THAT FICKLE ‘FELICITY’ IS FINE BY WB

By Virginia Rohan
The San Jose Mercury News: December 24, 1998

Sometimes, you just can’t win. When “Felicity” tackles a serious topic such as date rape, the show is praised, but faintly damned for being so heavy.
If, however, WB’s freshman college drama boasts too many carefree story lines about dating and relationships, it’s blasted for going light on academics. (The show airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Ch.20.)
“You can’t please everybody,” Keri Russell, 22, who plays college freshman Felicity Porter, says cheerfully. “I know so many people who want it to be funny. Then, I know so many people who watch the fun episodes, and they want it to be serious. I personally like the more fun and heartwarming episodes. When we read scripts, I say, ‘Oh, I’m so glad we’re laughing again.’”

Post-Christmas
On this particular day, she’s in the thick of filming a post-Christmas-break episode.
“Everyone is coming back after being home for a month,” Russell says, adding coyly. “I can’t tell you particulars, but I definitely have some involvement with Noel.”
Noel Crane, played by Scott Foley, is one of the two hunks in Felicity’s life. From their first meeting, it’s been clear that Noel, her student resident adviser, has a thing for Felicity.
Felicity and Noel first kissed at Thanksgiving, and in a studying-for-finals episode they kissed again (and again and again).
“We’re obviously going to be dealing with Felicity’s sexuality in the next few seasons. We actually have some really funny episodes coming up about safe sex,” says Russell, who strongly implies that those scenes co-star Noel. “It’s all about condoms and reading about sex. Felicity will have a funny approach because she’s so academically inclined - she wants it to be all black and white.”
“Felicity” itself is hardly a clear-cut success story.
Despite the huge pre-debut promotional push, “Felicity” has gotten off to a slower start in the ratings than fellow newcomer “Charmed,” which didn’t get nearly as much hype. (Overall, “Felicity” tends to finish in the bottom quarter of the Nielsen list.)
“To be totally honest, I’m not completely savvy to all the ratings,” Russell says. “I’m pretty happy with the way it’s going. I wouldn’t want it to be ‘Friends.’ I’d rather be like ‘Party of Five,’ which kind of started out slower and gained in popularity.”
The WB, which has ordered a full season of “Felicity” episodes, claims to be happy, too, especially about the show’s steady growth among women 18 to 49.

Barometric friends
What’s more, Russell says she can tell the show is catching on, because “all my friends care about what’s going on. Everyone’s so passionate about it.”
She is also heartened by what she reads on the official “Felicity” Web site, established by executive producer J.J. Abrams, who created the show with Matt Reeves.
“J.J. reads it every day, and he brings me in and we scroll through the comments,” Russell says. “It’s amazing, because almost all of it is so positive. I’ve had a totally different fan base for this show than other shows I’ve done. People who come up to me are so cool.”
Russell defends Felicity’s waffling between Noel and Ben, the high school crush she followed across the country in the opening episode (and who is now started a romance with Felicity’s friend, Julie).
“Ben is this childhood fantasy. I know people who are married with kids who still hold onto their college crush,” she says. “And Noel is right there in fron of her. The available guy.”