Episode Report Card Kim: B | 2 USERS: A+ YOU GRADE IT Back To The Future
By Kim | Season 4 | Episode 22 | Aired on 05.21.2002
That night, Felicity lies in bed, tossing and turning. The screen starts rotating, and the light changes on Felicity's face. Felicity wakes up to find Javier, Meghan, Sean, Noel, and Ben standing over her bed. They tell her that she was sick last night. Felicity sits up and expresses surprise that Noel is okay. Meghan says that Felicity is the one who had the high fever. Javier says that Felicity was talking in her sleep. Sean adds that Noel almost postponed the wedding. Felicity remembers that Noel is getting married to Zoe. Noel laughs at how goofy Felicity is being, from his standpoint. Felicity says that she just had the weirdest dream, in which Noel died in a fire. She says hello to Ben. Meghan says that she couldn't keep Ben out, and offers to get rid of him. Felicity says that it's fine; she says that Ben was in her dream, too, and that he rescued her from a psych ward. Ben laughs, and Javier says that Ben is always so heroic. Ben asks if he can talk to Felicity, and if everyone will give him a minute. The others all start to leave. As Noel walks out, Felicity tells him that he and Zoe are going to have a great life together. Javier asks if he can stay and watch, and then realizes that they don't need an audience, so he leaves.
Ben sits on the edge of Felicity's bed and says that she had a rough night. Ben says, "Look, I know you don't want to hear what I have to say, but I am so sorry for what I did. It was stupid, and immature, and it was unforgivable. And I know this is an impossible thing for me to ask, but you have to find a way to forgive me, because I don't want to live my life without you." Felicity gapes at him in shock and says that he said exactly the same thing in her dream. Ben asks what she said back. Felicity says that she didn't say anything, but she knows that she was thinking that she doesn't want to live her life without him, either. Ben apologizes again, and Felicity says that she knows. Ben asks if she forgives him, and Felicity says that she does. They kiss, even though Felicity would have really, really bad breath.
Sarah McLachlan starts singing "I Will Remember You" and I wish they had used any song but this one. We see scenes from Noel and Zoe's wedding. Noel and Zoe up at the altar. Felicity smiling at them from the seats. Zoe throwing her bouquet and...what the hell? Elena knocking Javier down to catch it? Isn't Elena dead? According to the official site, there were some scenes explaining this that were cut: Felicity remembered about Elena and told her to attend Duke, so that she wouldn't be killed in a car accident at Columbia. At the wedding, Felicity discovered that Elena lived, and also got back together with Tracy. As much as I enjoyed this episode, leaving out that explanation kind of ruined it for me, because I spent the final scenes wondering what in the hell was going on instead of enjoying them. Coupled with the writers' apparent hatred of Tangi Miller, the whole thing was just weird. And, as someone pointed out in the forums, if Elena didn't die, that means that Felicity didn't become distant, and Ben never cheated on her, and thus Felicity never wanted to go back to the past, and thus it's just a vicious cycle of none of this ever happening. Sigh. Anyway, in the final scenes, all of the characters stand in a group and listen to Sean give a toast, laughing uproariously. Rumor has it that in one of the takes, Greg Grunberg gave a little speech about the show and the cast, breaking character, and I wish we could have heard some of it. The camera pans across many faces: Noel, Richard, Javier, Elena, Tracy, and Ben. Felicity and Meghan hug and wipe tears from their eyes. Sean raises his glass, and the others follow suit and then clink their glasses together. The final shot is of Felicity laughing and drinking from her glass, which fades into a shot from the pilot of Felicity in her graduation gown, smiling and looking down. Goodbye, Felicity! I will miss you. While the quality of the show was uneven at times, when it was good, it was very, very good, and I thank God that I get the WE: Women's Entertainment network so that I can watch the episodes this fall in syndication.