GREAT EXPECTATIONS

2.10: Great Expectations

"It looks like a giant eyeball." -Julie

Aired January 16, 2000

Written by Josh Reims, Directed by Keith Samples

Guests: Amy Smart (Ruby), Erich Anderson (Edward Porter), Adam Rodriguez (Erik), Drew Pillsbury (coach), Miguel Najera (Professor Elliott)

Tunes: Semisonic ("Gone to the movies"--Feeling Strangely Fine) --the pool scene song

Summary

Felicity and her dad travel back to UNY so he can teach at the university hospital for two weeks (and she can get her, um, education). But the pilot is the wisest person on board -- his prediction of turbulence turns out to be right on.

At work, Felicity learns that Ben's done a lot of swimming over the break. They are basically cordial to each other after about seven weeks of zero interaction (but hey, who's counting). Ben mentions something about starting over (but I forgot what).

At the grocery store, Ben also tells Sean that his Felicity advice was lousy, now that he's finally interacted with She-Whose-Hair-Is-Finally-Growing-Back and actually enjoyed it. In Ben's eyes, this makes Sean a hypocrite--since he's been drooling over Julie and can't seem to do anything about it.

Felicity is unable to finagle her way through her latest crisis: registering in an art class with too many students (hey, what college do they go to, anyway?). But hey, that's what Dads-who-pull-strings are for.

Meanwhile, Noel has mysteriously become a teaching assistant, while Ruby's thinking he needs to make more eye contact with the class. That, and be more interesting.

Looks like Dad has bought Felicity a new telescope, which Elena and Julie are checking out (no, it's not a microscope). Meanwhile, Elena's stitching a three legged puppet (a scary idea in its own right). Meghan enters and comments on Felicity's new stalking paraphernalia.

Felicity learns that her dad is staying in New York for longer than she had expected.

Felicity learns that her dad has pulled a string, after all.

Ben learns that the University has dropped the swimming program (meaning no more shots of Ben, topless).

Also unfortunate--for Sean--is the fact that Julie is still getting hit on by that Erik guy, who's proposed a recording contract, along with dinner.

Meanwhile, Noel is obsessing over Hobbes and Locke, picking on Ruby when no one participates in his scintillating lecture on single sovereigns. Edward James Olmos he ain't.

And an astronomer Felicity ain't, considering she has no plans to use Dad's new telescope. He stops by (overhearing, of course) and invites them all out to lunch--where they hem and haw over majors.

Felicity eventually learns The Truth: Pa and Ma Kettle are separating.

Dr. Porter visits Felicity at work, but she declines his invitation to talk. That's when Burgeoning Alcoholic boy proposes a plan: namely, skinny dipping and underage drinking. And hey, Javi-ay won't mind.

Julie does mind, though, since being hit on is not her idea of making it in show biz. Though Erik sounds mildly sincere when he tells Julie he'll wait until her record goes platinum (yeah, right), we'll just have to wait and see.

Noel's also trying to sound sincere with Ruby, although the words "I'm sorry" never actually cross his lips. Ruby may not be as smart as his brainiac ex-girlfriend, but she sure is good at slamming doors.

Meanwhile, Ben and Felicity are doing the underage drinking thing, and not too convincingly. Using what looks like a bad credit card technique at best, they break into the University pool for what could pass as Ben's idea of romance: skinny dipping, and beer. Get a good look. We may never see Ben's legs again.

We may never see Sean and Julie hook up, either, since Sean ends up scrutinizing her record contract instead of telling her how he feels about her. Three songs, and no nookies. Not a bad deal after all.

It's Felicity and Ben who end up with the soft sell when a security guard catches them at the pool after a very pleasant underwater frolicking session, remniscient of the "Cocoon" pool scene (for those of you too young to remember that movie, just picture two good looking people swimming in their underwear). But first, Felicity's special trick. The top rated dog paddler and hand-stand acrobat-who-was-once-a-flying-monkey avoids answering Ben's question about her dad.

Ben and Felicity get reprimanded at the campus security office.

Felicity mentions the pool incident to Meghan, but not her dad.

Ben also mentions the pool incident, but Sean's too love stricken to talk about Ben. Or Ben's hair. While Sean obsesses over Guitar-girl-with-smarmy-demo-deal, Ben blames Sean and his advice for the whole Maggie-catering fiasco.

At the studio, Julie learns that Erik "I'm not a womanizer" is so a womanizer, and has a rep., to boot.

Meanwhile, Noel offers Ruby a frightening little peace offering: Elena's three legged frog (a scarier sight than Noel, shirtless--see: Twilight Zone episode]. He concludes that she's as much a brainiac as his ex.

Felicity's drawn some conclusions of her own: namely, that she and her dad will get through their respective dilemmas, without any strings, this time. Or her special trick. Which is a good thing.