June 19, 2021
Felicity 4.14, Raising Arizona: What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?
I’m sure they’ve worked everything out and will never have any problems again!
Summary: Noel is doing some work at the loft when Felicity comes by to talk about Adam. She’s worried that working with him again will be weird after he tried to kiss her. Noel tells her that Adam’s an adult, so if she talks to him about the situation, he’ll be reasonable. Felicity invites him to an architectural walking tour, but Noel already has plans with Zoe. He agrees to do the tour with her that night instead.
Ben comes home wanting to talk to Felicity about the Lauren/baby situation. He’s decided he needs to be there for his child, in some way. Felicity must have anticipated this, because she quickly tells him that’s fine. Ben still thinks they’ll be able to get through this and have a normal relationship, even while he’s raising a child with another woman.
The next day, Ben encounters a guy with a crying baby in the hallway of Lauren’s building. Here is your future, Ben Covington! He tells Lauren he’s changed his mind about the baby and wants to be involved. Lauren’s happy to hear that, but it’s going to be more complicated than Ben thought: She’s about to move to Arizona.
Her parents live in Phoenix and there are a lot of job opportunities there. Ben, meanwhile, is 21, is still in college, and wants to go to med school. Lauren will get more support from her retired parents. Ben argues that his child needs a father, which Lauren agrees with. She suggests that he move to Arizona. Ben says his life is in New York. Lauren tells him she’s doing what’s best for the baby, which is difficult to argue with.
Felicity goes to Adam’s office to try to talk to him about how not to be awkward around each other. Adam’s eagerly waiting to hear if he’s gotten a project he wants, so he’s barely paying attention to her. He lands the project and asks Felicity if she can stick around next year to help with it. Felicity says she’ll be in the city anyway – Ben’s going to take a fifth year after all – so why not? Adam asks what Felicity wanted to discuss with him. She mentions their near-kiss, which they both agree was a mistake. He’s totally fine with never talking about it again.
At Epstein Bar, Noel and Zoe are discussing going away together for the weekend. They’re at that point already? Wow. She spots a co-worker, Paulina, and makes Noel hide under the table with her. Paulina sees them anyway, so Zoe tells her that Noel got dizzy. After Paulina leaves, Zoe says that she doesn’t want Paulina to find out about their relationship. She’ll tell Dominic, and Zoe doesn’t want him to know about them yet.
Ben hangs around after one of Hodges’ classes, so Hodges thinks he has a question about some of the material. Instead, Ben asks about pre-med programs in Arizona. He’s probably going to stay in New York, but he needs to explore all his options. Hodges does know someone at the University of Arizona and can find out if it’s too late for Ben to transfer there.
Meghan and Javier do a scene from Oedipus Rex together in their drama class; once again, he’s fine but she’s not that great. Afterward, Javier asks Meghan to give a little more in their next scene so he has more to work with. Meghan doesn’t see the point, since she doesn’t care about acting. A man named Paul approaches and introduces himself as a casting director. He wants to cast Javier in a mattress commercial. “They’re looking for someone really…special,” he says. Uh-oh. Paul also wants Meghan; he likes her attitude. They’ll have to audition against each other, though.
Trevor thinks Noel is moving in on Felicity since he thinks Ben is going to move on to Lauren. Ben says Noel doesn’t know anything about the Lauren situation, and he’s not worried about Noel stealing Felicity from him (again). They’re just going on a walking tour together. They’re actually talking about Felicity possibly working with Adam next year, before Noel tells Felicity that someone left a message for Ben about a school in Arizona. So it looks like Noel’s getting in the middle of the relationship after all, purposely or not.
Felicity asks Ben about the message and why he’s looking at schools in Arizona. He tells her Lauren’s moving there, so he’s thinking about going with her. Felicity’s annoyed that he told Hodges before he told her. Ben again promises that things will be fine, but every time he says that, Felicity becomes less and less sure. She tells Ben that Adam wants her to work with him next year, which means she has to stay in New York. They need to talk about what they’ll do after graduation. Ben blows up at her, saying he’s still figuring it out. Well, yelling will definitely help.
Noel comes home after the walking tour and is immediately confronted by Ben for talking to Felicity about the message about Arizona. Sean notices that Ben is upset and asks what’s going on. Ben fills him in, telling him that Noel doesn’t know what’s going on. Sean says that Ben has legal options; fathers have rights, so he might be able to get a judge to rule that Lauren can’t take his child to Arizona. Ben doesn’t want to go that far. Sean tries to talk up Arizona by saying that Santa Fe’s supposed to be beautiful. Wrong state, Sean.
Javier practices for his audition, getting positive feedback from…who’s that? Oh, right, Felicity and Meghan’s roommate. The one who used to get to do stuff on this show. Meghan is more critical about Javier’s performance. He accuses her of playing mind games and trying to steal his dream. Why is she trying out for a commercial when she doesn’t care about acting? Meghan says she’s just in it for the $3,000 payment. Elena likes the sound of that and considers auditioning herself. Javier says that if Meghan were a real friend, she’d drop out. Meghan replies that if he were a real actor, he wouldn’t care about his competition.
Felicity tells Adam that she won’t be able to work with him after all, since she doesn’t know where she’ll be next year. She gives him a little overview of the situation, and Adam asks why Ben gets priority in determining where the two of them live. Zoe tells Noel that she thinks she’s convinced Paulina that they were just hanging out as friends at Epstein Bar. Noel thinks they should just tell Dominic they’re dating. Zoe admits that she doesn’t want anyone to know about them. She doesn’t think they’re going to work out. Yeah, no kidding.
Hodges tells Ben that he missed the deadline to transfer to the University of Arizona for the fall semester, but his contact in admissions is willing to give Ben’s application special consideration. The catch is that he’ll have to complete everything by tomorrow. The contact is about to go on a lecture tour, so this is the only time she has to review everything. Ben will have to decide immediately if he really wants to go to Arizona.
He meets with Lauren, asking her to put off her move for a little while. He can take night classes to complete his pre-med requirements sooner. Lauren has already lined up her new life in Arizona, and she doesn’t want to wait. Again, she’s doing what’s best for the baby. Ben notes that what’s best is for the baby’s parents to live in the same state. Lauren won’t budge.
Felicity goes to the loft, where Noel is moping. She asks to mope with him. He tells her he and Zoe broke up, but Felicity isn’t about to comfort him when she can cry about her own situation. She blurts out that Ben got Lauren pregnant and now might move to Arizona with her. Noel gives her a comforting hug, so of course that’s when Ben walks in. And of course he thinks Noel is making a move instead of just being a good friend.
Felicity goes to talk to Ben, who complains that she always goes running to Noel when something’s wrong. He guesses that she was talking to Noel about Ben and Lauren. Felicity says she just needs someone to talk to. Ben replies that if she hadn’t slept with Noel, none of this would have happened. Yeah, it’s Felicity and Noel’s fault you slept with Lauren and didn’t use protection. Felicity thinks that’s bull, too. She guesses that Ben will never be able to get past the fact that she slept with Noel. Ben says she’s right, and they’re through.
Looking for a distraction, Felicity goes to Adam’s studio, now wanting to keep working with him. He gets her to open up to him about everything she’s been dealing with. She tells him she and Ben broke up, but she doesn’t really want to talk about it. Adam’s pleased that Felicity’s now going to focus on her life instead of tagging along with Ben to Arizona. Yeah, because Felicity never focuses on herself.
Noel doesn’t want to be in the office with Zoe, so he tells Sean he’s going home. This, friends, is why you don’t date a co-worker. (I say this as someone whose brothers all met their wives at work.) Sean is surprised about Noel and Zoe’s breakup, since he thought they were going to work out. Meghan decides that she and Javier are making too big a deal out of the audition and are letting it ruin their friendship. She offers to drop out. Javier presents a deal: They’ll both try out, and whoever gets the part has to treat the other to dinner. But what if neither gets the part?
Zoe asks Sean why Noel disappeared before a meeting. Sean says he just had some stuff to take care of. He tells her that Noel’s awesome, so he doesn’t get why Zoe wanted to end things with him. Zoe doesn’t want to discuss this with Sean. He leaves her with one last thought: If she lets Noel go, she’ll regret it.
Felicity goes to the loft to get some of her things while Ben is out. Noel can’t believe that Ben really thinks there’s something going on between them. Felicity says she just doesn’t think he’ll ever get past what happened. Ben comes home, and Noel decides he needs to intervene here. He announces that there’s nothing going on between him and Felicity. Felicity loves Ben, not Noel. Noel has enough relationship issues of his own and doesn’t want to be involved in theirs. Ben and Felicity need to work things out and be together.
He leaves them alone so they can talk, but Ben takes a while to decide to handle this maturely. He takes back what he said about Felicity being to blame for what happened with him and Lauren. Felicity promises that there’s nothing going on with her and Noel. She made a mistake sleeping with him, but it’ll never happen again. Ben knows that, but things are so crazy that it’s hard to remember that. He feels like he’s drowning and pulling Felicity down with him. He should see Dr. Auerbach, who won’t let him drown.
Ben continues that sometimes he feels like Felicity should be with someone else. She tells him firmly that she wants to be with him, and he says the same. Okay, then stop acting like a maniac! Ben asks Felicity to come to Arizona with him. She tells him she can’t – she needs to find her own direction in life. But she wants to find that with him.
At work, Zoe asks Noel to talk. She tells him that Dominic doesn’t really hate him; he’s just protective. He’s not the real reason Zoe didn’t want to be with Noel. A few years ago, she fell in love with someone who was in love with someone else. The past three years have been difficult for her. Hey, this sounds familiar! Like something out of a TV show I’ve been watching. What a coincidence! Dominic is overprotective because he’s worried about Zoe. She worried that Noel would dump her if he knew, but obviously Noel can relate. Zoe decides they should tell Dominic about the relationship.
