Previously on Felicity: Ben yelled at Felicity because he's taking eighteen credits, and the printer wouldn't work. Felicity apologized for being late, and Ben went to play basketball. In other words, they weren't communicating very well. Felicity confessed her fears to Noel and then they made out. No, they really did.
This episode begins a few (and knowing Noel, I do mean a few) minutes after the last one ended. Felicity sits up, clearly naked, at least from the waist up. Noel sits up, and (ewwww!) pulls up his pants. Felicity finds her dress and puts it on, and Noel does likewise. Noel asks whether she's okay, and Felicity hurriedly pulls on her coat. Wait, it was cold enough that she needed a coat, and yet they were naked? I don't know. Felicity starts searching frantically for a missing earring, and Noel grabs her and assures her that everything is going to be okay. Felicity quietly says that she doesn't think it is. She walks away, then turns and asks Noel whether he could wait five minutes before coming downstairs. So, if Noel thought that perhaps this would be the beginning of some long-lasting relationship, his hopes were just dashed. Felicity leaves, and Noel sits down to wait.
Felicity enters the loft from the elevator. I guess they have a freight elevator or something that goes directly from the loft up to the roof, and then there's a separate elevator out in the common hallway that comes up from the lobby. Also, in addition to the shearling coat that Felicity was wearing, she had on flip-flops. That's some crazy-ass weather they were having. Felicity grabs her things and quietly starts to sneak out of the loft, but just as she opens the door to leave, she meets Ben coming in. Ben tells her that he was being a jerk earlier, and apologizes. Felicity hears the elevator going back up to the roof, and looks panic-stricken and guilty. Ben says that he got some food, and invites her to stay and talk. Felicity is trying to make a fast getaway, so she makes the excuse that she's not feeling well and wants to go back to the dorm and sleep.
Noel arrives in the loft, and pretends he didn't know they were there, because he was "just up at the roof, hanging out." His hair is all messed up. Noel and Felicity say hello to each other like they didn't just have sex. Well, if Ben was looking at Felicity's face at all, he would be able to tell that there's some funny business going on, but he was looking at the floor. Noel makes some stupid excuse to leave, and walks off. Ben asks Felicity whether she's still upset, and Felicity says that she is just tired and needs to get some sleep. Ben tells her to feel better, and Felicity walks off. Ben looks after her, clearly knowing that something is off, but lets it go. Felicity walks out into the hall, then stops and half-turns, like she's going to go back inside and talk to Ben, or Noel, or something. Or maybe the enormity of what she just did hits her. After a long pause, she continues on her way out.
Felicity lies in bed, staring into space. Elena and Tracy knock, then walk in and sit on her bed, apologizing if they woke her up. I don't know what is up with Tracy, but he is just a mess. First of all, he's wearing a really ugly patterned shirt. Then, there's the moustache. It's yucky. And he looks...puffy. Elena looks gorgeous as always. Tracy explains that his minister was supposed to perform their wedding ceremony, but he's overbooked. Okay, whatever. I'm going to let that one slide, because there are a lot more unrealistic points to this storyline coming up. Elena says that that they know how much Felicity believes in "commitment and love." Tracy adds, "And fidelity." Felicity has a momentary look on her face like, "If they only knew..." before she recovers. Elena asks Felicity to perform their wedding ceremony. Felicity thinks they are joking, but Elena explains that she can be ordained online, not adding that she found out about it on Friends. Felicity protests that she doesn't know anything about performing a ceremony. Oh, like a perfectionist like Elena wouldn't have a script already written out. Tracy says that Felicity can talk to his minister, and also to his aunt and uncle, who've been married for fifty years and have a lot to say about love. Felicity suggests that Tracy's aunt and uncle perform the ceremony, and Tracy says that they are "nuts." Felicity looks desperate as she tells Elena that she doesn't want to ruin her wedding. Elena says that it will be ruined if Felicity doesn't do it, and tells Felicity that it would make them so happy. Well, given that guilt trip, who could say no? Felicity agrees. Here's my problem: Tracy is allegedly so religious that he wouldn't have premarital sex, and he went all the way to Africa with his church and everything. And yet, he wouldn't want a member of the clergy to perform his wedding ceremony? And even if there were last-minute problems, you'd think he'd at least want someone who was a churchgoer, which I don't think Felicity is. I just don't think it's consistent with his character, and thus very contrived. Or at least more contrived than I expect from this show. Anyway, after Felicity agrees, Elena hugs her and then asks, with a giggle, what she's been up to. Felicity asks what she means, and Tracy points out that Felicity has "a big-ass hickey on [her] neck." Tracy and Elena giggle and walk out. Felicity bounds out of bed and checks out her huge hickey in the mirror, freaking out.
