Customer Reviews

Felicity - Senior Year Collection (The Complete Fourth Season)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If your looking for consistently amazing acting, then "Felicity" is the show for you. Sadly the fourth was the last season of "Felicity" and thus the graduating season. Nonetheless, many fans would have loved to see Felicity's life unfold outside of collage. This season of Felicity deals with the hardships of commitment. Many characters this season deal commitment issues, such as relationships, education, and with following a particular career path. Most viewers would assume that by now Felicity would know exactly what it is that she's meant to do, and who she is meant to be with, however this is not the case. No show has come closer to displaying this sense of regret and uncertainty as "Felicity" does this season. Just because we get older doesn't mean we know everything. Felicity's confidence has grown with each passing season, but much of her season one and two uncertainties come back to haut her. So just when you the viewers think they know her, she does something completely out of character. It keeps the show interesting, and along with the funny and charismatic cast, this show deserves much praise.

Because Felicity was only signed on for 17 episodes this season, like season three, the writers and directors wanted to make sure that the fans got their graduation episode. However, the show was picked-up for another five episodes. Because of this, the writers decided on a neat twist, and unrealistic twist of Felicity going back in time. Many complained of the unrealistic direction this took, others like myself enjoyed the lightness and comedy that these episodes portrayed. It was a nice change from the dramatic, and often melancholic undertone of the first 17 episodes. My piece of advice is to have fun with these 'extra' episodes and not dissect every piece of inconsistency, it was meant to be 'far reaching'. In the end, something may be learned from all this silliness, that no matter how much you may think you could have done better, or changed things for the better, on the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter, because you're always where you're suppose to be, and who you want to be with is a decision you must make considering where you've been, and everything you've overcome- together.

Also, we are spoiled with another spectacular quest appearance from John Ritter, "Ben's father". He and Scott Speedman share many touching scenes.

Lastly, I came across a quote from a "Felicity" Website (www.felicitypage.com/lessons.html) that sums up why so many people love this show:

"I think the reason that so many people love the show is because it mirrors our own lives at times. Although our circumstances may not be the same, we can appreciate the emotions and situations of the characters. Life's lessons are hard, but it helps to know that you're not alone in it all."

Just found out what kind of bonus material we could be seeing on this DVD box set. This is what is being reported on the trusty site www.tvshowsondvd.com:
1)"The Lost Elena Scenes: This exclusive, never-before-seen footage provides the long-awaited answer to Felicity fans' biggest questions." (this may make the inconsistencies that I was talking about a bit clearer to the audience.)
2)"Fade Out: Behind-the-scenes reflections on Felicity with Keri Russell and the show's creators."

I'm sure they will once again have some episode commentaries, but that's just me speculating, anyway for now that's all they're saying, I'll let you know if it changes.

I am a big Felicity fan, but the Senior Year really hit a terrible wall. One of the creators admitted in interviews later that he had already moved on to Alias, and it shows. This is a mess. He and all the producers and writers should be ashamed to have let their fine project peter out like this. The scripts no longer make any sense. Characters act out-of-character, many things go unexplained, plotlines are dropped right and left, minor characters are played by the same person, and so on. Apparently, people at NYU have multiple jobs, working in the mailroom one month and in counseling the next, working in the health center one month and in the library the next. The producers can't even take the time to hire separate people to play these parts. But the worst is having Felicity copy her final paper and then be allowed to graduate. This after they had a show about cheating in season 2, making it a very big deal. Now, suddenly, there are no consequences. It is apparently OK to plagiarize papers and throw library books in the garbage and steal dissertations. I am not being a moralist here, I am just pointing out that all this completely goes against Felicity's character, a character developed over three long seasons. The Senior Year has many similar examples, which show that the new writers could not even be bothered to become familiar with the previous material. The scripts don't just have a different feel, they are nonsense. There is no continuity even week to week. And this is before all the additional mess caused by extending the season. I own all four years now, but I think I will stick with the first two. I doubt I will ever subject myself to the 4th year again. It is too depressing in too many ways.

