Joel's departure
So, he magically returned to New York.
In reality, did Maggie fly him (at leat to the closest major airport?
It was a pretty "mystical" explanation, yes.
I was a bit bothered by it because the entire series (like showrunner David Chase's soon-to-come The Sopranos) was rife with dream sequences so I was wondering two things : (1) is this return to NYC a DREAM? and (2) if so, would Joel reappear in the final episodes of the series -- having remained near Cicely all along?
The answer was evidently : no. It was real. He really left and he really got to "go home": NYC.