Episode Report Card Kim: B | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Docuventary
By Kim | Season 1 | Episode 19 | Aired on 05.03.1999
The opening shot is done with a video camera, which I'm just going to call DocuCam since there's a lot of it in this episode. Sean gets the camera set up and then urges Ben, who is seated in front of the camera, to start talking. Ben says he doesn't know what to talk about. Sean tells him to talk about college. Ben is still stumped. Sean tells him to talk about cute girls, and Ben says he can't do this, and stands up and walks out of the frame. Sean follows, reminding Ben that he promised to help. Ben says he got a letter from the financial aid office, and that he needs to go talk to them. Sean keeps begging, and finally says that if Ben will sit down and talk, he doesn't have to pay Sean rent next month. That gets Ben back in the chair. Sean tries to get Ben to talk about college again, but Ben wants to know what the documentary is even about. Sean says it's just about college, and that it's real and unscripted. You have to remember that this was before the reality-TV glut, so it wasn't quite as played out as a similar storyline would be today. Sean tells Ben about some guy who made a documentary about his father and sold it for half a million dollars. Ben doesn't think Sean even knows how to make a documentary, but Sean insists that he does. The picture goes black and white, and then green, and starts breaking up. Ben tells Sean there's something wrong with the camera, but Sean maintains that everything is fine. Ben says that there is smoke coming out of the camera. He adds that the deal was that he just had to sit down, and that it's not his fault if the camera breaks, and then the picture goes black.
Felicity starts a tape to Sally. She apologizes for not making a tape the previous week, but says that she had a ton of homework. She explains her theory that when the cafeteria serves a pasta special on Monday, her workload increases exponentially. We see a shot of Felicity in the cafeteria, noting that the Monday special is linguine marinara. Felicity finishes putting on the ugliest, baggiest brown cardigan ever and says that Noel decided not to move, but that they still haven't really talked. She adds, "Between you and me, I miss him. I'd probably miss him even more if I didn't have so much work. That McGrath seminar has been especially tough."
This provides the perfect segue to Elena and Felicity walking into the mailroom, arguing over whether McGrath hates Felicity. Elena says he doesn't, but Felicity says he acts like he does. Elena says McGrath acts that way with everyone, but Felicity says he doesn't act that way with Elena, and puts forth as evidence the fact that he calls everyone but Elena by their last names. Elena thinks Felicity is mad at her about it. Felicity says she won't take it personally. Elena says that Felicity takes everything personally. They are interrupted by Guy celebrating the fact that he got two tickets to go see Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Guy is psyched that he got two tickets, and Elena says that means he'll be rejected by a whole series of girls. Guy happily responds, "Exactly!"