Cory Matthews winds up with detention after trying to listen to a Phillies game in class, while his teacher, Mr. Feeny, is trying to teach the class the great value that love has in all of their lives. However, Cory doesn't find love and girls such a good thing when his older brother, Eric, takes a girl to a Phillies game instead of him. This prompts Cory to move into his treehouse.

Cory is worried about the class water gun war, as he has no heavy-duty water gun to compete with. However, he soon strikes up a deal with Mr. Feeny, who makes Cory a deal: if he paints Mr. Feeny's shutters, he will give Cory the money to buy a new water gun. However, Cory rushes in haste to buy the water gun, and he gets green paint all over the fence.

While Alan and Cory stay up late to watch a baseball game, Cory fails a test the next day at school, and Mr. Feeny refuses to let him make it up.

Cory becomes friends with his school's outcasts when he changes his hair and finds that the consequences are very fatal.

Cory is determined to be in the geography bee when he finds out that the winner gets to be bat-boy at the opening game of the world series. But, when he and Minkus trade places in the academic world, they end up trading places in the social world, too. Meanwhile, Eric is embarrassed when his parents show up at the same concert as he and a date.

Cory cheats on an I.Q. test, and is labeled the smartest kid in class. However, the consequences for getting away with it are worse than getting caught; Cory may be transferred into a new school for smart kids. Meanwhile, Eric takes Morgan to pick out a Halloween costume, and she ends up being a zombie.

Cory gives up fishing with his dad when his grandma comes to town and makes him some great promises. But he's disappointed when she doesn't come through for him and Alan goes fishing with Shawn instead. Meanwhile, Eric uses Morgan to get the attention of Feeny's attractive niece.

When Cory insists that teaching is easy in comparison to learning, Mr. Feeny agrees to temporarily switch roles on a bet, allowing Cory to handle social studies for one week.

Mr. Feeny has his class predict what their lives will be like by their class reunion. When he gives Cory an incomplete, Cory gives up on his dream of being a center fielder, until his dad realizes just what he needs. Meanwhile, Morgan trades her mother's gold necklace for a plastic one and has to get it back.

Chet, Shawn's father, loses his job, and Cory vows that Shawn will have a Christmas gift this year. Morgan is also traumatized when a shopping mall Santa suffers a heart attack as she gets onto his lap.

The father/son softball game is coming up and Cory and Eric don't want to play. They try to come up with a plan, but before they can Alan finds out how they feel. He tells them that the game was cancelled, but Cory finds out (from Topanga) that the game, in fact, was played. Cory and Eric feel bad and make amends with Alan, planning a make-up game for the following weekend.

Cory and Eric are convinced that Amy is having an affair when they find provocative clothing in her bowling bag, and do not open their mind up to any other possibility.

Cory's classmate Topanga develops a crush on Eric when he visits Mr. Feeny's class as a guest speaker.

Cory and Minkus are put on the Basketball B-Team for their school, which, subsequently, never gets to play.

Eric decides to quit his job at his father's store when he gets a modeling job at the mall. Alan wants to stop him, but Amy wants him to learn on his own. Meanwhile, Cory, Topanga, Shawn, and Minkus have to pretend to be a family for a school project.

Cory and Shawn gamble on race horses and make a lot of money. But Cory realizes not every risk is worth it when he leaves Morgan home alone. Meanwhile, Cory's parents exchange Valentines. Also, Eric tries to get the attention of a girl.

Shawn is forced to stay in Cory's room, in secrecy, because of a cherry bomb prank gone wrong in Alan's grocery store mailbox, which keeps him from going home. Cory keeps it a secret the best he can, but Amy and Alan know something is up because Mr. Feeny saw Shawn climb up to Cory's window. They play along until Shawn leaves and Cory comes clean with them. Shawn finally comes clean and goes back home. Shawn and Cory both learn valuable lessons. Shawn learns that he is not forced to be a bad kid and can be on Cory's "side of the line."

When Cory and Shawn try and sneak an R-rated movie into the house while everyone will be out, their plans are in jeopardy when Mr. Feeny substitutes for their baby-sitter.

On Cory's birthday, Alan gives him a necklace with two silver boxing gloves on it, and Cory accidentally loses it. However, he'll regret that mistake when he finds out their true value.

Cory is cast to play Hamlet in the school production, but he quickly drops the role and it goes to Minkus, who, quite frankly, cannot act to save his life.

When Cory's class watches a film on puberty and how it can affect your emotions, Shawn gets his first date, and Cory's jealousy toward the subject.

When Cory wishes that Mr. Feeny could get sick so that his class won't have to take the exams, he ends up with more then he bargained for when Mr. Feeny ends up in the hospital.