allysonkrieger
runonsentence.com
amkrieger@hotmail.com
650 703 7109
originally published on WildWeb, 9/23/99
She Said
...
Guys Like Ben Make College Worth the Tuition
By
ALLYSON KRIEGER / Anyone who's been to college knows that life there is
an altered reality. And so is college love, for that matter. The dorm
and campus contingent isn't part of the real world, with real rules and
real consequences. Instead, it's a place where you can sleep through your
alarm five days a week and still pass all your classes; where you can
have a violent hangover Saturday morning and still be ready to rage eight
hours later; where you can spot a guy in the corner of a party and walk
out with him at the end of the night -- no questions asked. Essentially,
college is all id and no ego. Which is exactly why Felicity should have
gone with Ben.
The first season finale of the WB's "Felicity" was brilliant. The eponymous character, an irksome smudge of a girl with a strangely endearing habit of bearing her soul to all who will listen, was faced with a classic predicament. Should she fly to Berlin with Noel, her wholesome, serious ex-boyfriend, or should she drive cross-country with Ben, the charismatic slacker she's loved for the past eternity? Last spring's final episode found the NYU freshman grappling with this very simple, yet searing choice - and this Sunday's opener will divulge her decision. While my colleague Jess will argue that Noel, not Ben, is the better choice, I'm here to tell you why Felicity would be out of her curly-haired head to hop on that plane.
Of course, there's a lot of backstory here. Let's recap the vitals. Noel Crane, the serious ex, is also her RA, and the two broke up after he rendezvoused with his own ex and she slept with an art student (hot!). Ben Covington, on the other hand, is the guy Felicity gazed at longingly all throughout high school. In fact, he's the reason she's at NYU. The entire premise of the show rests on Felicity's impulsive decision to follow her crush to New York, and the first season found the two becoming friends. In the last few episodes, the sexual tension rose between Ben and Felicity, culminating in a "oh but we shouldn't" kiss that rocked nighttime soap fans nationwide.
Felicity's chance to fulfill everygirl's fantasy lies with following through on that kiss. When Ben asked her to road trip to California, Felicity was afforded an opportunity most 20-year-old girls can only dream of. Ben represents following your heart -- no, your heart of hearts -- whereas Noel represents following your head. And who wants to follow their heads in college? The Ben choice is all about the spontaneity, excitement, romance and lust the unreal world of college fosters like a hothouse.
Then there's the guys themselves. No contest. First of all, Noel is a blatant bore. He's grounded, reasonable, likeable and smart. He's got generic, cookie-cutter appeal: brown locks, floppy hair, and a simple, sweet face your mother would love. Noel's into schoolwork, responsibility and being a good guy. (Come on, fans, you know the writers threw that little old-girlfriend indiscretion in to give the poor sop a little needed dimension, for crap's sake.) Even the indiscretion itself mirrored Noel's inherent nice-guyness - he was only trying to help the ex get over her creative block.
Ben, on the other hand is straight out of the JFK Jr. school of good looks. He's charming (dare I say dashing), fully equipped with a knee-weakening smile and eyes that crinkle in the corners when he looks at you that way. In fact, Ben always seems to be smiling, just a little bit - he's confident, yet soft inside; he's cocky, yet insecure, he's a lost little puppy in dire need of saving. (Remember the gambling side story?) He's also just a bit mysterious. He's that guy you used to pass on campus and giggle with your friends about; he's the one whose initials you used to doodle on the inside of all your notebooks.
Okay, so maybe I'm a little smitten. But beyond the superficial issues, there's a much deeper thread that runs through this choice, a romantic heart that beats with the thrill of taking chances. Ben is The Guy; he stands for the unattainable, attained. And hopefully, the writers of "Felicity" won't leave us ungratified with a wimpy, "90210" Kelly Taylor-esque "I choose me" answer. After all, making irrational choices based on whimsy is really what college is all about. That, and hot guys like Ben.
Do you think
that Felicity should've gone with Ben? Or do you agree
with Jess that Noel is the better choice? Tell us.
WildWeb | September 23, 1999