Felicity: Optimist vs. Cynic

Hi, everyone! Melissa here. Fish and I have been thinking about the long-term home of Felicity: Optimist vs. Cynic. It's been years since we finished recording this podcast, and audio podcast platforms are no longer the best place for us to host this series. But you know what is? YouTube! We have been uploading the podcast over to YouTube quickly. Two episodes a week are being transferred there. And by the end of the year (2026), when all the episodes are available on YouTube, we'll get rid of our audio podcast account. This is a great time to find Felicity: Optimist vs. Cynic on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel. Find the playlist. And rewatch the show we all love. We welcome your comments on the YouTube videos! Here's how to find us: Take the Doughnut channel - https://www.youtube.com/@takethedoughnut?sub_confirmation=1  Felicity: Optimist vs. Cynic podcast playlist -  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjb4Csi9PhI5LPeAagF_Ye_AvU8TPbacF   Thanks for listening, and don't hook up with Ben while we're gone!

For this very special bonus podcast, we welcome Mandy Foreman back to the conversation! That’s right, THE Meghan Rotundi joined Melissa (Fish was unfortunately under the weather) to talk all about those last five episodes as well as questions from throughout the series.  You definitely don’t want to miss this fun discussion with Mandy to close out our podcast!   Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

We did it again!  Season 4 is coming to a close. All that's left is our recap podcast...and then one more surprise from us!   Melissa and Fish tackle the following questions at the end of a full season 4 of Felicity: Ben vs. Noel? Felicity’s greatest achievement? Felicity's biggest fail? Most shocking moment or reveal? Funniest thing that happened? Favorite minor character? Don't miss our superlatives - the “5” Best and "5" Worst of the season.  Plus, Fish, as our official fashion correspondent, gives her quick takes on fashion for the season. Then, find our average ratings for the season across all episodes – and compared to the first three seasons – AND listen to some of the amazing audience feedback we got along the way! And don't miss our recommendations for the next shows we hope you'll enjoy...if you don't do another rewatch of Felicity, of course. Plus...it's not over quite yet.  Stay tuned for one more episode of our podcast that we are working on!     Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

We are your intrepid podcasters, podcasting about a clip show. That's right. The series finale of Felicity is a clip show!   Felicity and Ben pick up Noel's personal effects, and Meghan encourages Felicity to contact Paul Korsakoff to do his pre-published time travel spell. Felicity convinces him to help her and familiarizes him with the highlights of what happened in college.   Ben asks Felicity to forgive him if she wakes up in the future...which she does. They are reunited after she wakes up from her fever dream (?) / her time travel (?) / her time travel fever dream (?)!   All the friends - including a now very much alive Elena and Tracy - celebrate at Noel and Zoe's wedding to the backdrop of Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You."     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

Felicity puts in one more attempt to get back together with Noel, including the Hail Mary of telling him she traveled back in time to be with him. After this attempt fails as well, Felicity begs Meghan to find a spell to send her back to the future.   Julie is planning a road trip, and Ben is keen to join her and drop out of school for a little while.   Noel is worried about Felicity's mental health. He and Ben - thinking Felicity might have psychosis - do an intervention with Felicity and persuade her to talk to a professional at a mental health institution. The result? She is put on a 72-hour hold, but first Felicity gives Ben information about his immediate future (Lauren calling him about his dad's liver problems) to try to prove her point. Felicity runs into Zoe in the mental health facility. Ben, who has wanted to believe Felicity all this time, gets the fated call from Lauren and realizes he does believe her. Ben breaks Felicity out of the mental health facility, takes care of her, and gets a download from Felicity on what happens in the future that made her want to get a do over with Noel.    Meghan wants revenge on Sean for breaking her heart. She uses her new (imaginary) boyfriend Paul to make him jealous and then humiliates Sean with evidence of his jealousy in her photography class project. In the process of canceling an order of jewelry from her fake boyfriend, she locates the real Paul Korsakoff, the author of the future time travel book.   Javier and Elena fight because he wants to get a manicure instead of help her study for her Spanish exam. While getting the manicure, Dean + Deluca is robbed, and Javier is fired for negligence.   Ben and Felicity are reunited! He is trying to convince her to stay in this timeline so they can do senior year right, when Felicity gets the news that Noel died in a fire in the administration building.     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

