Felicity (1998) - 1x08 - Drawing the Line (1)

Ben gives Felicity the cold shoulder after the cheating incident. She whines about the situation to Noel, who becomes very uncomfortable. He seeks advice from his fellow resident advisors, pretending that it is one of his advisees who is in this predicament. They recommend that he bar Felicity from discussing Ben with him. Noel shares his decision with Felicity, but ends up leaving her hurt and angry. He repeatedly tries to rectify the situation, only to make things worse. The other resident advisors tell him to just be a good friend to Felicity for the time being, as there is no chance that she will ever date him unless they maintain their friendship. Blair learns that Elena may have to leave school. She will not open up to him, so he persuades Felicity to look in her file. They discover that Elena is experiencing financial problems, but discover a scholarship that will end all her worries. She angrily refuses because the scholarship recipient must be African American and of low to moderate income, and she fears she would be seen as a charity case. Noel confesses that he comes from a poor family, and relates all the steps he has had to take to pay for school. He convinces her that she shouldn't throw away her education because of her pride. Blair tells Ben about Felicity's efforts to help Elena, and convinces him that she is a good person, in spite of her occasional craziness. Meghan repeatedly accuses Felicity of handling a mysterious box, and becomes reluctant to leave it in the room. Zach is asked to show his movie to a visiting filmmaker, and enlists Julie to add some music. They begin to kiss intensely during their work session, but Julie fears they are moving too fast. A drunken Julie and Zach fool around after an evening out. The next morning, Julie discloses some shocking news to Felicity: Zach forced himself on her.