Javier and Meghan meet up at the dorm apartment to find out which of them got the part in the commercial. Neither of them did, but each expected the other to. They both screwed up on purpose to give the other the part. Javier’s happy that Meghan finally learned how to give to her acting partner. They may not have gotten the commercial, but they got a real relationship.
Ben goes back to Lauren’s apartment to ask her one last time to rethink moving to Arizona. He’s trying to be reasonable, but he does have some rights. Legally, he could keep her in New York. Dude, don’t do that. Ben points out that Lauren has made a bunch of decisions without him, and she can’t do that anymore. She tells him she’ll think about staying. Back at the loft, Ben invites Noel to join him and Felicity at Epstein Bar. Aww, look at Ben making adult decisions! Felicity happily observes the two of them chatting at a table.
Thoughts: “And then Javier and Meghan have to compete with each other for a mattress commercial” is an idea someone actually pitched for this episode. I’d say the series ended at the right time if this is the kind of plot the writers were coming up with.
So it never crosses Felicity’s mind for a second that she can stay in New York, date Ben long-distance for a year, then join him in Arizona? Freaking A. Use your entire brain, girl.
The better ending to Meghan and Javier’s plot would have been Elena getting the role. She needs the money more than they do anyway; she has to pay for med school.
June 12, 2021
Felicity 4.13, Kiss and Tell: Everything Will Be Fine
ANGST!
Summary: Mr. Covington has recovered from his transplant and is out of the hospital, having dinner with Ben at Epstein Bar. He has a bunch of time off from his job, so he and Mrs. C. are just going to relax together. Mr. C. saw Lauren recently and found out she’s pregnant. Ben pretends that’s brand-new information. Mr. C. doesn’t know who the baby’s father is, but Lauren said he doesn’t want to be involved. Mr. C. thinks that guy’s a loser. And that’s coming from a guy who practically abandoned his own kid!
After dinner, Ben goes to the dorm apartment and asks Felicity to go for a walk. He wants her opinion on the whole Lauren/baby situation. She says she’s overwhelmed. Ben tells her Mr. C. knows about the baby but not that Ben is the father. Ben still thinks things are going to turn out fine. Felicity keeps saying she knows that, but it doesn’t sound like she believes it.
Felicity lies awake that night while Ben sleeps, and she goes to the loft’s living room, where Noel is making a late-night snack. She confides that she feels like everything’s changing. He’s sure that her life plans will work out, just like his are after she told him so many times last year that they would. He suggests that she look at classes that might provide her with a new course in life. Felicity shows an interest in architecture, so Noel offers to connect her with a grad-student friend of his, Adam, who’s looking for help with a model for a contest. Felicity likes the idea of taking on a new project right now.
In the morning, Meghan tells Sean she wants to go out that night. Sean is too busy working on his latest idea, shoe covers to go over your sneakers to make them look like dress shoes. Meghan thinks people would prefer to just buy new shoes. They start fighting. Shocking! Ben and Trevor meet with the counselor who gave Noel his job (I guess he came back after Noel left), hoping he can tell them if they’re on the right track with their med-school applications. He tells them to do some volunteer work. There’s an opening with Big Brothers, so the guys will try that.
Noel and Zoe run into each other at work, and the awkwardness is palpable. Noel addresses it head-on, saying he doesn’t think things need to be weird between them. They can just be professional. Zoe’s happy to hear that, since her father’s going out of town for a couple of weeks and has left her in charge of the account Noel is working on. Noel’s like, “Yes, professionalism, let’s go! Also, come to a party my friends are throwing.”
Felicity meets Adam, who’s more interested in advice on his personal life than her help with his model. His girlfriend used to help him, but it looks like she wants to date someone else now. I think Felicity’s going to have to hear about this a lot. That means we are, too. Can I preemptively opt out of this storyline? I could recap something else instead.
Ben and Mr. C. are getting ready to go to some game together; afterward, Mr. C. wants to visit Lauren and give her some pregnancy-related books. Since the baby’s father isn’t going to be involved, Mr. C. wants to step up. Ben decides this is the time to tell Mr. C. that he’s the baby’s father. He tries to make Lauren look like the bad guy here, since she waited four months to tell him about the baby. Mr. C. is sympathetic, since Ben is so young and has plans of going to med school and becoming a doctor. He acknowledges that this is a complicated situation.
Felicity was supposed to go to the loft, but she’s working on Adam’s model at the dorm apartment. She didn’t get much direction from Adam, since he’s so focused on his love life. Ben tells her that he filled Mr. C. in on the baby, and Mr. C. just listened like a normal dad. Ben thinks Felicity’s upset and invites her to talk, but she wants to keep working on the model.
The next day, Sean and Noel join a staff meeting Zoe’s leading. Noel presents an idea about a mail-order catalog, but Zoe immediately shoots it down, and not very nicely. After the meeting, Sean asks Noel if he and Zoe are sleeping together. Apparently the tension between them put that idea in his head. Sean would prefer a peaceful work environment since his home environment is definitely not peaceful. He complains that Meghan hates all his ideas.
The two have stopped at a coffee cart, and the woman running it hears about the shoe covers and comes up with a name, Shoe Jackets. Don’t quit your day job, coffee cart chick. Sean’s happy, though, and invites her to the same party Noel invited Zoe to (it’s at the dorm apartment). The coffee cart chick, Clancy, accepts. As they leave, Noel reminds Sean that he’s married, but Sean says he’s trying to set up Sean with Clancy.
Meghan may have excelled as Margo in All About Eve, but her attempt at playing Juliet isn’t going as well. Her scene partner, Rocco, isn’t exactly a Broadway-caliber actor, but he looks like a good kisser. Javier is stunned to see him just go for it, especially since he leaves Meghan speechless. After class, Rocco invites Meghan to come see his band that night. She invites him to come to the party first. Javier reminds Meghan that she’s married, but Meghan likes the idea of hanging out with someone who doesn’t go to bed at 9:00.
Felicity meets with Adam again, and he’s still obsessed with his ex-girlfriend and the end of his relationship. She commiserates with him, and he finally snaps into work mode. Unfortunately, Felicity will have to keep working on the model that night. Mr. C. goes by the loft, where Ben is getting ready to start his Big Brother volunteering. Mr. C. is upset on Ben’s behalf that he’s in a tough situation with Lauren, but he thinks Ben is making the wrong decision. Ben really doesn’t want advice about parenting from the man who was never really a father to him. Mr. C. says he’s trying to be a parent now, but Ben says it’s too late.
Ben goes to meet his little brother, but the second he sees the kid, he realizes he can’t mentor a child. He turns around and leaves. Noel asks Zoe why she was so hard on him during the staff meeting, especially since they agreed to be professional. If she’s uncomfortable with the way things stand between them, they can talk about it, but she can’t just shoot down his ideas without listening to them. Zoe thinks the problem is on his end, and that Noel is having trouble working below her. He points out that without him, the company wouldn’t have this account. He urges her to actually review his and Sean’s ideas.
Felicity and Adam stay up until 4:00 in the morning working on the model. He thinks she’s trying to escape something. She just says her life is intense right now. She had fun doing the model, and Adam says she’s good at this. She should consider architecture as her future. He wants to take her to dinner as a thank-you, but Felicity has the party at the apartment. She invites Adam to come. He tells her that no matter what’s going on in her life, everything will be fine.
Everyone else on the show is at the dorm apartment for the party. Trevor is thrilled with his little brother and asks Ben what he did with his. Ben lies that they just hung out. Elena pops into the episode, then pops back out. Clancy hasn’t shown up yet, but Zoe’s there. Ben tells Felicity he has to leave – Mr. C. just called from a bar, about to take a drink.
Sean introduces himself to Rocco, clearly jealous of the attention Meghan’s giving him. When Clancy arrives, Sean says he’s ready to party all night. Rocco tells Meghan he’s totally into the idea of being with someone in an open marriage. As retaliation against Sean, Meghan introduces herself to Clancy as Sean’s husband, then announces that Rocco kissed her in class. The spouses end up fighting in the kitchen, then split up to spend time with their new friends.
Adam arrives at the party and tells Felicity he submitted the model. He doesn’t think it has a chance, since the other entries were so good. She tells him she’ll be fine. Zoe and Noel find a quiet place to talk, and she tells him his catalog is actually good. She apologizes for not being professional. She got flustered because he chose a seat next to another female co-worker instead of her. Noel says he was just too nervous to sit next to Zoe. They kiss, so I guess that whole “we’ll keep everything professional” thing is out the window.
Felicity and Adam chat in her bedroom about how his relationship is definitely over and she’s still struggling with stuff she won’t tell him about. He tries to kiss her, but she stops him, telling him she has a boyfriend. Poor Adam is embarrassed enough to leave. Ben rushes to the bar Mr. C. called him from and slams him for not calling his sponsor instead of his child. Mr. C. really just wanted to talk more about how Ben is making a big mistake with Lauren. Ben can’t believe Mr. C. lied about wanting to drink so he could manipulate Ben into talking to him.
Mr. C. tries to apologize, but Ben says his apologies mean nothing. If Mr. C. wants to drink, he can, but if he does, Ben will never forgive him. Mr. C. says he doesn’t want to drink. He knows he’s a bad father, but he also knows that Ben will always regret it if he doesn’t do the right thing for his own child. He’s too good a person to just walk away.
When Ben gets back to the dorm apartment, the party’s over and everyone’s in bed. He again asks Felicity for her thoughts on what’s happening. He feels like she’s avoiding having a discussion about the situation. She admits that’s true – she doesn’t know what to say. She keeps thinking about how he promised that the baby wouldn’t change anything for them, but she can’t make herself believe that. Like Mr. C., she doesn’t think Ben will be able to live with himself if he abandons his child.
