buffyannAlex

Beautifully put into words. That's absolutely true. I think one of the point of the show was to show how life is hard an hurtful but how much it is still worth living and beautiful once you've overcome the difficulties and learned so much about yourself. THis is definitely one of the strong qualities of this show.
Absolutely. And I loved how they kept making reference ot Julia through all the series. In season 4, when he talks to Reid's mother and says "I wouldn't know" when asked if mother send care packages or when he talks to Nina about not hugging his mother the day she died. I thought he really showed how Ephram had overcome his mother's death but how this scar will always remain in him. It really showed how he grew up over the years and I adored this.

I know ! I remember when watching the season 2 finale for the first time, how bittersweet and powerful feelings took over me. Knowing how happy was ephram at this point and knowing that it'll utlimately be destroyed one day was so painful.
I think it was really intended to be that way. Showing us that there's always a big life's changing event waiting for us to change our life and dream plans. But it was still painful because after seeing his character deal with so much, I was kinda feeling like Andy, wanting to prevent him from getting hurt at all costs. Because Ephram is such a pure heart.
I wish I could have enjoyed a little Ephram & Amy happiness without having the MadisonGate over their head waiting to explode.
I did enjoy MadisonGate though. I wasn't a fan of how it was handle Ephramy related, but other than that, I loved that it lead to very powerful and interesting scenes, especially between Ephram/Andy and Amy/Harold. The only thing I really hated was how it broke Ephram & Amy up. I felt it wasn't tod the right way and I didn't "believe" their break up. It made no sense.

On the other hand, The Andy/Amada storyline made me unconfortable. I could easily have done without.
Well, the baby was a little too soap drama but in the end, it created a lot of repercussions that I didn't find uninteresting. I actually enjoyed some of them. It was good drama for the most part. What I didn't like is the constant remimder of Madison when there was no reason. like Ephram wanting to see her at the bar... or when she was suppose to come back at the end of season 4 (thank god, it didn't happen)...

Well, I completely agree on the sparks and dynamic between Laynie & Ephram but I think that's why they didn't go that route with them. It would have been a great pairing, that's for sure, very enjoyable to watch. But see, if they wanted to make Ephram grow and experience a first love relationship with someone if this someone was Laynie, they would have been lots of problems.
For one, we had grown in love with Laynie and there would have been a lot of repercussions for Ephramy if Ephram & Laynie had dated, fallen in love and all. It would have been hard for the Amy/Laynie friendship, for the future Ephram/Amy relationship. Plus, we would have had to explore Laynie's feelings. She was a character we knew and loved, If Ephram was a big relationship for her, they couldn't let go of her like that. There would have been consequences. Laynie had too much connections in Everwood. I don't know.
I think the one thing that was good about Madison/Ephram is that it wasn't an equal both way love. I found it annoying most of the time but it had the great consequences of not making Madison a threat to Ephram/Amy. She was Ephram's first love but as it was all messed up and full of problems, it wasn't a fully explored love. It helped Ephram grow and become more of a man, preparing him for a real relationship (with amy). Giving him the experience to feel more self confident, I guess.
I think they really needed to handle the first relationship of Ephram differently than Ephram/Amy not to change the Ephram/Amy history and dynamic and their "meant to be" status. I hope I'm making sense.

Yeah, that was a main problem. Despite what I've said above, It was painful to watch Ephram trying so hard in this relationship while Madison was pulling away. I think they overplayed the "responsible" card with Madison character.
Even if I didn't feel like that at the time cause I was all about Ephramy, in the end, I think she was a milestone in Ephram's life and I'm glad that it happened. The baby, I couldn't have lived without. But the Madiphram relationship was, to me, interesting and I loved to see Ephram growing out of this experience. When I try to imagine Ephram & Amy dating in season 2, I realise that it would have been a mess of confusion, misunderstanding and stuff like that with Ephram always pining for her and still messing up, and Amy depressed over Colin.
The fact that Ephram became so much selfconfident and that Amy got over Colin made their relationship in Season 3 even more real and special.