I've seen all the felicity episodes countless times. I think the season I get most involved in is the 1st and 3rd, but the senior year was good. If you enjoy her thought patterns and her indecision between ben and noel, this is a fun ending. Sometimes it's fun to go back to college with her. I personally never lived in a dorm, but this kinda lets you know what it was like, and also all the post-dorm, apartment living too.

I'll also comment that I think everyone on the show did great acting. Scott Speedman's portrayal of Ben is the hottest pain-in-the-ass with a heart who repeated screws up. Its so easy to sympatize with Scott Foley's character, Noel, and get frustrated with him every single time. Sometimes Felicity drives me crazy, but you can understand how she arrived at different conclusions time and again. And may I also say, Javier always adds the much needed dose of comedy, and most of the time steals the show. I love felicity, and I thought it was an awesome show.

I am a huge Felicity fan. I have loved and will always love this series. I do not normally write reviews, but I just finished a 3-night marathon of watching this final season. Do not read any more if you don't want to know what happens.

I was at first skeptical about the time-travel storyline, but found that it brought a much-needed lightness to the show which was very heavy in this final season.

This is where I have my main complaint. Felicity and Ben were facing very difficult times due to her insecurity about the future and Ben's dad illness (by the way, an outstanding dramatic performance by John Ritter). The added sub-plot with Lauren's pregnancy and Ben becoming a father, was too much. For me, this was the element that spoiled this series from being perfect. I don't think they really needed to include this in the show, for many reasons, but mostly because in our dream world it would have been nice to imagine what the show could not give us, their life after college. It would have been nice to imagine Felicity and Ben getting married, and experiencing the joys of parenthood together and for the first time for both. For me, this sub-plot is a dark cloud that will stay with them forever.

Another problem with the show is the final episode's omission of the scenes which explain how Elena is present at Noel's wedding after we know she dies. Before seeing the bonus material, I thought it was her spirit, even though I could not explain Tracy's presence. This was a huge thing, and it was very disappointing to see the creators explain that they had to cut out some scenes from the last show because it was too long; when they used many clips from previous shows that we did not need to see again. This said, I was glad for this twist. I was glad to have Elena alive again.

In any case, this was one of the best series on television. In my perfect world I dream with Felicity Again...a new series five or ten years after graduation. A new Thirtysomething with the whole cast. J.J. Abrams, I hope you read these reviews, but I'm sure you're too busy with Alias.

Thank you Felicity and Good-bye.

After "Felicity" had filmed its "final" episode, "The Graduate," whatever show was suppose to replace it in the WB's lineup quickly tanked and the network requested another five episodes from creators J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Their exercise in retroactive self-reflexivity almost redeems the final season, but having Felicity end up with Ben not once, but twice, is just adding insult to injury as far as I am concerned. For me the point where the show threatened to jump the shark was not when Keri Russell cut her hair but when Felicity chose Ben over Noel, so when we stopped getting the WB on our cable system I forgot about "Felicity" and worried about getting copies of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on tape. I caught the endings of this fourth season when they original aired and now with "Felicity: Senior Year Collection" on DVD, I can see what I missed.

The major premise of the fourth season can be reduced to the idea that while Felicity (Russell) and Ben (Scott Speedman) are going to end up together no matter what, they should make the "no matter what" part as complicated as possible. If Felicity's concern about being admitted to the college's honors art program puts Ben's plan of becoming a doctor in danger is not enough to derail them ("The Declaration"), then maybe Felicity having sex with Noel will do it ("My Best Friend's Wedding"). It is not a true episode of Felicity if we do not get to the point where Ben is not talking to Felicity and she insists on talking anyway (e.g., "The Last Thanksgiving"). It is not enough that Felicity have a pregnancy scare ("Miss Conception"), because it is even more fun if Ben spends a night with another woman during one of his fights with Felicity and the other woman shows up pregnant ("Future Shock"). When Meghan's sister shows up pregnant ("Fire") your first impulse is to point a finger at Ben.