Over at the loft, Meghan and Sean are giving each other the silent treatment, which, I have to say, is a nice change from fighting. They both admit that they didn’t hook up with their new friends. Meghan says she just wants to have fun sometimes. Sean says he just wants Meghan to like one of his ideas. She admits that the shoes she wore to the party were uncomfortable, so maybe Sean could help her with that. He suggests shoe covers. Just don’t call them Shoe Jackets.
The next door, Felicity and Noel run into each other at Epstein Bar. Adam called Noel after the party, feeling terrible about what happened with Felicity. Noel invites Felicity to talk, but she says she has a lot on her mind that she’s trying to work through. Zoe joins him, and Noel introduces her as a co-worker. Yeah, a co-worker he’s meeting for a meal after a make-out session. Totally professional!
Ben asks Mr. C. to come to the loft, where he admits that Mr. C. is right about Ben making a mistake. Mr. C. offers to help however he can. Later, Ben goes to meet his little brother, Oscar. He’s brought some toys to see what Oscar likes, and when Oscar says he wants to play basketball, they make an instant connection. Oscar, you’re about to learn all you could ever want to know about brooding.
Thoughts: Writers, stop sidelining the more interesting characters on your show just so you can do more angsty stuff with your main three.
I’m not sure how much time is supposed to have passed between “A Perfect Match” and now, but I doubt it’s enough for Mr. C. to have made such a big recovery. I also doubt his doctor would be okay with him going out so much and being around big crowds full of germs when his immune system is compromised.
I think the better plot would have been Ben bonding with Oscar and from there realizing he couldn’t abandon his child. The way it played out, he just resisted a bunch until Mr. C. and Felicity told him to stop, and then he changed his mind.
June 5, 2021
Felicity 4.12, Future Shock: Get Your Ducks in a Row
Obviously Meghan needs to work on the physical aspects of acting, but trust me that her line delivery is really good
Summary: Ben, Noel, Felicity, and Sean are all at the loft, and the guys are encouraging Noel to ask out one of their neighbors. He’s not interested, and he excuses himself to do some work. The guys tell him he works too much. Noel says he can’t date right now, since he’s getting his ducks in a row. Lauren shows up and asks Ben to talk in the hallway. She has big news: She’s pregnant, and she’s pretty sure the baby’s his. Strike that – she’s sure it’s his. Lauren isn’t going to ask Ben to be involved if he doesn’t want to; she just wanted to let him know.
Felicity makes a tape for Sally, her first in a while (at least that we’ve heard). It’s the last semester of her last year of college, and she’s feeling pressure about deciding what to do after college. She agreed to go to some galleries with Owen to show her work around. They start out in Chelsea, the most popular spot for young artists to hear they suck. Owen tries to stay optimistic, since it took Cezanne years for anyone to recognize his skills. I guess they’ll just have to wait.
Hodges wants to see Ben and Trevor after class, which really isn’t something Ben needs to be stressed about right now, on top of everything else. He’s told Trevor about Lauren’s pregnancy, and Trevor’s skeptical that Ben is the baby’s father. After class, Hodges tells the guys that he’d like them to be his research assistants on a study he’s working on for publication. Trevor notes that having a published study with their names on it, even as assistants, would look great on their med-school applications. Hodges warns the guys that they have to be serious and can’t make any mistakes.
Noel and Sean prepare to pitch an idea for some account, and discover that Zoe is there to do the same thing. She tells him his work is good, so she’s glad he started his own firm. Noel thinks Zoe will win the account, but Sean is more focused on the look he thinks Zoe’s giving Noel – a look that says she’s interested in him. Dominic is also there, and the look he gives Noel definitely says something different. Something more along the lines of “I want to strangle you with my bare hands.” Noel reminds Sean that he’s not dating because he’s getting his ducks in a row.
Meghan has been forced to take a theater class, and the professor won’t accept a $100 bribe to let her get out of it. I wonder if she’d accept a Shmeghan shirt instead. Probably not. Javier is in the class and is excited to spend some time with “Meggie.” He needs a new scene partner anyway; she’ll be playing Margo Channing in All About Eve. Meghan says that sounds like porn.
Felicity meets up with Ben after a long day of getting nowhere. She’s trying to cling to Owen’s anecdote about Cezanne. Ben hasn’t told her about Lauren’s pregnancy yet, but he does tell her that Hodges wants him as a research assistant. Ben doesn’t really get the research he’s doing; it just requires him to check on carbon nano-tubes every 12 hours. I’m sure nothing will go wrong there!
At the loft, Sean again encourages Noel to stop working so hard and try to have a social life. If he’s always hanging around the loft, he’ll never meet anyone. Noel starts to settle in for a night alone, then changes his mind and calls Zoe. Felicity has dinner with her mother, who sympathizes with Felicity’s struggle to get anyone to say anything encouraging about her art. Barbara lets it slip that Edward doesn’t think Felicity will be able to support herself as an artist.
Barbara herself is having some professional success: She’s about to get her real estate license. She previously wanted to be a writer, but she realized it wasn’t a realistic career path. Maybe Felicity should consider real estate, too. You know, in the completely unlikely event that a career as a successful artist doesn’t work out. Not that that’s what Barbara’s implying or anything.
Ben goes to see Lauren to ask if she’ll take a paternity test to confirm that he’s the baby’s father. Lauren’s fine with that. Javier makes Meghan watch All About Eve with him, but she objects to playing such a mean character. She adds that the actor playing Javier’s role is good – much better than Javier. Does he really think he’ll make it as an actor? Javier calls her Margo, saying she’s more Margo than Bette Davis is in what’s considered her signature role. Meghan says she’d rather be Margo than an unemployed actor working at Dean & DeLuca. Dude! Meghan really is mean!
Noel meets up with Zoe, who apologizes for…you know, making out with him at the office and getting caught by her dad. Even though Noel is her father’s competition for a job Dominic really wants, Zoe’s happy to spend time with him. Ben gets blood drawn for the paternity test, then goes to the lab to work with Trevor. He’s distracted and comes close to messing up an experiment. Trevor tries to reassure him that the baby isn’t his.
Felicity and Owen have another unsuccessful day pounding the pavement, and now she’s worried that she won’t be able to make a living as an artist. Owen is optimistic, saying that life always works out. She asks if he really isn’t worried about not having a stable career. Owen says most people with stable careers hate their jobs – especially real estate agents. Felicity is thinking about pursuing something with a clear, well-marked path, but she admits that she doesn’t know what she wants.
Javier shows Felicity a scene from All About Eve, trying to draw a connection between Margo and Meghan. Elena interrupts with a letter from Columbia Med School, too nervous to open it. Javier opens it for her, pretending he’s going to announce the winner of the Oscar for best picture. Elena got into Columbia, and though Felicity is initially happy for her, it just reminds her that she doesn’t know what she’s going to do next year. She contemplates calling someone about a career in real estate.
At the loft, Sean tells Noel that they got the account they were competing for. Even better, Dominic wants the job so badly that he wants to hire Noel and Sean as independent contractors. Sean thinks they should go for it – they could get access to a bunch of Webb Graphics’ clients. Noel is hesitant, knowing his budding relationship with Zoe will complicate things. He spend the past three-and-a-half years waiting for someone who wanted to be with someone else. Now Noel thinks he’s found someone who wants to be with him. Sean agrees that that’s more important, so if Noel doesn’t want to work for Dominic, that’s okay.
Felicity leaves a message with some real estate guy as Ben gets the paternity-test results. Congratulations, Dad! Felicity goes to another gallery, this time on her own, and when she gets rejected without even a glance at her portfolio, she kind of snaps. She’s frustrated that she’s gone to dozen of galleries and no one will look at her stuff. The woman she’s talking to gives in and looks at a couple of slides of Felicity’s work, then officially rejects her. Hey, at least this time it was because she didn’t like your work! Wait, that’s not encouraging.
Javier and Meghan do a scene for their class, and I have to say that she’s better than he is. Ben goes to Lauren’s apartment to yell at her for waiting so long to tell him she was pregnant. He doesn’t want to have a child, but he also doesn’t like the idea of having a child somewhere in the world whose life he’s not a part of. Lauren tells him he can decide whatever he wants, but she’s already made up her mind about what she’s going to do.
Noel meets Zoe at Dean & DeLuca, where she tells him she had fun on their date, but she’s already seeing someone. She’d like to be friends with Noel, though. Oh, poor Noel. He’s not about to let himself get friendzoned by another woman who likes someone else. When he gets home, he tells Sean he’s ready to work with Webb Graphics. Sean knows it’ll be weird for Noel to work with Zoe, but Noel would rather think about securing a future than worrying about some awkwardness with one of his co-workers.
Ben has inevitably screwed up Hodges’ research, and Trevor warns that Hodges is freaking out. He’s already started looking for a new research assistant. Ben has bigger things on his mind, so he doesn’t really care. At the dorm apartment, Felicity rushes to get ready to see a play with her mother. Barbara is happy that Felicity’s thinking about going into real estate, but now Felicity has changed her mind. Barbara admits that she’s worried about Felicity’s future. Felicity says she is, too, so she needs support from her parents. She thinks Barbara’s given up on her dreams, and Felicity doesn’t want to be that way.
Instead of going to the play, Felicity goes to see Ben, who tells her he screwed up his chances of being Hodges’ research assistant. Felicity changes the subject to her fight with her mother. Felicity, can you be a good girlfriend for once? Not that Ben is being a great boyfriend, of course, since he hasn’t told Felicity that Lauren is having his baby.
