'90s Flashback

Where teen loves meet adult cynicism


Felicity 1.22, Felicity Was Here: Unanswered Questions

I feel bad for the person who has to go through life with the name Bette Gross

Summary: Why is Felicity wearing a coat in May? Whatever. She voices over a tape to Sally while working at Dean & DeLuca, having decided to pretend that she didn’t have a close moment with Ben while doing inventory. Danny calls her out for staring off into space instead of working. He doubts how well he’s performing his job, but Felicity promises that he’s doing great. Danny tells her he hopes she works there again next year.

Ben is also at work, and he and Felicity keep looking at each other. Felicity voices over that the moment she and Ben shared couldn’t have been because Meghan’s spell worked. It had to have been nothing. But it did remind her of why she came to New York in the first place – because of her feelings for Ben. She knows how complicated her life would get if the moment had been meaningful.

Ben wants to talk about the moment, asking Felicity if they really almost kissed. Danny interrupts to apologetically tell him to go meet with someone in the stockroom. Also, he likes Ben’s haircut. Ben notes that things with him and Felicity could get really complicated. You think?

In her room, Felicity continues her tape, talking about how quickly the year went. She gets up earlier every day, possibly because the year ending is so exciting. She’s started packing to leave school, and she found a list in her closet of all the people who have lived in her room. It made her wonder where those people are now, and how much they remember about their freshman year. Are they even all still alive?

Felicity and Julie hang out in Julie’s room, where Julie’s been moping about her and Ben’s breakup. Felicity hesitantly says that she might not go on the road trip with Ben after all. Julie says Felicity needs to, because she needs Felicity to find out if Ben wanted a break because he’s interested in someone else.

Later, Julie gets some of her things from the loft, though Ben can’t find a computer disk she’s missing. He tells her to come back whenever she wants. He even tells her to keep her key to the loft. He’ll be living there again in the fall. The two realize this might be the last time they see each other before she goes home. Ben promises to call Julie, but she tells him not to. She doesn’t want to have to think about having another awkward conversation with him.

Elena wakes up in bed with McGrath, so…that’s happening. Her hair is in braids now, because apparently everyone’s getting new hairstyles before summer break. She looks through a pile of student papers and sees that he gave her a B-. Noel finds Felicity in the mailroom and invites her to skip the road trip with Ben and come to Berlin with him instead. He knows that’s a big move for them, but he’s sure it’s the right decision. Felicity agrees to think about it.

Felicity tells Sally that her first instinct was to say yes to Berlin, so now she has to tell Ben that she’s not going on the road trip. Not only does she want to be with Noel, but she also doesn’t feel comfortable hanging out with Ben after his breakup with Julie. In addition, there’s obviously something between them. Ben doesn’t get why their near kiss in the storeroom is a good reason not to do a road trip together. Oh, honey. He notes that since they didn’t kiss, there’s an unanswered question. Then he answers it by kissing her. He tells her he’s wanted to do that for a long time. Felicity engages her flight reflex and runs away.

She goes to Noel’s room, where he’s put together a slide show to convince her to go to Berlin. He doesn’t need it, though, since she accepts his invitation. Now she just needs to tell her parents about her plans. She’s sure they’ll freak out, but she’ll just ignore them. Later, Felicity tells Elena that Ben kissed her. Elena thinks she should go on the road trip instead of Berlin. They’re in their last class with McGrath, and Felicity’s nervous about her grade on her final paper. Elena’s seen her grade and assures her that it’s fine. She’s shocked to see that her own grade has changed – it’s now an A.

Felicity thinks over her options as she and Meghan finish packing up their stuff. They exchange awkward goodbyes, and Felicity tells Meghan to have fun at Wicca camp. Meghan leaves, then comes back to give Felicity a note she wrote the second week of school, then sealed in an envelope. It says, “There’s no chance in Hell Felicity’s going to make it through the whole year.” Meghan planned to give it to her as an “I told you so” when Felicity quit school, but Felicity exceeded Meghan’s expectations. Both of them hope to be RAs next year.

Ben comes by to try to convince Felicity to come on the road trip. He gets her reservations because of Noel and Julie, but he’s sure Felicity wants to come. Felicity doesn’t want to be the devil who goes off with Ben, not caring what Noel and Julie think. She knows she and Ben wouldn’t be able to keep things platonic. Ben promises that he would keep things platonic, but Felicity doesn’t think it’ll work.

Ben sits on the bed and asks Felicity to sit next to him so they can act like they’re in the car. There’s nothing to worry about! It’s all innocent! Felicity asks what happens when they stay in a motel room with only one bed. Then someone writes a fanfic about you, I think. Ben lies down and tells Felicity to lie next to him so they can try that out, too. Suddenly things don’t feel so platonic.

Felicity is done with the conversation, adamant that she’s going to Berlin. Ben notes that Felicity’s wearing the necklace he got her again, which has to mean something. She walks him out, and Noel runs up to jump in the elevator with Ben. He asks if Felicity’s gotten her passport yet, telling Ben that they’re both going to Berlin.