This all underscores what I realized when I watched "Felicity: Sophomore Year Collection," which is that I watch "Felicity" despite the title character and not because of her. While Felicity and Ben go through their revolving door relationship the other characters become more important. The one-note couple of Elena (Tangi Miller) and Tracy (Donald Adeosun Faison) finally get to the wedding day ("My Best Friend's Wedding"), at which point we get to forget about them and pay more attention to Meghan (Amanda Foreman) and Shawn (Greg Grunberg), a.k.a. Shmeghan, who are much more interesting, especially once their parental units become involved ("Your Money or Your Wife"). Even Ben's troubled relationship with his father (John Ritter) becomes more interesting than his roller coaster with Felicity ("Oops...Noel Did It Again"). But my favorite part of this fourth season is when they decide that the comedy team should be Meghan and Javier (Ian Gomez) who end up taking drama together ("Future Shock"). Meanwhile, Shawn and Noel (Scott Foley), become partners in the computer graphics business ("A Perfect Match"), which is good because Noel has been suffering from depression ("Moving On"). Lord knows the man has reason.

All I can say is that if Felicity was one of my students she would have failed for the stunt she pulls with that paper ("The Paper Chase"), and then everybody would have graduated except Felicity, as irony would have ruled supreme. But Felicity gets her diploma ("The Graduate") and then makes a decision concerning her future education that pretty much makes the four years she spent at NYU an absolute wash. I was going to say a farce, but they save that for the last five episodes when the producers had to come up with a creative way of telling more stories after the series has reached its natural climax.

The idea that Felicity would go back in time to rectify her mistake and choose Noel instead of Ben was just the sort of thing to get my heart pumping again. It was like the heavens had opened up and a shaft of light had descended on Felicity along with that all-important dollar that would allow her to buy a clue. Hit with a pair of tragedies, Felicity confesses to Meghan that the biggest mistake of her life was not picking Noel (as opposed to following Ben to New York so she could not be a doctor). Noel is about to get married so the only intelligent thing to do is for Meghan to use a spell to send Felicity back in time to the start of their senior year ("Time Will Tell"). Of course, since there are four more episodes to go and living happily ever after is not that interesting dramatically, trying to fix her own troubled life causes some major problems for the rest of the gang.

All the birds come home to roost during this mini-story arc, including both Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) and Hannah (Jennifer Garner), as Felicity undoes everyone's past. When we get to the point where Ben and Noel are both convinced that Felicity needs psychiatric help ("Felicity Interrupted"), the show turns really dark. Unfortunately, most of the final "final" episode ("Back to the Future") is a clip show done in the context of Felicity talking to Korsikoff (Kurt Fuller), the man who wrote the book from which Meghan got the time travel spell. The shift in tone does not work for me, and given that this was so much of a clip show I find it hard to believe they had to cut the deleted Elena scenes that appear in the special features on Disc 6. On the plus side, the show does end on a happy note for Noel and I can cherish that idea while reminding myself that I never need suffer through Ben and Felicity not talking ever again. This is what happens when you like "Felicity" more than Felicity.

When Felicity first started I was obsessed with it. I found it charming and refreshing; such a simple plot line gave space for so much. I stopped watching at the beginning of season 2 (not because of the haircut thing, actually I thought she looked great with short hair). And not until now had I felt the urge to know what happens to this loveable bunch of people. I've finished watching Season 4 (after a long marathon of seasons 1-2-3) and I have to say that this season is by far the most heartbreaking. I didn't want to watch it because I had read so much about how the vision of the show got destroyed and how characters behaved differently, anyway I decided to give it a chance. I don't regret it at all. Yes, I was mad when Felicity cheated on Ben (why?), I didn't like at all that Ben got a woman pregnant (I agree with the one of the reviewers that this was a big dissapointment and the way Felicity handled it was a little bit dissapointing too, a little bit of anger a lá "Avery situation" would've been nice to see), I didn't like all the on-off situation between B & F, etc.. etc.. but at the same time I understand why it was handled that way. That's how life unfolds, unexpected things happen, people and things change. This is what this season was all about, growing up, making choices, facing "real life". Also the acting in this season was superb, especially from the two Scotts. I think the storyline with Ben's father (the oh so good John Ritter may he R.I.P.) was a great chance for Speedman to show that his character was much more than met the eye. And S. Foley captured perfectly the anguish of someone that's just LOST.

