Episode Report Card Kim: A | 1 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT The Graduate
By Kim | Season 4 | Episode 17 | Aired on 04.23.2002
Felicity sits in Epstein Bar, having a meal with her parents. Her mom asks where Ben is, and Felicity stumbles around before settling on, "He's just busy." Mr. Porter asks what Felicity's plans are. Her mom tries to let Felicity off the hook, but Felicity says that it's fine because she actually has a plan. Heh. My plan after graduation was to get an apartment with my friends and look for a job. You heard me. I didn't have any kind of job prospects when I graduated. Two months later, my plan was to move back in with my parents and sell all of my CDs to a used record store for gas money, because I was broke like a joke. Felicity says that she was thinking of coming home for the summer. Her father is pleased. Felicity continues, saying that during the summer, she will prepare to move back to New York with Ben. Mr. Porter looks disappointed, and says, "Isn't four years of following Ben Covington around enough?" Felicity says that isn't fair, because she has a job. Her father can't believe that she's really going to do that architecture job. Felicity says that she might. Mr. Porter says that today might be a good time to figure out what she's going to do. I really hate Mr. Porter. Mrs. Porter (I guess -- the credits listed her as Barbara Gordon, but I don't think that's her maiden name, and I thought she took her maiden name back after the divorce, but whatever) says that everything will turn out fine. Mr. Porter thinks his ex-wife is trying to "put a band-aid on this." They start arguing until Felicity tells her father that what he said was "just mean." Here's what I don't get. They are not supporting Felicity financially any more, right? So why do they get any say in the way that she lives her life? I mean, yes, she loves them and all, but her father acts like he can still order her around like a five-year-old instead of acknowledging that she's an adult and needs to make her own mistakes. Hate him. Felicity says that she knows her father thinks she's throwing her life away to be with Ben. Mrs. Porter says that she's not throwing her life away at the exact same time that Mr. Porter says that she is throwing it away. Heh. Felicity drops the bomb: "We're engaged. So, Ben is gonna be in my life, and he's gonna be in my life forever. So, you should get used to that." An awkward silence descends upon the table. Where do you go from there?
Felicity walks into the loft and finds Noel sitting at the table. Felicity grabs a box of cereal and sits down, eating. Noel watches her, and then asks if she's okay, admitting that he knows that Ben went to Philadelphia. Felicity starts to say something, stops herself, thinks for a minute, starts again, stops, and then finally decides to just come out with it: "Ben and I...we're engaged." Noel looks stunned and upset, and just says, "Wow." Felicity's brilliant response: "Yeah." Noel manages to recover, and seems to be sincere when he tells Felicity that it's great. Felicity thanks him and says that her parents don't think it's great. Noel says that "historically, [her] parents have been overbearing, controlling, crazy people." Remember the first time that Noel met the Porters and he called them overbearing? That's a nice shout-out to longtime fans, and it's the first of many in this episode. Felicity laughs and agrees. Noel adds that she's in love with Ben, and while it would be easier if they were more supportive, being with Ben is what she wants, and to him, that all makes sense. Felicity shakes her head and tells Noel that he's the greatest. Noel puts his head down, probably thinking about how Felicity wouldn't say that if he voiced his true feelings, and congratulates her again.