There's no Previously On Felicity this week because it's a Very Special Episode. I'm still kind of confused as to why they said "To Be Continued..." at the end of the last episode, unless it was a cheap ploy to get people to tune in this week. But on this type of show, isn't every episode "To Be Continued..."? Anyway, on to the show. As I'm sure you all know, this episode was filmed entirely in black and white, and is a homage to The Twilight Zone.
The scene opens in Meghan and Felicity's dorm room, except everything is made over in the style of the late 1950s. Meghan is sitting at her desk, and she opens her secret box, then turns to look at Felicity, who is staring out the window. Meghan asks Felicity what the matter is. Felicity says nothing and then remarks that it's a "gray day." Get it? Because it's all in black and white? Meghan remarks that Felicity has been sitting there all morning. Felicity says, "Have I?" and picks up her (non-digital) clock to check the time. ["That clock is for sale at Urban Outfitters. We have it." -- Wing Chun] She gets up, and Meghan quickly closes her box. Felicity is wearing an Oxford shirt with a skirt, but it doesn't look all that different from her normal attire this season. Felicity asks what's in the box, and says "We've been roommates for almost two years. Don't you think it's about time you let me in?" Meghan says, "You'll know soon enough." This is what's known in the business as foreshadowing, so keep it in mind. Felicity leaves the room, and Meghan closes and latches the box, and then smiles.
Knoll is getting doughnuts in a '50s-style coffee shop, replete with '50s-style music. He tells Felicity, who is behind the counter, that he "woke up this morning with the strangest feeling." Felicity says that she did too. Knoll figured out what the feeling was about: He only has three semesters of college left, and everything has gone by so fast that he will be graduating before he knows it, and then what will happen? Felicity says that's a good question and Knoll says that it's a scary question. Then he asks about Felicity's strange feeling. Felicity says she doesn't know what it was about. Knoll says he has three chapters to read, and then continues, "If you hear me moaning back there, free cookies might help." Why would he be moaning while reading his chapters? I could accept groaning, but moaning? Knoll takes his doughnuts to a table, and Felicity continues taking doughnuts out of a box and putting them on a platter on the counter. She sees Knoll talking to Ben. Felicity watches them together and then, when their conversation ends, she watches them separately. A voice says, "Lovesick?" Felicity looks up and sees a scary-looking older woman, who has pupils like the guy from Limp Bizkit. Scary Woman says she saw Felicity staring at that boy, and wonders if it's her boyfriend, or her ex-boyfriend. Felicity says "Ex-boyfriends." Scary Woman says it's difficult, and Felicity says it's complicated. Scary Woman replies, "Love always is." Felicity realizes that she is discussing her personal life with a complete stranger -- and a scary one at that -- and asks, "May I help you?" Scary Woman says, "Maybe I can help you," and hands her a business card, explaining that she's offering help for the lovelorn. The card says "The Clinic" with an address underneath. In a nice retro-touch, the phone number has letters instead of numbers in it. I like attention to detail.
Scary Woman continues to say that The Clinic offers help for the "romantically frustrated, the lonely and the dejected," and that Felicity "owes it to herself to call." Felicity takes the card and asks if The Clinic offers hypnosis or something. Scary Woman says that she was always unhappy in love until she called and that "for the incurable romantic, this clinic is the cure." Then she orders a plain bagel. Clearly, there is something wrong with her, because everyone knows normal people eat cream cheese on their bagels. Felicity starts to fill her order and Scary Woman says that she carried the card around for three months before she called, and that Felicity shouldn't wait that long; then she takes her bagel and walks away. Felicity puts the card on a shelf under the phone. She looks out at Knoll, who smiles at her. Then Ben comes behind the counter and reaches in front of her. Felicity turns around and grabs the card, and dials the phone. Sally starts speaking in the style of Rod Serling: "Witness Felicity Porter: A typical nineteen-year-old college sophomore. Studious, dedicated, kind." Sally goes on to say that Felicity serves nameless patrons who, until today, couldn't look at her face and read her mind. Felicity is making a phone call that will change her life forever.
The credits feature the Felicity theme song minus Amy Jo Johnson's caterwauling. Instead, they are done like The Twilight Zone. Hey, do you think this episode is supposed to be like The Twilight Zone?