I agree. The problem I had with Madison is that they kept portraying her as an "older" being like she had wisdom and all. Seriously, the girl was 20, not 30 !
No offense to anyone that age but at 20, you act childish too, you fall in love with the wrong person too... Sure, they were at different places of their life when they dated and that was a problem but I don't know, I think they made some stuff into a way bigger deal than it actually was.

Beautifully said. I agree 100%.
Really ? Man, I would have loved this. This relationship would have been really interesting to watch !

huh. I remember clearly an episode in Season 1, wehre they're on a Ski trip where Bright loses his virginity...am I wrong ?
I'm glad you did. very insightful post.

Jerry D

No, Bright almost lost his virginity on the Ski Trip in Snow Job, but he had to decline the "offer" he got because he saw that his father had been drugged and put on a ski lift unconscious, so he went to help him. Here's the scene:

GEMMA: Um... I don't know...It's just so perfect here... Do you want to?

BRIGHT: Are you kidding me? What do you think I was praying for all that time in mass today?

GEMMA: You prayed for me to put out?

[Gemma truly and honestly is thoroughly taken.]

GEMMA: (CONT'D) That is so sweet!

[They make out when Bright should look over his girlfriend's shoulder and sees his dad who passed out on the ski lift. Dr. Abbott's in robe and clipboard. Someone's even taken the time to sharpie "DOCTOR COOL" across his forehead. Bright bolts upright.]

BRIGHT: Dad?

GEMMA: Hey, where're you going?

[Bright looks up at his dad, then back to his girlfriend, and back again. He gets up and starts to go to his dad, the hardest decision of his life.]

BRIGHT: I'm coming!

GEMMA: What? But I'm here. And I said OK!

BRIGHT: I gotta help my dad. If I die and don't go to heaven, I'm gonna be so pissed.

[Bright runs to his dad. Gemma is in shock.]

GEMMA: Huh?

Great thoughts, Alex. I'll respond more fully tonight. I have to go to work now!

Nanours

I know it won't be very original but my favorite character is Amy.
I like many characters in Everwood, but she's the one I like the most. Because she's so human and go through life with so much commitment. And maybe the main reason is the way she's portrayed by Emily VanCamp which is perfect; she can make us feel so well what Amy is going through it's amazing for such a young actress.

Raja

Don't remember the episode but season 2 Amy goes to Bright for sex advise and Bright admits to her that he's a virgin. I remember it being a nicely done scene with Bright being quite disarming with his honesty.

Jerry D

Great post, Alex. I hated when Madison told Andy she was pregnant and Andy told her not to tell Ephram, because I knew that that the “bomb” had been set, and the joy I felt seeing Ephram’s reaction when he saw Amy on the plane to New York was offset by the realization that at some point, that “bomb” was going to detonate. I saw Madisongate as a cheap soap opera like ploy to create “drama,” and I truly hated the damage that it caused, to the point where I couldn’t bring myself to watch those episodes.

Augusta

Yeah... no idea when Bright lost his V card... at some point, because then in season 3 he was making that list and makign comments to clearly suggest he was no longer a virgin.

jediwands

First off, Alex, love the HP reference. Love it.

Definitely. Honestly, you summed up so much of what this show represented, Alex. I read your words and applied them to certain scenes, storylines, and episodes of this series and most definitely, this is dead on correct. Take Madisongate for instance. For as much as I loathed so much about this storyline, the end result was an interesting one, wasn't it? Andy/Ephram hit rock bottom, they were so broken and yet look what happened? They came back together and not only that, they worked their way into finally having a strong, trusting, loving, deep father/son relationship. Ephram/Amy, same thing. Broke up, it wasn't pretty for a while but they gradually came back together and well, we know how they ended up. But even more than this, take a look at the character of Ephram and what that storyline did for him? This guy MATURED, BIG TIME as the result of Madisongate. The transformation got started the moment he found out that Andy and Madison deceived him and didn't stop until Ephram was at a place where he was so happy to live in his own skin, he wasn't angry anymore, he knew what he wanted out of love (Amy), and made the proactive decision to finally have that real relationship with his father, and to top things off, he even figured out what he wanted to do with his piano, by helping students along the way like Kyle and others and with that, realizing his calling was all about teaching.