Sean walks into the loft and warns Ben and Javier to prepare to have their minds blown. Javier bitches that he forgot to budget for a rehearsal space for the wedding, and now they don't have a space. Ben jokes, "Well, that was smart, wasn't it?" Javier retorts, "Thank you very much, G.I. Joe Kung-Fu Grip boy looking." Imagine Javier saying it. You'll giggle. Javier asks "Seanie" if they can have the rehearsal in the loft, and Sean distractedly agrees. Finally, Sean announces "the greatest party favor ever," and holds up a condom. When he rips the condom open, it plays "Here Comes the Bride." Okay, that's just gross on so many levels. Javier looks disgusted, and Ben cracks up at Javier's disgusted look. Ben bails, and Sean explains the concept to Javier, like it's not obvious. Javier points out that "this is a wedding, not a porno shop." Sean reminds Javier that, after the wedding, Tracy and Elena can finally have sex. Meghan walks into the kitchen in a frilly black baby-doll nightie, asking if she's dreaming, or if she just heard "Tracy" and "sex" in the same sentence. Javier suggests that Sean give up on the idea, and leaves.
Sean asks Meghan why she talks about sleeping with Tracy all the time, because now that's all Sean can think about when he sees Tracy. Meghan focuses on the fact that Sean doesn't think she could get Tracy. Sean tells her, "You say things without thinking, and it's hurtful." Meghan ignores him. You know a minute ago, when I thought Meghan was wearing a nightgown? Apparently, it's a dress, because she's also wearing tiny plastic babies as earrings. I don't know. Meghan asks Sean whether he wants to bet on it. Sean doesn't want to bet on breaking up a marriage. Meghan sets out the terms: it would be a kiss, for five seconds, full on the lips, and the loser has to be the winner's servant for a day. Sean refers to Tracy as "the God-fearing Christian who, by the way, won't even sleep with his own fiancée." Oh, so they'll bring up the religion thing in the context of this argument, but when it comes to having an officiant at the ceremony, it doesn't enter into the equation. Anyway, Sean asks how they would prove it, and Meghan answers, "Honor code." Sean figures he can't lose, and takes the bet. Meghan and Sean call each other losers. Yeah, they're so in love.
Noel shows up at Felicity's apartment with "the stuff," which is apparently a variety of concoctions designed to get rid of hickeys. When I was in high school, the big method of getting rid of them (which I don't recommend) was brushing them with a dry toothbrush. I think the thought behind it was that it would force the pooled blood (because it's basically a bruise) to get moving, but really all it did was irritate the skin and make things worse. And then everyone told their moms that it was a burn from their curling iron. Because, so often, you're trying to curl your neck. Anyway. Felicity tries various treatments, but none of them work. She's very upset, and Noel is very calm. Felicity sits down on the bed, and says, "Noel. I love Ben." Noel's face falls. Felicity wonders whether she should just tell Ben. Noel doesn't think that's a good idea. Felicity decides to try some more of the stuff Noel bought. Are these two ever going to talk about what happened? Apparently not.
Elena and Tracy practice waltzing. Aw, they're cute. Tracy keeps goofing around, and Elena giggles. They kiss, and Tracy reaches over and locks the door. Tracy tells Elena that it's time for "waltzing horizontally." Wow, how romantic. Elena says that she thought they had to be married for that, and Tracy responds that the Lord knows they're getting married, and the Lord is psyched. Elena points out that they've been engaged for three months, and wonders why it's suddenly okay to have sex now? Seriously. I know a lot of couples who had, um, relations before they got married, but then called a moratorium for some specified period of time before the wedding to make the honeymoon that much more exciting. Of course, most of them didn't make it. But that's another story entirely. It seems like if they've waited this long, they might as well wait another week. Tracy asks what's going on with Elena, and Elena says that they're running late and have to go to rehearsal, then pulls Tracy out the door.
