Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Slump (2)
By Kim | Season 2 | Episode 12 | Aired on 02.05.2000
Felicity knocks at Toni's door and asks if they can talk. Toni says once again, "Close the door, sit down." There is no way I can convey in writing how powerful this next scene was. I'm just not that good of a writer, and it was largely visual anyway. But if you have the chance to catch this episode in repeats, watch it if only for this scene. For the first time in my recapping career, I put down my pen and just watched the show. It was that good. Okay, now that I've totally built it up, let me mangle it by trying to describe it.
Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" plays in the background. Felicity starts crying and haltingly says that she doesn't know who she is, how she got there, what she's doing or why she's even there. She's been in relationships that she doesn't understand, she hates her haircut, and she "dropped pre-med like it was some kind of victory" but she can't remember why it felt like that. She apologizes. Toni tells her not to be sorry. Felicity says she didn't realize how much she depended on her parents just being there, and that even though they were three thousand miles away, she depended on them. Then she dismisses her feelings by saying she's an only child and that's probably all this is. Toni asks if she has told her parents this. Felicity says she hasn't, and that she just let them talk, and they said they were having difficulties, and this was for the best. Toni looks at her sympathetically. Felicity feels responsible. Toni asks how she is responsible. Felicity tells Toni that she disrupted things by coming to New York and pushing her parents away, and that if she hadn't left Palo Alto and been so selfish....Toni interrupts her to ask her, while lighting another cigarette, why coming to New York was selfish. Felicity asks what she means, and Toni rephrases her question as, "Why did you come here?" Felicity kind of laughs at herself and says she basically came there because of Ben Covington. Toni says, "You came for Ben?" Felicity says she did at first, but then she thought it was for herself, to find herself or something, but now she doesn't understand. Toni wants to know what she doesn't understand. Felicity says that at Thanksgiving her parents were happy, and she was home over Christmas and things seemed fine, and she doesn't understand why they are breaking up. Toni says pointedly, "I thought you said it was because of you." Felicity just stares at her.
Ben is playing basketball at an outdoor court, and wearing a silly stocking cap (or "toque," for our Canadian viewers). Felicity talks to him through the fence, and tells him that if he doesn't go see Dr. Pavone, he'll get expelled. Ben questions, "Doctor?" Felicity says she's a psychologist, and that she went to Yale. Ben says mockingly, "Yale, big deal." Felicity asks if he's still thinking about dropping out. Ben says he was checking out ads in the back of The Village Voice, and was looking at courier tickets to Prague. Felicity says, "If you go, I should probably go with you." Ben stops playing ball and stares at her. She says, "I'm kidding!" Ben stammers that if she wanted to go, he would do it. Felicity smiles. Ben says he's serious. Felicity says, "Go see Dr. Pavone!" Ben grins endearingly and says, "Let's drop out together!" Felicity repeats, "Go see Dr. Pavone!" and turns to leave. Ben yells after her to think about it, and that it would be fun. Felicity laughs and walks away. ["I would have dropped out of university if Ben had asked me to." -- Wing Chun]