Meghan gives Javier a best actor trophy to make up for their fight. She acknowledges that she’s a lot like Margo, though she doesn’t want to be. Javier notes that Margo was mean because she was sad, so maybe Meghan’s sad about something. He suggests that they have a big fight before every scene they do, since it really helped their performance. Meghan disagrees. After she leaves, Javier pretends he’s accepting the award at the Oscars.
Ben tells Lauren that he’s given it a lot of thought and he can’t be a parent right now. Lauren understands and tells him not to feel bad about that decision. Ben knows he’ll regret this choice for a long time. Felicity has channeled her frustration into her work, but she doesn’t want to do another gallery crawl with Owen. He tells her she’s really talented, and if she wants a career in art, it’ll happen. She shouldn’t listen to her parents. His parents want him to be an accountant, something he has no interest in.
Felicity says she wishes she didn’t care what Barbara and Edward thought. She always tells herself she won’t, but then they come visit and she can’t help it. She wonders if she’ll still feel that way in her 40s. They promise each other that no matter what happens, whether or not they stick with art, they’ll never go into real estate or become accountants.
Ben appeals to Hodges for another chance, promising that the thing that was distracting him from his work has been taken care of. He spent last semester proving how important pre-med is to him, so he wants another shot at showing it. Hodges gives in, as long as Ben promises he won’t screw up again. He invites Ben to open up to him, but Ben declines.
Noel and Sean report for work at Webb Graphics, where Zoe tells Noel that she broke up with the other guy she was seeing. Oh, freaking A. Ben finally tells Felicity that Lauren is pregnant with his baby. He promises that he only slept with her once, while he and Felicity were broken up. He doesn’t think this will change anything for him and Felicity. No, I’m sure it won’t, buddy! I’m sure everything will be awesome from here on out!
Thoughts: I’m rewatching Alias, and Amanda Foreman (Meghan) just showed up in a recurring role. It’s really fun to see her play someone who’s basically the exact opposite of Meghan. In her first episode, Carrie cries at a Joni Mitchell song and shows interest in a nerd. Meghan would be shocked.
Speaking of Meghan, what are her future plans? I believe she’s majoring in psychology, so does she want to be a therapist? That would be a horrible career for her.
Hi, Elena! ‘Bye, Elena! Stop by again soon!
May 22, 2021
Felicity 4.10, Fire: Undiscovered Contents
This looks like a scene from an action movie
Summary: Ben and Felicity run into each other on the street and make small talk. She asks if he got her message, and he says he did but has been too busy studying for organic chemistry to call her back. Noel has started taking anti-depressants, and he tells Auerbach that things are clearer – like he was looking through a dirty window before, but now it’s clean. He knows his priority now is finding a job, which is just a stepping stone to eventually starting his own business. Auerbach questions why he hasn’t gotten on that yet. Apparently Noel spent the whole summer mooning over Felicity instead of focusing on his life. Auerbach advises him to cut down on his time with Felicity for a while.
At Dean & DeLuca, Felicity tells Javier that Ben is doing great because he’s found something he’s interested in and is pursuing it. Now Felicity wants to follow in his footsteps. She wanted to get into Cavallo’s program, but she dropped that dream. Now she’s working with him and hasn’t made any efforts to achieve her goals. Javier compares that to his own experiences with Tito Puente. No, he didn’t work with Tito – Javier just lived below him and never got up the nerve to introduce himself. Felicity decides to take another shot at getting into Cavallo’s program.
Meghan’s teenage sister Lila is coming to visit, and Meghan is thrilled. Seems like Lila is the only person in the universe Meghan thinks is cool. She’s also pregnant, though she won’t admit it. Felicity shows Cavallo her portfolio, hoping the work she’s done since she last tried to get into his program will show that she’s made enough progress. Cavallo just tells her to keep up the good work. Felicity tells him she wants to try to get into the program again, so she wants brutal honesty from him. He tells her she has great ideas and energy, but her work needs a cohesive theme. He agrees to review the portfolio again once she’s figured that out.
Hodges is preparing his students for a big exam, and it sounds like he’s learned his lesson and is being a) more forthcoming about what’s on the test and b) more available to his students if they have questions. Ben wants to study with Trevor alone, no Elena, since Trevor and Elena just mess around when they’re all together.
Noel is jumping right into starting his own business, creatively called Noel Crane Graphics. He runs into Felicity, who tells him she’s applying for Cavallo’s program again. Noel starts to offer his help, then hesitates, remember what Auerbach advised. He finishes his offer anyway. Later, in a session with Auerbach, he admits that he’s more focused on making Felicity happy than on worrying about his own life. He should stop doing that.
At the loft, Meghan thinks Lila’s been smoking pot, though Lila claims she’s only around pot smoke because her roommate lights up. (She’s still in high school, so I guess she goes to boarding school.) Lila says Meghan sounds like their mom. Meghan invites Lila to open up about her issues, and Lila finally acknowledges that she’s pregnant. She makes Meghan promise not to tell their parents.
At the dorm apartment, Felicity consults her Magic 8 Ball and is pleased with whatever answer it gives her. She goes to Noel’s office, where, instead of telling her he’s busy and can’t talk right now, he tells her to come in. She tells him she was looking through the dictionary for inspiration and seized on the word piñata. That’s how the year has felt for her – she’s been shaken up and is waiting for the prize to come out. She thinks that would make a great theme for her portfolio.
Noel tells Felicity that there’s some emotional stuff going on. She thinks he means in her portfolio, because they’re talking about her right now, so every single piece of this conversation needs to be about her. Noel clarifies that he’s talking about himself. He’s trying to get his life on track. Felicity figures out that he’s trying to say that they need to spend less time together.
Trevor broke his promise to exclude Elena from his and Ben’s next study session, so Ben decides to go to the library. Trevor tells him to relax – it’s just a test. Ben’s spending too much time studying. Ben says this is more important to him than “just a test.” Felicity passes Noel’s office and pauses to look at him, but he’s focused on whatever he’s doing and doesn’t notice her. She gets to work on her piñata project.
Meghan helps Lila look for an OB/GYN, not realizing that Lila wants to have an abortion. Meghan has to tell her that she’s way too far along for that. She suggests that they tell their parents. Lila refuses, though Meghan notes that since Lila’s on their insurance, they’ll have some questions when they see the OB/GYN bill. Lila asks Meghan to pay the bill for her, but Meghan doesn’t have that kind of money. Lila’s upset that Meghan promised to help but can’t actually help her.
Ben and Trevor take their big test, and while it looks like Trevor isn’t prepared, Ben seems to know the answers. On the other hand, Trevor has a girlfriend to either congratulate or comfort him after the test, while Ben doesn’t, so maybe academics aren’t the most important thing. Felicity has gotten a lot of work done, and she tells Cavallo her theme is “undiscovered contents – the surprises that come after life’s hit you around a little bit.” Again, he just tells her to keep working.
Noel’s working so hard in his office that he doesn’t know there’s an emergency down the hall – a fire has broken out. (For some reason, no alarms have gone off.) Felicity’s listening to music and has no idea that the wing of the building has filled with smoke, or that Noel’s now evacuating people. She doesn’t know anything’s going on until the lights go out. The student who alerted Noel to the fire tells him it started in the art department, so Noel heads over there to make sure no one’s trapped. Of course, Felicity is.
Felicity tries to block the flames from coming under the door to her studio, then struggles to open a window so she can get out. It’s stuck, so she tries to use a paint scraper to wedge it open. Noel arrives in time to tell her that’s a bad idea, since she’ll just let in oxygen and make the fire worse. He tells her to get on the floor and cover her mouth. Then he tells her to stay calm (a phrase that always works) while he leaves.
Noel stumbles down the hall to a fire extinguisher while Felicity tries to move anything flammable away from the door. He manages to use the extinguisher to break the doorknob and rescue her. At Epstein Bar, Ben and Trevor smooth over their issues. Trevor urges Ben to just call Felicity and work things out. Ben uses the big test as an excuse to ignore his personal relationships until now. Trevor suggests that they go check to see if their grades have been posted early, so they can stop worrying about how they did.
Noel speaks with firefighters, then tells Felicity that the damage was contained to their floor and he doesn’t think anyone was hurt. As they decide to leave, it starts snowing. It looks pink, and Felicity gushes over the beautiful surprise. Ben and Trevor ask Hodges about their grades and learn that Trevor got a 79. Thrilled, Trevor credits Hodges for being a good teacher. Ben got a 95, which Trevor is even happier about.
Meghan has gone behind Lila’s back and gotten in touch with their mother. Mrs. Rotundi is more concerned with how people will react to her having a pregnant daughter than she is with what this means for Lila. Meghan tells her that Lila’s terrified of her, which should break Mrs. Rotundi’s heart. Noel takes Felicity home but declines her offer to hang out for a while. He’s much better at resisting temptation than I expected.
Outside the loft, Meghan tells Lila that Mrs. Rotundi is there and knows everything. Lila went to a clinic and confirmed that her only option now is to have the baby. Meghan offers to keep supporting her, though Lila should turn to their mother instead. Lila would rather come live with Meghan, because there aren’t enough people in and out of that loft already. Sean entertains Mrs. Rotundi by showing her some of Shmeghan’s inventory until Meghan and Lila come up. Lila starts crying when eh enters, and Mrs. Rotundi comforts her and promises that everything will be fine.
Felicity tells Javier about the fire and how heroic Noel was. She wants to keep the clothes she was wearing, even though they smell like smoke. At the loft, Ben celebrates his good grade by cooking. Noel comes home and tells them about the fire, mentioning that Felicity was involved but is fine. The look on Ben’s face says that he realizes he could have lost her without working through their issues. Ben calls Felicity immediately to make sure she’s really okay. She heard about his 95 from Elena and congratulates him. She appreciates his call to make sure she’s safe and not alone.