Felicity (wearing the first in a series of turtleneck sweaters) tells Toni Pavone that people do stuff like this all the time, and that it's not the worst thing in the world. Toni Pavone has started using some sort of cigarette holder that just looks dumb. It's an affectation I wouldn't expect from Toni Pavone, but then again, no one is acting in character this episode so far. Felicity says that what she did was awful, and she feels like she's lying to the person she loves the most. Felicity thinks that Toni Pavone wouldn't want her to tell Ben. Dr. Pavone denies saying that, and Felicity reminds her, "Last year, after the nightmare at Theta Xi, [Dr. Pavone] said it was better to be kind than to be honest." Dr. Pavone states that the situations are completely different, and she thinks there might be something in the drawer. Felicity's all, "Wuh?" Dr. Pavone explains, "There may be another level, a whole other element to the story that [Felicity's] not looking at yet." I don't get how the drawer metaphor fits that explanation, but I've pretty much given up on anything in this episode making sense to me at this point. Felicity wonders what's inside the drawer, and Dr. Pavone says that she doesn't know, because it's Felicity's drawer.
Elena rushes through the loft, grabbing chairs for the rehearsal. Noel and Richard sit at a desk as Richard discusses his musical plans for the reception. Richard is the DJ? Elena reminds Richard that she doesn't want any disco at her wedding. Well, that seems restrictive. Richard keeps babbling about his plans, but Noel is distracted. Richard asks whether Noel has "the lady problems," and commiserates. Noel doesn't want to be lumped into the same category as Richard, so Richard surmises that Noel "got some." Noel denies it, but Richard says, "The N-man always scores." Have I pointed out lately that Richard and Noel have about a hundred times more chemistry than Felicity and Noel do? Noel asks Richard not to call him the N-Man. Javier interrupts to ask them for help setting things up. Richard keeps bugging Noel for information, and calls Noel his hero. Noel softens at this praise and claims that the woman's name is Sandy. Is anyone having Grease flashbacks here? Now I'm picturing Felicity in that leather pants/tube top ensemble that Olivia Newton-John wears at the end of the movie, after her bad-girl makeover. I'm going to stop now. Noel further lies that Sandy works at John's Pizza on 10th. Richard keeps going on about how hot Sandy sounds. Javier interrupts to say that Tracy's family is "stuck in Buffalo." Noel didn't think that there were any buffalo left alive, and it turns out that Noel thought Javier said, "stalking Buffalo." Also, it's a good thing Noel wasn't a History major, because there are definitely buffalo left in the United States. I just saw some in the zoo the other day. Anyway, the point is that Javier needs Noel and Richard to fill in as Tracy's parents during the rehearsal. I think it's just foreshadowing that those two will end up together.
As preparations for the rehearsal continue, Felicity walks to the doorway of Ben's room and stands there, watching him. Ben turns and sees her. Aw. He's so cute. Felicity looks like she wants to throw up. Ben asks her what the matter is, and Felicity keeps saying it's nothing. Ben says that it looks like she's about to cry, and pulls her into the room, shutting the door behind her. Felicity says that she's just emotional because of Elena's wedding. Felicity adds that she feels "like everything's changing, like in a second it could all disappear." Noel ruins everything, as usual, by knocking on the door because "everyone is wondering where the minister is." Ben asks Noel to give them a minute, but Felicity insists that she's fine and leaves the room. Noel gives Ben a tight smile, and you can see the gears turning in Ben's head. Ben looks frustrated and slams his bedroom door.
The rehearsal must be over, and I think it's the day. Noel asks Sean whether he should apply for a job as a sales assistant for a porn web site. Sean thinks that would be "babe city." Ben walks in, and Sean asks the boys whether they would rather get a mix CD or a fortune cookie as a favor at a wedding. I would totally go for the cookie, because I can make my own damn CDs. Both boys go for the CD. Sean tells them that he's going with the cookie, because the CDs are too expensive. Plus, the wedding is, like, the day, and there's no way he would have time to make all those CDs. Sean "borrows" Noel's laptop and runs off.
Ben asks to speak to Noel for a second. They sit down, and Noel has a panicked look on his face. Ben asks Noel whether he knows what's going on with Felicity, and whether she has said anything about them to Noel. Aw. It's so sad that Ben has to go to Noel to try to find out information on his girlfriend. Noel insists that Felicity only talked about how much she missed Ben while he was gone, and that he only saw her for that minute in the loft the other night. Ben just looks sad; Noel makes the excuse that Sean has his computer, and runs off guiltily.
