jediwands

jediwands

I was up most of the night (insomnia and wondering why creepy/terrible people exist in this world) so watched the episode already.

Thoughts coming once I get them from my head to the keyboard. LOL.

jediwands

I have been wanting to see Irv, but why did we need to get such a tough one with him! It is obvious the point of their drama is to show that no relationship is perfect, no matter what, and it takes work... but we haven't seen them on the screen together in a while and it sucks when we finally do it is a super dramatic storyline. In addition, I miss Irv's voice-overs. While Ephram was wonderful, Irv has owned this job (especially during the magical first season) so not having Irv on the screen for some time, finally getting him back but with a super serious storyline, then to really bring it to an annoying level, we get someone else doing voice-overs not named Irv. This is a tough episode for Irv fans alone.

That said, I think Berlanti was doing a parallel with Ephram and Amy and Irv and Edna in this episode. Amy, even if she feels the spiritual and emotionally romantic relationship/connection she has with Ephram, did slightly live in a dreamland a bit in this one (although her reasoning was 100% understandable), not entirely thinking of the possibility of an eventual break with Ephram (and we know what even happens later) but at the same time, we are seeing the realness of Irv and Edna and their marital problems. I think it was a unique little message/parallel Everwood is known for.

Regarding the Edna and Irv storyline specifically... Irv getting fired then expecting Edna to leave not only her job but Everwood as well, was really unrealistic. He had to have understood that Edna without a daily job at this point in her life, wouldn't have worked. The uncertainty of where she could make a difference is just not in Edna's DNA. Like she said, she did put down roots in Everwood and she could not leave. It was weird because while Jake was ridiculous for initially yelling at Edna for being late, he did almost know Edna more in this one even over Irv. He understood there was no way Edna not working was going to last long and he was right to keep her job open as his words and giving her space made her see the light. I do not like Jake overall but he really helped Edna in this one.

Harold is a psychologist's dream in this episode. He is definitely channeling his own regret for not attending Princeton and putting extra emphasis on trying to get Amy there instead, almost living his dream through Amy. It was pointed out by Rose that Harold gave up going to Princeton for their relationship, so having a huge issue with Amy wanting to be near Ephram since he did the same with Rose is very interesting. That all said, Harold does have life experience under his belt, and he loves his daughter so much, he felt compelled to speak to Ephram which was such an excellent twist. I loved seeing how much Harold respected Ephram to even think of going to him for this, as it is crystal clear he understands how much Ephram wants what is best for his daughter too. We witnessed a glimpse of father-in-law and son-in-law together in this episode and I loved every minute of it. I also remember when it was mentioned that Harold had interest in playing piano and how much the fandom discussed this topic. Harold is actually envious of both Andy and Ephram and their natural talent, something he feels he never really had. It is interesting this theme continues to linger when Harold is his own superhero in the town of Everwood as the family doctor carrying the Abbott name all these years as he practiced right with his father before he carried it on his own. I wish he would realize he is an important part of this town and his talent as a physician is vital to the residents of Everwood. But yes, Harold going to Ephram was pure gold and Tom and Greg were magical together in this scene. One of my favorite Everwood scenes of all time. Michael Green is a magician, creating the magic.

Andy acted like a smug and arrogant idiot during the college tour. I was so embarrassed for Ephram. I was surprised Ephram acted so calm throughout. I guess we see how different Ephram is compared to last season with the gross babysitter. At least Andy sort of redeemed himself at the end but I thought this was outlandish behavior, even for Andy Brown. I also find it odd that Andy would not want Ephram to have a safety school, no matter how determined he was for Ephram to get into a conservatory. I think that as a parent, while you want to instill confidence in your children, you should also try to lessen a blow in case that is what happens. So, as Ephram's father, Andy should have thought about a Plan B in case Ephram did not get into a conservatory.

Amanda was right on in this episode and I did like how she wanted to stop the "process" of medical help and instead, get Andy to see and feel the human side of John. It was effective. At the same time, since we know where this storyline goes the moments between Andy and Amanda feel very weird. I do think Anne Heche continues to shine in the acting department. She definitely embraced this role as the talent is captivating.

I totally understand where Amy is coming from in wanting to be close to Ephram given what she went through with Colin, I completely understand her line of thinking. As a fan of Ephram and Amy, I melted as she said to Ephram... "I'm betting on us."

