11. The Beard

Complete story — includes the ending

Shawn finds himself in an adolescent dilemma when two girls, Linda and Stacy, simultaneously express interest in dating him. Unable to choose between them, he devises a plan to date Stacy while asking Cory to "babysit" Linda to temporarily keep her off the dating market. Knowing Cory is not a romantic threat, Shawn views him as the perfect social proxy. Cory reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, but the plan quickly backfires when he and Linda discover they share an incredible amount of common ground. During their double date at Chubbie's, Cory finds himself genuinely falling for Linda, sparking an internal conflict between his growing romantic feelings and his fierce loyalty to Shawn.The situation escalates when Shawn and Stacy abruptly break up the following day. Eager to pursue Linda, Shawn approaches Cory to reclaim his "backup" girl. Cory is forced to confess that he has developed real feelings for Linda. Rather than causing a permanent rift, the confession prompts Shawn to gracefully back down, prioritizing his friendship with Cory over his superficial attraction to Linda. Meanwhile, Amy experiences difficulty choosing a new vehicle. While Cory and Eric aggressively lobby for a flashy sports car, Amy opts for a practical minivan instead. Hoping to surprise her, Alan takes the initiative to purchase the exact minivan she wanted. To his bewilderment, Amy reacts with frustration rather than joy, reprimanding him for rushing into a major financial purchase without making the decision together as a team. Guest stars: Blake Soper as Joey, John Capodice as Chubbie, Lenny Wolpe as Car Dealer, Ethan Suplee as Frankie, Haylie Johnson as Linda, Molly Morgan as Stacy, Joshua Wiener as Roy Absent: Danielle Fishel as Topanga Lawrence, Lily Nicksay as Morgan Matthews