Cory and Topanga had their fair share of ups and downs, but nothing compared to the aftermath of their senior class ski trip. (Yes, it’s still a sore subject.)
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In season 5, episode 14 of Boy Meets World, the high school sweethearts (played by Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel) join their peers on the getaway. After Cory sprains his ankle, he stays back from the slopes and meets Lauren (Linda Cardellini). They kiss, and Cory and Topanga eventually split after she finds a letter from the resort employee.
“I still get heat for that,” Savage, 40, exclusively tells Us Weekly. “But that’s OK. I appreciate how passionate people are about Cory and Topanga’s relationship, and I totally understand.”
In fact, the Dead to Me actress, 45, “gets more heat” than he does.
“I know she’s mentioned that in interviews,” he says. “And so, for that, I do feel badly, but she was an integral character to the show.”
Despite the audience backlash, Savage “had a wonderful time working with” Cardellini. “That episode, like so many episodes, was a blast,” he says. “I mean, we had a wonderful time together, and that group is like a family to me, so I always had a nice time.”
Cory and Topanga would eventually reunite — after her brief romance with artist Ricky Ferris (Jonathan Jackson) — get married and move from Philadelphia to New York — with best friend Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), of course. In Disney Channel’s revival, Girl Meets World, their children Riley and Auggie were introduced.
“Some people think that she shouldn’t have chosen Cory, and she should have gone to Yale, but I don’t know if I think they’re endgame, but I did always think that Cory felt very strongly for Topanga, and Topanga felt very strongly for Cory,” Savage tells Us. “I think they followed their heart. And I think it turned out pretty well for them.”
He adds: “I would say they’re happily in love. And I’m assuming that Cory Matthews would still be a history teacher. The interesting thing about the show is that they made Cory an old man from the time he was 11. So, he always had an old neurotic personality, and he was an old man from a very young age.”
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Savage actually had his first kiss with Fishel, 40, at age 11. “That is certainly nerve-racking for an 11-year-old, but I was with Danielle, and she was a great partner,” he notes. The longtime costars have remained close through the years, and recently even reminisced on what of their favorite episodes together.
“Danielle and I were recently talking about our episode that we filmed at Disney World. And I just think that that was such a fun and exciting experience, especially for kids. When we were kids, we got to go to Disney World, and we got to film at this studio, and just the process of making that episode was such a ride, literally,” he recalls to Us. “I just will always remember how much fun we had together. In that episode, it’s basically my character and Rider’s character, basically chasing Danielle around Disney World. And we just had such a good time filming that episode. They were shutting down the park so that we could film a couple of scenes, and we had such a good time that I guess I’ll always remember that one.”