And Ephram... what a difference a year makes! When he filled out the essay part and sent Amy's Princeton application, I got emotionally overwhelmed the first time it happened and continue to do so during every watch. Even though I was initially scared of Amy's reaction, I love how selfless Ephram has always been regarding his love for Amy. He could have just existed in peace and happiness knowing that Amy wants to be by his side but instead, he thinks of her and what would be best for her. Even if it means that they would be apart for their college years, and even if it means that Amy is going to be ticked beyond belief that he applied for her, he is only thinking of what is best for the love of his life. That is true love at its finest.

Ephram and Amy, and their chemistry was off the charts again, as usual. I just love them. This is all thanks for Greg and Emily. They light it up on the screen together. It is so natural and captivating. Simply amazing. Even though we aren't seeing much kissing from Ephram and Amy (thanks to Greg and Emily being sick throughout filming of most of S3), I think it is pretty much inferred that they do their fair share of kissing based on Ephram's comment when he thought Amy was coming over to make up, but it was Harold that was there instead. Berlanti has never, ever, made the audience think we are clueless and stupid. He knows the writing is strong enough, he understands we comprehend what is being shown on the screen and reading between the lines. He respects the audience and tries his hardest not to make this show turn into a Dawson's Creek mess where we had to endure Pacey and Joey nauseating the audience kissing every two seconds. I truly believe it is the combination of Greg and Emily swapping colds nonstop in S3, coupled with Berlanti making sure Ephram and Amy were way more mature not resembling anything Dawson's Creek as to why we did not get a lot of Ephram and Amy physical scenes in S3. I will take it. Trust me, I will take it.

Also... I know this was a big thing when it aired and was talked about extensively... when Amy was telling her dad how she found the person she wanted to be with, but he died I did not take it to mean Ephram was her second choice in second place. I thought it was more about her mindset for her relationship with Ephram: embrace and live every moment without regret or pause, because it can all be taken away from you due to life being cruel sometimes. Emily shined as Amy in the scene when she tells Harold as much. She is sage with wisdom on the subject of life throwing you a curveball and happiness can be taken away the second you blink. She wants to take what she has with Ephram and embrace, share their lives together and just be happy and at peace. So while Amy was probably a bit head in the clouds when thinking of her college future and having Epharm completely in mind; at the same time, this girl lived in a hell in S1 and S2, having to grow up and understand tragedy, heartbreak, depression and sadness at such a young age. It is very in character and understandable based on past history why she wants to embrace her relationship with Ephram this early on and make decisions with them as a couple in mind. We also find out later what she truly thinks of Colin (versus Ephram) as she compared what she had with Colin to Big Bird, not the reality or true love. So this comment was never about Ephram being second choice only because Colin passed. No way. Ephram is her Soulmate (the inference in the S2 flashback in S4) she is emotionally, romantically, spiritually connected to and she did not want college to stand in the way of their love. She wanted to embrace their love, not be passive because life can do some bad things to your happiness beyond your control (she would know) so as a result, she was taking as much control as possible. I think it is beautiful.

Last Bits:

- Notice the T-shirt Emily wears in the scene between Harold and Amy when Harold is trying to sell her on the college process... at the time of filming, Emily and Greg were both campaigning hard for the Democratic Party and thus, the T-shirt Amy was sporting. Emily VanCamp and Greg Smith have always made it clear they are Democrats and definitely tried to help the Democratic Party while even shooting Everwood. They did interviews stating as much. I have to say, as a Liberal Democrat myself, I will always love their attention and passion and fighting against the other side which, as many of us know, is concerning, especially in the present.

- Delia wasn't in this one much but I loved her movie choices and Andy making the comment about her only skipping school if she has a job.

- Bright was hardly in this one either but I love how much of a pig he was while eating at the dinner table and while Amy wasn't exactly sensitive about the college comment and indirectly pointing out Bright could not even get into Colorado A&M, Bright kind of set himself up by revealing to their parents how Amy wanted to apply for colleges near Ephram in NYC. Sibling bickering is real so as usual, this scene was very relatable. I could write a book listing moments I had with my sister close to this kind of fighting Amy and Bright had in this scene and I viewed my two nieces having their own war not too long ago when they were in high school. Having said that, I am super close with my sister and my nieces are very close as well. All four of us are very close as a foursome. That is the point. Siblings can bicker and fight each other, but many remain extremely close while doing so and later on as well. Everwood showed this in spades.

- No Hannah or Nina in this episode. Nina was probably deliberately missing because she never would have allowed Andy to be so ridiculous on that college tour. Plus, there's the Amanda storyline that needs attention...

- ^ Just like classic Everwood, what a twist. It was assumed Ephram was writing his own college application but that was not the case as we see at the very end... he was writing for Amy due to his selfless love for her. I loved how it all tied together.

