1. I think that they have demonstrated more chemistry than any other possible pairing on the show.
Even Cory and Topanga have not shown as much chemistry (in this show) as Riley and Maya have. When Riley and Maya are on screen together, they create a natural energy between them and everything flows in a very smooth and believable way.
They balance each other out in a lot of ways. (Why make a sandwich out of peanut butter and peanut butter?) They look out for each other, they trust each other, they understand each other, they support each other, and they enrich each other’s lives.
3. They love each other.
Even if their interactions are only read as platonic, there can be no denying of the fact that they love each other very much. They are affectionate together. They go to great lengths in the name of each other’s happiness. They know each other intimately and accept each other unconditionally.
I started shipping them together from a pretty early point, but I almost lost my mind during ‘Girl Meets Game Night.’ And again at the end of ‘Girl Meets First Date.’ If Rilaya isn’t going to be a thing, then the writers really need to stop doing that and giving me false hope.
Maya, in particular, looks at Riley like she’s in love with her. They hold hands, they rest their heads on each other’s shoulders, they link arms, they make heart-eyes lingering eye-contact, they hug, they walk with their arms around each other, and each of them spends a lot of time staring at the other one. And yeah, sometimes girls are just close, but they make it look pretty convincingly gay more often than not.
6. Rilaya is my favorite part of the show.
With or without romantic subtext, the Riley and Maya relationship is very much at the heart of things. I think that their relationship, even if only viewed as platonic, has a lot of substance to it that is lacking in any other pairing. Riley and Maya are the driving forces of this show. They are the hook that brings me back for more. I see them as having more depth and character development than the rest of the (GMW-exclusive) characters. Even without romance, Riley and Maya are the characters that pique my interest.
That being said, viewing the show through a Rilaya lense really changes the way I see it and heightens my enjoyment. Even though I’ve enjoyed ships over the years, and even though I’ve shipped some ships pretty hard, this is the first instance in my life where a ship has really been so central to how I intereact with the medium. Rilaya is something that could really make this show stand out. If I take that element away, if I let go of the hope for Rilaya, the rest of the show really deflates for me. It’s a good show as it is, but it has not yet achieved greatness. There are many paths that it could take to become great, but Rilaya is the one I would enjoy the most.
7. “Believe me, I know the story.”
And if I want to watch that story, I can. I’ve got all seven seasons on DVD. It’s a nice story, but it’s already been told. GMW really needs to stand on its own two feet. I love Boy Meets World and I love that the universe of it is being expanded, but Girl Meets World needs to grow into its own thing sooner rather than later. Even if Rilaya never happens, I still don’t want this show to be Boy Meets World over again. It needs to establish its own unique identity. It needs its own voice. It needs to dare to be different. Rilaya is not the only daring path they could take, but again, it’s the one I would enjoy the most.
8. I think their brand of love is a good one, a strong foundation for a romantic relationship.
My favorite kind of love is not being too nervous around someone to speak, but being calmed and relaxed by their presence. Love is feeling free to be yourself. Love that grows from mutual trust and existing emotional bonds is beautiful.
It goes back to what I was saying about substance. Cory and Topanga, for all of their destined-to-be-together, first-love-must-be-true-love, retconned-into-married-since-they-were-two-years-old hooplah…when you look past that, they still have substance to them and it’s that part of their relationship that makes me like them together. From where I’m sitting, I just haven’t seen that kind of depth or believability in any of the other pairings.
Meanwhile, the Riley/Maya relationship has it in spades. It’s not just a case of a character becoming infatuated with the first cute person they see. And it’s not a case of a boy and girl pairing off because that’s what’s expected of them or a romance developing for the sake of it. And it’s not just some boy being rewarded with a woman for being a semi-decent human being.
These are two characters who care about each other, who are affectionate, who always have each other’s backs, and who each want the other to be happy. Even if the show pursues only het romances, I’ll still be unsatisfied if these traits are not present in the relationships. Riley and Maya already have those traits and they could be great together.
Rilaya doesn’t have to have happen, but if the writers want me to buy into a romance, it needs to be as good as Rilaya is. And I haven’t seen that yet from anyone else. The Riley and Maya love story (whether platonic or romantic) is a beautiful one. No other match of two characters on this show sells me on their love for each other like these two do. Riley deserves someone who is as good for her as Maya is. Maya deserves someone who is as good for her as Riley is.
I love that they’re different. And even though they’re influenced by each other, they maintain a healthy level of autonomy and individuality. Maya’s personality is tempered by Riley’s, not eradicated by it. Riley’s inhibitions are eased by her friendship with Maya, not abandoned entirely. This dynamic is really highlighted in “Girl Meets Maya’s Mother” and it’s one of the things I really love about them as a duo. Their differences often serve to make them an even better match for each other. “The best thing you can do for her is be you.”
10. Representation matters.
Heteronormativity needs to be challenged. The world needs more same sex love stories. Not just some one-off LGBT+ character. Not even an LGBT+ cast member. This isn’t the 90’s anymore; the world needs LGBT+ protagonists. And not just in niche shows that target LGBT+ audiences, but in mainstream media. Even media targetting older demographics fails to meet this need more often than not.
Frankly, I don’t have enough faith that either Disney or the writers will ever be brave enough to make Rilaya happen. Even though Cartoon Network has Garnet and Nickelodeon has Korrasami, I don’t really expect Disney Channel to even rise to the competition, let alone try to out-gay them. (Prove me wrong, Disney, I dare you!) But Rilaya could be a beautiful story if they did decide they were brave enough to tell it. And the world could really use more beautiful same sex love stories.
Broke Bohemian 