The next day, she goes to the studio and sees that all her work has been damaged. Cavallo tells her he liked what she was doing – it’s similar to what the students in his program produce. He’s ready to bring her onboard. “Your piñata took another hit,” he says. “Let’s see what spills out.”
Felicity takes a piñata down the hall to Noel’s office and tells him she’s in the honors program. She’s worried that she and Noel aren’t friends anymore. He says he just needs to chance some things about himself. Felicity doesn’t want him to change too much, since she likes him the way he is, but she gets that he needs to get things back on track. In his next session with Auerbach, Noel tells him that he took a step back from Felicity, and it was weird letting go of something so important to him, but it doesn’t feel right to just wait around for her anymore.
Thoughts: I’m sorry but piñatas are a dumb theme for an honors-level college thesis program, especially one taught by a revered professor you want to take you seriously. I mean, add some unicorns and rainbows while you’re at it. And make sure to mention that you consulted a Magic 8 Ball.
No fire alarm and, apparently, no training on fire safety at this school. They’re going to get hit with a lot of lawsuits.
“So that was some test, huh? A lot of questions, a lot of chemistry.” Trevor O’Donnell, ladies and gentlemen.
May 8, 2021
Felicity 4.8, The Last Thanksgiving: Look at This Bunch of Turkeys
Felicity is all of us
Summary: Felicity is painting at the dorm apartment when Meghan calls to tell her she’s working on a spell to get Felicity and Ben back together. It involves hair and unicorn root. Felicity is skeptical, but Meghan has confidence in the spell – it’s the same one she used to get the Spice Girls back together. They’re not currently back together, but Meghan’s sure they will be sometime. She’s been so busy with the spell that she forgot that Thanksgiving is tomorrow.
Meghan invites Felicity, but Sean reminds her that Ben is coming, so Felicity shouldn’t be there. Meghan also remembers that their oven is broken (Sean melted some shoes in it) and asks if they can cook at the apartment. Felicity doesn’t want to hang out with Ben if it’ll make him uncomfortable, but the idea of having one last Thanksgiving with all her friends appeals to her, so she gives in.
Noel’s brother Ryan is in town for the holiday, and he bugs Noel about keeping in touch with their mother, who doesn’t know that he’s supposedly gotten his life together. Meghan invites Ben to Thanksgiving at Felicity’s without telling him it’ll be at Felicity’s. Ben was planning to spend the holiday at the hospital with his father anyway. As he leaves, Noel comes in with Ryan, and there’s a lot of awkwardness. Sean and Meghan invite them to the group dinner, which Noel wisely wants to avoid.
At Dean & DeLuca, Javier tells Felicity that he and Samuel have been fighting a lot. Javier has brought Mami with him so they can both get a break. Felicity invites him to Thanksgiving so the show can justify Javier being there instead of with his husband. Ben arrives for a shift and ignores Felicity (and also the fact that there’s a cat drinking from a mug). She urges him to come to Thanksgiving so he doesn’t have to spend it alone.
Ugh, do I have to deal with Elena and Trevor? I do? UGH. Trevor admits that he failed some low-level English course his freshman year, so he’s retaking it. Meghan arrives with food, happy to learn that Tammy and Gaby are away for the holiday. Elena and Trevor get invited to dinner, which Elena didn’t know was happening there, so…great job, Felicity. But after Trevor leaves, Elena admonishes Meghan for inviting Trevor, since she’s not sure she wants to date Trevor now that she knows he’s not that bright. Meghan offers to bring her some sort of test.
Lauren and Ben visit Mr. C., who’s doing a lot better, then try to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving dinner. He tells her he was invited to one but doesn’t want to go. Lauren talks him into going. Noel admits to Ryan that he got fired from his new job and screwed up all the dynamics in his friend group by sleeping with Felicity. Ryan knows about the whole Noel/Felicity saga and says his brother isn’t making very good decisions. Noel doesn’t like having his older brother question him. He should just be on Noel’s side.
Meghan gives Elena her intelligence test, noting that since people have to take a test before they get a driver’s license, people should also have to take a test before they date. Ben and Lauren arrive, making Meghan think her spell is working. She gives Javier a death glare for being nice to Lauren. Felicity tells Meghan and Javier that everything’s fine; Lauren is just friends with Ben, and even if she were more than a friend, Ben is allowed to see other people. Felicity’s nice to Ben, who’s cold to her. Where’s your spirit of giving thanks, Ben?
Noel mopes at Epstein Bar, where a woman named Dana shows interest in him. Javier tries to make Ben feel bad about bringing another woman to Thanksgiving at his ex’s place. Ben promises he’s not trying to hurt Felicity. Javier tells Mami he’s just trying to help. Meanwhile, Lauren chats with Felicity, and they’re both friendly with each other. The temperature drops about 30 degrees when Ben joins them.
Elena and Trevor take a break for a makeout session, but she gets turned off when he mentions using Cliff’s Notes for an assignment. She pretends she’s having trouble with a med-school application because she can’t remember which planets are between the sun and Earth. Trevor says they’re Mars and Venus, and why does Elena need to know that to get into med school?
Noel and Dana go to a hotel together as dinner starts at the dorm apartment. Javier’s sad that this is probably the gang’s last Thanksgiving together, but they all know that nothing lasts forever. He wants them all to put the group’s drama aside and be thankful that they’re together. Meghan asks Elena about the test, which Trevor is already failing. Meghan gets annoyed when Ben and Lauren start having a conversation between themselves. Elena quizzes Trevor on the capital of Washington. Trevor doesn’t know it, but Sean does. Javier’s just bored by the conversation at his end of the table.
Meghan decides to help the Felicity/Ben thing along but offering to set Lauren up with someone. She talks about how hard it is for women to find guys. Trevor says it’s hard for guys, too, though Javier says he’s never had any trouble getting dates. Lauren says she’s not ready to date again after a bad breakup with a guy she’s been in love with since high school.
Sean and Ben try to get Meghan to back off. Meghan plays innocent about intending to sir up trouble. She and Sean disagree about whether Ben did anything wrong. Javier tries to defuse the tension by suggesting a game of Yahtzee. Ben says the only thing he did was waste the last year and a half of his life. OUCH. Felicity just gets up and leaves the table. As Ben follows her, Meghan criticizes Javier for suggesting Yahtzee. Felicity tells Ben she doesn’t know how many times she can apologize. If it’s so hard for Ben to be around her, why did he come to dinner? He tells her it was a mistake, and he and Lauren leave.
Ryan is the only person at the loft when Noel calls looking for help. Dana robbed him and left him handcuffed to a bed, naked. Gee, Noel, I don’t know why Ryan thinks you’re making bad decisions. He’s also upset that Noel ditched him for Thanksgiving. Ryan in turn ditches Noel, leaving him to be rescued by a locksmith.
Ben feels bad that he took Lauren to a disastrous dinner, but she’s used to it, since her family is kind of crazy. She can see that Ben and Felicity still have some things to work out, and she thinks he should call Felicity. Back at the apartment, Elena tells Trevor that Meghan is Wiccan, then asks if he knows when the winter solstice is. Sean knows this one, too. He figures out that Elena is giving Trevor Meghan’s intelligence test.
Felicity apologizes to her friends for the horrible evening, as if it’s her fault. Javier decides to go home to his husband, and Trevor decides to distance himself from a woman who thinks he’s dumb. Elena says she just wanted to figure out if they’re right for each other. Clearly, they’re not. Trevor leaves as Ben returns, making Meghan think her spell is going to be successful.
Ben tells Felicity he’s sorry for bringing Lauren. Not the problem, dude. He admits that he wanted to hurt Felicity because she hurt him. Every time he looks at her, he wants the pain to stop. He’s ready to leave, but she asks him to stay a few more minutes. He sits next to her on the bed and slowly takes her hand. They kiss, then get horizontal. So…that’s it?
Elena’s now regretting giving Trevor the intelligence test, since maybe it doesn’t matter how smart he is. Javier returns, announcing that he’s leaving Samuel. Mami’s sick and Samuel doesn’t care, so Javier doesn’t want to be with him anymore. Noel finds Ryan outside the loft and promises to call their mother and tell her that his life is kind of a disaster right now. Ryan mentions that their father had depressive episodes when they were kids; Ryan has had them, too, and thinks Noel might be in the same boat. It helps to talk to someone when he’s down.
Elena finds Trevor at Epstein Bar and shows him one of her med-school applications, which is blank in the section where she’s supposed to list extracurricular activities. She’s spent so much time studying in college that she doesn’t have anything to put there. Maybe education and intelligence aren’t everything. Trevor thinks she should write that she tutored people, because she’s really good at it. Also, he doesn’t feel dumb with her, so he’s okay with their imbalance of intelligence. He offers to tutor her in playing darts.
After moping for a while at the loft, Noel calls Pavone to ask for a referral for a therapist. At the dorm apartment, Ben follows up sex with the desire to flee, thinking he made a mistake. A year ago, he would have felt like he deserved to be cheated on, but now he knows he doesn’t. He says he’ll call Felicity later, then leaves.
Thoughts: Why would Meghan care about getting the Spice Girls back together? Sounds like a waste of unicorn root.
Elena giving Trevor an intelligence test makes her look like the dumb one.
Do you think anyone invited Richard to the group dinner? Do you think he was upset that Mami got to come and he didn’t?
May 1, 2021
Felicity 4.7, The Storm: Drifting Icebergs
Welcome to this whole mess, Ben’s mom!
Summary: The background music is angsty as Ben plays basketball by himself. Felicity arrives and asks if they can talk, but he’s obviously not in the mood. She apologizes for what happened with Noel, and he finally tells her he doesn’t want to talk right now.