Felicity is sitting in the waiting room of The Clinic. We know, because it says "The Clinic" on the door. Felicity takes off her coat, and now she's wearing a cardigan, capri pants and loafers, so it's either a different day or she changed. A nurse named Janice King comes out and calls Felicity in. The nurse begins asking questions, and the first is, "Have you ever had surgery?" Felicity says, "Surgery?" I've noticed in this episode there are many instances where a person says a line, and then the other person repeats the line back in the form of a question. In the form of a question? See how that works. I don't know if it's lazy writing, or a Twilight Zone thing, but it bugs me. ["I think in the olden days, they had to pad shows out like that. It reminded me of Ed Wood movies." -- Wing Chun] Anyway, the nurse says it's a standard question. Felicity says that she had her tonsils out when she was eight. The nurse asks how long she has experienced heartache, and reminds her that her answers are confidential. Felicity says that it started when she came to New York fifteen months ago, and that she was only involved with two people. She continues, "Well, three if you count David. Four, total." Felicity says she puts too much importance on things, and that with the holidays and the weather, she just feels like love matters to her. Ben matters. Noel matters. She's sick of wanting a connection or a soul mate and she wants the feelings to go away. The nurse puts a form in front of her and says, "Sign here, please." Felicity asks if the treatment is some sort of psychotherapy. The nurse tells her that the sooner she signs the form, the sooner she'll get to see the doctor, so Felicity signs. The nurse tells her the doctor will see her in a moment and gives Felicity a weird look as she leaves the room.
Felicity gets up and studies some instruments (seemingly instruments of torture) in a glass case. The doctor enters the room and says, "Felicity Porter. Heartache. Fifteen months." Felicity sits in an examination chair that looks more like a dentist's chair. Felicity thinks that there might be a misunderstanding because she only came in for a consultation. The doctor shines a light in her eyes. Felicity asks why she is getting a physical exam. The doctor says that "not everyone qualifies for the treatment." He abruptly tilts the chair back, surprising Felicity, who says, "The treatment?" The doctor tells her to breathe normally, while he listens to her chest with a stethoscope. Felicity tries to ask more about the treatments but the doctor shushes her, and scowls. The door opens, and Felicity asks if there is a problem. The nurse enters with a tray on which are two small drinking cups. The doctor offers one to Felicity, who refuses. The doctor insists, and drinks from the other cup, which reassures Felicity into drinking from her cup. The doctor says that he is going to draw blood to test and see if she is a candidate for the treatment. Felicity asks for details about the therapy. The doctor talks about how medical science has the capacity to fix all the other parts of the body, so why not a broken heart? He ties a piece of rubber around Felicity's arm. Felicity asks what the personnel at the clinic do to their patients. The doctor has a syringe and says that before he can tell her anything, he needs to draw blood. Felicity freaks out and tells him to stop, while pulling the piece of rubber off her arm. She says that she changed her mind, and grabs her coat and purse and runs down the hallway. The doctor calls after her to wait, and says there's no need to be afraid. Felicity stops and says she never said she was afraid, and runs out. The doctor and the nurse exchange a look.
Felicity arrives back in her room carrying a package. She opens the package and pulls out a heart-shaped glass box containing a business card for the Clinic. The phone rings and the answering machine picks up. As others have stated in the forums, an answering machine? For a college student in the '50s? But I guess on The Twilight Zone anything can happen, so I'm just going to go with the flow. ["I also noticed that there were other anachronistic touches that seemed to have been intentional, like the little TV in Felicity's room. Or the fact that the coffee shop where Felicity worked was still called Dean & Deluca. Or the fact that Knoll planned to be a graphic designer, which isn't a job title that, I think, existed in 1959. Or the appearance of Felicity's miniature tape recorder. It looks like the producers wanted to make the timeline deliberately ambiguous. I'm just sayin'." -- Wing Chun] One funny part is that instead of Meghan's usual snarky message, the outgoing message is normal. A woman from the clinic starts to leave a message for Felicity about scheduling a second visit. Felicity picks up the phone and says politely that there will be no second visit because she's not interested. The woman says, "I see." Felicity starts to explain further, but the woman hangs up on her.
