Episode Report Card Strega: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Status Quo Vadis
By Strega | Season 4 | Episode 13 | Aired on 03.26.2002
Felicity and Adam are sitting in a bedroom with fresh drinks. Felicity isn't very good at sensing when boys are interested in her, is she? More party tips from Strega: don't go off into bedrooms with boys who like you if you don't like them back. Especially if you're both drinking. And if you're hosting a party, don't let people hang out in the bedrooms. You're asking for spilled beer on your bedding, and frankly that's the very least of the potential disasters. Felicity asks, "So what happened with Dina? Did it ever work out?" "Ever"? It's been a day. Adam says that Dina "never called [him] back." They're acting like it's been months. It's been. One. Day. Which they both, presumably, spent a large portion of asleep. Adam asks, "What happened with your...stuff? Is it any better?" Felicity moans, "No," and gulps her beer. Adam tells Felicity that she's great, and suddenly leans in to kiss her. Felicity jerks back and asks what he's doing. He says, "I'm not sure...." which is kind of cute. Felicity, horrified, tells Adam that she has a boyfriend, as if Adam should just sense that, and basically does nothing to make him feel as if he made an understandable mistake. I mean, not that Adam should be trying to hook up with anyone when he's still obsessed with his ex, but Felicity could just laugh it off and try to make Adam feel less idiotic. Adam jumps up and declares, "I'm gonna go," and Felicity just nods and doesn't even look at him and grrr. Sorry, but I once hit on a guy who I didn't know was already involved, and he was so much nicer about it than Felicity is being. It was still humiliating, though, and I feel bad for Adam. Even if he does give me the creeps. Adam nervously says, "Thanks for the party, it was really...fun," and wanders out looking shell-shocked. Felicity "ugh"s and collapses on the bed.
Ben hops out of a cab and spots Jack on the sidewalk. Ben actually manages to enunciate, "Dad, I'm not your sponsor!" Jack whines that it's heartbreaking "to watch your child making mistakes." Ben calls Jack on his manipulation, and good job, too, because that's just awful. I don't think Ben should have even gone down there, although I can understand why he did. Ben says, "You wanna drink, fine, go drink. But if you ever do, I will never forgive you!" Jack interrupts to insist that he doesn't want to have a drink, and that's why he called. Oh, whatever. Ben pulls Jack over to put him in the taxi. Jack stops and says, "I know I'm a bad father. But I know you, and I know you won't be able to live with yourself if you don't do the right thing." I still don't get the urgency of all this. Ben probably wouldn't be so adamant about not being a father to his child if people would stop lecturing him for few hours. Ben tells Jack to get in the cab. Jack insists, "You're too good a person!" It's hard to respond to that. You can't say, "No, I'm not!" without sounding pretty silly. I'm conflicted, because again, I don't like Ben, but his jerkitude makes a lot of sense to me given his family. So I guess it's good characterization, but I still think Ben needs years and years of therapy before he gets involved with anyone, particularly someone as flaky as Felicity. And he might consider getting some speech therapy, too. Jack gets into the cab, which pulls away, and Ben stomps off.