Last week, Meredith lead us on a five star tour of the best episode of the series, in which Felicity and Ben finally get together!! I will cheers the hell out of that!
The Felicity Season Two Drinking Game Rules
Drink once every time:
Felicity is endearingly earnest.
Ben smiles sheepishly.
Noel is adorkable.
Elena is a better friend than anyone deserves.
Meghan is mean and it’s awesome.
Javier butchers a word or figure of speech.
Richard freaks out (in a good or bad way).
Drink twice every time:
Felicity stresses you out.
Felicity says, “Dear Sally.”
Sean invents something.
Javier refers to Ben as “Benjamin.”
Let’s wrap up sophomore year, shall we?
2.22 “The Biggest Deal There Is”
Ben and Felicity are on like Donkey Kong, but they’re not getting it on all the way… yet. Determined to spend the summer with Ben (who is flying back to CA the day following Javier and Samuel’s wedding), Felicity turns down the internship, even after Professor Morton tells her that they would be working with a guest curator who is apparently a big effing deal painter guy. I get Felicity’s desire to be with Ben (boy do I get it) but I think I speak for all of us when I say that it’s a RELIEF when Felicity runs into Dr. Pavone in the bathroom. After Pavone congratulates her on the internship, Felicity begrudgingly admits that she turned it down but swears that it’s because she wants to spend time with parents. Pavone sees through that BS, because she’s a shrewd mothercusser, and tells Felicity, “Don’t throw away an opportunity to become a more interesting person out of fear.” CAN WE GET THAT ON A T-SHIRT, PLEASE? Pavone reassures Felicity that, if she and Ben truly love each other, they’ll be there for each other no matter what, and she’s so right. (Apparently, she only gives the really good advice in the bathroom. Which seems in line with girl code.)
Felicity initially resists Pavone’s wisdom, but then she spots Ben talking with Natalie, Javier’s smokin’ hot cousin who is Trouble with a Capital T, and realizes that she can’t babysit their relationship (though she has nothing to fear from Natalie, because Ben may be a dude, but he’s a dude in love with Felicity). Plus Javier has adequately warned him.
Ben tells Felicity to take the internship, but he’s clearly upset about spending the summer apart, and their conversation devolves into Ben saying they should slow things down. NOOOOOO. I’m so glad I’ve seen this episode several times because otherwise I’d be threatening to cut the writers for so quickly separating my OTP. On the bright side, this friction results in a great exchange between Ben, Richard and Sean, with the latter saying, “I can’t believe she chose the internship over you,” and Richard replying, “Now you know what it’s like to be Noel.” OH SNAP. To make matters worse, Professor Morton has already offered the internship to a grad student, so Felicity is in a holding pattern.
Sean is in the same kind of purgatory thanks to Meghan, who tells Felicity that he’s pretty amazing then tells Sean that their night together was a big mistake. She claims she has to focus on prepping for her counselor gig at Wicca Camp–apparently she got kicked out last summer but it’s under new management–so they agree to have sex “just one more time.” Riiiiight.
Meanwhile, Julie has been contacted, after months of radio silence, by her birth mother, Carol, who tells her that her birth father (Carol’s husband) is sick. Thanks to Ben being sweet and asking Julie what happened, we find out that Carol asked Julie to take a test to determine if she’s a match to be a kidney donor. Julie walked out (understandable) but Ben points out that her dad is innocent in this situation–it was Carol who hid the truth from him about having a daughter. Ben, YOU ARE SO WISE. Julie seems to reconsider taking the test, and I do not envy her one bit.
At Javier and Samuel’s rehearsal dinner (at Sean’s loft!), Noel meets Natalie, and since he did not receive Javier’s ample warnings, he is immediately intrigued. I gotta admit, their initial banter is charming, and I’m kinda proud of Noel for bringing such a strong flirt game!
Felicity, as the best (wo)man, begins her toast by extolling the virtues of Javier (“There is no bigger romantic on this planet”–so true) but then gets all passive aggressive towards Ben by using her speech to highlight everything Javier and Samual have that she and Ben don’t. It is SO UNCOMFORTABLE (drink drink drink) and then it gets WORSE when Ben stands up and starts a toast of his own, about how Samuel followed Javier to Spain, and it’s basically a terrible game of one-upmanship. Finally, Felicity and Ben head into his room to argue, but they go from fighting to sex (!!!!) in about 10 seconds, and while Felicity laughts over the fact that the 40 people in the next room have no idea what is happening, I want to cringe myself inside out because those 40 people TOTALLY KNOW and it’s a freaking rehearsal dinner and Javier is most def the Jesus of forgiveness. Like, I can’t even be happy that Felicity and Ben did it because I’m busy being pounded by TSUNAMI WAVES OF AWKWARD.