Felicity and Elena are talking at a table in the library. Elena is saying, "A glass heart?" Felicity says she just called The Clinic yesterday, so she can't figure out when they sent the heart or how they even got her address in the first place. Elena says skeptically, "You went because you heard they could cure a broken heart?" I notice that Elena has a charm in the shape of a heart on her necklace, but I don't know if that has any significance. I just thought I would mention it. Felicity asks her not to tell anyone because it makes her sound desperate. Elena says that she is desperate. Hee! Even 1959 Elena is sassy. Felicity tells Elena that the doctor tried to draw her blood without asking. Elena suggests sarcastically that they might be an "office of vampires." Felicity says that's what it felt like. Elena starts to tell her a story about a time when she was desperate, so she went into a church that was offering a happiness test, but it was really a scam. ["I'd like to add that when Elena mentioned the happiness test, I immediately thought 'Scientology,' and the fact that Elena goes on to say that the church tried to make her buy a book after her test didn't cause me to alter my initial analysis." -- Wing Chun] While Elena is talking, Felicity sees a creepy man gesturing for her to come over. Elena realizes Felicity is not paying attention and stops talking, saying, "This story isn't that long." Felicity says that a guy is staring at her. Elena asks if he's cute, and Felicity says, "No, he looks dead!" Felicity adds that Creepy Guy wants to talk to her. Elena turns and looks at him, but there is no one there, and asks what Felicity took at the clinic. Felicity says, "Nothing, except water."
Felicity walks over to the spot where the man was standing, and then into the room. She searches among the stacks for Creepy Guy. Can I take a moment to point out that this 1950s library looks exactly like the Science and Technology Library at Syracuse University, which is ironic because it is, after all, the Technology Library, so you'd think it would be a little more up-to-date. Now I'm going to be creeped out every time I go in there. As Felicity continues searching, she hears someone say, "You!" At first, I thought he said, "Yo!" but that doesn't seem very 1959, so I'm going with, "You!" Felicity sees Creepy Guy peering at her between some books and asks what he wants. Creepy Guy says he has to be quick because "they" are after him, but that she shouldn't "let it happen," and has to find a way out. It's too late for him but she should "stay away from snow." Felicity says, "What are you talking about?" Creepy Guy says he's talking about The Clinic procedure. Felicity says she left The Clinic and refused the treatment. Creepy Guy says that she didn't really leave, and that, in fact, they are "doing it to [her] right now." Felicity turns away for a moment and when she looks back, Creepy Guy is gone. She runs around the stacks, but he is nowhere to be found.
Felicity and Elena are in the coffee shop. Elena is saying, "Stay away from snow?" Why does every scene open with Elena repeating something Felicity just told her to drop us into the middle of the conversation? Felicity says that it's disturbing, and Elena asks her what happens when it snows. Felicity says that Creepy Guy disappeared before she could ask what he meant. Elena says that she hates to be the voice of reason, but that he couldn't have disappeared. Felicity says that he was in the stacks, and then he wasn't. I have to say, that's pretty much the meaning of disappeared. Elena looks at a newspaper, and says that she's checking the weather forecast to see when it's going to snow. The headline on the newspaper says "Russia Fires Rocket Towards Moon," which seems a little obvious to me. Like, why don't they just have the headline say, "Hey, We're All Pretending It's the 1950s!" Felicity asks what Creepy Guy meant when he said "They're doing it to you right now." Elena thinks about it as Scary Woman from a couple of days earlier shows up and asks Felicity how it went. Felicity says she left. Scary Woman says she heard, and Felicity wonders, then, why Scary Woman is asking. Scary Woman wants Felicity to go back to The Clinic, and gives her another business card. Man, she must go through those things like water. I hope she has a friend who works at the 1959 equivalent of Kinko's. Felicity offers Scary Woman a plain bagel and Scary Woman says she just came by to see her. Felicity takes the business card and Scary Woman leaves. Elena says, "Okay, she's weird."