The next day, Richard plays lookout so Noel knows when Ben is back at the loft. He invites Noel to stay with him, for his own safety. Noel doesn’t care about that right now; he’s about to start his new job. Sean gives him a Shmeghan tie pin with a skull on it. Yeah, he’ll make a great first impression with that. Richard tells Sean that Noel slept with Felicity. Meghan hears and is surprised that Ben didn’t hit Noel when he found out. Noel announces that he’s looking for a new place to live, since he knows this is going to cause a lot of tension in the loft.
Sean goes to Ben’s room to express his sympathy over the whole situation. Ben is distracting himself with studying, his dad, and his mom’s recent arrival in town. Sean doesn’t really know what to do other than offer to listen and drink with Ben if he wants. Meghan goes to the dorm apartment and tells Felicity that the news is out about her romp in the sack (well, on the roof) with Noel. Meghan just says it’s about time.
Javier’s also there, and he thinks Felicity and Ben will work things out once he’s cooled down. Meghan has experience here (she cheated on her seventh-grade boyfriend) and agrees. She thinks Ben and Felicity’s romance is a kind of fairy tale. You know, the fairy tale where the princess follows the prince across the country on the spur of the moment. We’ve all heard that one, right?
Noel promises his new boss, Dominic Webb, that he shouldn’t worry about Noel balancing his new graphic-design gig with his job at the college. His first assignment is designing a CD cover for a band. He meets a co-worker named Zoe, who happens to be Dominic’s daughter. One of Felicity’s students, Nick, stops her in a hallway to ask for an extension on an assignment. While he’s talking, Felicity spots Ben and completely blocks out what Nick is saying. Ben glances at Felicity as he passes her but doesn’t say anything or stop.
He and Trevor do some sort of experiment with Elena, who’s surprised that Ben can concentrate on classwork right now, let alone successfully complete it. After Ben leaves, Trevor and Elena disagree over whether it’s easier for the man or the woman to get over a breakup. He thinks when a guy cheats, it’s just sex, but when the woman cheats, emotions are involved, so it means more. Elena, who has firsthand experience, tells him he’s wrong.
Ben goes to the dorm apartment to get his things and continue not talking to Felicity. Then he meets up with his mother, Allison, and shows her around the loft. She admires the sketch over his bed, the one Felicity did of him running. She tells Ben that Andrew is back on the list for a liver transplant, and may be healthy enough to go back to California soon – specifically, back home with Allison. Ben is nervous about the idea of his parents getting back together, but Allison says it’s not easy to let go.
That night, Felicity has trouble sleeping, partly because of…well, everything, and partly because there’s a thunderstorm outside. She writes a letter and takes it to the loft. She tells Ben she wants to respect his desire not to talk to her, but she needed a way to communicate with him.
The next day, Nick is upset that Felicity failed him instead of granting the extension. He’s at school on an athletic scholarship, and now he’s at risk of getting kicked out. Felicity promises to fix things. Trevor tells Elena he did some research on “the evolutionary theory of gender relations.” In a nutshell, men are wired to sleep with as many women as possible in hopes of fertilizing them. Women are selective, as they “shop” for mates who protect them. Elena argues that there’s no proof that cheating means more to women than men.
Noel and Zoe chat at work, and it’s clear even this early on that they’re probably going to hook up. She invites him to grab dinner with her, but he decides to go home instead. Ben, Sean, and Trevor hang out at Epstein Bar, trying to keep Ben’s mind off his problems. The other two thing Ben needs to find a new woman to help him move on. Richard and Noel are also at the bar, but when Ben spots Noel, he just ignores him. Noel bails on his night out and goes back to work to have dinner with Zoe.
Felicity catches Gaby wearing one of Ben’s sweatshirts, which he couldn’t find when he came by. She calls Meghan over and gives it to her instead of taking it to Ben himself. Meghan’s happy to have an excuse to yell at Ben (as if Meghan really thought she needed an excuse for that). Then she yells at Gaby, too. How does Meghan have any friends?
While Noel and Zoe take things from professional to personal really quickly (way to make out with your boss’ daughter, man), Meghan blasts Ben for avoiding Felicity. She tells him that Felicity loves him a “disgusting” amount, and he owes it to her to hear what she has to say. Because this is about what he owes her, not the other way around. Go find something else to do, Meghan.
Everyone in the loft has a sleepless night. Sean can’t believe that Meghan doesn’t have a problem with Felicity cheating on Ben. She says it happens. She tries to stop them from having a fight about a problem that isn’t even theirs. Yeah, better save that energy for one of the 5,000 fights you’ll have this week about other topics. Ben asks Meghan what Felicity wants to talk to him about.
Noel and Zoe go from 0 to 60, ready to find a couch so they can get horizontal. Unfortunately, the couch she chooses is in her father’s office…and he’s there. Dominic immediately fires Noel. The next day, Meghan tells Felicity that Ben has changed his mind and will meet her for dinner that night. He’s currently at the hospital, where his father confirms that he and Allison might be getting back together. He’s surprised she told Ben, since she knew he might get upset. Ben says he’s not upset, just worried that they’ll go through the same mess they went through before. Andrew simply says that he still loves Allison.
There’s another thunderstorm that night, while Elena and Trevor study together at the dorm apartment. He asks her if her wedding to Tracy was called off because she cheated on him. She says it was complicated. Trevor thinks the breakup must have been harder on Tracy than on Elena, since he lost such a great woman. Then they kiss. Come on, Elena, your standards have to be higher than this.
Ben meets Felicity for dinner and they make small talk about the bad weather, which is supposed to stick around all week. We get it, it’s a metaphor. Let’s move on. Now that Felicity has Ben in front of her, she’s not sure where to start. She just wishes she could take back what she did with Noel. She doesn’t know what she was thinking. It just happened – she was upset, she and Noel were together, and suddenly there clothes were off.
Ben decides he can’t handle this right now and leaves. She follows him out to the streets and tells him she loves him. She says he’s starting to hate the word “love.” People keep using it, thinking that it makes everything okay again. He can’t understand why Felicity did what she did, and it’s too much for him to think about right now.
The next day, Felicity visits Noel in his office and learns that his new job didn’t work out. She admits that it’s going to take her a while to wrap her head around why he told Ben what they did. Noel regrets it; he was just unable to make himself stop talking. Yeah, we’ve noticed your problems with impulse control.
Ben and Noel cross paths on their way out of/into the loft, and Noel says he’s looking for a new place to live. He asks after Ben’s father and the two make polite, civil conversation for a couple of seconds. Ben heads to the hospital and sees Allison shaving Andrew’s face. At home that night, Ben tells Sean that he can now see why his mom is willing to take his dad back. He wants to forgive Felicity like Allison has forgiven Andrew, but he’s not like his mother in that way.
He finally reads Felicity’s letter, in which she says that she once dreamed that she lost him. They were on two different icebergs and one of them was drifting away from the other. When she woke up, it was raining, and Ben’s breathing calmed her. It was like speaking without words. We see flashbacks of their time together as Felicity says that hearing Ben in the silence was like speaking a secret language. Now she’s left with useless words instead of being by his side. She wants to make him feel safe and help him sleep. To eventually bring him back to her.
Thoughts: Dee Wallace Stone, who plays Allison, is a great character actor and is perfectly cast here.
What’s the point of Trevor? Go away, Trevor.
Meghan’s stick with the Jackie Kennedy hair, but I don’t think Jackie ever wore a leopard-print coat like Meghan’s. Speaking with hair, Elena’s bangs aren’t working for me.
Noel really has a hard time keeping it in his pants, huh? Imagine him going on another job interview and having to explain why he left his last job. He should probably just keep that one off his résumé.
April 17, 2021
Felicity 4.5, Boooz: Hello, Is It Lionel Richie Tickets You’re Looking For?
Who thought there was a big overlap of “Felicity” viewers and Lionel Richie fans?
Summary: Felicity interviews for the TA position Noel told her about, but the professor she’s talking to, May, is more interested in Felicity’s opinion on her scarf than her teaching skills. She even gives the scarf to Felicity, since she has a bunch of them. She has Felicity critique a painting, which, of course, is one of May’s. But Felicity gives a satisfactory critique and gets the job.
At home, Felicity and Elena decorate for a Halloween party at the dorm apartment. Richard brings them a keg and tells them his costume is a surprise. Javier arrives next and asks to stay for a few days so he can teach Samuel a lesson. Samuel keeps taking him for granted – plus, he forgot what Javier wore for Halloween last year. Javier thinks Samuel will fall apart without Javier taking care of him.
Ben tells his Al-Anon group that he’s changed his major to pre-med. At first people didn’t think he could do it (and he didn’t, either), and last week something happened that made him reconsider things. That thing was Hodges putting benzene compounds on the midterm after telling the students he wouldn’t. Ben and Trevor agree again that Hodges is a jerk.
In bed that night, Ben tells Felicity that it feels like Hodges wants his students to fail. Felicity tries to reassure him that he only missed a few questions, then says Ben may have misunderstood Hodges. Ben doesn’t like that implication. He knows organic chemistry is where professors weed out the weaker students, so this may be the end of the road for him in pre-med already.
Sean and Meghan return bath towels a relative got them as a wedding gift, since they’re monogrammed with the wrong initials for Meghan. She’s not changing her name, and Sean is trying not to be offended. A woman named Barb suddenly takes their picture on the street, then introduces herself as a photographer for a magazine. She wants to feature Meghan as a trendsetter because of her unique shirt, which has socks for sleeves. Meghan declines, but Sean is interested in helping his wife establish a big new trend.
Professor May doesn’t arrive for her next class, and Felicity tries to get the students to stick around. A guy named Max recognizes her from the beauty pageant, where he worked the sets. Felicity lies that that wasn’t her, but he doesn’t believe her. A woman from administration arrives and tells Felicity that May was arrested for shoplifting. Oooh, you should return that scarf right away, Felicity.
