For a couple of minutes, I'd like you to ignore the fact that I'm a college junior writing vehemently about a Disney Channel show.

Boy Meets World was a staple of my childhood. I can remember lying on my bedroom floor, weeping, as a soaking-wet Topanga kissed Cory in the rain. Ah, young love. But even though Cory and Topanga's love story took up the most time and space, another couple had an even bigger impact on me: Shawn and Angela.

By now, we all know that representation is important. For me, seeing a black girl on television make a place for herself in an all-white friend group rocked my world. She came onto the show with thoughts, and ideas, and a personality—which actively countered the common television practice of simply adding a "token black character" that doesn't contribute to the show's narrative at all.

Here's what Trina McGee, the actress who plays Angela Moore, had to say about it:

She's right. Perhaps people don't realize that the Supreme Court case, Loving v Virginia, which overturned any and all anti-miscegenation laws, only took place in 1967. Before that, seventeen states made the marriage of whites and blacks illegal. So interracial couples, especially of the black and white variety, continue to shock people—on and off television.

Now, if you weren't aware, Disney Channel has made a spin-off of Boy Meets World, following Cory and Topanga's daughter—Riley—called Girl Meets World.

Girl Meets World is a lot of things: sappy, overly sentimental, convoluted, and sometimes even deeply problematic. However, I watch it because it's predecessor, Boy Meets World, is near and dear to my heart. It's also pretty cool to see Cory and Topanga killing the whole "adulting" thing. For the most part, the show ain't bad.

Or, it wasn't—until the eighth episode of the second season decided to come for my life. Long story short: Angela appears out-of-the-blue to ask Shawn if she should be a mother. Believable. (If you can swallow the fact that Shawn and Angela apparently haven't spoken to one another since her departure in Boy Meets World.) However, her real purpose is to encourage Shawn to pursue Katy—the mother of Riley's best friend. Also somewhat believable. (If you can swallow that fact that the Girl Meets World's showrunner said it was "unrealistic" for Shawn and Angela to end up together, but it's not unrealistic for Shawn to end up with his best friend's daughter's best friend's mother. Convoluted, isn't it? Just wait.)

I don't have much of a problem with the things listed above. Do they irk me? Yes, but in the same way someone leaving my bedroom door open irks me. It's an inconvenience at most. What really sets my blood ablaze is the complete invalidation of Shawn and Angela's previous relationship (as seen on Boy Meets World).

In the episode, entitled "Girl Meets Hurricane", Angela is labelled as a threat before she even arrives. She is, as @briellableu on Tumblr puts it, Riley and Maya's "problem of the week"; the obstacle standing between Maya and her shiny new surrogate dad, Shawn.

The writers have Cory and Topanga assure Katy that he's never been as happier than when he's with her—that his eyes have never shone as bright. They have Riley, a 13-year-old who has never met Angela, theorize that Shawn fell in love with the idea of Angela rather than the person. They have Shawn admit that the only reason he was with Angela is because he felt like he was "supposed" to be in a long-term relationship—like his best friends Cory and Topanga were. They have Cory remind Shawn of how Angela walked out on him all those years ago.

The GMW writers make several crucial errors.

First, Angela didn't "walk out" on Shawn. She went to go spend a year with her father, who Angela struggled getting to know as a child due to his job in the military. Angela discussed this with Shawn and he agreed that she should seize the opportunity to reconnect with her dad.

Second, the writers ignore the fact that Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Angela were all very good friends. Angela McGee was an integral member of the Boy Meets World family. She and Topanga were best friends, in fact.

More importantly, in this case, she and Shawn were best friends. She helped him through everything—his father's death, college applications, his alcoholism. So, attempting to depict her as a heartless woman who abandoned Shawn is not only inaccurate—it's sloppy storytelling.

And third—by bringing Angela back as nothing more than a tool to advance the relationship of Shawn and Katy, the GMW writers contribute to a history of using black characters as placeholders rather than people. Angela is used as an omen—a fortune in a cookie, a magical sign—that Katy and Shawn should be together.

I discovered after watching that a lot of viewers felt the same way I did.

The whole thing is disappointing. I'm actually a huge fan of Shawn and Katy, and him being happy again. However, Shawn and Angela didn't need to be brought down a peg in order for me to feel that way. In my mind, anything concerning Shawn and Angela in Girl Meets World has been erased from canon and thus—DOES NOT APPLY. I'll go on believing that they loved each other, and that a part of them always will.