everwoodfan52

I What about that paragraph don't you agree with, 'Tos?

Dolfan13

Nice write up by the author.

Do you not agree with how everything was wrapped up?

'Tos

Yes, exactly. I don't think every major story was given closure. Andy/Nina, especially, was written clearly as a beginning, not an ending.

But I like to nitpick.

secretk

I love to nitpick too , but this is how I show my respect. I mean I either tell the truth about something - including the good and the bad or I don't discuss it at all (which means that I don't like it at all ).

The final episode is not my favorite and the finale scene between Amy and Ephram is not my favorite and it's not because it's the last, just because I didn't like it that much.

I liked the show, it was character driven show, yeah the pace might be slow, but the most problems were realistically developed, the characters weren't Mary Sues, they had their flaws. It was interesting to watch, but some parts of the finale were slightly detached from the overall story. I know that this is not entirely writers' fault, because well they didn't know if the show will be picked up for next season or not.

First of all let me say that for me the core of this show wasn't Andy/Nina or Amy/Ephram. To me it was Andy/Ephram, the Browns family and their development through the years and their coping with Julia's death. It started like that and to me till the end that was the most endearing and interesting part. That doesn't mean that I didn't want to end as A/E are together or A/N together. I just mean that the most important part for me was the character development.

The finale (especially the Amy/Ephram) somehow erased the whole development and I felt that I see Amy and Ephram from Season 1 . I will explain why I see it like that.

In Season 1 Ephram was an angry boy who was madly in love in a girl who didn't love him (yep I didn't believe that Amy loved him back then, I finally saw it when Amy found out about Madison and cried during the Ephram's party). He however was besides her, he might have not been the best friend, but given the circumstances he did pretty good and did a lot more than someone else would have done if they were in his position. He was however so sensitive that he was willing to do about everything for the girls he likes/loves. We saw that he did the same with Madison in Season 2. The first time he really realized that life is not only about love was when he decided to go to New York despite Amy and the fact that he loved her. And that was good, in fact he was right.

You also know that I'm not Amy's fan and I like her only when she's with Ephram (he somehow makes her more likeable ). Throughout the whole 2 seasons I've always felt that she took Ephram for granted and didn't really appreciate how much she'd hurt him or how he tried to help her despite his feelings. In the end of Season 2 she finally decided that it was her time to do something for him - like going to New York with him, instead of making him stay.

And that was good, but I saw the same pattern in Season 4 . She was hurt by Ephram and I totally understand that. She had the right to move on, he had the right to move on, so nothing weird there. He slept with her, told her that he loved her, she decided that she wants to grow up (btw that's a good thing, but a relationship shouldn't interfere your desire to grow up, in fact the partner would want to help you if he/she is really in love). And he moved on, because well Bright was right, Ephram didn't need to wait for her forever. He'd waited for her 2 years, he screwed up, but it wasn't like she was miss perfect friend either.

And everything was perfect till the moment when he found someone else. Then Amy was jealous, because well she realized that he won't wait for her forever. She took him for granted again. And she again realized that she loves him. And he again forgave her too easy, it was like Season 2 finale. Except they were supposed to be 2 years older and wiser.

And the whole Stephanie thing bothered me a bit. I would expect that Ephram wouldn't want to use someone or lead someone to feel something about him, given the whole history and the way Amy hurt him. And yet he did exactly that with Stephanie - he was with her, but the moment Amy told him that she loved him, he even forgot about meeting her . That's not very mature.

The whole ferris wheel - I've told it before. That grand gesture wasn't gesture or grand for me . That wasn't the beginning of their history to me. It was hurtful moment for Ephram and the whole Grover story wasn't biggy at all. Is it that kind of secret?

P.S: It turned out to be hell of a long post, but the Andy/Nina story was rushed too. Either I'm really weird person or it's really not normal to marry someone without having relationship with him first. Especially when kids are involved and those kids are not babies. I also have some problem believing that Harold and Edna can live together, they couldn't work together in Season 3.

