Episode Report Card Kim: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Remember When
By Kim | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 09.28.1998
Felicity is sitting on her bed as Knoll tells her this is his big speech. He says, "You mustn't leave this school." What nineteen-year-old uses words like "mustn't"? He tells her that this is a "life struggle" and "a challenge" and that if she leaves, she will be confronted with the same issue five or ten years from now. She'll be a doctor, married, with kids, and it will "grip [her] like a blast of freezing cold air" and she'll ask, "What the hell is my life?" He says she'll be able to trace it back to this very moment when "that geek R.A." gave her these four words of advice: "Stay in New York or perish." Knoll corrects himself to say, "Five, six words." He finally shuts up and Felicity starts about five different sentences before deciding to go with, "You don't have feelings for me, do you?" Knoll says, "Me? Honestly? Yeah." Felicity looks disappointed. Knoll asks to give her one more piece of advice, and that is that she shouldn't "fundamentally disregard" everything he's said because of his feelings. Felicity nods.
Felicity is in the cafeteria line. Julie walks up next to her. Felicity looks up, sees her, and then looks back down without saying anything. Julie says, "I'm so sorry. This is the last thing in the world that I wanted, to hurt you." Felicity doesn't respond. Julie adds that if she had known Felicity liked Ben, she never would have gone back to his place. Felicity says it all seems unimportant right now. Julie says that Felicity is her friend, and that means more to her than Felicity probably thinks. She adds that she's not going to see Ben again. Felicity tells her it doesn't matter, because she's leaving anyway, and then walks away. I really don't think that what Julie did was so bad, at this point. I almost even like Julie, even knowing how much she will suck in later episodes.
Felicity is in a restaurant with her parents. Mr. Porter says they realized that they overreacted and Mrs. Porter adds, "Especially Dad." Mr. Porter agrees, and then says that Felicity did, too, but that they've been over it "ad infinitum" and that's why they're there. Mrs. Porter says, "Amnesty." Felicity looks sullen. Mr. Porter launches into an explanation of his proposal for Felicity's returning to Stanford, which will result in her being back on track by June and her parents taking care of all her financial obligations. He says that, in addition, she got to "see the world a little" and "find out what [she] really wanted was what [she] already had." Felicity asks what happens if Stanford doesn't admit her. Mr. Porter says that he "took care of that," and Mrs. Porter hands her a registration packet. Felicity asks what he means by "took care of it." Mr. Porter says he "made a few calls, took a few lunches, like, in the fall." Felicity stares at her father as Mrs. Porter says that Felicity made "an impulsive decision and it was a mistake." Felicity asks her father what he did in the fall. Mr. Porter says that when she was accepted the first time, he "made a few calls" and "pulled a few strings." Felicity quietly says, "I didn't know that." Mr. Porter says that they'll also be giving her Mrs. Porter's car, and Mrs. Porter hands over the keys. Mr. Porter says that they will all look at apartments together to find one they can all agree on. Felicity picks up the keys with a look of incredulity on her face. She looks at the remote locking device, and presses the red key that says, "Panic Button," like, real understated, writers. Felicity says that the thing is that, if she made a mistake, at least it was hers. Mr. Porter doesn't understand, and asks what that means. Felicity haltingly says that it means she thinks she has to stay; she puts down the keys. Mr. Porter starts to get angry and says that Felicity was about to agree to this. Felicity says that would've been "a pretty impulsive decision," and looks at her mother. She continues by saying that she doesn't know that it would be "the best thing to do." Her father interrupts, "But it is. It is the best thing to do right now." Felicity thinks she should give it some time, and she really can't wait to see what the city looks like when it snows. Her mother looks stunned, and repeats, "'Snows.'" Mr. Porter says that if she does this, and makes this "colossal mistake in staying," they're not going to bail her out next time. For God's sack, it's not like she's running off at the age of thirteen with her biker boyfriend to do many drugs. She's just choosing a different, more distant university. Nothing like blackmailing your kids. Mrs. Porter looks at her husband as if she can't quite believe he just said that. Felicity pauses for a minute and then says, "Well, I guess that's a decision you'll have to make." Mr. Porter shakes his head.