jediwands

It was very weird. I feel the only way the writers screw up is when they are determined to make a certain point and they stick with it even if the writing feels off… they had an agenda with Ephram and Amy… Amy looking like a lying fool (when she wasn’t) and Ephram dumping her. They ignored Amy’s full reaction to finding out Ephram impregnated an adult ex-girlfriend too which is ridiculous. She should have had a reaction on this instead of this undying loyalty to Ephram without being hurt, confused, or Ephram saying ANYTHING to her like I’m sorry for the shock you’re feeling due to this, I love you. NOTHING of the sort took place. Amy was used in a way that made her look like her opinions did not matter, she was set up for finding out two seconds before NYC and Ephram punishes her in the end, even laughs in her face about never seeing a forever with them and ditches her for Europe while she finds out her mother is sick. This aspect frustrates me so much. All for this stupid storyline and maybe Rina admitting she loved torturing Amy, it was ridiculous as Amy, once again, had to face drama and heartbreak out of her control.

Madisongate was THE soap opera storyline of this series. As a result, it was written more like a sloppy daytime soap over actual Everwood.

jediwands

More weird writing. In what world does Jacob and Ruth not completely try to protect and take control over this situation if they found out? I understand the writers need to mention Julia’s parents because they’re in NYC but there’s no way they sit back and let this play out without going to Andy to make sure things with Ephram are stable and not out of control. Of course to find out Ephram is safe. Yes the storyline wasn’t directly about them but you’re in NYC, you mention them so it seemed somewhat incomplete.

Jerry D

I'm dreading watching this episode, but I'm going to watch it tonight when I get home.

jediwands

Sounds good, Jerry.

Jerry D

It's in my nature to procrastinate when I have to do something I don't want to do, like seeing this episode, which did so much damage to all of the key relationships on the show.

jediwands

It makes sense.

This one and the next couple are the worst of the series I think. I despise what happens to Amy. I hate seeing it go down like an unstoppable bomb that will keep ticking away to an ultimate explosion and destruction.

Jerry D

I thought that this was one of the most well-done but emotionally upsetting episodes of Everwood that I’ve ever seen, as Ephram received devastating news that would change the course that his life was going to take, and it shattered his relationship with his father, as he lashed out at him when he learned the role Andy had played in what we all have called Madisongate.

The theme of this episode was Fate Accomplis, which is defined as a thing that is already done, and throughout the episode, past decisions would come to haunt the key characters, and even some secondary characters on the show.

We saw the skyline of New York in the opening scene as Ephram went to see Madison and Andy contemplated how his world was going to fall apart.

We saw Ephram talk to Madison as she said the reason she left and ended up in New York was a “long story,” and he asked her to “tell him everything.”

Back in Everwood, we saw Harold examine Rose, who was experiencing some discomfort and who had a low-grade fever, and Harold expressed his frustration with Bright, and he said that he wanted Bright to move out, but Rose, with her kind and forgiving heart, didn’t seem ready to take such a drastic step yet.

We saw Ephram animatedly tell Madison how happy he was and how him and Andy were getting along so well and he told her about Delia and how happy he was with Amy, and that he wanted to thank her for giving him the inspiration to get serious about his piano playing and now he was on the brink of realizing all his dreams.

We saw Harold and Jake deal with an emergency as a father named Frank came in with his son Kyle, and Frank revealed that Kyle had accidentally shot himself in a hunting accident, and Harold and Jake worked together to try and help this boy.

We saw Madison describe her life in New York to Ephram, and she seemed hesitant to tell Ephram anything more, but when he took things the wrong way and got up to leave, she revealed that she had gotten pregnant with his baby and she had given their baby up for adoption, and Ephram asked when she had found out, and he was devastated and angry when she revealed that she knew she was pregnant before he left to go to the Julliard Summer Program, and he couldn’t understand why she had kept this from him and he said that he would have helped her and they could have figured everything out together, but she tearfully said that she hoped he could find it in his heart to forgive her and she left, leaving him heartbroken and incredulous that she could do such a thing to him.

We saw Harold comfort Kyle’s father Frank as he recounted what happened that day, and Kyle’s surgeon came out with grim news.

We saw a broken-hearted and devastated Ephram break down to Andy, but then Andy revealed that Madison had come to him for help the previous summer and he told her not to tell Ephram she was pregnant and he sent her away, and he had made that decision to protect him, but he now realized that it was the wrong decision, and a shocked and angry Ephram blew up at Andy as he realized what he had done and he left in a huff.

