4 Oktober 2000
By Thomas J. Evans
| "Yeah, it's sort of a hell hole ..." "I mean, it definitely needs a good cleaning ..." "It's an actual hell hole ..." "It's just sooo ..." "... dirty, it's filthy ..." "It's sooo romantic ..." "The electrical sockets don't work. They surge ..." "Has Ben said anything to you about it?" "I care way too much about her feelings to tell her what I really think about it ..." "Do you think he likes it?" "I hate it." "Yeah, he loves it." "Really?" "Yeah, I hate it. Interview's over." In a word, hilarious. I was literally rolling around laughing. The whole thing with the apartment was a riot. The bug ("I can hear it breathing"), the fire, the very very very attractive neighbor/dancer/model. It was a drama show doing the best hour of comedy I've seen on TV in a while. A lot of things are set up in the season premiere, and I like most of what I see so far. Ben and Felicity just drip with sweetness. It's almost but not quite nauseating. Thankfully, they don't use baby-talk. At this point, they are a pretty solid couple. They're fun to watch because Ben is a little stupid (just guy stupid, not stupid stupid) and Felicity is a little sensitive (not just girl sensitive, sensitive sensitive) so when "Bridget" comes to use their tub, I start laughing already cause I know how well Ben is going to explain that one and how Felicity is going to over-react, expecting the worst. And I also know it'll work itself out in the end. So it seems that the very fictional student apartment that Elena, Julie, Meghan and the as yet unnamed new girl are staying at this season is to be the "girls" place and Sean's loft is to be the "guys" place. I wouldn't be surprised if Richard eventually moves into Sean's apartment. I would guess that Ben is going to move back there as well. But where is Felicity going to live, I wonder? Back in the old dorm? Wow, remember that place? And how about Noel ... I remember when Noel cheated on Felicity with Hanna and I thought how out of character that was. And then at the beginning of season two he was this evil pissed-off-at-everybody Noel after Felicity chose Ben over him, and I thought how out of character that was. Now ... well, now he's Leon. He IS out of character, quite obviously. But I'm starting to feel like out-of-character is in-character for Noel. He's a guy who doesn't quite know who or what he is, and so he's easily affected by others. It struck me when he seemed happy to see everyone at his door, invited them in all nice like the normal Noel would. For some reason, I expected him to act like he didn't know them or something, saying "man" and "dude" a lot. But it was just him, just Noel with facial hair and a skinny little beer can in his hand, off to get married to Javier's cousin who looks like the Doritos chick (that was a funny little joke). There is probably something more practical going on under the hood. Noel would be a senior this year, which would kind of place him out of scope next year if Felicity went on for a fourth season. So I think this is the writers' way of synchronizing Noel with the rest of the cast, knocking him back a year in college so that they can all throw their hats into the air together in the series finale - if there is a series finale. |