Meghan pulls Tracy into the bathroom and shuts the door on the excuse of having him choose ribbon for the wedding in good light. Tracy tries to get out quickly, but Meghan has some sort of tingly lip gloss, and cons Tracy into trying it out, saying that it might be a good surprise for Elena on the wedding night. After Tracy gives it a perfunctory try, Meghan tries to kiss him, but Tracy stops her. Meghan claims that the only way to get the full effect is to kiss. Tracy stammers an excuse and runs out the door.
Sean is on the phone with the fortune cookie vendor, when Felicity comes to the door; he lets her in. It's really dumb that the vendor is arguing about the message Sean wants, because if Sean is paying, he can get whatever damn message he wants on there. Then again, knowing Sean, he's probably not paying. Felicity is wearing a sleeveless turtleneck. She wants to see Ben, but Ben's not home. Sean advises Felicity to leave Ben a note, because he has to go meet with the fortune cookie vendor. As Felicity writes a note, the phone rings and the machine picks up: "Hey, Ben. It's Janet. I was just thinking about you. I drove by our motel the other day. It made me sad you weren't still here! I really miss you. Anyway, that's why I'm calling. My transfer was approved. I'm starting at Columbia in two weeks." Felicity listens to this message with growing interest.
Felicity returns home, only to find Noel waiting for her in the hallway. He informs her that their story is that they didn't see each other the other night, except when he came down from the roof in the elevator while Ben was there. They enter Felicity's apartment, and Felicity calls out to see if anyone is home. No one answers. Felicity peels off her turtleneck, and then asks Noel whether he knows about Janet. Should she really be removing layers of clothing around Noel, when they already know that they have trouble keeping their hands off each other? That seems like asking for trouble. Noel doesn't know anything about Janet, so Felicity explains about the message she heard. Felicity is "furious, even though [she knows she] has no right to be." Felicity stops herself and realizes that she can't talk about it with Noel. He tries to start a metaphor, and Felicity stops him, asking whether he knows how complicated this is. Noel assures her that if she wants to tell Ben, he'll be fine. Felicity sighs and says that maybe she should just tell Ben. I was so sure that someone else was in the apartment at this point, listening in. I was wrong.
There's a knock at the door, and Felicity goes to answer it. Richard walks in, looking for Noel to discuss more about the wedding music. Apparently, Richard has a band. It's not really relevant. Richard explains that he went by John's Pizza and there's no Sandy working there. What is he, a private investigator? Noel should tell him to mind his knitting. Richard asks Felicity what's going on with her neck, and Felicity indignantly explains that it's a rash. Richard isn't buying it, and Noel tells Richard to leave her alone. ["Although it's even more believable now. You know, they're in New York. Maybe she got an internship working for Tom Brokaw." -- Wing Chun] Richard puts two and two together and realizes that Felicity is Sandy. Noel and Felicity angrily deny it, and Richard asks whether Ben knows about it yet. Richard feels sorry for Ben, then changes his mind and feels sorry for Noel, since Ben will kick Noel's ass. Felicity tells Richard he is unbelievable. Richard's response is, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Felicity tells Richard to get a life and stomps off.
Felicity and Ben sit at a table in a restaurant. Ben says that he has something to say,and he doesn't know whether Felicity will like it. Felicity interrupts to ask if she may go first, and Ben agrees. Felicity explains about the message she heard from Janet. Ben starts to explain, and Felicity says that he doesn't have to, and I'm sure she's thinking that it will give her an easy out. Ben says that he's going to explain, because he already told Felicity about Janet. She was another girl in the program, and one night they all got motel rooms to study, and Janet was "acting a little funny and [Ben] cut her off," saying that he has a girlfriend that he loves. Felicity's look is both "Wow, Ben is amazing," and "Oh, shit, that means I'm not off the hook at all." Ben says that their "whole thing" is not about Janet, because things were weird long before Felicity heard the message. Felicity says she knows. Ben says that he thinks they have switched places in a way, because now Ben has a direction, and Felicity is confused about what she wants to do. Ben explains that he thinks Felicity feels alone, and that's what is making her withdraw. How incredibly sweet is it that Ben took all this time to figure out what Felicity was thinking and feeling? Ben explains that he's been busy with "this whole pre-med thing," and that he accepts some of the blame. Ben asks if he's right. Felicity has tears in her eyes as she agrees. Ben asks what he can do to help. Felicity says that she's "kind of confused right now." Ben asks what he can do. Felicity kicks it promo-style, saying that she thinks they need to spend some time apart.