- It was a subtle moment but when the college recruiter told Ephram to talk with his parents it was sad since of course Ephram could only talk to one.

- ^ One of my favorite Ephram and Amy moments.

Excellent episode as always and looking forward to the next one.

everwoodfan52

The thing is..for me...Irv has been annoying more than he has been likable. I'm really not sure what he and Edna have in common except for a nice sex life! Things like retirement plans should be discussed by both parties before plans are made. I do admit...Irv's idea of retirement is the same as mine, but they're not Edna's. I can see how just lounging on the beach would be excruciating for Edna! I did like that Irv came up with a compromise. Costa Rica sounded like it was a win win for both of them. It's too bad Edna did not take that plan into consideration. It seems that both Irv and Edna are very very stubborn!
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I can see the parallel. The difference is that Amy and Ephram are still in that La La land honeymoon period so if one of them is uncomfortable with the plan....they will go ahead with it. It's just Amy is a romantic and sees the beauty of being in love, and Ephram is the realist and considers what might happen.
He really does go overboard...doesn't he? Can you imagine what the cost was for all of those hats?!?
I loved this! This was the only scene I can remember that Harold spoke to Ephram as man to man in a respectful manner. I wish we had more scenes like this. Not enough interaction between certain characters was a flaw of the writers.


Remember the Lucy ball cartoon I posted on OT? That applies here big time! What an ass Andy was! He's lucky Ephram didn't go ballistic on him! And the poor tour guide...she didn't need that!

I don't remember liking her this much. And it's seems like Andy is doing all of the pursuing. Does a doctor usually visit a patient's wife this often???

Very very sweet. She is very confident!
Ephram has always been there (well...most of the time) to take care of and protect Amy. He did that because he wanted her to have every option and also because he respected her dad. Very beautiful. I can't get over how excellent the essay was! And he looked up that poet that Harold suggested. So awesome!

Yes, I did notice that! lol And what an awkward moment to have Harold walk in. Good thing Harold was not fazed in the least!


Okay...I didn't notice that!! What was on the T-shirt?

I also loved when she told Ephram that he has no learning curve! Delia is the wisest person in that family!

- I didn't blame her making a crack regarding Colorado A&M. Bright asked for it by revealing Amy's plan to their parents.
I do have to say that that dinner looked yummy! I would love to be invited to the Abbott house for a meal!

jediwands

Yes, it was so weird how they are just talking about it now. Granted, Irv had to because he was let go which was awful. I can see Irv wanting to go travel with Edna, but it wasn't in Edna's DNA to do that long-term, or right now. Plus, what bothered me about the situation is Irv brought up basically only staying in Everwood for Edna almost like they discussed eventually leaving when it simply wasn't the case. At least I didn't interpret it as Irv thinking eventually they were leaving. It was kind strange how he brought this up to her.

You summed up Ephram and Amy perfectly. They do mix too. The romantic dreamer and the grounded realistic one reminds me of an Earth Sign and a Water Sign which are both coming from different places but completely compatible all the same.

A ton of money.

Agreed. I remember after this scene aired the fandom was hopeful we'd get more Harold and Ephram but sadly, not to be.

It is so perfect.

Yes, seriously, he was absolutely awful to Ephram, the other students with Ephram overhearing, and completely diminished the tour guide and her job. Terrible. Andy can go over the top but he's never been that terrible. I am shocked Ephram was so calm.

Yes, such a terrible situation. They are literally flirting with each other already too. You can see it plain as day.



I LOVE that he looked up the poet Harold mentioned. Yes, everything you said about Ephram, 100%.

Indeed.

It was just a get out the vote kind of thing.

She is, indeed.

Right?! Why on earth did he go there? I guess due to jealousy and feeling poorly about his situation and he's "on a break" with Ephram but still... that was low, Bright.

What's funny about this is the colleges Amy applied to were all great! I know Harold only wanted one college but the ones she considered most would be jumping for joy if they got accepted into any of them.

Me too!

everwoodfan52

It was very strange and it was news to me! I had no idea that Irv stayed in Everwood for Edna. In fact I don't believe anyone had any idea. The writers made it up for the episode!

