I thought that this was another well-done episode of this incredible show, as Ephram once again learned some disappointing news about a person he had looked up to, and we got to see Edna and Amy relate to one another as Everwood became the site of temporary media frenzy.
I liked the way that Amy and Edna connected with one another in this episode, and you could see the closeness that this grandmother and granddaughter have, but we also got to see that Amy is so focused on Colin right now that she’d even try to deceive and manipulate Edna into going on a camping trip to get around being grounded so she could go and see Colin. I thought it was neat when they saw the flash in the sky both the first and second times, but the first time around, Amy was so focused on Colin, that she couldn’t even savor the moment with her grandmother. I didn’t like seeing Amy try to manipulate Edna into letting her go and see Colin, and I’m glad that Edna didn’t let her get away with it. I thought that Edna was right when she later told Amy that there’s a fine line between devotion and obsession, and it seems like Amy is crossing that line, but fortunately, Edna was there to help her put things in perspective, and I really liked it when she told Amy that she needed to be the type of person that she had always been, namely someone who would be there for everyone, and not just Colin.
I thought it was amusing when the flash in the sky, otherwise known as the “Everwood Lights” resulted in a mass descent of people looking for UFO’s, and I also thought it was neat when Amy figured out what caused this phenomenon, but she thought it would be nice to let people still have their dreams and a bit of magic in their lives and let those lights in the sky signify anything they wanted them to be, and I enjoyed seeing Amy’s thoughtful and considerate side in that scene. Harold’s reaction to the crowds was hilarious and typical Harold, as he referred to them as “Tie Dyed Space Freaks” and he sparred with the alien acolytes, and I liked how Andy coerced him into running the sleep therapy session with Chuck and Betsy, and I cracked up when “little” Betsy knocked him out cold!
I enjoyed seeing Andy get another lesson in child rearing, as Ephram feigned indifference to people coming to his upcoming piano recital to cover up his nervousness, and he gave Andy the impression that he didn’t want anyone to come to it, but then as it turned out, he actually
did want people to come, and I was touched at how Andy frantically “gathered up the troops” so Ephram would have an audience at his “big event.”
I thought that Ephram was insensitive to Amy when he told her that he thought it was best that they kept their distance for a little while, and while I could understand his reasoning for doing that, but still you could tell that he really hurt Amy by saying that. Ephram seemed both impressed with and intimidated by Kate’s piano playing, because he had naturally assumed that there was no one in Everwood as talented as he was, but when he saw how gifted Kate was, he saw that wasn’t the case, and I think that’s why he wanted Andy to “disinvite” the people he had invited. I was glad that Andy was able to get people to come to Ephram’s recital after all, and he looked really happy that Amy ended up showing up at his recital, thanks to a frantic plea from Andy.
I felt bad for Ephram in this episode as yet another person he had looked up to disappointed him, as he found out that his piano teacher Matt was having an affair with his fellow student Kate, who had earlier impressed Ephram with her talent. We saw that Matt lied to Ephram and to Kate, and I was glad that Ephram confronted Matt about what he was doing, and as always, I was impressed with what a compassionate human being Ephram is, as he showed real concern for Kate and her feelings, even though she called him naïve and Matt tried to dismiss his accusations by telling him that he was just a kid without any life experiences. I also liked the fact that Ephram acknowledged that Kate was a better pianist than him, and he acknowledged that to her and to Matt without one trace of envy, and I think that’s a very admirable quality for someone to have. I was glad to see Ephram perform at his recital with passion and brilliance despite the shocking scene that he had witnessed (Matt and Kate embracing) and I was happy to see him try and be a friend to Kate, although I did think that both him and Kate were pretty harsh to each other, as they called each other naïve, but I think he was right when he said that Matt had used and deceived her. It’s too bad that we never saw Kate again after the abortion story in Episode 20, because I feel that her and Ephram could have become friends and bonded through their mutual love of music and their piano talent, and I would have much preferred seeing her as a possible love interest for Ephram in Season Two instead of Madison.
I loved Ephram and Andy’s conversation at the end, and I liked seeing them truly start to connect with each other, and I especially enjoyed seeing Andy recognize what a special young man Ephram is, when he told him that Matt didn’t know him and what he was capable of, and that he was a better pianist and a better human being than Matt. I also really liked it when Ephram questioned what the point was of becoming great at something if you have to compromise everything you believe in to get there, and Andy told him that the fact that he was asking those questions at 15 years old meant that he wouldn’t make the same mistakes that he had, because it had taken him 20 years and the loss of his wife to get to even know the questions that Ephram was asking.
Overall, I thought that this was another incredible episode of this wonderful show.