Felicity goes to get her passport, chatting with the photographer about her summer plans. She asks if he’s ever taken a cross-country road trip. He has, and he loved it. He thought it was romantic. She heads to class with Julie, who announces that she knows who Ben likes: Nicole. She heard it from Lynn (who, fortunately, has broken up with Nicole and won’t be going on a cruise with someone who likes someone else).

Felicity admits that she knew about Nicole, which upsets Julie. Felicity continues that she doesn’t think Nicole is the person Ben likes. But she can’t bring herself to tell the truth, because she knows Julie would ask her how she feels about Ben. Now she’s thinking about what would really be wrong with going on the road trip.

Ben watches as Felicity chats with Noel at Dean & DeLuca when he brings her a plane ticket. She looks very happy with her decisions, at least at this moment. That night, she waits for Ben outside his building so they can discuss the road trip again. What would it mean if they went together? Ben says he’s never met someone who thinks so much about what things mean. Felicity calls herself the devil again, and Ben says she’s not the devil. Even if she were, he would still want her to come on the trip.

Felicity reminds him that other people will be affected if they go together. Ben can only think about how smart she is, and what a good friend she is, and how much he likes her. He doesn’t want to pass up this chance. Felicity says she doesn’t, either. Just then, they hear footsteps coming down the stairs into the living room. It’s Julie, who came over to get her lost computer disk. She heard everything.

Felicity goes to Julie’s room later to apologize for not telling her about her plans. Julie accuses Felicity of trying to steal Ben, and of being the other woman all along. Felicity says she didn’t plan this and never meant for Julie to get hurt. Julie doesn’t care, since it happened. Whatever her intentions were, Felicity’s a lying b&%#$. Felicity says she’s going to Berlin, but Julie doubts that…since she told Noel everything. Ooooh! Julie’s going for a scorched-earth strategy!

Like Julie, Noel doesn’t want to talk to Felicity. He just asks for her ticket back. Good thing it’s refundable! Maybe he should invite Guy instead. Felicity goes to see John, that counselor she saw a couple times at the beginning of the season, and tells him how coming to New York has put her in relationships with people who have become important to her. She figures a lot of people come crying to John about the way things have turned out. John asks if she’s still thinking about being an RA. Felicity isn’t, figuring she’s not the best person to give advice. John thinks she is, since she’s been through tough times herself.

Ben comes to Felicity’s room, having left on the road trip, then returned to the city. He came back for her. He wanted to think of some great reason to get her to change her mind, and though he couldn’t, he thinks the reason he does have is enough: He likes her. Ben never wanted to hurt Julie, and he hates how screwed up everything is, but he also can’t help how he feels. This is Felicity’s final chance to change her mind about the trip. Ben knows it’ll be better if they go together. He’ll go back to the loft and wait until 10:00. If Felicity doesn’t show up, then he’ll go alone. She can’t believe he came back for her.

After Ben leaves and Felicity goes back to packing, she finds an envelope with her name on it. Noel left her a letter saying she means more to him than anyone else on the planet. No matter what happens with her and Ben, or her and anyone else, his feelings won’t change. He’s left her the plane ticket and wants her to consider using it to join him in Berlin.

Felicity finishes up her letter to Sally, talking about an ant farm she had as a kid. She let the ants go after a few months, and she looked at all the empty tunnels they left behind, like the empty spaces left behind on campus now that the year is over. Felicity saw one ant still there, still working. It’s an analogy, you see, since Felicity’s the last one left in her dorm. The ant had a decision to make about where he wanted to go, and now Felicity has a decision to make.

She tells Sally that she won’t be flying home by herself. She didn’t have to choose between Noel and Ben, but she did. Noel waits for Felicity at the airport as she gets in a cab. The driver asks her where he should take her. Felicity tells Sally she’ll be home in a few weeks, but she doesn’t say where she’ll be spending the time before then. And yes, she added her name to the list of her room’s inhabitants.

Thoughts: Felicity and Meghan have that huge room AND at least one closet? I’m so mad. I had to live in a double with two other people the first semester of my freshman year! Our room was bigger than most but it still wasn’t big enough! Gah!

What’s worse – a B- you don’t think you deserve or an A you definitely didn’t earn the right way?

Claudia Kishi would love Meghan’s playing card earrings and necklace of giant fake strawberries.

Imagine Meghan as an RA. I can’t think of anyone less likely to enforce rules.

Amazingly, I’m already done with season 1. Time for us to steel ourselves for the famous (infamous?) haircut.

Leave a comment

LOOK ON MY TAGS, YE MIGHTY, AND DESPAIR!

actual sad moments Amy Sutton Beverly Hills 90210 booze breakup Bruce Patman BSC Buffy the Vampire Slayer Cindy Walsh Clare Arnold Cleo Finch crime and/or punishment Dawson's Creek death Donald Anspaugh drugs ER Felicity Gail Leery Grams Ryan Griffin Holbrook holiday (celebrate) illness injury it's summer (again) Jackie Taylor Janet Sosna Jim Walsh Joyce Summers Kirsten Bennett Lila Fowler Matt Durning mistaken identity/twin switch Nat Bussichio Noah Hunter Party of Five questionable sartorial decisions Sarah Reeves school dance Steven Wakefield SVH SVT SVU Tara Maclay the sex The X-Files Todd Wilkins Tom Watts Valerie Malone Winston Egbert

ARCHIVES