We saw Bright and Harold talk about Kyle’s accident, and Bright said that if Kyle had accidentally shot himself, it would be in the leg or the foot, and not his stomach, and he also revealed that he was looking for a place to rent, and Harold disdainfully said “that’s fine.”

We saw Amy talk to Rose, who apparently did know about Madison’s pregnancy, as she anxiously counted out the hours and envisioned Madison telling Ephram about her pregnancy, and she said that it seemed preordained that her and Ephram were going to break up and that when they got together and broke up when he first got home from New York, she should have stuck with it, but Rose told her that when she was young, she had come to a crossroads in her life where she could either wait for Harold to propose to her or go to Rome to study art history, and the morning she was going to fly to Rome, Harold met her at her door on bended knee and he proposed to her and they got married, and she never revealed to Harold that she was planning to go off to Rome. Rose then said that she had been listening to Amy talk about her life as though it was something that was happening to her, and that wasn’t the case, and that it’s the choices we make that fill in the details of our plan, not the other way around I thought that was wonderful advice that Rose gave to Amy as Amy said shouldn't retroactively break up with Ephram just to appease the Fates, and she that she would “slap Amy silly” if she did that. I thought that this was a wonderful scene and it was one of the few bright spots in this very dark episode, and I think it was one of the best scenes that I ever saw between Amy and Rose.

We saw Harold talk to Frank and Frank revealed that he had accidentally shot Kyle and he was taking the extreme risk of going through a surgical procedure to donate part of his liver to Kyle, not out of guilt, but because this was his son and he would do anything to save him, and you could tell that this made Harold think about how he was treating his own son.

We saw Andy go to Julliard and he heard Ephram’s name called, but Ephram, out of hurt and anger and his desire to hurt Andy and get back at him walked out of his audition despite Andy’s pleas for him to not throw his life and all his plans away, but Ephram told Andy that he had taken everything away from him and that he had a God complex, and he would no longer be able to control anything about his life. This scene devastated me, but Treat Williams and Gregory Smith did an incredible job in that scene, and the raw emotion and hurt expressed by both characters was incredible. It broke my heart to see Andy and Ephram at such a low point in their relationship as Ephram refused to get in the car with him at the airport, and all the progress they had made since coming to Everwood was swept away by the Madisongate reveal.

It was so heartbreaking when Jake revealed to Harold that Kyle had passed away, and it seemed to affect Harold deeply, as he then went home to see Bright cleaning out the refrigerator and Bright expressed his admiration for his father and that he planned to go to ECC, and Harold and him started working together to clean out and organize the refrigerator.

We saw the episode end with a heartbroken and devastated Ephram come to see Amy and he told her that he didn’t know what he was doing and that he was really messed up right now, and he asked for her help, and she said that she would help him.

Overall, this was an incredibly heartbreaking episode that presaged more heartbreak to come, as we come to the darkest episodes in this show.

jediwands

^ Brilliant thoughts, Jerry!

I have a meeting at 8:30 in the morning but after it concludes I’m responding.

Jerry D

Thanks Michelle!

This episode bothered me so much that I dreamed about it. It was all so devastating, and Ephram was so cruel to Andy, and while I understand why he behaved like that, I still hate that Ephram threw away everything he had worked for just to spite Andy. Ephram's dream to go to Julliard were his dreams, not Andy's dreams, so he threw away his own dreams out of anger and spite, and he reverted back to the angry and resentful boy we met in Season One. Granted, what Andy did was wrong, but Ephram's reaction was equally wrong.

I remember when I was in High School, I didn't like one of the teachers that I had at all, so I did lousy in her class, but looking back, that didn't hurt her at all, and all I ultimately did was hurt myself, which my parents told me I was doing at the time, and Ephram did the same thing last night.

Another thought that occurred to me was that Madison knew that Ephram had his Julliard Audition the next day, so why couldn't she wait until his audition was over to tell him about the baby? She had to know that it would devastate him, so why tell him then? He did sort of push her to tell him why she was unhappy, but she picked the worst possible time to tell him. As always, she only thought of herself. God, I hate her.

In addition to that, once Andy realized that Madison hadn't told Ephram about his role in Madison keeping the pregnancy news from him, I think that he should have waited to "come clean" with Ephram until his audition was over. He still would have been upset, but I don't think that he would have skipped the audition, because he did that to get back at Andy and hurt him.

jediwands

That is exactly how I would describe it as well… high quality but emotionally upsetting.