So yeah, Madisongate sucked rocks for so many reasons, but in looking at the bright side of it, I do think there were several good things to eventually take place once Madisongate was finally detonated and the calm after the storm finally took place.

Excellent example. I loved that scene with Reid's mother and Ephram. That was some smokin, powerful stuff. Ephram's expression and his "I wouldn't know" response was so telling. And yes, the talk with Nina. You're right, Ephram demonstrated that he did finally move on but his mother and her memory will always remain securely inside his heart.

I ADORE how Julia was always ever present in this series. How amazing is that? I love how Summer mentioned that Julia was her favorite character. Such a great choice. This character was in EVERY SCENE whenever it all comes down to it. She truly was. We saw her more vividly in certain instances and she was more toned down in others but the point is, the significance of this character was everything to this series. And I adored how this show made this quite clear since day 1 and it never changed throughout.

This drove me to intense frustration. Season 1 was a battle for EA as we know.. Then look at how we battled seeing Amy getting through her depression, her ridiculous relationship with her druggie boyfriend, then EM and for many, that was utterly repulsive but FINALLY they get together in the finale of 2, only for Madison to show up at Andy's office lying that they were safe while she was admitting that she was probably pregnant. There wasn't one ounce of a break once they finally got together. As you said, Jerry, Ephram finding Amy on that plane as they were off to NYC was certainly tarnished due to what we witnessed between Andy/Madison. And from that point on, Madisongate was over our heads, like the irritating, annoyance that it was, with the capability of exploding at any time. Also, I think the vast majority of people had an awareness that when the explosion transpired was going to be around the moment that EA would be separated, at least temporarily, as well. So yes, while I said above some great things transpired after Madisongate, having to deal with this storyline at the time was incredibly frustrating and annoying. Especially if you were an EA fan.

The worst pairing/storyline in history of this show, in my mind.

I can't even get into the Madison band situation and Ephram lying to Amy without wanting to punch a hole through my wall. Man, was that ridiculous! Why did Rina feel the need to go there knowing she was messing with EA in due time with the explosion of Madisongate as well as Princetongate? That band situation and Ephram lying was BUNK. And I better stop talking about it before my face turns even another shade of red. Then again, the thought of Madison possibly coming back at the end of season 4 doesn't make me all warm and fuzzy either. This is one of those rare instances where you can breathe and say, "Maybe the show ending when it did and how it did with such grace, dignity and perfection was definitely for the best?" I would have cringed a thousand times, had we seen Madison's mug in the finale of 4 if this show would have gone on. No thanks. I'll pass. For my own sanity.

You make a great case for why EL might have been better left untold, Alex. No doubt about it. That's why I think IF they would have gone EL, Berlanti would have had to make it as light as possible. It could have flirted with a sense of seriousness but all the while we would see that they weren't meant to be in the long run, only for the short term. Berlanti also needed to have them part in a pretty clean way, maybe even going into friends mode in a quick and painless sort of way.

Oh yeah, no doubt about it, if EL would have been explored instead of EM, Berlanti, absolutely, would have had to have done it very delicately, constantly paying attention to how the long term would shake out.

Makes a ton of sense. I still hated EM for the main reason being that I couldn't stop being weirded out by how she went for a 16 year old but I do love how you said EM was never a threat to EA, they never challenged their history, past, present, future. Thank God this was the case.

Hey, those are great thoughts, Alex. This is so true. There is no way in hell EA were ready for each other in season 2. Not even close. They were more ready for each other in season 1 than they were in season 2! Oh yeah, they would have been doomed, had they tried something while Amy was so depressed. Who knows what damage could have taken place as a result of trying to be together too soon. Nope, their timing was not about being together in season 2. well not until the end of 2.

I do appreciate where the both of them were at whenever they finally got together. They were certainly both ready for each other and you instantly saw this to true throughout the romantic relationship in season 3 minus a few hiccups that Rina inserted in there for fake drama.

dawnie@

Can I hear you say 'Amy'?



