With Halloween fast approaching, you are no doubt stocking up on candy for the trick or treaters you hope won't come (so you can eat said candy, of course), and rewatching the Halloween episodes of all your favorite shows. If you are a Boy Meets World fan, then your marathon likely includes the classic Scream send up "And Then There Was Shawn." That's great, but you need to queue up Boy Meets World 's Halloween episode "The Witches of Pennbrook," too.
The Season 5 Halloween episode is woefully underrated in the Boy Meets World canon, and I can only guess it is because of the outing's fantastical elements. "The Witches of Pennbrook" is not your typical Boy Meets World episode, but it is a crazy amount of fun. It also happens to be the most '90s episode the show ever did with two major guest stars from iconic sitcoms of the era — one who appears in character. When the universe hands you the gift of Candace Cameron Bure playing an evil witch in the same episode Melissa Joan Hart has a cameo as Sabrina, you cherish that gift.
Honestly, there is nothing not to love about "The Witches of Pennbrook" — even the subplot featuring Topanga's fear of flying works in its own way. The best parts all involve the witchy goodness of Cameron Bure's Millie, though. Jack falls madly in love with the evil Millie, who starts out as simply annoying before her true apocalyptic plans are exposed. This allows Eric to be the voice of reason possibly for the first time ever. Then when you add in Shawn being way too in awe of the coven's charms to care that they are witches who plan on sacrificing him and his brother, you have an instant classic.
Eric and Millie are the episode's undisputed VIPs. Watching the two of them spar over Jack's soul is a treat of epic proportions. Poor Eric is usually stuck playing the fool to Jack's straight man, but their roles are reversed in this outing and the results are fascinating to watch. Eric's constant rantings Millie and her friends are witches would sound strange to anyone, particularly to someone as level headed as Jack, but Millie's over the top obsession with the guys' balcony and Halloween night make it clear Eric is not just a jealous friend. The episode cleverly allows the audience to see the situation from Eric's point of view, which makes Jack look like a lovesick puppy being led to the slaughter.
Boy Meets World goes all in on the concept, and the Halloween goodness is silly and over the top in the best possible way. You have to respect Cameron Bure's ability to erase all memory of Full House's sweet D.J. Tanner from your mind as she plays Millie with an increasing amount of malevolence. Credit also has to go to Hart who shows up as Sabrina in the episode's final moments, bringing the witch theme full circle. Sabrina and Eric's flirtation is short-lived, but it leaves you wishing for a proper crossover just so those two could go out on a real date.
If you are looking for a side of '90s nostalgia to go with your Halloween fun this year, then a rewatch of "The Witches of Pennbrook" is exactly what you need in your life. No, it's not "And Then There Was Shawn," but "The Witches of Pennbrook" is a sugary treat that will take you right back to 1997 this Halloween.
Images: ABC; boymeetsworldgifs/Tumblr (2)
