Watching television series together has been a staple of my
relationship with my fiancé Will. The first we tackled was The Wonder Years, mostly long-distance. It was about a year later that we began diving into Felicity,
another series about young people finding their way in the world. My
only prior familiarity with the show was as a result of Art Garfunkel,
who debuted two of his songs from the album Everything Waits to be Noticed
on the series. I remember making a point to watch those episodes, but I
don’t remember anything about them except for the songs. Still,
between that and the fact that it was created by J. J. Abrams, the
prolific producer who got the ball rolling on LOST, I was game
when Will suggested we watch that next. Nonetheless, I was surprised at
how quickly and fully I was drawn into the drama of this sheltered,
intelligent young woman navigating life away from her parents for the
first time.
Keri Russell stars as Felicity Porter, who makes a life-changing decision on the day that she graduates from high school. When Ben Covington (Scott Speedman), the long-time crush she has never spoken to, leaves an affirming note in her yearbook, she ditches her plans to attend college close to home and instead moves across the country to follow him to the University of New York. Her parents are displeased with her decision, but they come to accept it, and Felicity begins to carve out a very different life for herself in the Big Apple. Her indecisive nature haunts her as she struggles to forge a genuine bond with Ben and finds herself constantly confiding in the sensitive Noel Crane (Scott Foley), her RA. A lifelong loner, she also makes her first real friends, quiet aspiring musician Julie Emrick (Amy Jo Johnson) and sassy, studious pre-med student Elena Tyler (Tangi Miller).
I commuted to college, and I never had much desire to soak up dorm life, but watching this, I can certainly see that it might have had its benefits as well. There’s a definite sense of community among the students who live on campus. Ben is a bit of an oddball in that way because he does not live on campus, but he still is very much a part of the activities of the others. His roommate, Sean Blumberg, is one of the most enjoyable side characters, and he becomes more prominent as the season wears on. Played by Greg Grunberg, who has appeared in most of Abrams’ projects over the years, he is an eccentric in his late 20s who is constantly coming up with bizarre inventions. Initially a source of comic relief, he eventually becomes more heavily involved in the main storylines.
One enjoyable aspect of the series is the artful narration that arises from the correspondence Felicity enjoys with her former French teacher. They send each other tapes, and while we occasionally hear her friend’s responses, it’s mostly Felicity that we hear. These tapes give her the opportunity to reflect on the confusing events that are swirling around her. One of the definitions for “felicity” is “the ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts,” and while Felicity often fails to express herself well in the moment, she never fails to have an eloquent way of describing her experiences and their significance on these tapes. The other definition of “felicity,” “intense happiness,” is what Felicity seeks so earnestly and finds so elusive. She latches onto perfect moments of happiness, but then she destroys them by over-thinking the situation. As someone whose own contentment has often been damaged by dwelling too much on troubling possibilities, I find myself both sympathetic toward and frustrated by this tendency.
College is a great time of self-discovery for Felicity, and she begins to question all of the plans that she made for her life, particularly her father’s expectation that she would become a doctor. While she applies herself very well to her studies, she comes to realize that her true passion is for art, a pursuit she had all but abandoned in recent years. The pressures of trying to decide on a major that may well set the course of one’s life are often front and center, particularly the tug of war between the expectations of others and one’s own deepest desires.
Few specific professors are highlighted on the show; while Felicity and her friends are often seen studying – to hilarious effect in one episode depicting the frenzy of pre-finals panic – little time is generally spent in the classroom. The show does tackle the issue of academic integrity as Felicity’s attempt to help Ben with a paper leads them both into hot water, and roommate dynamics are always a concern, as Felicity shares her room with an aggressively snarky goth girl named Meghan Rotundi (Amanda Foreman) who strives to make her life difficult as often as possible. Even she is endearing in her own way, though, as is Richard Coad (Rob Benedict), Noel’s most irksome advisee. More attention is given to Felicity’s job; she works at a coffee shop under the supervision of the flamboyant Javier (Ian Gomez), a very sweet and funny character.