Sorry, I never posted who my favourite (yes I'm adding a 'u' because I'm Canadian! ) character was and I needed to make it really really obvious to everyone, in case they didn't know by now, that I loved Amy (oh god, loved in the past tense...)

dawnie@

Whoa! Double post. It's the first time it's ever happened to me...

*x-files theme*

jediwands

LMAO dawnie regarding the X Files theme.

I love your passion for Amy. We share this, big time.

Nice touch with the "U" as well!

Yeah, so sad that it's past tense. How weird is it that there will be no Amy this coming season? Reruns have to be happening at full force to compensate.

Augusta

dawnie@

Yeah, I don't get the "u" thing and I've learned it recently. Since I never went to school in english before last september, I learned english mostly from TV and books (and yes, of course, second-language course in school). I asked my cousin to proof-read one of my paper since she's a copy editor and I had written "favorite" in there and she added a "u". And I was suprised 'cause you always see it written without a "u". And she explained it was a Canadian thing and that Americans wrote it without "u" inlcuding other words like color. And when I asked why that difference, she answered that americans were lazy! I don't think she meant it, but you gotta admit, it's pretty stupid for us to write it two different ways!

We do share the Amy love!

Re-runs aren't going to cut it. I want the DVDs!!!!

milestogo

My favourite character is Amy as well She's the one I relate the most to (I'm not sure that was an actual sentence )

AngelaiDanes

I always wondered the same. Why Canada and Great Britian use the "u" and Americans don't. The only thing I've come up with is Americans like to be different. I got used to not including the "u" because I went to universities in America and most people didn't use the "u" (plus my mom never did in English). However, they said you could use it as long as it was consistent in your paper. I just got used to not using it.

I loved how Ephram changed for the good as a result of the catastrophe that was Madisongate. He could have never trusted anyone, especially his father, ever again. And yet he was mature enough to forgive Andy and grow even closer to him along with getting the love of his life back (Amy), to eventually forgive Madison, and to forgive the whole situation including not getting to know the son he had and had no say in. And like you said not only did he get his life back on track but he was able to help someone like Kyle out of it. Most people wouldn't have succeeded and moved on as well as Ephram did. The guy is amazing.

Honestly in some ways I enjoyed Ephram/Amy in season 4 more than I actually did in season 3. In season 3 the only episodes I truly enjoyed were "Best Laid Plans" and "The Reflex" the rest was just ruined due to Madisongate and then that stupid lame fight Rina concocted with Ephram lying about seeing Madison's band and Amy being pissed for several episodes. And of course she forgave him right before she found out about Madison. The insane part was Ephram was so OOC to see the band. He had zero interest in Madison since being with Amy and all of a sudden he cared about seeing her and Bright supported him lying to his sister and potentially ruining the relationship. Such OOC crap and drama. The happy moments were few and far between. Even if they weren't together in season 4 at least they weren't ready to combust due to some huge secret like Madisongate. I was so glad Ephram telling Reid to back off Amy never led to a huge dramatic fight. They were essentially free to reconnect through friendship, which we saw for most of it. Even when Amy was with Reid or Ephram was with Stephanie we knew nothing would come of it because they were too wrapped in each other. I actually felt at peace as soon as Amy said "Ephram, you're my person". Because she finally did admit that it was Ephram all along, not Colin, or anyone else in the future.

I'm with you about being somewhat glad we didn't get a season 5 with the rumors about Madison's presence (I don't even want to think what lame soap opera crap would be told) and the possible Ephram/Hannah gross relationship being contemplated. Berlanti what are you thinking! Even Rina wasn't moronic enough to go there. Lets say I'm glad Everwood ended with class and didn't go off the deep end.

jediwands

That's very impressive. Your English is amazing.

I've always wondered how difficult English is to learn. What are your thoughts on the language?

Absolutely.

I've seen that spelling before with the "U" and I just assumed it was a typo but then now that I think about it, I've seen lots of people making this "typo" so I'm shocked I didn't pick up on the fact that it might be legit.