I think it was a combination of jealousy that Amy and Ephram were close and he was no longer close to Ephram...and...sour grape regarding Amy and Ephram being the cause of his breakup with Ephram. Or it could just be a brother trying to get his sister in trouble! lol

They are all fabulous colleges! Princeton is a great school, but not the best of the Ivies. Amy had Harvard on her list! Harold should have been pleased with Amy's choices.
On the other hand...why was Amy being so stubborn?!? What harm would have been done if she applied to one more school? What did she have to lose aside from an application fee that her dad was perfectly willing to pay? Amy stuck to her guns with her dad and Ephram! Super Stubborn I'd say!

jediwands

Yes! I’m going to check The Pilot transcript but I believe you are correct and it was entirely made up along the way! First episode and Irv is riding a bus. We also hear about his daughter later on but there was nothing indicating he was staying in Everwood just for Edna. Irv takes Edna along on his book tour appearance in San Diego, and they spend time with Irv's daughter Cassie in mid-S4 but I think you’re right and the writers made it up for this episode.

Combination of all of the above.

Right! Who on earth isn’t excited about Harvard? I didn’t really understand Amy’s stubbornness either. I guess she was in the “we are a couple” mode and knew Princeton would be what? Like over an hour away from Manhattan? She probably thought it was way too far and she was just in the mode of only thinking of schools they could go to either together (Colorado A&M) or be near each other. Even if she had zero intention of going to Princeton she could have just applied. Then again, she might’ve thought should she have gotten accepted she opened up an even bigger can of worms when she had to reject the offer and Harold’s devastation would have been even worse. I love her, but given her grades just a year earlier it is remarkable she is even able to apply to all of these top colleges. Granted, her SAT scores were good and her grades have been excellent outside of having to take summer school due to her clinical depression. But yes, I don’t know what it was as far as why she couldn’t have just applied. Like I said, maybe she knew if and when she got accepted it would’ve been worse for Harold to see the acceptance letter and she still would have said no combined with being insistent that it was her choice and she wanted to be near Ephram.

Jerry D

I thought that this was a really well-done episode where certain characters pondered their future, and we saw that some of those characters weren’t on the same page with their future plans, and some characters were basing their future plans on each other, which may not have been the best thing to do.

The expression “Shoot the Moon” means to try to try to do or get something that is very difficult to do, and it set the theme for this episode, as Ephram was trying to get into Julliard, which, as Andy said, had 4,000 kids applying and only 30 spots for piano, and Andy was trying to find a breakthrough for Amanda’s husband John. We also Amy at a crossroads where she was trying to decide what college to go to, but her focus seemed to be more on her love for Ephram instead of her own future, much to her father’s dismay. We also saw that Irv and Edna had different views on what they wanted to do with their future, as he longed to travel and she wanted to stay put.

I liked the opening scene, where Ephram, in a voiceover, was writing an essay where he was supposed to describe who he was and where he wanted to be, and he said that two years ago, he knew the answers to that question, but now he wasn’t so sure, which hearkened back to how Julia’s loss changed his world forever.

We then saw Ephram and Amy in the school hall and it seemed that she was making plans to only apply for schools that were near Julliard, which set the tone for the rest of this episode, as her love for Ephram seemed to preclude her original plans to go to her dream college, Princeton University.

We saw that a recruiter from Colorado A & M met with Ephram and he encouraged him to consider going to his school, telling him that Colorado A & M could give him a more well-rounded education than Julliard could, but Ephram had his heart set on going to Julliard. This scene ended with Ephram, in another voiceover writing his essay saying that plans are candy to the Fates, and that the only thing you could ever be sure of is nothing ever goes the way you imagined and that he should be used to that by now, which was an incredibly prophetic statement, not just for this episode but in future episodes to come, as all of Ephram’s best laid plans would soon come crashing down.

We saw Irv tell Edna that he had decided to retire, but she later learned that he had been let go in an obvious case of age discrimination, and she confronted him and she told him that she intended to fight that decision, but Irv told her that he was happy to retire and he was ready to move on to “Phase III” of his life and travel the world with her, but we saw that she wasn’t ready to do that.

We saw that Jake was unnecessarily harsh with Edna when she came in late and she quit in a huff, but when she went back to gather her things, he correctly told her that she wasn’t ready to retire and he refused to accept her resignation, which led to the heart-to-heart talk that she had with Irv and she told him that she had gone all around the world but now she had put down roots, and those roots were in Everwood, and Irv reluctantly agreed to stay with her in Everwood, for now.

We saw Andy go to see Amanda and tell her about a possible technique for helping her husband John that involved mental stimulation through music, and although he had put a lot of time in to researching this technique, Andy, as was often the case, was a bit overbearing in recommending this technique to her, and she later told Andy that he needed to listen to her and he needed to learn who John was before his stroke, and she showed him a video of John when he was himself, and we saw happy her and John had been together before the debilitating stroke that changed their lives forever.

