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#1.3 Boggled

"You just went up, like, a notch." -Meghan

Aired October 20, 1998

In a nutshell: Felicity finds out that Noel has a girlfriend after the two share smooches over an intense game of Boggle. Julie befriends a fellow dorm mate named Zack, whose major problem involves mixing his coloreds with his whites (yes, laundry). Felicity feels like her relationship with Ben is finally going somewhere.

People who thought this up: Mimi Schmir & J.J. Abrams (the writers), Todd Holland (the director)

Supporting cast: Devon Gummersall (Zack), John Billingsley, Amanda Foreman (Meghan), Marc Worden (Jerry), Jed Rhein (Mitch)

Tunes: Peter Gabriel ("Here Comes the Flood"--Shaking the Tree), Mazzy Star ("Fade Into It"--So Tonight That I Might See)

Quotes

Long summary

Something indescribable has happened, and it all started with the Boggle game. Felicity may have had the word "hickey" on her mind, but Noel was definitely thinking of the real thing.

Jumping back a few steps, Felicity recounts her relationship with Ben.

She finds out that if only Ben had a pre-approved credit card, he would buy a really good pair of running shoes. Felicity, on the other hand, would probably buy a chance to be the fly in his locker room. She ends the conversation by complimenting his 800 meter run in high school.

Julie might buy a dryer sheet, which Felicity hospitably offers in the laundry room to break the tension. See, she's still mad about the Ben incident: by doing what Felicity wanted, she lost what she wanted ("he-who-doesn't-shave"). But distractions abound: a boy in the laundry room doesn't know that coloreds bleed, and all his attire has turned a luscious shade of pink (no, he hasn't tried bleach).

In Chem. lab, Elena complicates matters by asking blunt questions about Felicity's sleeping habits. Specifically, who she's sleeping with. This causes Felicity to drop her flask, while consequently learning that white guys don't do it for Elena (even though she's wondering if Noel has a girlfriend). And no, she's not sleeping with the attractive (albeit white) R.A.

Back in Boggle land, Felicity and Noel continue where they left off--on each other's lips--when Meghan walks in to witness the tryst. Embarrassed, Felicity quickly learns that Meghan is actually proud: now that she's learned that her roomie isn't the uptight, follow the rules, kiss ass bore that she envisioned (even though that's much closer to Felicity's actual personality).

More important than kissing Noel, though, is being able to make the call (what gets cold, what doesn't). That's what Felicity learns when she finds out that she won the fridge lottery, much to Elena's dismay. Her new symbol of independence gets broken into with a fresh apple. In the mean time, she's desperately trying to break away from Noel.

In other late breaking developments, people are starting to refer to Zack as the Pink Guy, which doesn't seem to bother Julie--even though his jeans have that rosy afterglow. She later learns that he gets to work with pretentious people (which builds character) and has a secret movie that he doesn't want anyone to see.

In the admissions office, Noel tries to set up a date with Felicity. She's never been weirder, but they really do need to work on their issues (that's the process). Now, if only they can settle on a date.

Felicity watches Ben at his track tryouts.

Apparently, Meghan is still under the impression that Felicity is getting some--you know, a little R.A. ass or whatever. Which she eagerly shares with Elena, who didn't think Felicity had it in her either.

So when Elena questions Felicity about the depth and coldness of her fridge, what she really wants to know is whether or not Meghan's "ass theory" has a kernel of truth. As she sees it, she's dating Noel and getting an appliance-- especially since that Halloween costume of a roommate said it was so. What does that say about the whole system?

Felicity and Noel finally agree to a dinner date. (Whew).

Zack decides to make his movie not so secret when he gives Julie a sneak preview. But the confusing plots, weird camera angles and little discrepancies--which Julie happily points out--are too much for him to handle. Upset, Zack asks Julie to leave--even though she really did love it.

Unfortunately, Felicity does not love the fact that Meghan's fuzzy undies are balled up in her fridge--and that her apple's been replaced with a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Sure, cold undies may feel good in the morning, but fake butter does not equal an apple. In more serious matters, half baked rumors do not equal truth. Meghan may be proud of Felicity's illicit fraternization with their R.A., but she's got it all wrong. Period.

So what's a girl to do? Julie's got a thing for the pink guy, who's pissed, and Felicity's got a maybe date with her hunky R.A. Even though she might have to let him down (which Julie has avoided by dating them all).

To top things off, Ben is still pursuing Julie, who knows where it would all lead. See, she just wants to keep thinking of him as special. And it doesn't help matters any that Felicity is her best friend.

At the restaurant, Noel is getting ready to drop a bomb, but Felicity's got to call Julie first (because he looks so cute. And no, she hasn't been drinking). Turns out that Noel is every long distance girlfriend's worst nightmare, though, and her name is Hanna--which is why he was so surprised that he swapped spit with Felicity. To complicate matters, he's the reason she got that fridge. This of course makes Felicity physically and emotionally revolted.

But as the saying goes, one woman's junk is another woman's jewels (or whatever). Elena learns this firsthand when Felicity offers her a free fridge--and information (yes, Noel has a girlfriend).

So she heads to the track to think things over. Doesn't hurt that Ben is there too, running, while Felicity watches quietly from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Noel's bugging Meghan about Felicity's whereabouts, and Felicity's so busy watching Ben that she doesn't seem to notice when Noel drops by.

Zack is also busy--asking Julie to reconsider watching his video. But only after she calls him a grump. Maybe some of her suggestions were valid after all.

Turns out that Noel's girlfriend, Hanna, is not only at Northwestern (which is hard), but also very pretty, judging from the picture Noel shows Felicity. They've been together since high school, and even though it doesn't seem like it, he does respect her. He just has a funny way of showing it (by kissing curly haired coeds in their dorm rooms during Boggle games).

This doesn't stop Felicity from fantasizing about Ben, who's watching a guy, with a dog. He tells her he's not doing track anymore, a bald faced lie if she ever heard one. Then he sprints away.

In the last montage-y scene (you know, the one where they show individual shots of everyone and sappy but contemporary music is playing in the background), Julie and Zack re-watch his flick over licorice; Elena pulls a soda out of her new fridge; Ben walks around an empty track field; Noel talks to Hanna on the phone; and Felicity, looking lost, wanders down the streets of NYC. In a voiceover, Sally tells Felicity that you never know who that "right" person may be--he might be the guy you've had your eye on for years, or he just might be that guy with holey clothes who frequents auto repair shops (but I'm paraphrasing). The point is, you never know.