allysonkrieger
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originally published on WildWeb, 9/23/99
She Said
...
If Felicity's Not Bi, She Should Choose Noel
By
JESS BARRON / Did Felicity choose Ben? Did Felicity choose Noel? Which
way did our fickle femme fly? If you watch The WB's "Felicity"
you are aware that decision making isn't the lead character's forte. In
fact, in response to Felicity's flip-floppy fluctuations in behavior (art
major or pre med princess? Virgin or vixen?), my housemate and I have
begun calling the show "Flaccidity."
After seeing Keri Russell's new super-short haircut at the Emmy awards, I began to think that it was neither Ben nor Noel that Felicity chose to shack up with over summer vacation. I wondered if perhaps Felicity was moving into a more female-focused phase. I mean, if the WB truly wants this show to be an accurate portrayal of collegiate life, they will have the already indecisive lead character doing the obligatory sophomore year sexual experimentation thang and becoming a BUG (bi-sexual until graduation). That's usually what happens when quiet contemplative girls like Felicity return to school for sophomore year with a drastic hair change. Then they start kissing other girls publicly at dorm parties. And I'll just let you all imagine the plot twists that come next.
But before you go dreaming up episodes where Sarah Michelle Gellar guest stars as Felicity's new girlfriend, perhaps we should remind ourselves that primetime TV is still a tad conservative. I'm not sure that even The "edgy" WB is not quite ready for its academically indecisive heroine to become indecisive about her sexual orientation during a primetime slot on Sunday night. If they were going to air a show containing bisexual trysts, they would put it on Thursday nights before their fiery new sitcom "Action" which is already stirring up controversy.
Since primetime viewers aren't yet ready to handle Felicity kissing Julie or Buffy, I suppose she'll need to settle for one of her two designated male lust interests -- Ben or Noel. In that case, she should choose Noel. And no, it's not just because his name can be pronounced as the feminine No-el.
Though Noel and Ben both have comparable dark-haired good looks, Noel is more interesting. All I really know about Ben is that he was a track star in high school and he's on the swim team in college... and that he had a bad gambling problem for an episode or two. Noel, on the other hand, is a graphic arts major who has his own website -- http://www.noelcrane.com. He's a rabid Mac fan who spends more time playing on his iMac than running on the track. Noel is creative and smart and driven. While Ben doesn't even know what to major in, Noel is busy creating and designing his own fonts.
Sure, Felicity had a big crush on Ben -- lusting after him from a distance and following him to college. But now that she has become friends with him and gotten to know him, the intrigue has disappeared. Without intrigue, there really isn't very much that's alluring about Ben aside from his smarmy good looks and the huge So-Ho loft he shares with his upperclassman housemate. With Noel, Felicity can at least enjoy colorful conversations and heated discussions in addition to regularly-scheduled canoodling. Some suggested topics to start them off: Macs versus PCs, serif fonts versus san-serifs, and New York City versus Boston (Noel's hometown).
While my colleague Allyson will disagree, Noel is the clear choice, if of course, Felicity can't get Buffy. I say she should continue to keep an open mind about cross-series' sexual experimentation. I mean, Buffy's gonna be single this season since her Angel has left town to star in his own show.
Do you think
that Felicity should've gone with Noel? Or do you agree with Allyson that
Ben is the better choice? Tell us.
WildWeb | September 23, 1999