from the beginning. This crossover was actually supposed to happen back in season three, as a response to all of the crossovers that were happening at the time. I didn't initially plan out season three with this episode in mind, but I came up with it as a replacement for an episode that was meant to pick up where "The Time Machine" (#TYH228) left off. In this episode, RK and Wade end up traveling through a parallel dimension where they meet Riley and Maya in New York City. They meet Cory and Topanga while also deciding to help Riley as it pertained to her situation with Lucas. I started writing the script in the fall of 2014 and it was set for either November 2 or November 9. However, I got bored with it at some point and decided not to do it.

-I kept the idea in mind but I wasn't really crazy about doing it, since it involved merging with a show that was completely different in terms of storytelling and characters and tone. Plus, this show was evolving and becoming a bit more sophisticated so I felt like a crossover would end up being a train wreck. However, when I was working on season five, I thought about doing it again. I knew the crossover would be a lot better in 2017 than it would have been in 2014 due to both shows having improved. Also, it was looking like Girl Meets World was on the brink of cancellation (which ended up happening) so it could be like a swan song for that show. I decided to give it another try, and at one point, planned for it to come on January 22 when the show returned from winter break. However, the timing wasn't right and I was dealing with other episodes so I held it off. I then decided to make it the season finale because nothing else could have been bigger, and paired "Reality Bites III" with it as a lead-in to make it more special.

-I knew that this episode would be the season finale for a couple months so I hinted at it in previous episodes like "The Valentine's Dance" and "The Greatest Party That Never Happened." Wade was slowly building his teleportation device as the weeks went by which led to this episode. It was great because I was able to build up to this episode and actually deliver on it.

-Even back in season three, I knew that RK, Wade, Riley, and Maya would be the most prominent characters in the episode. However, I made some changes like including Zay and Smackle (characters that wouldn't have appeared originally), expanding Lucas and Farkle's roles, and shortening Cory and Topanga's. Also, I'm not sure if Sparky, Buster, and Jaylynn were even going to appear in the 2014 version.

-In the original episode, RK and Wade knew exactly who Riley and Maya were. However, part of doing a crossover is seeing what happens when the characters interact with each other for the very first time. Since I had already made references to Girl Meets World in the past (to the point of even making a meta joke about the crossover not happening), I was debating whether or not RK and Wade should know about Riley and Maya. I decided to have them be unaware because it would be a lot funnier and cut down on the snarky jokes that I would have written otherwise. RK reacting to Riley's quirks wouldn't have been anywhere near as funny if he already knew she was a TV character.

-I tried doing what I could to take the piss out of both shows (RK getting annoyed by almost all of the kids, Smackle giving Buster a pack of napkins to play with, Farkle understanding nothing about RK and Wade). I didn't want it to be one-sided, but I think Thank You, Heavenly ended up taking more shots.

-At one point, I was really considering making this a two-part episode, but there wasn't enough story for that to happen. Most of the episode is just seeing how both shows collide with one another, and the teleporter was just a plot device to make sure it took place.

-I don't think the episode was perfect, but I was really only trying to make sure I got the crossover aspect down. I just wanted to see what would happen if these two different shows, a prime-time adult animated series and a live-action coming of age kids show, met for the first time and how they would feel about each other. I don't have any future plans to do more crossovers, and if I do, it won't be an official episode of the show. It will have more of a standard story format. Either way, I'm glad I was able to do this before it was too late.

-Buster yelling at Sparky that they have to get Ja Rule on the phone is a reference to a bit from Dave Chappelle's 2004 comedy special Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth.

-Riley using her whistle on RK and Wade is a reference to the Girl Meets World episode "Girl Meets Mister Squirrels" where she uses the same whistle on her uncle Eric (who was dressed as his persona Plays With Squirrels).

-When talking to RK on the phone, Buster references In Living Color character Homey D. Clown's catchphrase ("Homey don't play that!").

-Lucas not being sure if he could say that he's Riley's boyfriend is a reference to the love triangle storyline that Girl Meets World introduced in season two also involving Maya. It wasn't resolved until season three when Lucas chose to be with Riley, and for several episodes afterwards, it was never acknowledged that they were dating.

-Farkle tries to perform his trademark laugh that he did all the time in season one of Girl Meets World, but is unable to not only because of his shock that Wade created a fully functional teleportation device, but also due to Corey Fogelmanis' voice changing after season one.

-In his one scene, Cory makes references to four Boy Meets World episodes: "Breaking Up Is Really, Really Hard to Do" ("They want you to take the rolls!"), "Hogs and Kisses" ("Undapants?"), "The Eskimo" ("Hey Feeny...nothing's impossible!"), and "Torn Between Two Lovers (Feeling Like a Fool)" with the story he tells Auggie. This is poking fun at Girl Meets World's habit to make references to Boy Meets World, the original show it was spun off from.

-One of the first jokes I came up with was Jaylynn pointing out that Maya and Sarah sound the same, due to Sabrina Carpenter portraying both characters. It was a really, really easy joke to make out of all the jokes I could have made in this episode, but I knew I had to make it.

-One of my favorite jokes in the whole episode was Farkle's cutaway, because it's never explained how or why RK appeared in it and I never made it clear if RK even knows he was in it.

-Joshua's outgoing message is a reference to the Uriah Shelton (Joshua's actor) situation last year where he was criticized for his apparent support of All Lives Matter on social media.

-Maya and Zay's conversation while standing guard is a reference to the Girl Meets World episode "Girl Meets Bear" where Zay asks out Maya near the end of the episode. While she accepts, it is never acknowledged again.

-I actually didn't know how to end the episode at all because I was focusing a lot more on the jokes than the story. That's why when I decided to have Wade lose the remote at Riley's place, I went back and wrote the scene where the boys initially appear in the living room.

-Originally, Zay was going to talk about getting his head crushed by a shoe. It was then going to lead to Cory yelling Shawn's name, Topanga saying that Shawn was still traveling, Cory referencing another Boy Meets World episode, and then telling Topanga that he was bored. However, after I added the previous scene, it was changed.

-Sparky talking about the closing door is a reference to Disney cancelling Girl Meets World back in January, and the recent announcement by creator Michael Jacobs that no new networks were found to pick up the show for a fourth season.

-RK's last line is kind of a bookend, because he ended the season premiere in a similar fashion welcoming America back to the series. He also makes a reference to "The Heart Part 4" by Kendrick Lamar ("Y'all got 'til April the 7th to get y'all shit together"), swapping out April 7 for this upcoming fall.

-I felt like a song as epic and anticipation building as "Exhibit C" was a fitting way to end the season.