Felicity is in bed, sleeping, when she hears a voice whispering, "fe-lisss-a-teee." She looks at her anachronistic personal tape recorder, which is lying on the floor. She picks it up and opens it, but there's no tape inside. The voice says, "Open sixty-seven." Meghan wakes up and snaps, "God, are you ever going to stop making those stupid tapes?"
Felicity is at the New York Public Library. I'm not sure if her university's library is not good enough for her, or if she is trying to avoid Creepy Guy, or what. Julie is inexplicably there too; she walks up and tells Felicity that she looks terrible, and wonders if Felicity wants to talk. Felicity says that Julie will think that Felicity is losing her mind. I notice that Felicity is wearing a heart-shaped pin and Julie has a heart embroidered on her sweater. Again, no idea about the significance, but I thought it was worth a mention. Felicity gathers up her things and says that it's better not to discuss it. Julie says, "The Clinic called me." Felicity can't believe they are calling her friends now, and blathers on about harassment, and things happening, and her tape recorder telling her to "open sixty-seven." Julie suggests that the voices Felicity's hearing might be caused by stress or emotional turmoil. Felicity says that she's going to call the police and end this before she starts her new plot contrivance -- I mean, "new job." Julie reveals that she went to The Clinic over the summer in order to get over Ben and forgive Felicity. Julie continues that, like anything that works well, the procedure has created some fanatics, but that having the treatment is the best thing she's ever done. Felicity asks her what the treatment is. Julie says she can't tell because she signed a non-disclosure agreement. Apparently, The Clinic is owned by Bill Gates. Felicity pleads with Julie to tell her, and Julie says, "Only they can explain, and it's really best that they do."
Felicity enters a chemistry lab, and is being given instructions by Potsie from Happy Days, or at least someone who raided his wardrobe. Apparently, Felicity is going to work in this lab now. Potsie reminds her to wear rubber gloves at all times, and says that she has to mop up before she leaves. They reach some large, metal boxes that look kind of like refrigerators laid on their backs. Potsie asks if Felicity has ever seen a dead body. Clearly, this guy got his chick-pick-up techniques at the same place as his outfit -- Nerdville, USA. Felicity tells him not to open the refrigerator thing because the lab's spooky enough. Potsie makes to leave and asks how much she's being paid. Felicity says, "Not enough." Potsie agrees, saying that he feels bad for her being alone with all the dead bodies, and wishes her luck.
Felicity mops the floor. That mop looks like it weighs more than Keri Russell, but she is a petite flower. She notices that one of the refrigerator things has the number sixty-seven on the end. She continues mopping, and then sees someone standing behind her in the reflection in the metal. Okay, that made me jump a little bit. She turns around, but there's no one there. She sees the latch on the side of number sixty-seven and pulls it. The doors on top open up, and the bagged body inside is raised up. She goes to close the doors, but the body says, "Felicity!" Whoa, that was creepy. Felicity stumbles back and the body continues, "You want to see what The Clinic does to people? Unzip me. Come look what they did. Come look." Felicity unzips the body bag and sees a huge C-shaped scar on the chest of the corpse. The corpse says, "This is how they cure a broken heart. They rip your heart right out of your chest." The corpse's lips don't move. It finishes by saying, "This is what they're going to do to you."
Felicity marches into The Clinic, but all the doors she encounters are locked. The nurse Felicity met earlier steps out into the hallway and Felicity demands to know what they put in her water, and says she needs to see the doctor. The doctor steps out into the other end of the hallway, so that Felicity is standing between the doctor and the nurse. Felicity angrily tells the doctor that she is hearing and seeing things, and having conversations with people she's not sure exist. The nurse says that is why they wanted her to come back. Felicity says sharply, "I'm not talking to you." She turns back to the doctor and asks again what was in the water, that he had to dare her to drink it. The doctor tells her she needs help, and nods slightly to the nurse. The nurse goes into a room, but Felicity doesn't see her go. Felicity tells the doctor that she is going to report him to the police, the AMA, and the FDA. The doctor says there was nothing in her water, and that he drank it too. Felicity says that he drank from a different cup, and starts babbling about how they probably only dosed her cup. The doctor tells her she sounds insane. Felicity says, "Last night I had a conversation with a dead guy who told me you take out hearts." The doctors asks how Felicity supposes they replace the patients' hearts. Felicity says it's probably a machine, or a computer, or something not human. The doctor tells her she is imagining things. Felicity says, "What about this?" and pulls her glass heart-shaped box out of her coat pocket. She says the package was postmarked the day before she called The Clinic, so how did they know to send it, and where did they get her address?
