Episode Report Card Maggie: B- | 1 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT The Trouble With Normal Is It Always Gets Worse
By Maggie | Season 3 | Episode 16 | Aired on 05.15.2001
A pair of hands is tacking up a poster, which advertises karaoke at Epstein Bar, to a bulletin board in the school corridor. The hands belong to DeForrest. Elena approaches him and they exchange greetings. She whines that she spent so much time preparing for the MCATs that she's fallen behind studying for her finals. DeForrest doesn't express much interest in her prattle, and he goes on putting up the posters. Elena apologizes for kissing him and suggests that they spend "a little time together." He asks what she had in mind, and she mentions "coffee or a drink." He asks what she thinks about karaoke.
Ben is sitting at the kitchen counter in the loft, eating and reading a book. Knoll wanders in and asks what he's doing. Ben replies that he's studying. Knoll snipes, "You're eating my cereal." Ben says, "What do you mean, your cereal?" Knoll points out that he bought it yesterday. Ben counters that Knoll isn't annoyed about the cereal and suggests, "We both know what you're really pissed off about." That reminds me of something my former boss used to say. Whenever someone in the office was in a bad mood she'd ask, "Who pissed in his cereal this morning?" Let it be noted that I didn't exactly work for Miss Manners. Precisely at that moment, Felicity walks in and announces that she came to pick up her French book, which she needs so she can study for her final the next day. She says "hey" to Knoll, who returns the "hey" quite coldly as he walks out of the room. Felicity asks Ben whether his class was cancelled. He wonders why she's asking, and she tells him that she can't get anyone to take extra shifts at Dean & Deluca. Ben asks what he can do to help. Felicity says, "You know what you can do...I have to ask Knoll to work at Dean & Deluca. He's the only one left. He's worked there before. He knows the place." Ben interjects, "He's in love with you." Felicity says, "Well, whatever he is with me, I mean, I'm the manager at that store, and I have to keep it running. He's my only hope." Geez, I'd say that all hope is lost, then. Ben tells her that he doesn't care if she asks Knoll. Felicity says she isn't sure Knoll will agree to work there, but that in the event that he does, she wants Ben to be nice to him. Ben grins, "I'm always nice to him." Felicity smirks and rolls her eyes.
Felicity knocks on Knoll's bedroom door. He's sitting at his desk looking at his laptop. She says she wants to "get right to the point" but then does the exact opposite. She rambles about knowing that they're going "to get through this" because they always do. When she finally gets around to asking him to work at Dean & Deluca, he quite nastily tells her he can't because he doesn't want "to be the loser guy friend anymore." Too late, dude. By the way, Felicity didn't make you the loser guy friend -- you did that all by yourself. Felicity protests that he isn't the loser guy friend. Knoll icily states, "The next time Ben goes to Southampton with Avery, or the next time he beats up a frat guy, or the next time he does something stupid like he's bound to do, I'm not going to be there for you. You're on your own." Felicity stares at him silently. I hope she's realizing that Knoll is not a friend of any kind, "loser guy" or otherwise. As for doing "something stupid," Knoll has cornered that market. He really has no clue that relationships involve giving and taking on both sides.