The fact that they all thought it was concerning when Maya started getting good grades and improving herself, it really hurt to watch.

The actor who plays Lucas (Peyton) mentioned on his twitch stream that Maya and Lucas was never part of the original storyline. The producers included it because of the on-screen chemistry between the two actors. He even talked about how him and Sabrina were the closest of the cast back when the show was filmed, which is evident in the final product.

He even mentioned that he was rooting for Lucaya and didn't agree with the producer's decision to cut their kiss from the show. It really is that the chemistry between actors was just better with Maya and Lucas than Riley and Lucas, which sucks cause it muddied the story of the show.

Hot take, Riley was supportive of Lucas at the Rodeo because she is secure with her life and the people in it. Losing people in her life isn’t an insecurity. Maya has none of that so losing people is a big insecurity, and that’s why she wasn’t supportive.

What angers me most about Girl Meets World is that it feels like they really just wanted Maya being from a broken household to be her only personality trait, so that when they started actually changing her and what I hoped would be some good character development for her, they instead beat her down and forced her back into the stereotypical "bad kid from a broken home" character.

in my opinion, Riley was really manipulative but used her personality as an excuse. She gaslit and manipulated Mya into thinking that she was becoming her when really she was just improving herself. poor mya

Watching the scene where Riley is yelling at Maya that she's not acting like herself is so heartbreaking. I think the actress for Maya is wonderful because she does a great job at portraying someone who's closed off, scared, and confused without having to cry, like her body language and facial expression captures it perfectly, to the point the scene is painful to watch.

It’s been 6 years since the show ended & that triangle still royally pisses me off. I’m a Lucaya shipper so I’m obviously upset just about the ending but after rewatching the show recently, it’s the character assassination of Maya that’s so much worse. Poor girly really was gaslit into thinking that improving herself was a bad thing.

Sabrina acting way too hard for this show. She’s so awesome

The "why can't both of us like a good guy" realllyyyy hurt me because they all essentially convinced Maya that she essentially doesn't deserve a good guy, and she got stuck with Josh again. Josh, the manipulative asshole who is too old for her.

Unsurprisingly, Topanga’s controlling and competitive attitude combined with Cory’s stubborn and tone deafness resulted in a very overbearing girl. I can’t blame that one girl from season 3 for not wanting to be Riley’s friend

I feel like Maya got told what her feelings were in the show the whole time. Like, her feelings for Lucas, her being Riley, her being too good, and they pretty much put her into a box where she couldn’t even have time to process anything for herself so she just conformed to their thoughts of her. This is especially present within the whole being Riley storyline.

Can we talk about how Zay (portrayed by Amir  Mitchell-Townes) is the secret captain of Lucaya ship? “Hey Maya, looks like Lucas here is getting all fired up on your behalf.”

Something that always bothered me about the whole "Maya is Riley" plotline is that it pushed the idea Maya couldn't be her own person if that meant she was maturing/developing as a character. Maya grew up in an unstable home with abandonment issues, of course she'd act out as a kid. I would argue Shawn being a positive influence in her life could've made her less rebellious and helped her learn to express herself more healthily. Who said it had to be because of Riley? Makes it seem like Maya has to be the devil in order for Riley to keep her angel label.

The scene where Riley goes bonkers because she's realizing Maya "turned into her" drives me mad because it's like, wow, Maya can't mature or evolve in any way because you're the only one that can be nice? It's a toxic mindset. It makes it seem like Riley couldn't be happy unless she was the stable happy one and Maya was the traumatized bad girl.

I hate how the extras in this show just stare at the main characters like they’re the most fascinating people in the world

It really breaks me that Maya sits there and is like "you think I'm selfish? I don't want you to think of me like that.." as Riley continues to egg her on. It hurts so much when someone doesn't recognize your pain and views you as a person you don't want to be. You can see Maya is really hurting and Riley continues to tell her "you're a selfish person" without really registering it

Auggie and Ava had a more stable relationship than the triangle

I always thought that Lucas would have chosen Maya, as he looked disappointed when she told him to be with Riley. He had better chemistry with Maya, in my opinion.

Maya grows up and becomes mature, and riley loses her shit because she cant keep up tbh

my word everything about 36:59 is making my stomach turn. the way Maya looks so deflated and is curled in on herself, the way she tries to advocate for Lucas’ voice in deciding this mess of a love triangle only to be immediately dismissed and shot down, the way Riley tries to antagonize Maya into getting mad because “the Maya she’s always been would take nothing from nobody” as if Maya didn’t spend a year suppressing her own feelings for Riley’s sake, as if Maya wasn’t abandoned by her father and has self-worth issues because of it to the point that she initially believes that “Hope is for suckers,” as if Maya can only react to upsetting things in anger and outrage and not in sadness and resignation…..how Riley doesn’t deny it when Maya asks if Riley thinks she’s being selfish and how Riley doesn’t understand that Maya’s abandonment issues very clearly make her terrified of losing Riley and the Matthews because they’re her family and support system and so of course she’s not going to fight Riley for Lucas, because she doesn’t want to lose Riley like she lost her father……..the way Maya can’t even look Riley in the eyes and seems to be borderline dissociating because of the way Riley is yelling at her.

One of the most toxic and upsetting scenes of the show, honestly.

Edit: “What’s wrong with us both liking the same guy? What’s wrong with who I am now?” broke my damn heart. Justice for Maya, oh my word. That’s so messed up.

Unpopular opinion: Riley was a toxic friend, who thought she was helping, but she never did.