New tactic from Ben to get Felicity back: Challenge Felicity in her choices. Frustrated Felicity is flustered. It seems that there is still a force drawing them together. Noel is searching for a new apartment, and he and Felicity decide to move in together.   Sean is excited, because Julie is about to come to visit him. Except, she's coming for an audition. When she finds out that Sean might have other intentions, she friend zones him. And then goes on a date with Ben. Sean reconnects with Meghan.   Somehow, Julie and Ben and Noel and Felicity go on a double date - a date filled with tension and a vulnerable conversation between Ben and Felicity. They all go back to the loft, where Julie, Ben, Noel, Felicity, Meghan, and Sean end up playing an uncomfortable game of spin the bottle. During the game, Noel sees Felicity still has residual feelings for Ben, and he breaks up with her.     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

This episode is brought to you by Melissa and Fish getting spun around by time travel and the personality inconsistencies of our favorite Felicity characters.   Felicity and Noel are flirting and romantic, but they are trying to be discreet with their friends. As they go to more out-of-the-way date destinations, they run into Hanna at a street fair. Hanna is struggling to get clients for her piano lessons, and she is keen to get Noel to be her web developer plus benefits. Felicity's jealousy is activated as Noel debates whether he wants to be with Felicity (who is freaking him out) or Hanna.   Ben and Felicity still have a class together, and Ben gets Felicity to tutor him, resulting in a study session that gets a little too steamy for Felicity's liking.   Javier is auditioning for Man of La Mancha and gets Elena to be his coach.   Sean is encountering the money troubles he had at the start of season 4. He won't accept Meghan's financial help, because he is still in touch with Julie and wants to put his feelings out there for her.      Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

We start 6 months from the end of The Graduate. Elena has died in a car accident. Felicity, in her grief, pulls away from Ben, who cheats on Felicity. Meghan convinces Felicity to come back to NY for Noel and Zoe's wedding. After comments from both Noel and Felicity that they each have thought about what it would have been like if they were together (instead of Noel and Zoe), Felicity makes a wish and Meghan does a spell (with a book that was recently published) that sends Felicity back in time to the night Felicity and Noel slept together.    When Felicity realizes what has happened, she embraces the do over.  Felicity breaks up with Ben as fast as she can and tells Noel she wants to be with him. The only person Felicity tells about the time travel is Meghan, and all characters - including Meghan - are confused by Felicity's manic and unusual behavior.   In the alternate timeline, Elena and Tracy fight about the Felicity/Noel/Ben situation and call off their wedding, and this time Meghan and Sean don't get married instead.     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

Despite the paper shenanigans, Felicity and Ben are both graduating! In other exciting news, Ben and Felicity get engaged right before Ben is called to meet Lauren (who is labor) in Philadelphia.   Felicity's parents come to town for her graduation. Unsurprisingly, Edward Porter discourages her from moving back to NY next year, continuing architecture, or, presumably, getting married to Ben. Noel, at least, is supportive.   Ben returns home feeling sad that he left his son Andrew. Felicity and Ben moving to Arizona to be with Ben's newborn is put back on the table.   Economic times are hard, and Sean and Noel are let go from Webb Group Graphics. Sean shows generosity by taking a job with Mr. Rotundi, but Noel saves the day by re-starting Sean and Noel's business partnership.   The friends all graduate, and Felicity decides to go neither to NY nor to Arizona next year. Instead, she and Ben break up. Many good-byes are said. The show picks up 6 months later with a surprise reunion!     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]

Lauren is suddenly a villain, and Felicity's and Lauren's claws both come out.  She is leaving for Arizona tomorrow, she's stressed, and she needs Ben's help to pack. Lauren drinks and drives...and crashes with Ben in the car, sending them both to the hospital and him to surgery. After initially lashing out at Lauren, Felicity eventually responds with generosity, and Lauren makes peace with her before leaving town.   Felicity wants to come clean to her art history professor about plagiarizing her paper, but isn't able to do so until the last minute - when she is about to stand in front of the editorial board.   Richard wants Elena to be his date at a fundraiser to make another girl jealous, because he wants to show he supports diversity. Fish and Melissa rip this storyline to shreds.   Sean is concerned about Zoe and Noel's lack of a sex life, making Noel even more self-conscious about it.  Noel confronts Zoe about her seeming lack of interest in him, but when she shares that her sex drive has been connected to her mental health and her meds, her response brings them closer.     Sign up for our newsletter for updates: https://mailchi.mp/e73780cdd4ef/felicity-podcast Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicitypodcast/ Find everywhere you can listen: https://linktr.ee/themelissafish Share your feedback or Felicity fan art: [email protected]