The doctor starts walking toward her and says, "How do you know you're not imagining the glass heart, too?" If Felicity was in her right mind, she would remember that she never told him it was a glass heart, so clearly he can see it, so she's not imagining it. The doctor continues, "Your story is implausible. How do you know where truth ends and fantasy begins?" Felicity says that she can feel the box, just like she can feel pain in her left arm. The nurse comes up behind her with a giant syringe. I haven't seen a needle that big since Pulp Fiction. The doctors asks to see Felicity's arm, but she pulls away and sees the nurse approaching. The nurse tells her that the best thing for Felicity to do is co-operate, and the doctor says that the more she fights, the worse it will get for her. Felicity smashes the glass box against the wall and takes advantage of their shock to run out the door. The doctor shoots the nurse a look of contempt and stomps into his office.
Felicity is hugging someone, and says she's worried that she's losing her mind, or maybe Julie was right and it's stress. She pulls back to reveal the recipient of her hug -- Knoll. Felicity says that maybe she never talked to Julie, and wonders if she's going crazy. Knoll says there's probably an explanation for everything. Felicity says that she wanted to feel better and lose the "emptiness in [her] heart," so she was willing to do anything. Knoll says that for some people, alcohol is a weakness, and for some people it's gambling or drugs, but that for Felicity, it's love. Knoll continues that he believes her, and that his burden is always to believe her. His "burden"? Felicity says that she wants to report The Clinic to the police, and Knoll says he'll go to the police station with her, but that he needs to change first. As he goes into the bathroom to change (without closing the door), he asks Felicity about the man in the library. Felicity starts talking to him, but sees a glass heart on the end table. She starts walking towards the bathroom while continuing the conversation, and sees a C-shaped scar on Knoll's chest. She drops the glass box on the floor. Knoll turns around and realizes that she's seen his scar, and remarks that it's been a while since she saw him shirtless. He says that Julie told him about The Clinic, and that he only went three weeks ago, and that it's the only way they'll all survive their emotional turmoil. He says that The Clinic guarantees no heartache, and asks if that isn't that what Felicity wanted. Felicity says that's not what she wants if it means she'll end up not feeling anything. Knoll advances on her in a threatening way, saying that she doesn't understand what's happening, and that she should take a deep breath. Felicity wonders why everyone keeps telling her to take a deep breath. Knoll says that's how anesthesia works.
Cut to Felicity lying on a table, with a gas mask on her face. A doctor (not the same one from before) leans over her and she pulls off the mask and asks, "Where am I?" She realizes she is in restraints. The original doctor says that she had a dream during the procedure, and was talking, so they had to increase her dosage. Felicity says she never okayed a procedure, but original doctor points out her signature from her first visit to The Clinic. Felicity says she dreamed that The Clinic removed hearts. Then I got that weird commercial cut that others complained of, but some people in the forums said that Felicity finds out that the original doctor's name is "Snow...Malcolm Snow" and then Felicity sees a C-shaped scar on her own chest.