So funny regarding your cousins comment about Americans being lazy and that's why. Seriously, I'm American and I'm down with that reasoning.

Yes, we certainly do.

And it's awesome that you're so talented because you always produce a nice supply of Amy icons that make me grin like a fool, so thank you for that as well.

I figured you'd say something like this. I know you quite well.

That's interesting stuff. Does you Grandma use it? Obviously your dad does. Your mom just chooses to go the original route. I told you, she's cool. Haha

He really is.

I think Ephram just knew he was at a very defining moment in his life, you know? I think he was sick and tired of taking the long and bumpy road, he realized that he could be forever pissed off and miserable, keep ragging on his father, deliberately put a distance between him and Amy, swear at the world and act as if he was always going to get the raw end of the deal OR he could finally make the decision to take control of his life, stop sulking, accept the things he couldn't change, embrace the things he could, and finally move on towards his search for peace and tranquility. His time away in Europe did wonders for him. He came to the revelation that it was his true love for Amy that allowed him make the decision of moving on and not taking that bumpy road any longer. He found strength in the love that he had for her and in their love together to move forward towards the mature Ephram, the real Ephram..

This might sounds cheesy but I really do believe it was the EA love that gave him the strength and produced the light for him to see clearly and move forward. Everything else followed after that. His talk with Andy on the camping trip proved as much as well. He said he came back for Amy. Of course that's the truth but in a bigger sense, he knew that his life for Amy was what filled his heart and once he came back to fight for regaining it, he would also be regaining other aspects of his life as well like the rebuilding of his relationship with his father, figuring out what he wanted to do with his piano, helping out others along the way, etc. It all fell into place. It was the EA love that guided him the entire way throughout his journey, no doubt about it.

Great point, I completely agree. I think the biggest thing was the season 4 episodes were filled with "hope" for EA while the season 3 episodes were filled with "anxiety" and knowing that at any moment, the curtain was going to be drawn on EA and their relationship once Madisongate and Princetongate exploded. You watched season 3 with an anxiousness as a result just waiting for bad things to happen while in season 4, it was all about hope, new beginnings, and maturity.

Everything you said is how I feel exactly. Honestly, in many ways, the band storyline pissed me off even more than Madisongate did because Ephram was SO OOC during the band storyline and it was an obvious way for Rina to produce cheap, fake drama at the expense of writing something that actually made sense. Yep, Bright supporting it was so bunk. Rina took the easy way out for whatever reason. I will always feel like writers/producers inserting fake drama and changing up the realness of their characters is the easy way out. What would be tough is actually keeping your characters real and feeling like you are creative enough to write something that makes sense that isn't about fake drama. It takes creativity to maintain a realness. Rina couldn't do it with this storyline.

Exactly. There was zero stress in season 4. Sure they were apart romantically throughout the vast majority of it but at least you could watch the episodes without your heart pounding or feeling miserable, and with a sort of renewed hope, new beginnings as well. It was a pleasure to tune in and watch as a result.

I also love how they slept together around Christmas time because I think it was a key reminder to the fans to "hold on" and stay tuned, EA were on their way towards getting things right again and a permanent reunion was certainly happening.

Coupled with the fact that neither EA were with anyone else in a serious way as well. So awesome that they never slept with anyone else but each other the entire time they were broken up. Excellent.

Exactly. Just perfect. I loved it. Rina really is to be credited here for not allowing cheap triangles to get in the way of the EA reunion or having either of them in a stupid serious relationship as well. You constantly saw that they were still so all about each other and yeah, the sleeping together around Christmas was perfectly placed because it conveyed so much about where they were at and where they were going.

I also love how the both of them worked on individual aspects of their lives as well before reuniting. Both matured considerably and found out more about themselves and essentially got all the other aspects of their lives in order before their permanent reunion. That was so priceless to see.

All about the cherry on top of a supremely delicious sundae.

Amen.

We seriously couldn't have gotten a more perfect ending not only to EA, but to this entire serires. And how do you mess with or question perfection? You don't. You cherish it and that's what we will always be able to do with this series from now on.