I was a little bit skeptical about the last 5 episodes (the time travel episodes) and how I would feel about them. But I have to be honest, I LOVED them. I think they changed the heartbreaking mood that we were left with in "The Graduate", because they were lighter and with some really funny moments. Also it was great to see that even if we could travel back in time to change something, probably when we get there we can't change anything at all (Felicity realizing she couldn't change the "force" between her and Ben as case in point). This cast (especially Keri & Scott S.) had a magical chemistry, and in the end they made it work no matter what. I really miss this show.

To ball your eyes out watch:
* The Last Thanksgiving (one scene in particular is heart-rending)
* Ooops Noel did it again (why Noel why?!!!)
* The Graduate
* Back to the Future

To relieve the Ben & Felicity magic
* A Perfect Match
* The Power of the Ex
* Felicity Interrupted
* The Graduate (the bed scene)

To laugh a little
* Spin the bottle

I was completely addicted to this show during it's prime time viewing and I now own all 4 seasons on DVD and have watched them all repeatedly. I also love the scene where Ben proposes to Felicity in bed..Oh so romantic. The acting is amazing in this show. Some people(men mostly) are always complaining about the teeny-bopper shows and how the acting is so bad, etc..But this show wasn't like that at all. I loved these characters. I wanted to be Felicity's friend because she was the most caring person I know. How sad is that? Anyway, this series was amazing and I am still not sure though she chose the right guy for her. Noel was sooooo sweet.

I was a sophomore in college the year Felicity started and have to say that for anyone about to enter college, this is a great show to watch. I honestly found myself feeling the same things Felicity did. The Graduate episode is by far my favorite because it takes me back through all the emotions that I felt on my Graduation day. The extreme joy of graduating and the pure fear of entering the "real" world. I love the last 5 episodes b/c everyone at some point or another has wondered what would happen if you chose a different path. The bonus features for this season are the best. The fade out gives the viewer an opportunity to see how much these people truly loved each other.

I have watched "Felicity" since the show first aired. Honestly, since it's series finale I can't put my finger on what makes me watch the previous seasons over and over on DVD.

I agree with most watchers that there is something about the show that makes you feel like they are "real" characters and you feel like they are part of your lives. The characters portray real-life subjects and probably things that most have us have already been through or are going through in our lives.

I think that is what makes this television show so special. Since "Felicity" I have not found a show that I can relate to as I did with this one. I don't know if it was the fact that I was going through college the same time as the Felicity was on the show or if it was that I could relate to each character to someone in my own life. Whatever it may be..."Felicity" is one of those shows that are "unforgettable."

I love felicity and while this is not the best season of the four years it was on it was still fabulous. The whole felicity, ben, noel triangle becomes very frustrating this season, but when isnt it? The last few episodes are fantasy episodes which i did not particularly like but any felicity fan will take what they can get. The last episode had me bawling, it is just so sad that a television show of such quality had to come to an end after only four years. I have never watched a show where every single character has something endearing about themselves. The chemistry between all the characters is magical. Even the recurring characters like Richard and Tracey are so lovable. Amy Jo Johnson is back as well for two episodes which will please all the Julie fans out there. The extras are really cute too. Felicity will always be one of my favorite shows of all time and when a show has the ability to keep me on the couch for an entire day watching episode after episode that means its a fabulous show. I really miss it.