Felicity tackles a lot of tough subjects, particularly dealing with the complexities of relationships. The ever-more-complicated love triangle with Felicity, Noel and Ben gets wearying, but aside from a few slightly contrived situations surrounding their relationships, the struggles and frustrations feel very authentic. We’re on the second season now, and I have no doubt that I will continue to enjoy Felicity’s adventures through the end of her college years.
Keri Russell stars as Felicity Porter, who makes a life-changing decision on the day that she graduates from high school. When Ben Covington (Scott Speedman), the long-time crush she has never spoken to, leaves an affirming note in her yearbook, she ditches her plans to attend college close to home and instead moves across the country to follow him to the University of New York. Her parents are displeased with her decision, but they come to accept it, and Felicity begins to carve out a very different life for herself in the Big Apple. Her indecisive nature haunts her as she struggles to forge a genuine bond with Ben and finds herself constantly confiding in the sensitive Noel Crane (Scott Foley), her RA. A lifelong loner, she also makes her first real friends, quiet aspiring musician Julie Emrick (Amy Jo Johnson) and sassy, studious pre-med student Elena Tyler (Tangi Miller).
I commuted to college, and I never had much desire to soak up dorm life, but watching this, I can certainly see that it might have had its benefits as well. There’s a definite sense of community among the students who live on campus. Ben is a bit of an oddball in that way because he does not live on campus, but he still is very much a part of the activities of the others. His roommate, Sean Blumberg, is one of the most enjoyable side characters, and he becomes more prominent as the season wears on. Played by Greg Grunberg, who has appeared in most of Abrams’ projects over the years, he is an eccentric in his late 20s who is constantly coming up with bizarre inventions. Initially a source of comic relief, he eventually becomes more heavily involved in the main storylines.
One enjoyable aspect of the series is the artful narration that arises from the correspondence Felicity enjoys with her former French teacher. They send each other tapes, and while we occasionally hear her friend’s responses, it’s mostly Felicity that we hear. These tapes give her the opportunity to reflect on the confusing events that are swirling around her. One of the definitions for “felicity” is “the ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts,” and while Felicity often fails to express herself well in the moment, she never fails to have an eloquent way of describing her experiences and their significance on these tapes. The other definition of “felicity,” “intense happiness,” is what Felicity seeks so earnestly and finds so elusive. She latches onto perfect moments of happiness, but then she destroys them by over-thinking the situation. As someone whose own contentment has often been damaged by dwelling too much on troubling possibilities, I find myself both sympathetic toward and frustrated by this tendency.
College is a great time of self-discovery for Felicity, and she begins to question all of the plans that she made for her life, particularly her father’s expectation that she would become a doctor. While she applies herself very well to her studies, she comes to realize that her true passion is for art, a pursuit she had all but abandoned in recent years. The pressures of trying to decide on a major that may well set the course of one’s life are often front and center, particularly the tug of war between the expectations of others and one’s own deepest desires.
Few specific professors are highlighted on the show; while Felicity and her friends are often seen studying – to hilarious effect in one episode depicting the frenzy of pre-finals panic – little time is generally spent in the classroom. The show does tackle the issue of academic integrity as Felicity’s attempt to help Ben with a paper leads them both into hot water, and roommate dynamics are always a concern, as Felicity shares her room with an aggressively snarky goth girl named Meghan Rotundi (Amanda Foreman) who strives to make her life difficult as often as possible. Even she is endearing in her own way, though, as is Richard Coad (Rob Benedict), Noel’s most irksome advisee. More attention is given to Felicity’s job; she works at a coffee shop under the supervision of the flamboyant Javier (Ian Gomez), a very sweet and funny character.
Felicity tackles a lot of tough subjects, particularly dealing with the complexities of relationships. The ever-more-complicated love triangle with Felicity, Noel and Ben gets wearying, but aside from a few slightly contrived situations surrounding their relationships, the struggles and frustrations feel very authentic. We’re on the second season now, and I have no doubt that I will continue to enjoy Felicity’s adventures through the end of her college years.
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