Anyway, they need Felicity to take over her next few classes, until they can find a replacement professor. Felicity is hesitant, thinking the students won’t listen to her. Well, then you shouldn’t be a TA in the first place. The woman tells her she just needs to keep them busy for a few days. Show them a movie like a sub would do! They’ll love you, Felicity!
Javier hangs out at the dorm apartment, waiting for Samuel to call and beg him to come home. Noel suggests that they go see a movie, but movies remind Javier of Samuel. They can’t go to a bar for the same reason. Samuel spots a newspaper ad about a Lionel Richie concert in Atlantic City and decides it would be the perfect distraction. His first summer in America, he saw Lionel in Central Park and enjoyed every minute of the concert. He wants to feel that way again. Noel was hoping to go to the Halloween party, but Javier thinks he should avoid Felicity. He convinces Noel to go on a road trip with him.
Ben and Trevor both failed their midterm and complain to Hodges about benzene compounds being on the test. Hodges says he never said they wouldn’t be on the test. Ben asks if they can retake the test. Ha ha ha, of course not! Hodges tells them that most of the class passed, and some even got A’s, so the test wasn’t the problem. They won’t get do-overs when they become doctors.
Hodges warns that both guys are in danger of failing the class. Ben says he’s being unfair, and when Hodges tries to end the conversation, Ben calls him a [slang term for male anatomy that this show loves to use]. Unsurprisingly, Hodges kicks both Ben and Trevor out of the class.
The two go to Epstein Bar to drink away their problems. Trevor knows his dad, a surgeon, will be furious. Felicity and Trevor should talk; they have a lot in common. Ben feels bad for getting Trevor kicked out, but Trevor blames Hodges. Sean and Meghan (dressed as JFK and Jackie Kennedy) get ready for the Halloween party, talking about the shirt Meghan was wearing when they met the photographer. Sean has found someone who will manufacture them so they can sell them. Meghan doesn’t want to make money off of her unique look.
Javier and Noel arrive in Atlantic City only to find that the Lionel Richie concert is sold out. A scalper offers them tickets, but they’re $400 each. Javier’s like, “We’re in a casino – let’s just win the money ourselves.” Yes, yes, an ingenious plan! Back in New York, Felicity (dressed as a witch) complains to Elena (also a witch) that her students won’t take her seriously because she was in the pageant. Richard shows up in a homemade Darth Vader costume, hoping to win the party’s costume contest. He sets his sights on a partygoer dressed as Princess Leia.
Sean makes up with Meghan, assuring her that he knows how important it is to her to be an individual. He just feels like he needs some success while her parents hate him. Meghan says selling shirts isn’t going to help that relationship. Ben and Trevor show up drunk and ready to drink some more. Ben doesn’t want to talk about getting kicked out of class.
Javier hasn’t had any luck with slot machines, and he thinks it’s a metaphor for love – you put in your whole heart and you lose. With Lionel, however, you end up happy and dancing on the ceiling. Javier puts in more money, then tries to wrestle his phone away from Noel so he can call Samuel. While they’re fighting, Javier hits the jackpot.
Leia is surprisingly charmed by Darth Vader, but less impressed when he can’t get his helmet off. He goes to Elena for help. Trevor continues drinking while Ben mopes alone in Felicity’s room. Felicity joins him and he tells her that Hodges’ refusal to admit what he did reminded Ben of his father. Richard is desperate to get out of his helmet, but he won’t let Elena cut it off. This is dumb.
Tired of moping, Ben joins the party, where Trevor has passed out. Some guys are making a pyramid of beer cans on his body. Ben realizes that Trevor’s in really bad shape and tells someone to call 911. He ends up in a coma at the hospital with alcohol poisoning and a blood-alcohol level of .38. His doctor praises Ben for getting him help – if Ben hadn’t, Trevor would have died.
Back at the apartment, Richard tries to shrink his head in the freezer so the helmet will come off. Leia feels bad because she drank shots with Trevor. Richard feels worse because he can’t take off his helmet and kiss Leia. I guess Javier gambled away all the money he won, because he and Noel are in a bathroom, lamenting that they’re down to just a few pennies. Plus, Samuel still hasn’t called, so Javier’s sad. Noel reminds him that if he doesn’t play, he can’t win, but Javier knows the house always wins.
Suddenly, some luck: Lionel Richie comes in! Javier introduces himself and tells him how they came all the way from New York for a concert they don’t have tickets for. He asks Lionel to autograph his chest. Lionel would prefer paper. Javier asks for relationship advice, and Lionel tells him that, no matter what, he should always admit that his partner is right. So Javier leaves with advice and an autograph, but no tickets.
Sean has gotten a bunch of shirts, which he ordered before he told Meghan he wouldn’t pursue the sales. He doesn’t think she’s as trendsetting as she thinks she is. Meghan says he’s not exactly fashionable, so he doesn’t get to have an opinion on her look. Felicity starts a critique session in class, but Max wants to keep mocking her for being in the pageant. He thinks she was participating in the objectification of women. He also thinks she got her TA position as a prize. Another student tells Felicity that since artists have to fight the pressures of commercialism, she should be ashamed of herself for selling out. They shouldn’t have to hear her opinions.
Ben approaches Hodges to let him know that Trevor’s in the hospital. They came to Hodges for help, but he didn’t give it. Ben doesn’t care about the class anymore, but he thinks Hodges should have just admitted he screwed up. At Epstein Bar, Noel urges Javier to call Samuel and work things out. Javier doesn’t know how Noel can live without the person he loves. Just as he’s about to make the call, Samuel calls first and apologizes. Javier tells him about his trip, but Samuel thinks he’s lying. Noel reminds Javier to use Lionel’s advice. Okay, maybe not in this situation, though.
Felicity complains to Elena about her class – the students have been singing the Miss America theme song when she walks in the room. Elena tells her to stop apologizing for who she is and what she’s done. Plenty of people screw up on their way to figuring out who they are. Felicity should own her mistakes and get strength from them instead.
So Felicity wears her evening gown to class, leaning into her win for best evening wear. She invites her students to ask questions (in other words, daring them to comment). As she’s about to start class, Cavallo shows up – he’s taking over the class. He asks if she always dresses like this for class or if she’s just celebrating his first day. Heh. Meghan goes to class and is annoyed to be sitting between students wearing her look. I guess Sean was right and she’s not as unique as she thinks she is. Back at the loft, she puts her Jackie Kennedy costume back on and tells Sean it’s her new look (but he’d better not steal it).
Ben goes to see Trevor and runs into Hodges, who’s also visiting. He appreciates how Ben handled the medical emergency and admits that he could have been more helpful to his students. And yes, he might have said that benzenes wouldn’t be on the test. Ben is no longer kicked out of organic chemistry. As Hodges leaves, he says he has a son Ben’s age. I bet that son hates Hodges, too.
Ben tells his Al-Anon group that when he was a kid, his dad would disappear for days, then pretend nothing had happened. Kids always want to help, so maybe that’s why Ben wants to be a doctor – to help people. In this situation, something good is coming out of something bad. He visits Trevor, who’s now awake, and tells him that Hodges is letting them back in the class. When Ben leaves, Felicity is waiting for him. Ben tells the group that now he feels like he can succeed. Maybe it’s not about who does the best academically, but who cares the most.
Thoughts: Anel Lopez Gorham, who plays Leia, is married to Christopher Gorham (Trevor).
Hodges was a jerk about the test, but not in kicking Ben out of the class. You don’t call a professor that word! Kicking Trevor out was too far, though. He didn’t say anything.
The witchy/goth look really works for Keri Russell.
’00s music alert: Nikka Costa’s “Everybody Got Their Something” (again)
April 3, 2021
Felicity 4.3, Your Money or Your Wife: Impossible Dreams
Never stop dreaming, Javier
Summary: Sean is trying to buy a ring for Meghan, but his money situation isn’t great, so he can’t afford much. Meghan informs him that her parents want to meet his parents (and also, they’re not thrilled that their only child got married without them present). Sean notes that Meghan never cares what her parents want, so why start now? She says that someday they’ll probably have kids, and she’ll want the kids to have a good relationship with their grandparents, so they’re going to have dinner with all the Blumbergs and Rotundis, end of discussion.
Ben goes to the dorm apartment, where he and Felicity quickly decide they want to put everything behind them and get back together. Well, that was easy! I’m sure it’s smooth sailing from here on out! Later, Felicity asks Javier if he would be able to stay with Samuel if Javier cheated – even if it was just a one-time thing and he got away with it. She reveals that she cheated on Ben with Noel, and Ben has no idea. Javier promises to keep it to himself, and knows Felicity chose him to confess to because of his discretion. Felicity doesn’t know what to do; she just wants things to go back to normal.
Ben’s struggling with organic chemistry, and Felicity doesn’t remember anything she learned in the class, so she advises him to talk to Elena. They make weekend plans and kiss goodbye like everything’s totally normal. Felicity tells Javier that kissing Ben makes her feel even worse. At the loft, a woman named Sharon, who’s with the building’s co-op board, tells Sean she hasn’t gotten checks from him for months. (Shouldn’t Felicity have been taking care of that over the summer?) Meghan tells him his parents are coming to dinner, an idea Sean hates.
Felicity applied too late for financial aid, so she owes more tuition money than she thought. A LOT more. A guy at the financial aid office offers her a scholarship guide…which costs $35. Felicity, try the Internet. It’s free. She buys the book, which Javier takes an interest in at Dean & DeLuca, though his first choice for her is a beauty pageant. Felicity prefers one for female art students.
Javier is auditioning for a production of Man of La Mancha, and he tells Felicity he originally came to the U.S. to be an actor. He only went on one audition, though, and he was so horrible that it spooked him from ever trying again. Noel comes by to meet with Natalie’s lawyer, who supposedly has news for him. Javier knows something but doesn’t tell Noel whatever’s going on.
