Episode Report Card Kim: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Hot Objects
By Kim | Season 1 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.12.1998
Felicity walks down the street in slow motion, and enters a classroom building. FVO tells us that she feels really good about sticking with pre-med. That won't last long. It's time for her first class with the textbook writer guy and FVO tells us how she idolized this professor for years. Felicity talks to Dr. Textbook Author to tell him that she couldn't find the book anywhere, and asks whether she'll be able to follow what they are doing without the book. He says it's called required reading because it's not optional. Ah, crusty professor types. I aspire to be one myself someday. Felicity says again that she couldn't find the book anywhere, and Dr. Textbook Author asks the class members to raise a hand if they couldn't find the book. No one does. Someone even coughs nervously to illustrate how much trouble Felicity is in. Dr. Textbook Author dismisses Felicity.
Ben is in Drama class, where the professor is blathering about communication and motivation. He wants the students to bring in an object that is meaningful to them. Some suck-up raises his hand and asks whether this is a particular type of exercise. Sorry, I know nothing about drama, so I can't tell you what type he said. The professor chuckles knowingly and Ben's all, "Jigga who?" The professor says they will need to describe the object and then relate its meaning. As class ends, Ben walks up to talk to the professor. Holy shit, the professor is Richie Aprile! Ben explains that he meant to take Russian and ended up in Drama. The professor explains that it's a Communications elective, so it will fulfill the requirement. ["In what universe is Drama a Communications course? The University of New York doesn't put it in Fine Arts? Whatever." -- Wing Chun] Ben says that he can't take Drama, and the professor says that he is dropping the course. Ben explains that as soon as there is an opening in Russian, he will transfer over. I can't believe that in all the realm of Communications, there is not one super-easy course that Ben could take to fulfill this elective, and I say that as someone with a Communications minor. I mean, there's got to be something about film, or television, or advertising that would be fairly easy. Public speaking, for God's sack! The professor hopes that Ben gets into the Russian class, but while he's in the Drama class, he needs to participate. Ben hopes that doesn't mean he needs to get up in front of the class, and the professor says it does. He reminds Ben to bring a "hot object" to the next class. Hey, that's the episode title. Suddenly, this show turned into Sopranos. That, plus that Richie Aprile thing, plus Natasha and her Russian mafia are starting to give me pause.