Eric Matthews (Boy Meets World)
| Eric Randall Matthews | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Pilot" (Boy Meets World) "Girl Meets Mr. Squirrels" (Girl Meets World) |
| Last appearance | "Brave New World" (Boy Meets World) "Girl Meets Goodbye" (Girl Meets World) |
| Created by |
Michael Jacobs April Kelly |
| Portrayed by | Will Friedle |
| Number of episodes | 158 |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Student (formerly) (Jefferson Elementary, John Adams High School, Pennbrook University of Philadelphia) Box boy at the Philadelphia District Market Giant (formerly) Mall Model (briefly) Employee at Matthews' Wilderness Outpost (formerly) Channel 7 interim weatherman (temporarily) Department store Santa Claus (December 1998) Pennbrook Student Union store employee (formerly) Mayor (St. Upidtown, New York) (formerly) U.S. Senator (State of New York) |
| Family | Alan Darnell Matthews (father) Amy Matthews (mother) Cornelius A. "Cory" Matthews (younger brother) Morgan Matthews (younger sister) Joshua Gabriel Matthews (younger brother) |
| Significant other(s) | Heather Ralston (ex-girlfriend) Jessica (dated) Linda (ex-girlfriend) Rebecca (ex-girlfriend) Molly (ex-girlfriend) Desiree Emmaline Hollinger Beaumont (ex-girlfriend) Kelly (ex-girlfriend) Lonnie Boden (former crush) Rachel McGuire (former love interest) |
| Relatives | Topanga Lawrence-Matthews (sister-in-law) Riley Matthews (niece) August "Auggie" Matthews (nephew) Bernice Matthews (paternal grandmother) Grandpa Poppy (maternal grandfather; deceased) Nana Boo Boo (maternal grandmother) Unnamed Aunt (paternal aunt) Wanda (cousin) Charlie (paternal great-grandfather; deceased) Uncle Maury (great-uncle) |
| Hometown | Cedar Heights, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Residence |
New York, New York (formerly) St. Upidtown, New York (formerly) Washington, D.C |
Eric Randall Matthews (Will Friedle) is a fictional character from the television series, Boy Meets World, and the spin-off series, Girl Meets World.
Eric is the oldest brother of Cory, Morgan, and Joshua Matthews and son of Alan and Amy. He began the show as a popular young student and stud, who constantly went out on dates with pretty girls in his high school. Though he was never the most popular or the school bully. He was originally portrayed as a stereotypical brother and teenage boy who picked on his younger brother and bragged about his love of cars and girls. Eric's character morphed throughout the series from that stereotype to a crazy moron. He gradually becomes dumber and during the fourth season, he takes a year off from school when he is unable to gain entrance into any of the colleges he applies.
Eric often plays off of the series mentor and his neighbor, Mr. Feeny. They do not originally have a close relationship, but they grow closer throughout the series as Cory grows closer to his friend and girlfriend. It is implied once that Eric tells people (such as Rachel) that "Feeny" is his grandfather, not just his neighbor. Eric also coins the "Feeny call," which becomes a popular ongoing joke throughout the series and carries on into the spin-off, Girl Meets World. At the end of the series, Eric makes a talking doll, which is the third of doll-making skills on display in the series, for Feeny so that he will not miss him when he moves to New York City with his brother and their friends.
Sometimes it seems as though Eric is actually highly intelligent. Occasionally it is shown that he has little moments of wisdom, which he does not even realize himself. Mr. Feeny once mentions in an episode that Eric can get passing grades "in his sleep" without even trying. Eric is presented as lazy and immature throughout the entire series, much to the great annoyance of his family and Mr. Feeny. In Girl Meets World, Cory mentions in an episode to prove to others that he trusts Eric, that Eric is the only person he knows who can "do the impossible," and later in the same episode, Jack Hunter, Eric's best friend from college asks him if he is still an "idiot genius." Eric, like many television characters, is the token idiot savant.
During the later years of the series, when the brothers are in college with their friends, storylines involving Eric became stranger, often bending the rules of reality. In one episode Eric continually tries to sneak up on Topanga by using disguises. He cross-dresses in this and several other episodes. The change from a girl-crazy teenager to odd-ball is a drastic, but gradual change in the series. Eric is often the source of the comic relief throughout the series, particularly in the later seasons when Cory becomes more serious and mature. It is hinted that he is a fan of South Park, because he makes references to the program several times, especially when he does voice impressions of Cartman and other characters on different occasions.
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