There's been other moments too. But it seems like the "changes" that get made are minor and really her "regrets" are petty bullshit had no effect on her life at all. Sort of similar to what Dr. Tom said to Erica in the first episode when Erica wonder if her changing the time line wouldn't cause World War III or something. Dr. Tom says, "Could be. Or it might be your alcohol consumption, while very important to you, has no effect on world events."
Also on this night rather than getting very drunk, Erica ends up saving one of her friends who apparently collapses from alcohol poisoning -something that likely wouldn't have happened originally if Erica was taking in her drinks too and she acts shocked by this. Back in the present when Erica meets up with that friend (while editing a book for her at the publishing company) the friend remarks that Erica saved her life that night. Again, implying the change did occur and had no real impact on Erica's life.
Along similar lines when Erica attempts to keep Josh and Sam broken up during the N.E. blackout and apparently succeeds, upon returning to the present she finds out Sam and Josh ended up back together anway.
Had Erica not pleaded to go back and do it again it's possible Dr. Tom would've left her in the "better" future where her brother lived until the "present" and her own life turned out better. In the same episode, upon going back again, Erica plants something for her family to find to have a better memory of the brother with.
Other small friendship changes and such we've seen stuck and, really, it seems all of her changes stick. Just none of them have as big of an impact on her present since the whole point of the "Therapy" -from what I've seen so far- is that she's caught up in small nonsense and not looking at the bigger picture. The therapy is also less about making her life better about fixing the past but learning from re-living the past that she's a better person.
Now. :exhale:
What's unclear to me is what happens after Erica leaves the past. From her friends' and family's point of view, it would seem, that Erica all of the sudden acts odd and out of character and even seems to make some odd comments referring that would seem to imply she's speaking in the past tense.
In the first episode her friends even note that she's acting odd, we see Erica while at the dance talking to a teacher as she's an adult -he sees her as a teenager- and she even goes on to tell him that she's older. Now what's unclear is what happens to all of this stuff when Erica leaves and the "real Erica" comes back alive in the "past." (Sort of similar question to what happens to the people Sam leaps into in QL. How do they reconcile the missing time, the changed events, etc. with who they really are and further how these events changed others. IIRC in one episode Sam stands up even though the person he's in is a double amputee. (Sam physically traveled and only took on the appearance-aura of the person he "was.") So the question is how whatever drove the time travel corrected this so history made sense.)
So when the "real Erica" returns to the past does she suddenly "know" what she did? Is she altered to think she had a quick personality change that made it happen? Are her friends confused on why last week at the dance Erica was suddenly against drinking and acting like a 30-year-old woman but now is acting like a teenager again? (In the first episode the bitchy brunette friend even points out Erica has been acting like a bitch.) Does that teacher somehow write off Erica's odd behavior and comments as just her being a drunk kid and decides not to have her put in therapy (real therapy) because she wacked-out for a night saying she was from the future and started acting like a woman twice her age? In the episode where Ty finally returns to his present we also see the "present Ty" suddenly not know who Erica is. Yet at the same time seems okay with whatever change took place (singing the other song rather than the harder song he was expected to sing) So how does Erica's interaction with Ty and the influences she had on Ty's past-change impact Ty if he now doesn't know her?
The show seems to want to establish that the changes do happen. But they're small changes that don't amount to much, unless it IS a "big change" used to teach a lesson (like the "Do-Over Day" episode or the episode where Erica was allowed to "win the lottery" (allow her stake in a business to split, giving her a windfall) or the person goes back and makes a big change, disregarding the "rules" (Erica going back to save Leo) The show finds a slight balance of having it both ways. The change "occurs" but nothing "big" happens. The change is petty BS designed to teach a lesson.
The real question, for me, as I said above, is how the time-travel events works out from the perspective of those around her and how it all "normalizes" so people don't think Erica goes psychotic on a purely random basis for a few days then goes back to normal, somehow, okay with what happened yet acting in contrast to what she just did.
"Oh? I broke up with my boyfriend, outed him as an amateur pornographer... Wait? How did I know about the camera? Eh. Whatever. So, then I slept with that creepy guy who stands around writing things who's like so lame? Eh. No big deal. I've no idea why I let him fuck me on a log but whatever. That is so weird! It's like that time at the dance and at Halloween when I was so against drinking but now I'm totally cool with it! And, like, I'd be soooo embarrassed if the whole school saw my young, hot, nubile naked body but that one time at the dance I was totally cool with it! Just like I was with my sister's boyfriend seeing me using an epilator on my kitty! I guess I just get wacked out sometimes. Hey... who are those men in the white coats?"