At the loft, Richard is still talking about his band potentially providing music at the reception. Noel is looking through CDs for songs to play, and trying to get Richard to shut up. Richard says that it must be killing Noel, since he can't tell anyone that he "finally had Felicity, and [he feels] great." Noel says that he didn't "have" Felicity, and for a minute, I hold out hope that they didn't actually have sex, despite the nudity in the opening scene. Richard calls Noel a romantic, and "so noble," and that he wishes Felicity could see this side of Noel. Richard loves Noel so much.
Ben walks in, and Richard really obviously takes his leave. Ben offers the boys a beer, like with an alcoholic father, you'd think Ben would think twice about drowning his sorrows in beer, but who am I to judge, really? Noel asks how it's going, and Ben says, "Not so good. Broke up last night." He opens up three bottles of beer, even though Richard already left. Noel looks sick and says he's sorry. Ben hands him a beer, then sits down on the couch, dejected.
Elena walks into the apartment and asks Meghan whether she tried to kiss Tracy. Meghan nonchalantly admits that she did, and Elena can't believe that Meghan isn't even denying it. Meghan says it was just "a stupid bet," and Elena asks what Meghan would do if Elena tried to sleep with Sean. Meghan laughs at the suggestion, and then clarifies that she was only trying to get Tracy to kiss her. Meghan concludes, "Don't blame me for your obvious panic about getting married, which is totally justified, by the way." And in going with the out-of-character actions this week, the Elena we know and love would be so much angrier about this. Remember when she kicked Richard across the room for making a move on her? Yeah. Elena is only slightly indignant right now. Meghan says that Elena is only marrying Tracy so that she can have sex. Elena thinks Meghan has never been more wrong. Meghan asks Elena whether she "actually thinks that if [Elena] and Tracy were having sex on a regular basis, [they] would still be getting married." Not at all angrily, Elena says, "You're disinvited to the wedding." Meghan huffs that Elena owes her for "that hideous bridesmaids dress," and stomps out. Elena continues to look more perplexed than angry. And maybe you could argue that Elena wasn't that mad, because deep down she knew that Meghan was onto something, but then why was she perplexed at the end? I kind of hate this episode. It's so clearly designed to get rid of the actors that have other shows and set the season's story lines in motion. Ugh.
Felicity and Noel walk down the street. Felicity realizes that there are people in the world other than herself, and asks Noel how he is doing with this whole situation. Noel says that he's fine. Felicity worries that she and Noel have screwed up their friendship. Hey, if they can get past Felicity choosing Ben over Noel at the end of the first season, you'd think they could work through this. Noel doesn't want to take anything away from what happened, but claims that he has no expectations, so Felicity shouldn't worry about him. Ah, the "no expectations" excuse. I've used that one myself. In college, I was totally infatuated with this boy who had a girlfriend at home, and we kissed one time, and then he told me he didn't want a relationship and I totally lied and told him that I had no expectations for one. In retrospect, that was a huge mistake and I should have dumped the loser right then and saved myself like three years of heartache, but that's a story for another time. I'm just saying -- I think Noel is totally lying, and trying to be Felicity's no-pressure friend. Felicity has to go to class, and then meet with Tracy's aunt and uncle, so she takes off. Noel looks after her, longingly.
Meghan dumps the ribbon for the wedding on Sean's desk. Sean can't believe Meghan isn't upset that Elena threw her out of the wedding. Meghan says she can't help it if Elena doesn't want to hear the truth. Sean says again that Meghan doesn't think about other people, and reminds her that Elena is getting married tomorrow. Meghan wonders whether she should have waited until after the wedding to say her piece. Sean tells Meghan that she has to stop testing people, stop pushing them away to see how far she can go. Meghan says that if she's testing people, then they are all failing. Sean encourages Meghan to keep it up, because maybe she will drive Sean away too, and end up all alone. Sean stomps off, and Meghan appears to consider what he said. Haven't we gone through this all before with these two?
Tracy knocks on Elena's door and asks her what's up. Elena says in a sultry voice, "I want to have sex." Like any red-blooded male, Tracy quickly agrees and runs inside. They giggle and kiss and stuff on the bed, but then Elena tells him to stop. Tracy asks what's wrong. Elena tells Tracy what Meghan said about them not getting married if they had been having sex all along. Tracy reminds Elena that they've been through this, and that he's crazy about her. Tracy reassures Elena that they are getting married for the right reasons, because they love each other. Elena agrees, and the making-out continues.