Professor Hodges hands back some recent papers, telling his class that 40% of his students last year either failed or dropped the course. Hmm, maybe you just suck at teaching. A guy named Trevor tells Ben that he might join that 40%. The two agree to be lab partners. Back at Dean & DeLuca, Natalie’s lawyer gives Noel a check for $50,000 from some relative’s estate. Noel worries he’ll end up like his cousin, who became a bum after receiving settlement checks from an accident. The lawyer says the money will just go back to his firm and sit in a pool. Noel decides to accept the check.
Sean is super-nervous for the big dinner, which is making Meghan nervous as well. He knows his dad is going to try too hard to impress the Rotundis, and he’ll end up being embarrassing instead. Meghan comes up with a code: If she says “Rice Krispies,” Sean will know to shut up. I think Sean’s dad is the one who needs that code, but okay.
Sean’s parents, Manny and Helen, arrive to meet up with Meghan and Sean before heading out to dinner. They’re thrilled to meet Meghan and tell her that, even though they weren’t happy that Sean got married without them, now they know the couple was meant to be. Sean complains to Meghan that his father’s wearing a suit, and she replies, “Rice Krispies.” Yeah, Sean, you’re going to want to pace yourself.
As they’re leaving to meet the Rotundis, Manny admires Sean’s stereo. Sean negotiated a price of $400, and Manny says he knows someone who could have gotten it for $300. Sean responds by asking why his father wore a suit. Meghan tries to shush him, but Sean says Manny tries too hard to make himself look like someone who isn’t from Flushing. The Rotundis would never embarrass him but asking how much something cost. Helen and Meghan try to break up the argument, but Manny decides that he and Helen should leave. Meghan tells Sean he has to call her parents and explain that dinner isn’t happening.
Elena looks over Felicity’s scholarship application, sure she’ll get it. She mentions that she tried to call Tracy but reached his roommate instead. She’s not sure why she wanted to call him; she just can’t grasp the thought of never seeing him again. Plus, now she’s down a lab partner. Elena considers teaming up with Ben, who did reach out to her for help, but she’s not sure how she can help him. The class is really tough, and they have one mutual friend who flamed out.
Ben arrives and overhears them talking about how he’s in over his head. He doesn’t know even the basic pieces of the subject. Med school will be even more difficult, so Ben is facing an uphill battle. Felicity thinks that, if he really wants this, he’ll make a great doctor. Ben makes his presence known, tells Elena he doesn’t need her help after all, and leaves to go study.
The next day, Meghan buys Sean a book about great relationships between fathers and sons just to demonstrate that his relationship with his father sucks. Sean and I make the same observation – she wasted money to make a point. Meghan says that a couple of years ago, she got sick of pretending to be the daughter her parents thought she was, so she went home for a visit as her real, goth self. It went better than she’d expected, and now her relationship with her parents is great. Sean doesn’t see how that will help him. Meghan says that she and her dad don’t always get along, but at least they talk.
Felicity calls someone about the art scholarship, which is no longer available and should have been taken out of the book. Javier tells Felicity that he saw Noel and did a great job pretending he didn’t know anything about his hookup with Felicity. Felicity says she hasn’t been to the loft in days, and Javier informs her that Noel is moving out to get his own place.
Sharon visits Sean again to get her money. At the same time, Noel tells Sean he’s moving out. Read the room, Noel. Sean asks Sharon if he can have a couple more days to get his finances together. She agrees but warns that the co-op board will hire a lawyer to come after their money if they don’t get it soon. Sean, maybe you could start by selling your $400 stereo.
Ben and Trevor have been working on a lab experiment for hours but can’t figure out what they’re doing wrong. Trevor suggests that they take a break and have some beers. Ben would rather focus on getting into med school, so he stays behind and keeps working. Meanwhile, Sean goes to his family’s home, where his brother, Joey, is nervous about another big father/son blow-up. It turns out that Manny, like his son, is an inventor; he’s created a screwless chair. Sean tells Manny they’re having brunch with the Rotundis tomorrow.
Javier goes to his audition in armor, since he’s auditioning for the part of Don Quixote. The director asks him to lose the accent. Javier, leave now. He gets just a few notes into “The Impossible Dream,” and the director dismisses him. Aww. Over at the loft, repo men show up to take all of Sean’s stuff from the living room. One of them tells him he’s facing eviction.
Felicity shows up later, and Noel tells him that Sean said he moved everything out so the floors could be redone. Noel confirms that he’s moving out. Felicity only stopped by to ask Sean a financial question, which is…weird. She went to a bank to get a loan, but she doesn’t have enough collateral, so she considered charging her tuition to a preapproved credit card. Noel tells her not to do that, since she’ll get stuck with a bunch of interest.
Noel has a better idea: Felicity can take his $50,000. Of course, Felicity doesn’t want that, but Noel tells her they can look at it as a no-interest loan she can pay back at any time. Felicity says she needs to handle this problem on her own. She appreciates him for being as generous as always, though.
Ben fell asleep in the lab after finishing his experiment, but he thinks he figured it out, so at least there’s that. Hodges disagrees. Ben asks what he did wrong, but Hodges won’t give him the answer, since that won’t help him learn. He needs to figure this one out on his own before he can complete the next lab. If he doesn’t, he’s out of the class. Ben complains to Trevor that Hodges sucks. Hodges hears him and tells him he’s free to leave at any time.
Sean’s next big idea: flavored pen caps. I think I’ve been watching this show too long, because it makes perfect sense to me. Noel guesses that Sean wants him to invest his $50,000 in the idea. Javier tells Felicity his dream is dead, and she tells him she didn’t get her loan, so they’re both a little down. Felicity says her only options are calling her dad and begging for help, or dropping out. Javier gives her a third option, the beauty pageant. He insists that it’s not all about beauty. She has to submit her academics, too. Plus, lots of people get scholarships this way.
Meghan and Sean meet their parents at the Rotundis’ mansion. Things get off to a great start when Sean compliments his father’s informal clothes. Ben goes to the dorm apartment, where Elena tells him that Tracy sent her a letter saying he needs distance. He’s taking the semester off for another church mission. (He’s actually a surgical intern at Sacred Heart Hospital, but that wouldn’t make sense to Elena.)
Elena thinks she’s dumb for thinking they could have worked things out. She feels like she’s made the biggest mistake of her life. Ben notes that she would have made a bigger mistake if she’d married him for the wrong reasons. He also lets her know that he overheard her telling Felicity that he might not make it through pre-med or med school. He’s not mad, though; he’s not sure he’s going to succeed, either.
The Blumbergs and Rotundis get along well, but when Manny tries to pitch his idea for screwless chairs, Sean and Helen object (though Walter Rotundi agrees to look at his prospectus). Sean finally tells Manny that Walter is just being nice, and Manny needs to stop embarrassing himself. Manny thinks Sean is calling him a loser. Sean reminds him that his ideas never work. Suddenly, he realizes that Manny’s not embarrassing himself – he’s embarrassing Sean.
Sean goes home and tells Noel that he’s having money problems. He regrets trying to manipulate Noel into helping him. But Noel, of course, does want to help, and he offers to loan Sean the $50,000. In fact, he’d love to get rid of the money he feels he doesn’t deserve. Hey, look, everyone’s problem is solved! Well, except Felicity’s. And Ben’s. And Javier’s. Okay, never mind.
Elena helps Ben and Trevor with their experiment while Trevor hits on Elena. Dude, she JUST broke up with her fiancé. Keep your pants on. Anyway, the three successfully complete the experiment, so Trevor suggests they celebrate with beer. Does he do anything other than drink? Elena agrees to go, but Ben wants to hang out with his girlfriend.
Sean goes back to his parents’ house and tells Manny that he’s not ashamed of his father. He just wanted to impress his in-laws. Manny says there’s nothing wrong with trying to be successful, but Sean should be prouder of who he is. Sean’s like, “Yeah, a 27-year-old without a college degree, a steady job, or friends his own age is really something to be proud of.” Manny sees things differently: Sean has his own place and a ton of great ideas. The family even eats one of his cereal inventions all the time. Manny’s proud of Sean and asks if he’s working on anything new. Sean tells him about the pen caps, and Manny says he had the same idea.
Felicity has run out of ideas, so she leaves a message with her father. Javier shares the happy news that, while he didn’t get the role as Don Quixote, he did get a spot in the chorus. This inspires Felicity to continue dreaming her own impossible dream and not turn to her father for money. She goes home and looks for a picture to attach to her application for the beauty pageant.
Music montage! Sean gets his stuff back as Elena tries to move on from Tracy, Felicity mails her application, Ben gets a nod of respect from Hodges, and Javier enjoys himself at rehearsal. At the loft, Meghan tells Noel that her father is mad at her: He wants her to annul her marriage to Sean, and if she doesn’t, she’s cut off. She asks him not to tell Sean. Oh, great, both of them are keeping money-related secrets from each other. This marriage is off to an awesome start. But at least Sean was able to buy Meghan a (cubic zirconia) ring to make the marriage more official.
Thoughts: Trevor is played by Christopher Gorham. Joey is played by Brad Grunberg, Greg Grunberg’s real-life brother.
The second Noel got the check, I knew what he would try to do with it. This show stole a plot from Dawson’s Creek!
Until Noel mentioned Natalie’s name, I’d completely forgotten she existed. I guess it’s good of the show to wrap up that plot instead of just dropping it forever.
I assume Meghan is now living at the loft, so are Felicity and Elena the only people in that huge apartment now?
Trivia: The Rotundis’ money comes from an elevator business.
Manny’s sales pitch for his chairs is “screw other chairs.” I feel like this would actually work.
'90s Flashback 