|
Talking about the Ephram Bright friendship makes me think about another relationship on the show that was IMO very underdeveloped which is Amy and Bright. I really love watching siblings on TV shows because I often think they have some of the most interesting dynamics on shows and I feel like their relationship could've added a lot more to the show than it did if just a little bit more effort was put into writing it.
One thing that I felt was a huge missed opportunity in regards to their relationship was the getting the chance to connect over the loss of Colin. I know everything surrounding Colin often placed a strain on their relationship like Bright's guilt about the accident, Amy's depression after his death and all the other drama that was involved with it but I still feel like they could've bonded after his death. It always felt very weird to me that the barely ever talked about Colin together with the exception of when they argued at that one party after his death. I know they were kinda trying to erase Colin from the plot but there were little mentions of him throughout the series and it never made sense to me that Amy and Bright never talked about it. Even in seasons 3 or 4 I feel like we were missing one or even multiple scenes in which they could've talked about him. We know the three of them spent a lot of time together prior to his death and it felt like that was never addressed. Considering they were the two closest people to him outside of his family and they are also siblings it felt very strange that this never happened. I guess I'm just sad because Colin's death feels like it should've been something that brought them together rather than tore them apart.
Another thing that really bothered me was their relationship in season 2. I know that Bright was really mad about the way that Amy was acting in season 2 but I still think he could've been a little bit more compassionate towards her. Maybe its a lot to ask of Bright to understand her depression especially since Harold couldn't even seem to understand it, but considering he went through through the same loss as her even if his grief wasn't as extreme as hers you would think he would make more of an effort to see her point of view. Even before all the fallout due to everything with Tommy in the first half of the season he still acted very insensitive. The way he ignored her and pretended she didn't exist was extremely cold.
That one scene where he tells her that Ephram is his friend was really grating on me. First of all considering how badly he treated Ephram in season 1 when Amy was his friend this comes across as really ridiculous. Then theres the fact that Amy basically has no one at that point and he wants to take away someone who has been there for her in the past. It's like he abandons her in her time of need and wants Ephram to do the same and then he is angry and surprised when she sticks with the one person who has stood by her (I know Tommys a sleaze ball but from Amy's POV at this point he is the only who one supported her). I feel like if Bright had tried to find common ground with her at a time when her parents could not theres a possibility he could have gotten through to her. Instead he chose to give her another reason to stay away and just made things worse for her.
Disclaimer real quick that I'm sorry if this is coming off super biased toward Amy. I cannot deny that Amy's my favorite character and I will probably see things from her perspective the most. Also as someone who has dealt with depression it is hard for me to watch all the people she loves turn their backs on her when she needs them the most. I hated that they treated her like she was being dramatic or doing it all for attention because I have had people treat me that way. When dealing with something like depression you already have issues with your self worth and ask yourself if its all in your head and a part of you thinks you are overreacting. For other people to also invalidate your feelings and blame you it is just so much more damaging and to witness the Abbotts all do that to Amy was so disheartening.
And then of course we have all of the moments where Bright interferes with Amy and Ephram's relationship with his awful advice. First there is the time when he encourages Ephram to see Madison and hide it from Amy. This was just the stupidest thing ever. They were acting like Amy was just some random girl. Bright did not seem to care at all about her feelings. Especially since he knows how much Amy loves Ephram. That scene were he talks about how Ephram maybe wants to get back together with Madison is just so uncomfortable. Ephram reassures him that he doesn't but Bright really doesn't seem to care one way or another. This was unbelievable to me. And then we have the end of season 3 when Ephram breaks Amy's heart. There was one good moment when Bright tells Ephram to go a little easier on Amy. However after he breaks up with her Bright doesn't care at all. I know Ephram's his friend but I feel like he should've been at least a little mad about it. And then there is the end of season 4 when Bright is telling Ephram to move on with Stephanie because him and Amy will never get back together. This is after he just witnessed Amy getting jealous of them the night before. I know Bright is supposed to be dense but not that dense. He had to have known that Amy still had feelings for Ephram in some capacity. But he never talks to her about it he just tells Ephram to move on. He just doesn't seem to care about Amy being happy at all.
Now of course they have some good moments. I thought it was so funny in season 1 when they bonded over their bitterness about the Colin and Ephram friendship. I love the scene when Bright tells Amy to go after Ephram in season 2 and also when he sets it up so they can go to prom together. I also love when Amy talks to Bright in season 3 when he's having a hard time and tells him he can't keep treating people badly. And in season 4 when she comforts him after he cheats on Hannah. They do have some great moments. But it just felt like a relationship that was never properly explored to its full potential. I would have loved a SL between the two of them. This just felt like a relationship that was neglected in favor of other ones between newer characters we didn't care as much about. They could've had scenes that felt organic and earned instead of having to deal with arcs about Amanda or Reid or Madison. I try not to imagine all the great scenes Amy and Bright could've had together in place of that.
|