Felicity visits Tracy's aunt and uncle. They don't get names, so I'm just going to call them Aunt Mabel and Uncle Floyd. I don't know why. Uncle Floyd asks Felicity what she's going to say at the ceremony, and Felicity explains that she doesn't know, and she was hoping they could give her some insights on love. Floyd points out that love is a big topic. Felicity asks what the secret is to staying married so long. Mabel and Floyd alternate answering that the secret is forgiveness and a bad memory. Mabel says that people make mistakes and do a lot of things in fifty years, but you get past it and it makes your relationship stronger. Floyd concludes, "That's the thing about the heart. It gets stronger the more you use it." Felicity smiles and tells them that they have no idea how good that is to hear.
Toni Pavone asks Felicity whether she thinks Floyd and Mabel are right. Felicity hopes so, but she's not sure that Ben could ever forgive her. Dr. Pavone asks, if Ben did forgive her, would it solve all her problems? Felicity admits that it wouldn't, and Dr. Pavone asks why not. Felicity says that she would still feel bad about what she did. Dr. Pavone wants to know if that's it, and Felicity clarifies that she would feel terrible. Dr. Pavone says that Felicity doesn't want to let go of the guilt, because then she would have to see what's underneath, and guilt is a lot more sympathetic. Dr. Pavone is like the Dr. Phil of the WB. Felicity insists that she's not feeling guilty to get sympathy, and that she did a horrible thing and deserves to feel guilt. Dr. Pavone says she didn't know what a frightened person Felicity is, and that she's too frightened to look in the drawer. Felicity frustratedly asks whether this is about the drawer. Dr. Pavone says that Felicity has a problem that's not going to go away by itself. Felicity resignedly asks who is in the drawer. Dr. Pavone asks if it's definitely a person. Felicity says no, and then sighs heavily and adds, "You think it's Noel." Dr. Pavone simply says, "You chose him for a reason." Felicity points out that Noel is her best friend. Dr. Pavone counters that Felicity could have gone to any friend, or even (God forbid!) her boyfriend. Dr. Pavone adds that Felicity slept with Noel, and that she's been "dancing around this for years." Dr. Pavone concludes, "You want to be with Ben, but you also want to be with Noel. Am I wrong?" Felicity just glares at Dr. Pavone and doesn't answer. Seriously. I don't care how much Dr. Pavone charges. I don't care that she's fictional. I want her to be my therapist.
It's finally the wedding day. I guess this is about three days after Noel and Felicity hooked up, but I'm not sure. Felicity helps Elena get into her dress. Felicity is wearing a pink suit, which I guess is appropriate for the officiant, but I think it's an ugly suit. All signs of the hickey are completely gone, which seems kind of odd, but I guess it would be weird if Felicity still had a turtleneck on. Maybe she covered up any remaining traces with makeup. Elena looks beautiful. Her dress is not my taste, but since it's supposed to be a recreation of her mother's dress, I'll let it go. Elena says that she's sorry about Felicity's and Ben's breakup, and asks whether Felicity is okay to do the ceremony. Felicity assures her that it's okay, but Elena seems to be searching for an excuse to postpone the wedding. Elena claims that she's nervous. Felicity tells Elena to follow her heart.
Meghan busts in wearing her ugly salmon-colored bridesmaid dress, saying that she has to talk to the bride before the wedding. Felicity hugs Elena, tells her she looks beautiful, and leaves. Meghan enters and hesitantly says that she knows she was kicked out of the wedding, but -- she asks rhetorically -- where else was she going to wear the dress? Elena chuckles. Meghan tells Elena she looks great, and then apologizes for trying to kiss Tracy and claims that she was wrong about what she said. Meghan asks what she knows about marriage anyway, since she and Sean just break up all the time. Meghan asks Elena if she's forgiven, and Elena hugs her and says that she is. Elena tells Meghan not to worry about Sean, because they are perfect for each other, and in fact, they should be the ones getting married. Meghan laughs and helps Elena on with her veil. Aw. Elena looks beautiful.
