S02.E17: Girl Meets Rileytown

[ladyrott]

I re-watched and am still not getting the idea that this was a cyber bully (meaning a nameless/faceless person).  My take on it is that it is a girl from school who is bullying Riley using all forums available...in person, through text and through social media sites like FB.  Although, as someone mentioned, I am not sure how any of this happened without Maya's knowledge as it seems they are always together.  Even if it were JUST cyber bullying with no face to face interactions, how is it that Maya didn't notice her BFF getting upset every time her phone dinged at her?

 

On this viewing there was one thing that really jumped out at me.  Unquestionably, Maya should have stopped saying Rileytown when Riley asked her too, but one line really jumped out at me.  When Riley asked Maya to stop saying it in the classroom, Maya's response was "I like Rileytown, I like you and I like saying whatever I want" (emphasis is mine).  That one line makes Maya seem like the most inconsiderate friend in history.  Her BFF is upset and Maya's response is essentially, "don't tell me what I can and can't say".  That line, more than anything else in the episode, rubbed me the wrong way.  It does their friendship a serious disservice, IMO.  I also don't really think it should have taken Farkle pointing out that someone was bullying Riley.  Riley outright called Maya a bully.  How did Maya not pick up on this being the problem?

[KerleyQ]

Cyber bullying doesn't have to be a faceless nameless person.  It just refers to bullying that is primarily taking place via technology - texts, tweets, facebook, etc.  Obtaining embarrassing pictures or video and threatening to release it to the rest of the school, via texts or social media, is one of the hallmarks of cyber bullying, along with the other stuff the bully was doing - repeatedly texting or posting to the person all those put downs and threats (kind of vaguely implied in this case, if I remember correctly). 

 

Also, I don't remember any indication in the episode that the bully was doing anything face to face.  Riley seemed to be talking only about messages (although I don't know if we're talking texts or direct messages via other social media).   The closest to something "in person" the bully was doing was filming Riley, but the impression I'm given is that Riley didn't realize she was being filmed until the bully told her they had video of her doing the "Riley Awards" after school and threatened to send it out to everyone. 

[spanana]

I'm so torn on this episode.  The good.  I thought Rowan did a really nice job with the acting here.  I've seen her say online that she has some experience with being bullied in her past, so I assume this was extremely personal to her.  Sabrina was good too.

 

I'm not going to get into semantics about the actual bullying that was happening.   I did like that they had Cory point out that bullying isn't just somebody saying something you don't like because I think that points get lost a lot these days.

 

I also don't mind that the show tackled bullying (again), but it sometimes feels like every single episode of this show is a very special episode.  Or at the very least every other episode.  I'm all for sending strong and important messages, but I also feel it loses something when it's every episode.

 

I didn't really like the last scene with Riley confronting her supposed bully, whether people took that as real or somewhat imagined.  It just felt a little too after school special.

 

I also hated Cory using his class time to try and have a talk with Riley about what was going on.  Or at the very least that he did it in front of the class.  Class time isn't supposed to be the Riley and Maya show, yet it always is.

 

I also don't know how I feel about playing the Lucas anger issues for laughs.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Girl Gets Bullied
It's almost hard to believe someone doesn't like a member of the middle-school Friends clique!

[aslightjump]

I don't watch this show consistently, so I fully admit that I perhaps very very wrong when I say this next bit: the whole Riley is self centered thing...I don't get it? I haven't seen it? And by that I mean, Riley does not show an above average self-centeredness for a thirteen year old girl. Being that age was only a decade ago for me, and if I were like Riley I'm sure my parents would have been relieved. She is the most overdramatic and prone to histrionics of her friends but I feel I'd be remiss not to mention that I had a best friend who was incredibly similar to her, weirdness and all, and she was an absolutely lovely person, and still is, if completely tactless. Nobody except perhaps Lucas in Riley's group has any tact at all so that's okay. Riley tries very hard to help her friends when they need it, from every episode I've seen, so I'm not going to call her out for occasionally, you know, being a teenager.

 

If this episode didn't have such offnote moments like Maya's complete deafness to her friend's turmoil or that really DANGER WILL ROBINSON bit with Lucas that was so freaking odd that I really hope the show tells us he's getting therapy soon, it could have sold me on Rowan's delivery of "I was humiliated" alone. Because yes, that is exactly it. The bullying is always bad, but the shame of letting it happen to you is almost worse.