This last segment is kind of hard to recap, since it is essentially just dialogue and no action, but I'll give it a shot. Felicity wakes up in a completely bare room. Nothing on the floor, nothing on the walls, nothing anywhere. She stands up, and Knoll walks out of the shadows saying, "I felt confused, too. I'm Knoll, remember?" Felicity says, "I'm not kidding. I'll kick your ass. I took a self-defense course over the summer." Then she asks Knoll why he didn't tell her the truth about the procedure. Knoll says he doesn't know what she's talking about. Felicity looks at her own scarless chest and then makes Knoll bare his scarless chest, and starts laughing in relief. Knoll asks why she's so happy and Felicity says it was all just a dream. Knoll says the nightmare isn't over, because they don't know where they are, or how they got there. Felicity says she just woke up there. Knoll says there aren't any doors. Ben walks out of the shadows (and where are these shadows coming from?) and says that Knoll is right. Julie walks out and says they've all been there for months. Felicity says that can't be true because they just got back from Christmas break, right? Elena walks out and says they don't know. Felicity asks who else is in there, and Elena says it's just the five of them, and then does a weird curtsey thing so that she is kneeling. Felicity insists that there is a rational explanation. Ben says in a frustrated manner, "You're trying to use normal logic, and it doesn't work in here." Knoll points out that no one brings them food. Felicity says it must be a dream. Julie says that if it is, then they are all having the same dream. Felicity says there has to be a door. Elena tells her to look all she wants, but she won't find anything. Ben says she can try to solve their problem, but she will eventually give it up. Julie points out that maybe Felicity was sent to solve the problem. Knoll tells Julie he is sick of her optimism. Elena tells Knoll not to jump on Julie just because she has hope. Really, Knoll, there are so many other reasons to hate Julie. Felicity says that maybe there was an accident, and they're all dead, and this is hell. How very No Exit of her. Julie says that it can't be hell since they are stuck in a room with two cute guys. Knoll and Ben laugh, and I wonder if that was an ad-lib, because their laughs seem very genuine. Knoll says they've gone through all the obvious scenarios. Elena wonders if they were never really people. Felicity insists that they are people. Knoll asks what they really know about each other, and then answers his own question by saying, "Names, we go to the same college, the few stories we've chosen to share, but what else?" Julie says she can't remember her adoptive parents. Knoll says he's been in college for three years and he doesn't have any friends. Ha! I bet the writers had fun with this one. Elena says she can't remember the time before college. Julie says they have no food, water, sunlight, doors, or memories. Knoll says it's only a matter of time before Felicity asks the same question: "Who are we?" Felicity says that maybe everything before was just a dream, and maybe this place is all that's real. Dude, that's deep.
Felicity pounds on the walls, looking for a door. Julie is doing some weird yoga stretch on the floor; she wishes aloud that she had her guitar. Knoll joins the rest of the television-watching public in saying, "Thank God you don't have your guitar." Elena is jogging in circles. Elena wonders how she will be a doctor if she's stuck in a box. Knoll wonders how he will become a graphic designer. Ben wonders how he will become...Knoll asks what exactly Ben is going to do with his life. Ben says, "Nothing. This is what I'm doing." Julie says that they can't stay there forever, and wonders what's out there. Elena says it's got to be better than what's in there. Elena has a heart charm on her bracelet. Again, just pointing it out. Don't know what it means. Ben gets up and crashes into the wall. Knoll laughs and says, "Nice one." Shut up, Knoll. Ben says, "At least I'm man enough to try." Yeah! Take that, Knoll. Knoll says, "At least I'm smart enough not to run into walls." Oh, that was a good one. Felicity asks if Ben is okay. Ben says, "How can I be okay? I'm trapped. I want out," and kicks the wall. Okay, Ben is kind of a baby. A cute baby, but a baby nonetheless. Elena points out that they all want out. Felicity says they could climb out if they all stand on each other's shoulders, and whoever got out could go get help. Julie says she's too scared, because they don't know what's out there. Felicity says she'll do it.
Ben is on the bottom. Then Knoll. Then Elena. Then Julie. Felicity is climbing up them, much like that Melissa Etheridge video a few years back. Ben yells to ask her how close she is. Felicity says she's almost there and everyone needs to stretch. She grabs the edge and pulls herself up, then falls outside and screams. Everyone else falls down into the room and start yelling to Felicity, asking her what's out there. We see a tiny doll lying face down on a desk. Meghan picks it up and places it back in her box, saying, "Get back in there with your little friends." Sally does her Rod Serling thing again. "Felicity Porter. Stuck inside a box." She goes on to compare the inside of Meghan's box to college life, where everything is in question. And that's it.
I'm guessing that this was a stand-alone episode, and won't really have any standing on the rest of the series. Like, maybe the whole series is taking place in Meghan's box, kind of like the whole series of St. Elsewhere was taking place in the mind of an autistic boy, or Newhart was a dream that Bob Newhart had. Or maybe the producers were just bored and wanted to try a black-and-white episode. Only time will tell if this episode has any repercussions, though.