But, okay, it is pretty damn wonderful when they’re cuddled up in bed afterwards, with Felicity teasing Ben about how he says “anything” (“Eh-nything”–Scott Speedman is Canadian after all) and how he used to call Javier “Javi-eh.” ADORBS.
As the wedding is about to begin, all manner of shizz hits the fan. Felicity gets a call from her professor, who says the internship is all hers. Elena, worried because Noel never came home, finds out that he and Natalie spent the night walking around the city and talking together, and when Natalie brushes it off by asking Elena if she’s ever done something similar, Elena reponds with: “If we get to know each other better, I’ll let you in on things I’ve done.” Bow down to HRH the Ice Queen! And Sean, in a rare act of backbone, demands courtesy and kindness from Meghan then gives her a silver skull necklace. “No one’s ever given me jewelry before…” Meghan begins, before Sean interrupts. “Let me finish. That I don’t wear in my nose, tongue or belly button.” Great moments happen when Meghan is interrupted.
Now it’s finally time for the ceremony, and as Javier and Samuel say their vows, there’s not a dry eye in the house.
Richard: Excuse me, do you have any tissues?
Javier announces that he’s going to be a freshman at the University of NY in the fall (!!) while Felicity and Ben stare at each other with blazing heart eyes, and I NOW PRONOUNCE US ALL PREGNANT FROM SWOON.
With the reception in full swing, Felicity tells Ben that she’s gonna take the internship, and he gives the absolute perfect response: “Well, we better start dancing.”
LOOK AT THE WAY THEY EMBRACE, AND HIS HANDS ON HER BACK AND SOMEONE DOUSE ME WITH ICE COLD WATER PLEASE.
You know who else is feeling a spark? Noel, who tells Natalie, “I’ve spent the past year trying to do the right thing and be the nice guy and be understanding and kind and accommodating and I am so sick of it!” She asks him if he wants to do something dangerous, something scary and impulsive and wild, and his answer is yes, because the next morning, Natalie doesn’t show up for her flight, and Elena discovers that half of Noel’s stuff is gone. He left a note that simply said, “See you in September, maybe.” And all of us that have seen Season 3 twiddle our fingers with glee!
As everyone prepares to head out for the summer, Meghan (wearing the skull necklace) informs Sean that she quit Wicca Camp and wants him to spend the next few months with her at her parents’ villa in Tuscany. Sean gives the appropriate answer, which is HELL YES.
Felicity and Ben say good-bye next to his cab, and she’s teary, and I’m teary, but their last kiss is a good one, and Ben whispers that he loves her, and she says she loves him, and it’s bittersweet but in the most lovely way. Especially because Dr. Pavone calls Felicity and tells her to come by the office, where she’s packing up (don’t go, Pavone!). She shows Felicity a picture of her husband, Joe, who was in the Air Force, which meant they were apart on and off for four years. “You get through it,” she tells Felicity, then she says, in her profound Pavone way, “You chose yourself over a guy, over Ben. Do you realize what that means? It means you’re growing. It means you’re making real choices, adult choices.” Then we get a final shot of Felicity, standing on the roof where she and Ben talked about seeing snow, but this time she’s alone, ready for a summer of adventure on her own terms, and WE’RE SO PROUD OF YOU, GIRL.
How many times do I have to take a drink?
6
Ben’s Lack of Respect for the Student Body (Co-)President
Richard: Hey, you know where I’m going this summer?
Ben: Where?
Richard: Palm Beach! [Ben quickly turns away]
It’s worth noting that Richard includes a Speedo in his list of key ingredients for a summer in Palm Beach.
The Student Body (Co-)President’s Lack of Respect for Ben
Richard: Sounds like you and Chia Head are officially on the rocks, Mr. Slick.
Ben: Don’t call her that. Don’t call her Chia Head. [Richard pats his arm.] Don’t pat me.
Meghan’s Guide to Wedding Attire
Never wear white, obviously.
Cooking Up a Bromance
THESE GUYS.
Crunching On This Reception Montage
My heart, MY HEART!
Best Meghan-ism
In the after-glow of hooking up with Sean:
Cameo
Just like the rest of America, I knew Ali Landry as the Dorito’s girl before she played Natalie. And her IMDB tells me that this role on Felicity is… by far her best.
This recap was originally combined with the Season 3 premiere, so hit the Next button and get on over there! (Though I wouldn’t exactly be eager for Junior Year to start.)
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