Episode 709

I was trying to give Felicity the benefit of the it's-not-just-a-Dawson's-Creek-rip-off doubt. I bit my tongue for months. And then Season 4, Episode 4  happened.

In just one episode, the following three Dawson's Creek plot points went down:

• Felicity enters a beauty pageant to win scholarship money. (See Joey entering a beauty pageant to win.)  
• Noel offers Felicity his windfall money to pay for school, but she's too proud to accept. (See Dawson offering Joey his windfall money, but she's too proud to accept.)
• Felicity is late, i.e., might be pregnant. Turns out she's not. (See Joey being late, i.e., might be pregnant. Turns out she's not.) 

Not convinced? Let's do another mini-checklist (this time, series-wide).

• Emotionally damaged bad boy becomes a Big Brother volunteer? Check. 
• Fire destroys the one thing the leading lady loves? Check.
• Smart overachieving girl cheats on a major assessment but gets off easy? Check.

If anyone else wants to join in on the fun, please do.

P.S. I'm really glad J.J. Abrams worked out the time-travel kinks in Felicity before he tried it on LOST. Because, oh boy, the kinks were aplenty. 

Episode 708

I was recently told by a good Christian boy from Texas that Friday Night Lights doesn't hold up. Yes, you heard that right. Friday Night Lights doesn't hold up.

I was horrified, naturally, but the reasonable side of me decided to turn to my most trusted TV critic for solace. And boy did I find it.

JamesPoniewozik is always the trump card—sorry, Good Christian Boy Who Is Almost Certainly Not Reading This.

Not only did Poniewozik calm my fears, he even compared TV to the serialized novel, which suddenly makes my already amazing job (writing about literature using TV references) that much better. Or validated. Or something. Whatever, I love my job.

Episode 707

The other day, I met someone who looked exactly like Michael Emerson (AKA Ben Linus). Exactly. Same eyes, same nose, same creepy-but-endearing personality.

And of course, no one else at the table saw it. Apparently, I have a tendency to think people look like celebrities when they in no way do. But I won't let it discourage me, and now I have one to share with the Olympic-watching world:

RyanLochte looks just like Luke Cafferty.

Talk amongst yourselves.

P.S. Jason Lezak has got to be related to Craig T. Nelson.

Episode 706

To Cancel or Not to Cancel?

That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the studio apartment to stick with cable or to relish in the glory of the Roku.

The run-down, based on pros. Yeah, the glass is always half full when it comes to TV.

Cable:

1. The Olympics
2. Getting to hear Alton and Bobby make fun of Giada. RICOTTA!
3. Tear-jerking contemporary routines on So You Think You Can Dance

Roku (i.e., Netflix):

1. Watching shows from the 90s and 00s that I never got to watch when they aired. We're talking Ugly Betty, Felicity, My So-Called Life, and so I don't seem like a total loser, Sports Night.
2. Unlimited, convenient reruns of The Office and How I Met Your Mother, two of the best rewatch value shows of all time.
3. That cool clicking sound it makes as you spend more time scrolling through your choices than you actually spend watching them.

When you throw Hulu Plus into the mix, all signs point to Roku. Speak now, or forever hold your peace.