Felicity paces outside the ceremony room, near the stairs. The building they are in is amazing, but I have no idea where the location is. ["Looks like a schmancy hotel to me." -- Wing Chun] Noel runs up and asks Felicity whether she's okay, and Felicity doesn't answer. Noel decides that they should make a pact to forget about it and pretend it never happened. Felicity says that she doesn't want to forget about it, but then says that maybe she does. She concludes that she doesn't know what she wants. Javier hustles up and tells Felicity she has two minutes. Felicity asks Noel how she's going to do this. As Elena joins them, Javier says that all they need now is the groom. Elena says that she'll go look outside. Yet another contrivance. Elena would so not be the person to go looking for the groom. That job would go to the best man, or one of the ushers or something. Javier declares, "Oh, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I don't have a fantastic feeling about this." Noel tells Felicity that she's going to do great. Felicity and Javier head for the ceremony site.
Elena walks outside to find Tracy sitting on the back of a bench. Elena tells him that everyone is waiting. Tracy asks whether she's sure they want to do this. Elena says that they're about to get married in five minutes, which didn't really answer the question. Tracy says that they don't have to if she doesn't want to. Elena sighs and then sits down on the dirty bench in her pristine white gown. Tracy says he thought about the talk they had, and asks Elena why she's doing this. He wonders if Elena is marrying him because she loves him, or because she doesn't want to lose him. Elena looks thoughtful. Tracy says he's not marrying her just to have sex with her. He loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Tracy concludes, "I just want to know if you feel the same way, so just tell the truth, please. How do you feel?" Elena looks confused.
The musicians strike up "Here Comes the Bride" as Elena and Javier walk in, holding hands. Elena doesn't look good. Richard comments that he hopes he doesn't look like that at his wedding. Elena quickly walks down the aisle. There are random ushers and bridesmaids that we've never seen before. The musicians cut the song. Elena thanks the guests for their patience, because it's obvious that there's not going to be a wedding today. Meghan looks shocked. Elena concludes that she and Tracy decided that it's not the right thing for them right now. The guests start murmuring, and Elena runs into Felicity's arms and starts sobbing. Mabel and Floyd stand up and look concerned. Some guy who I guess is supposed to be Elena's dad hugs her and asks what happened to Tracy. Yeah, good question! I know Donald Faison is on Scrubs and all, but I'm really pissed that we didn't get to see his final farewell, and that the writers made it out like Tracy was not man enough to face the guests and explain what happened. The Tracy we've seen up until now would totally have been right beside Elena.
Meghan whispers to Sean, "What if you and I were each other's servants for life?" Sean grins. Are they even back together? Meghan says, "Let's get married," and they start kissing and chuckling. Meghan and Sean rush up front and have a whispered conference with Elena. Meghan reminds Elena of how she said it might be better if Meghan and Sean got married. Elena laughs and cries at the same time, and then gives them her blessing. Okay, I know that everything is all paid for, but this seems kind of insensitive. Even if Elena was the one who ultimately called it off, to approach her less than five minutes after she broke up with Tracy seems cloddish. And then there's the whole "Sean finds religion" story line from last season thing that would lead you to believe Sean would never get married without a rabbi present. I mean, he almost broke up with Meghan because she's not Jewish. Ugh.
Felicity welcomes everyone to Sean and Meghan's wedding. Felicity explains that everyone she talked to had different definitions of love. Ben stands there, in his suit, staring at Felicity, looking incredibly sad. Noel stands there, too, looking thoughtful. The captioning revealed Felicity's whole speech, which was drowned out by the music, but it wasn't that great. Basically, she talked about how love is a choice, and people make mistakes, and then repeated Floyd's chestnut about how the more you use your heart, the stronger it gets. Meanwhile, Elena is standing up at the wedding, in her bridal gown. This is just dumb.
Cut to "I Will Survive" playing at the reception. All of Elena's and Tracy's guests are there. I guess people wanted to hang out for the free food. Maybe it's just Elena's relatives, and Tracy's relatives slunk off. Felicity watches everyone dancing and smiles. Then she spots Ben, sitting alone across the dance floor, looking like he just wants to die. Poor Ben. Although he could have shaved for the wedding. Maybe he was too depressed. Guilt flashes across Felicity's face, and she looks down at the floor. Okay, they got Tracy's departure out of the way. Let's hope the contrivance ends here. I'm not hopeful for how they will deal with Ben finding out about Felicity and Noel, as you know he will. But they surprised me with the somewhat sensitive portrayal of how Felicity and Noel ended up together in the first place, so I'm going to give it a chance.
week: just about everyone but Ben finds out about Felicity's secret. Including Javier, who has a typically comic response.