[beetlesoda]

I don't watch this show consistently, so I fully admit that I perhaps very very wrong when I say this next bit: the whole Riley is self centered thing...I don't get it? I haven't seen it? And by that I mean, Riley does not show an above average self-centeredness for a thirteen year old girl. Being that age was only a decade ago for me, and if I were like Riley I'm sure my parents would have been relieved. She is the most overdramatic and prone to histrionics of her friends but I feel I'd be remiss not to mention that I had a best friend who was incredibly similar to her, weirdness and all, and she was an absolutely lovely person, and still is, if completely tactless. Nobody except perhaps Lucas in Riley's group has any tact at all so that's okay. Riley tries very hard to help her friends when they need it, from every episode I've seen, so I'm not going to call her out for occasionally, you know, being a teenager.

I agree. I never understood that but I just think its personal preference you like Riley or you don't. I just think the kid is thirteen years old, but when has she not stopped when her friends are on need? Sure it takes her a while to realize things but she eventually does. And this whole Riley needs to grow up thing is ridiculous as well why? Let the kid be a kid she doesn't have any responsibilities I think kids grow up too fast these days, she's gonna be forced to grow up soon and until that happened let her enjoy life.

[ladyrott]

I feel like Riley is written as being a bit self-centered, at times, but, as others have pointed out, she is thirteen (or is it fourteen?) years old.  At that age, everything is all about you and, by extension, your friends.  As I dimly recall, everything is also life and death, end of the world, drama.  I thought this episode had a really good lesson and I thought it was well put across.  I agree fully with aslightjump that the shame is almost as bad, if not AS BAD, as the bullying itself.  I thought Riley's saying she didn't want Maya to see her humiliated was very on the nose for how a young person would feel in that situation. 

 

As for Riley's wide eyed innocence, I find it annoying when they write it over the top (like her looking for a bird for 10 minutes with her mouth hanging open like a fish gasping for air) but I don't mind that she is a little bit naïve.  She has lived a sheltered life, first being "protected" from things by her parent's and then by her friends, so is it really surprising that adversity kind of freaks her out?  I wasn't a naïve kid, but I am an adult whose favorite shows are on the Disney Channel (and I spend more time than any sane adult should thinking about those shows and posting about them on boards like this one LOL) and I tell people, in all honesty, that I embrace the "whimsical side of life".  I can easily imagine Riley growing up to be the kind of person that I am....preferring the simple fantasy land of Disney to the harsh reality of the nightly news.  I do wish the writers would tone it down a little bit with her, though.  There are times that I question how Riley manages to tie her shoes and get to school without being abducted by a predator in the mornings (Am I the only one who could totally see her getting into a stranger's van to go look for a lost puppy?).

[peachmangosteen]

And this whole Riley needs to grow up thing is ridiculous as well why? Let the kid be a kid she doesn't have any responsibilities I think kids grow up too fast these days, she's gonna be forced to grow up soon and until that happened let her enjoy life.

 

+1. 

 

I, like aslightjump, don't watch this show consistently but today I had nothing to do and there were a bunch of eps on my DVR so I binge watched them. I still think this show is mostly terrible, but for whatever reason I cry during every single ep. I'm 31 years old, but sometimes it really pulls at my heartstrings, man! I had a lot of problems with this episode, but Rowan Blanchard was fantastic in it imo.

Edited October 4, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[love21]

I was slightly disappointed that Cory/Topanga didn't really step in because Maya told them not to. The gang could have still been the ones to help Riley though it in the end, but I felt like the episode could have used a scene where they had a moment with her privately. Also I agree with the posts where people had a problem with Maya refusing to stop saying Rileytown. That bugged me throughout the episode too.

 

But really I loved this episode and it's still my favorite one of the series so far. I just had those thoughts after rewatching it again. 

[dmmetler]

What bothered me was that most parents of young teens I know do monitor their social media accounts and phones. And this is why. I can't see Cory and Topanga not doing so. It doesn't fit with their characters to be unaware this was happening, even more than stepping back and letting the kids handle it once they are (because Cory was staying pretty close and ready to step in as soon as the kids would let him).