Forwood4Bamon

secretk, I agree with you completely I am not an Amy fan either, but I love ephramy.

Dolfan13

I agree that everything was wrapped up too nicely but what can ya do when the show is cancelled?

Good bump, by the way. I had been thinking about the following questions and this thread reminded me. This is for anyone and everyone that wants to answer!


Was there any character(s) that you thought didn't get a good ending? (Besides Irv, of course! )

If the show had a normal series finale (in the sense that they knew from the get-go it would be their last season), do you think the show would have had non-"Fairy Tale" endings for some characters? I ask this last one because I think the cancellation actually caused them to go the "Fairy Tale" route.

LemonyPie

Well, I don't know if this really counts, but I think Andy and Harold should have gotten a better ending together. I liked the scene where Harold is giving Andy advice about Nina and Andy figures out that Harold is secretly a hopeless romantic, but...they could have done more with them, I think. They never had a last scene at Sam's or at the bar, no last bickering and bantering...Just a quick hug at the end and that was that. There should have been something more epic, IMO!

everwoodfan52

I didn't think that Amy and Ephram had the best ending. Yes, they declared their love for each other and you knew they would be together. But they didn't have a chance to share this news with everyone! That was a huge let down for me.
I would have liked to see Bright's reaction to this news after he discouraged Ephram by saying that there was no more juice in the box...I would have loved to see Hannah's joy that the two of them finally got back together. This was her wish the whole season!!.....I would have loved to see Harold and Rose's reaction to the news....etc....etc.....etc.

secretk

I actually wanted a scene with the whole Brown family. I don't think that Delia and Ephram had proper ending. We saw the scene where Ephram and Andy finally talked without fighting - giving each other advice, but the last thing between Delia and Ephram was at the bat mizvah. And it wasn't that important. Maybe I'm a sucker, because I really liked their brother/sister relationship.

I wanted closure there, because to me after all that was the Browns history and everything else was just part of their journey.

On the one hand I wanted a scene where everybody knows about Nina/Andy and Amy/Ephram, but on the other hand that would be even more fairy tale.

I know that the cancellation caused this ending. They apparently hadn't had enough time to do it properly.

Personally I would have changed some things - like the baby for the Abbotts and the Stephanie story. I think that this season would have worked without them.

The problem with the series is that the fans want after all happy ending for their couple and since there are different fans, they want different things. And if the writers want to please everyone, they have to give closure for not only the main couple. Hence, the too perfect ending.

'Tos

Agreed with both Harold/Andy and especially Amy/Ephram!

Me too. To me, the show was about them. Ephram/Amy are amazing, they're wonderful and I love them. But they're not why I tuned in every week. Ephram and Andy were, and Delia too. To me, the perfect ending, to me, would have been a callback to one of my favourite endings, the "The Great Doctor Brown" with the Browns sitting down for dinner and the camera pans out to show Julia sitting there smiling. Lovely. If I had it my way, I would have ended with the Browns sitting at the table, with things working out and the camera still panning out past the window over the town of Everwood (because that element of the ending was perfection)...and Julia doing the final voiceover.

What? I didn't say I didn't want a Fairy Tale ending! I wanted something to make me bawl my eyes out as only Everwood could do. And the Ephram/Amy ending did do that, admittedly, but more so because it was the final episode and I desperately didn't want it to go.

But, that really doesn't answer your question, Dolfan. I guess I'll answer it in another way: I think Irv is the only one who actually has a good ending. He's the only character that has an ending with full closure. I mean, funerals are kind of a closure cheat, heh, but still. Nobody else got full closure to me. Bright is probably the closest, because we got to see him grow up so much from episode one, find the love of his life, and...grow up so much that he basically wants that love of his life to leave if that's the right choice for her. Now that is a man right there. You can't help but be proud for Bright in that moment, especially as you also can't help but reflect on his beginnings as you watch the show end.

