The Owl and the Pussycat

Felix, a meek book clerk, informs his landlord that his brash neighbor Doris is working as a prostitute, triggering her eviction. Doris confronts him in the middle of the night, and Felix reluctantly allows her to stay at his apartment temporarily to avoid the harsh outcome. This fragile arrangement sets the stage for their uneasy coexistence.

Doris dares Felix to disrobe, and he dresses in a skeleton Halloween costume to scare her. The stunt backfires in a instant, and the noise provokes the landlord and neighbors to barge in, resulting in both of them being evicted. The chaos marks a turning point in their fragile arrangement.

In the middle of the night, Felix and Doris relocate to Barney's apartment, where the two very different personalities clash as they try to sleep. Doris is upset when Felix reads an excerpt from his novel aloud, and Barney and his girlfriend end up leaving due to the noise and tension. Over time, they begin to tolerate—and even like—each other, culminating in an intimate moment.

Despite initial closeness, their morning arguments resurface and Doris leaves in anger. Felix and Doris drift back to their separate lives, each struggling professionally. The episode highlights the volatility of their connection while preserving a spark between them.

A week after Doris had left, Felix passes a theater showing an adult film starring Doris Wilgus and goes in out of curiosity. He becomes uncomfortable as the onscreen version contrasts with the Doris he knows, and he leaves halfway through the screening. The experience unsettles his perceptions of the woman she is and could be.

Doris's friend Eleanor goes to Felix's bookstore and, after a misdirection, confronts Barney instead of Felix. Eleanor then informs Felix that Doris is at a cafe, prompting him to seek her out. That encounter rekindles their connection as they wander and talk in the city.

Felix and Doris walk through the city near Lincoln Center, increasingly drawn to each other as Doris impresses him with her expanded vocabulary. They share a growing intimacy and attraction, even as external tensions linger. Their night is briefly interrupted by a run-in with violent youths.

They move to an upscale townhouse where Felix stays, and they begin to uncover Doris's past while Felix confronts unexpected facts about her. Doris learns that Felix is actually engaged to be married, adding a layer of complication to their evolving relationship. The mood shifts from flirtation to uneasy tension as truths surface.

As Felix grows feverish, Doris tends to him and reveals that she plans to move to Los Angeles. He revisits her earlier excerpt with a new, softened tenderness, and they kiss again, deepening their bond. They share a hazy, intimate moment that foreshadows a potential future together.

Felix's fiancée and her parents return unexpectedly, finding Doris and Felix both in a bathtub while still feeling the effects of their earlier high. The intrusion exposes the precarious nature of their affair and forces them to face the consequences of their actions. They are subsequently kicked out of the townhouse.

Kicked out and walking through Central Park, the two begin to argue and move toward Cedar Hill. Felix cruelly ridicules Doris, triggering tears and a moment of vulnerability. He apologizes with a kiss on her hand, signaling a shift in their dynamic.

In the aftermath of their argument, Felix finally reveals his real name is Fred and Doris reveals her full name as Doris Wilgus. They shed pretensions and walk away together as a hopeful couple, renewed by honesty. The ending hints at a future built on acknowledging each other’s true identities.