Also on this night rather than getting very drunk, Erica ends up saving one of her friends who apparently collapses from alcohol poisoning -something that likely wouldn't have happened originally if Erica was taking in her drinks too and she acts shocked by this. Back in the present when Erica meets up with that friend (while editing a book for her at the publishing company) the friend remarks that Erica saved her life that night. Again, implying the change did occur and had no real impact on Erica's life.
Along similar lines when Erica attempts to keep Josh and Sam broken up during the N.E. blackout and apparently succeeds, upon returning to the present she finds out Sam and Josh ended up back together anway.
Had Erica not pleaded to go back and do it again it's possible Dr. Tom would've left her in the "better" future where her brother lived until the "present" and her own life turned out better. In the same episode, upon going back again, Erica plants something for her family to find to have a better memory of the brother with.
Other small friendship changes and such we've seen stuck and, really, it seems all of her changes stick. Just none of them have as big of an impact on her present since the whole point of the "Therapy" -from what I've seen so far- is that she's caught up in small nonsense and not looking at the bigger picture. The therapy is also less about making her life better about fixing the past but learning from re-living the past that she's a better person.
Now. :exhale:
What's unclear to me is what happens after Erica leaves the past. From her friends' and family's point of view, it would seem, that Erica all of the sudden acts odd and out of character and even seems to make some odd comments referring that would seem to imply she's speaking in the past tense.
In the first episode her friends even note that she's acting odd, we see Erica while at the dance talking to a teacher as she's an adult -he sees her as a teenager- and she even goes on to tell him that she's older. Now what's unclear is what happens to all of this stuff when Erica leaves and the "real Erica" comes back alive in the "past." (Sort of similar question to what happens to the people Sam leaps into in QL. How do they reconcile the missing time, the changed events, etc. with who they really are and further how these events changed others. IIRC in one episode Sam stands up even though the person he's in is a double amputee. (Sam physically traveled and only took on the appearance-aura of the person he "was.") So the question is how whatever drove the time travel corrected this so history made sense.)
So when the "real Erica" returns to the past does she suddenly "know" what she did? Is she altered to think she had a quick personality change that made it happen? Are her friends confused on why last week at the dance Erica was suddenly against drinking and acting like a 30-year-old woman but now is acting like a teenager again? (In the first episode the bitchy brunette friend even points out Erica has been acting like a bitch.) Does that teacher somehow write off Erica's odd behavior and comments as just her being a drunk kid and decides not to have her put in therapy (real therapy) because she wacked-out for a night saying she was from the future and started acting like a woman twice her age? In the episode where Ty finally returns to his present we also see the "present Ty" suddenly not know who Erica is. Yet at the same time seems okay with whatever change took place (singing the other song rather than the harder song he was expected to sing) So how does Erica's interaction with Ty and the influences she had on Ty's past-change impact Ty if he now doesn't know her?
The show seems to want to establish that the changes do happen. But they're small changes that don't amount to much, unless it IS a "big change" used to teach a lesson (like the "Do-Over Day" episode or the episode where Erica was allowed to "win the lottery" (allow her stake in a business to split, giving her a windfall) or the person goes back and makes a big change, disregarding the "rules" (Erica going back to save Leo) The show finds a slight balance of having it both ways. The change "occurs" but nothing "big" happens. The change is petty BS designed to teach a lesson.
The real question, for me, as I said above, is how the time-travel events works out from the perspective of those around her and how it all "normalizes" so people don't think Erica goes psychotic on a purely random basis for a few days then goes back to normal, somehow, okay with what happened yet acting in contrast to what she just did.
"Oh? I broke up with my boyfriend, outed him as an amateur pornographer... Wait? How did I know about the camera? Eh. Whatever. So, then I slept with that creepy guy who stands around writing things who's like so lame? Eh. No big deal. I've no idea why I let him fuck me on a log but whatever. That is so weird! It's like that time at the dance and at Halloween when I was so against drinking but now I'm totally cool with it! And, like, I'd be soooo embarrassed if the whole school saw my young, hot, nubile naked body but that one time at the dance I was totally cool with it! Just like I was with my sister's boyfriend seeing me using an epilator on my kitty! I guess I just get wacked out sometimes. Hey... who are those men in the white coats?"
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Ultimately though, I think there's much philosophizing in the show, and it shows in our different viewpoints.