Ephram is next to me, because I think he fulfills two of his main goals in coming back to Everwood: reconnecting with Amy and having a lasting, strong relationship with his father. I know someone here (*shifty eyes*) thinks Ephram is too mellow in S4, and that's probably true. But I do like seeing him at peace. Calm. Having control of his own destiny instead of letting his emotions drive his destiny.

Harold probably comes next, because he has found a true friend, has the love of his life, both of his kids have matured and have grown up to be great people and he has a chance to really connect his mom. Despite the fact that he feels that she didn't take care of him as a child, he is going to be there for Edna and take care of her when she needs it most.

Other than those three, Andy still hasn't fulfilled his last journey of being a good husband, or of connecting with Delia, even they we are given the hope that both those things will happen. Nina hasn't found true happiness in life or found a future secure for her and Sam, even if we are given the hope that that is going to happen. Amy still has to find what she wants to do in life and with Ephram by her side I think we have confidence that that's going to happen. Delia...Delia needed to grow up, find the confidence in herself to be herself and be at peace with Andy. And I think that we see that that's going to happen to. But I do think that she has the furthest to go. Which I like. Because she's the youngest. She's gone through a lot of changes and a lot of growth over four years, but she is probably going to go through her most growth over the NEXT four years, as Amy did, as Ephram did, as Bright did. And that's kind of the exciting thing about Delia. Who knows where things are going to take her. And in that sense, even though she gets the least amount of closure, I'm still very happy with her ending.

And....yeah! Don't know how to end this...

Dolfan13

Even with Ephram and Amy getting together at the end, I don't think any of the "kids" really got an ending but I guess that's true to life.

Interesting to see how everyone thought the show was more about Ephram and Andy than anything which I agree with. I remember Treat "bad mouthed" the show once in that TV guide interview (I think) and I wonder if he was talking about how the network pushed for Ephram and Amy to be the main focus instead?

break the window

I agree. Even though Amy and Ephram's confessions to each other will go no forever, it's not an ending, it's more of a beginning. They were apart virtually all of Season 4 minus those last five minutes. And it was hard to see them part ways in mid Season 3. So for it to just ... end... and it be an ending would make it seem like their beginning not much of a big deal which in contrast...it was a HUGE DEAL

The same goes for everything else. Andy/Nina...that was huge The entire show was about a man rebuilding a relationship with his children in a small town after his wife suddenly dies. For Andy to not only find love again but want to get married again and create a new life with someone else.

All this stuff is great material for a Season 5, but yet, we never got one...that wasn't just on the net

secretk

Yeah, actually out of all teens I think only Ephram had some idea what he wants to do with his life. Although to be honest I find it hard to believe that he will live solely on giving piano lessons.

Well maybe in USA it's different I don't know, but in my country this usually is not enough for good income, especially when you have family.

And of course they all still need to grow up and mature. Especially Amy, her OCD is just too much - it's in all of her relationships (with friends, parents, siblings and even boyfriends). She has to learn that she can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved and to tone out a bit her pushiness, because this way she invades people's privacy and rights. Ephram still has to learn how to balance his dark moments, because at some points it's too much and affects his relationships with other people.

And well Hannah needs to learn how to open up and live a bit more, while Bright still will have to mature and I think that his cheat and the outcome later will give him reasons to grow up and become more serious.

So basically this wasn't the end, but still somehow on first sight it seemed that way.

Edna and Harold have still enough issues to overcome and I doubt that they will live happily ever after together. And well Andy still have something to learn how to be good parent and husband.

So yeah, there are many stories to be told.

break the window

with the way things ended in Season 4, easily 2 more seasons could've been filled with stories

everwoodfan52

I believe that giving piano lessons was going to be Ephram's side job. He was going to study to be an music teacher. at a school. He could make a living doing that.