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Drinks Taken: 13
Follow the whole rewatch here!
Last week, Sarah carried us through the most painful aftermath of Noel and Felicity’s breakup, and now things are looking up for them – thanks to a little push from future Academy Award-winning docuventarian Sean Blumberg.
Before we get into this week’s episodes, there’s some VERY BIG Felicity-related news on the street! ATX Television Festival announced yesterday that there’s a Felicity reunion happening at the fest in June! This is major! Sarah and I will def be reporting from the frontlines, so be on the lookout for that.
Let’s drink to being in the same room as Keri Russell!
The Felicity 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.”
Onto the eps!
1.19 “Docuventary”
Sean’s latest harebrained scheme is to make millions of dollars creating a documentary about… “college. People… in college.” What a riveting prompt! Actually, he says, it’s about people venting about college, which is what brings Noel to the genius suggestion that Sean should call it a “docuventary.” So he buys a camera and sticks it in all the pretty faces of our various Felicity friends: the love triangle members (Felicity, Ben, Noel), all the besties (Elena, Julie, Lynn), the dorm randos (Guy, Richard), and the impossible to categorize Meghan, who ties with Elena for providing the most actually compelling footage – Elena, because she’s profoundly insightful, and Meghan because she’s bugnuts crazy.
While all of these lo-fi interviews are taking place, a thread starts to form. Noel and Felicity are still heartbroken, and most of their friends are rooting for them to get back together (again Elena and Meghan are the outliers here. Elena’s not sure Noel deserves her “girl,” and Meghan is going to vomit on camera if she has to answer the question “is Felicity here” one more time from Noel). Sean thinks this well-worn story of “girl and boy aren’t sure they can make it work in college” is somehow going to win him an Oscar, so he starts to push for a happy ending, prodding both parties to talk about the other onscreen. Felicity and Noel are trying to be friends, but it’s too hard on the neurotic Noel, who even tries going to a hypnotist to get the image of Felicity getting down with Eli out of his head. (Meanwhile, I would pay a hypnotist to ensure I can keep that image in my head for all eternity.) Eventually, Felicity says some lovely things about Noel on camera, crying and talking about how much she loves and misses him, and Sean shows it to Noel, who’s touched. Noel talks to Felicity and tells her he loves her, too, and it’s not clear where they stand, exactly, but at least they aren’t angry anymore.
Also! McGrath’s class is even harder than Felicity expected, and she thinks he hates her. (He luuuuuuuurves Elena, however.) It doesn’t help that all this Noel drama makes her late to class on the day he’s assigning the final project, and while everyone else gets a partner, Felicity has to go it alone. She decides to make her project about the genetic inevitability of love or some such overly earnest freshman B.S. I love you, girl, but this project sounds EYE-ROLLY AS HECK.
Finally! Ben’s parents split up a couple weeks ago, and while Ben’s thrilled that his mom is safely removed from his dad, his dad’s taking it out on him by refusing to pay his tuition. He asks Lynn to cover him for a bet, and Lynn begrudgingly agrees, and then of course Ben’s team loses, because gambling is dumb and arbitrary and why does anyone think it’s a safe way to pay tuition? Ben’s a jerk to everyone about it, and ends up getting into a fistfight with an unsuspecting Lynn at the bar. Greeeeeeat, Ben. Just great.
How many times do I have to take a drink?
9.
Straight Talk With Elena
When Felicity assures Elena she’s not taking McGrath’s blatant preference of Elena personally, Elena replies, “You take everything personally.” Double true.
We All Need An Elena
I am LOVING the looks she gives Noel while he’s still hanging Felicity out to dry.
“What’s It Like Living With Felicity?”
Y2K Nostalgia Moment/Sean’s Big Idea
Reality bites! Sean’s buying into this indie documentary boom much like one Ms. Lelaina Pierce once did.
1.20 “Connections”
Ben’s money troubles keep stacking up, and he goes to his bookie – a preppy little twerp I shall henceforth call “twerp” – to ask for an advance. Always a wise move, Benjamin! Twerp refuses, but tells Ben he can make a little extra money as a collector, a job for which Ben is terribly suited, because his first collection target is Guy, and when Guy tries to hand over a few crumpled ones, Ben just doesn’t have the heart to accept. Stuff escalates and Ben pushes away everyone who’s trying to help, and then he gets drunk at Epstein Bar right as twerp arrives and starts needling him. Ben punches twerp and takes off, and twerp calls his frat bros (OF COURSE twerp has frat bros), who go after Ben and kick his ass. Ben wanders the city, bruised and sullen, for over 24 hours, while Julie, Felicity, Noel, Lynn and Sean are all searching for him.
Eventually, he goes to Felicity’s dorm, because obviously that’s where he goes. He tells her he doesn’t want to turn out like his dad, and she convinces him to go back to the loft, and to ask his mom for the money. He doesn’t want to bother her after the divorce, but Felicity wisely tells him to “let your mom be your mom.” He goes home to find Julie, Lynn and Sean all crashed in the living room after a full day of looking for him and being worried sick, and it’s really sweet.
Julie hugs him and Lynn and Sean gather round, and it’s clear that Ben’s going to be okay.
Abby, Felicity’s terrible new boss, is going out of town for a few days, and she’s leaving Felicity in charge. Felicity LOVES being in charge! Also if she doesn’t mess this up, she has a chance at becoming assistant manager at Dean & Deluca, which would mean a big pay raise. Naturally, she messes this up. Abby asks her to fire a clumsy, sadsack weirdo named Danny, and Felicity really tries her best, but Danny is just so pitiful. He tells her he’s late because he’s been volunteering at the orphanage, and while Elena’s like THAT IS CLEARLY SUBTERFUGE, Felicity still feels guilty about firing him. She forges ahead, but it doesn’t take, and Danny decides he won’t let Felicity fire him. She then has to leave D&D before closing thanks to the Benmergency, and she leaves Danny in charge. He does such a good job that Abby gives Danny the promotion, obvs, and right then a nun comes in to thank Danny for his service at the orphanage. Felicity’s face cracks me up.
Felicity and Noel are heating up again. Their “just friends” clause isn’t terribly convincing when they keep looking at each other all kiss-horny, and after Noel helps Felicity search for Ben, he does finally lay one on her. He feels empowered to do so after some advice from Richard, believe it or not. Noel’s just been invited to a prestigious graphic design internship in Berlin, and Richard suggests he tell Felicity, and her reaction will let him know if she still loves him or not. Felicity’s reaction is THIS, so Noel’s pretty sure she still loves him.
And in “nooooooooooooo” news: Elena starts volunteering at McGrath’s office while his assistant is out of town. They have a very grown-up and respectful chemistry, I admit, but it’s still a TERRIBLE idea when she asks him out and he says yes. What are you two thinking?
How many times do I have to take a drink?
4
Cameo
Danny is played by Curtis Armstrong, who has played many, many characters, but who will always be Booger from Revenge of the Nerds to me.
Y2K Nostalgia Moment
It makes me laugh that UNY has a college bookie, when surely all irresponsible college gamblers are at least doing their gambling online these days, right?
Noel’s New Roomie
Richard’s heater is on the fritz, so he moves in with Noel for a few days. Noel is less than thrilled, and Richard honestly could not be more thrilled.
That’s it for this week! Readers, a Q: am I the only one who thinks the Ben gambling plotline is kind of dumb and hyper-dramatic? At least it blows over quickly.
Join Sarah next Wednesday morning as she covers the LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE SEASON: “The Force” and “Felicity Was Here.” Shit is gonna get LIT!
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