As always, Harold was over the top with his excitement for Amy’s future as he had gotten her information, complete with hats, on the top 50 schools in the country, and he was disappointed when she told him that she had already decided what schools she wanted to apply to, and he was especially disappointed when she told him that she wasn’t considering Princeton University, which had been her dream school since she was a child. What I find ironic about her not considering Princeton is that she was considering Harvard, which is farther away from New York than Princeton is, so her not considering Princeton really didn’t make sense, but it became an important part of this episode as we would see.

Ephram told Andy that he was going to go on a walking tour of Colorado A & M, and Andy insisted on going with him, much to his dismay, and Delia hilariously turned to Ephram and said “you have no learning curve.”

Andy was so incredibly obnoxious and dismissive on the Colorado A & M Tour, embarrassing Ephram who hilariously said that his father had a stroke recently, and he then confronted Andy about his boorish behavior, but Andy was insistent that Ephram needed to solely focus on getting into Julliard, and Ephram said that Andy had been pushing him so much that he didn’t know what he wanted and he didn’t want to be so focused on playing the piano that he wouldn’t make time for anything or anyone else, like Andy had been before Julia’s death.

At the Abbott dinner table, Bright called out Amy for only applying to schools where she could be near Ephram and Amy sneeringly said that her and Ephram had applied to Colorado A & M as a backup because it was a school that “anyone with a pulse could get into” alluding to the fact that Bright had failed to even get into that school, and Bright, hurt, left the table. Harold was completely correct when he told Amy to not limit her college choices for a boy, and in an incredibly prescient statement he told her that she shouldn’t base all her dreams on something that might change.

I loved the scene where Harold went to see Ephram and Ephram thought it was Amy at the door, and he said “Amy, this isn’t gonna be another one of those make-out apologies is it?” only to discover, to his horror and embarrassment, that it was Amy’s father at the door, and when he told Ephram that he was there to see him and not his father, Ephram asked “Should I be scared?” and Harold answered “Every day of your life,” but I loved how he gave Ephram the application to Princeton for Amy and he asked Ephram to ask Amy to consider applying there, telling Ephram that Princeton had been Amy’s dream school since she was a little girl, and acknowledging that she listened to him more than she listened to her own father now. I also love how Harold told Ephram that he had a gift and he didn’t even realize how much of a gift he had, much like Andy did, and that he had also wanted to play the piano but like his original ambition to be a surgeon, he just didn’t have the hands for it. I found this scene to be so moving and incredible, as Ephram got to see a side of Harold that he usually only reserved for his family, and it showed how much he had come to acknowledge and respect that his daughter loved this gifted and complicated young man.

I loved how Amy saw that when Ephram mentioned New Jersey to her she figured out that Harold had talked to him, but she still refused to consider applying to Princeton, but I loved how honest they were with each other and how she lovingly told him that she wasn’t worried about them.

I loved that Rose reminded Harold that he didn’t apply to Princeton so he could be with her, and her telling him that seemed to give him some peace of mind.

I liked Andy and Ephram’s final talk and Andy told him to picture where he would be in four years, and Ephram told him that he’d be playing at Julliard, and Andy told him he would do everything to make that dream come true, but as we would soon see, that dream would soon come crashing down.

I loved how this episode ended with Ephram writing Amy’s Princeton Essay for her, as we realized that his voiceover wasn’t him writing an essay for himself, but for her, because she was the love of his life and like Harold, he wanted her to realize her lifelong dream of being able to go to Princeton. I also loved how so much of what had happened to him in the last two years mirrored what had happened to Amy in the last two years, and his writing that essay from her perspective truly reflected his own perspective because they were so in sync with one another.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode as it set the stage for everything that was to come.

everwoodfan52

I think Michelle applied to Harvard and Tuffs, et al in Boston because one of the conservatories Ephram was applying to was Berklee College of Music in Boston. Hence Amy was well covered with Colleges in both NYC and Boston in case Ephram is accepted to either Julliard or Berklee.

Jerry D

Ah, okay, that makes sense then, and I think you meant to say Amy applied to Harvard and Tuffs, not Michelle!

everwoodfan52

Yup! Not that Michelle couldn't get into those schools!

Jerry D

That's true! Michelle could have gotten into those schools!

jediwands

Maybe if I played soccer or basketball as well.

jediwands

Sports scholarship would help.

jediwands

Indeed.

Ephram applied to two schools, one in Boston and one in NYC so the colleges Amy applied to were only in those areas.