Indeed. It also reminds me of two people accomplishing something behind someone’s back. I just specifically think of both Andy and Madison as carrying this secret until the very end.

I only wish Emily could have joined them for filming.

I still find this a bit bizarre that there is even a need for interaction between Ephram and Madison. They never shared anything special together, let alone, legal.

I never questioned Rose having something more than a basic issue. Everwood was clearly setting things up.

I would love to know what was going through her mind. Was she happy she was about to shatter all of his dreams?

Heartbreaking medical case.

The scene bothers me so much… everything about it.

Terrible outcome.

The acting between Treat and Greg was phenomenal. You heard that “hit” as Ephram was walking away.

Bright can be a true Sage.

Loved the Rose/Amy interaction. I wish Rose would have found out sooner so she could’ve been there for Amy immediately. I also wonder when and how she found out. More proof this storyline was to make Amy suffer throughout. She didn’t have her mother until late in the game and then a cancer diagnosis.

Great moment.

Excellent acting. Ephram, I cannot say I agree with how devious he looked, shocked or not.

This was a rare, beautifully moving scene between Harold and Bright.

As Andy and Ephram are crumbling, Harold and Bright are rebuilding.

The chemistry between Greg and Emily as Ephram and Amy was magical.

Absolutely.

Jerry D

As you and others have said Michelle, the Madisongate story was the most soap-opera like story (along with Andy and Amanda) that we ever saw on this show and it hung like a pall over Season Three it haunted the rest of the series. I wish that they had never gone there.

Jerry D

It absolutely was.

It's a toss-up as to who was worse, but I still say Madison. She never listened to Andy when she was in an illicit relationship with Ephram, so why listen to him now?

So do I. I also feel that if Amy went with Ephram Madison never would have told him about the baby.

That's so true, and Ephram gave Madison way too much credit for getting him to the point he had gotten to with his imminent Julliard audition.

Knowing what is to come, they absolutely were.

I don't think so. I just think that she was hell-bent on getting back at Andy, and as always, she didn't consider Ephram's feelings and what this news would do to him. She never thought of Ephram. She only thought of herself.

It really was, and I can't imagine how devastated Frank would have felt when he found out that Kyle had died. That would be something you would never get over.

That scene devastated me.

That whole story was so heartbreaking.

They both did an incredible job in that scene but I hated seeing all that transpire.

I never even thought about the fact that if you accidentally shot yourself with your own rifle it wouldn't be in the stomach, but Bright correctly picked up on that.

I also wonder when Rose found out and it really seemed like Rina Mimoun wanted to see Amy suffer.

It really was.

Ephram's look was one of someone taking delight in hurting his father, and I didn't like that look at all.

Harold still wasn't as affectionate with Bright as he was with Amy, but both of them made progress in this episode.

It really was, but we all know that Ephram would soon cruelly break her heart. One thing that I never liked about Ephram was his propensity for cruelty when he was angry and/or hurt, and we're going to see that cruelty in spades in the upcoming episodes.

It was hard for me to watch this episode and it's going to be hard for me to watch the upcoming episodes.

jediwands

The very fact that you had a dream about this episode proves in spades how strong and meaningful Everwood has been to so many of us.

Completely agree. I had a very similar experience in elementary school with one teacher. I hated her, and it got so bad I didn't want to continue taking the class. I wouldn't concentrate. She knew I hated her because she was very weird with me. I don't even understand what the deal was. I think she hated that I was pretty popular and well liked although I hate admitting this. But it had something to do with this. She took it out on me, it was so strange. It was my mom who had a conference with her, lol, and my mom told me after this teacher taught my class, she was moving on and teaching another. Meaning, I was a number to her (not all teachers, but her because she was awful) so her job and day would go on. If I let her affect me it could result in bad study habits, not thinking I can deal with difficult people, even adults, etc. My mom convinced me to actually LOOK FORWARD to the class to prove her wrong. I ended up getting a straight A because I made sure of it thanks to my mom. I was in elementary school too, not high school like Ephram. Granted, I wasn't pregnant, lol, but you know what I mean.

Ephram, I guess did not care about how it was affecting not just him but others. Amy literally dedicated the entire year to Ephram and their relationship so he could get to this audition. She gave up so much. How does he repay her for the sacrifice? He blames her for the mess, doesn't go through with the audition not once but twice, then dumps her.

Plus... Princeton application, Ephram? So Ephram goes behind Amy's back to fill out and send it in to protect her future and make sure she has endless options. So Ephram was okay with going behind Amy's back because it felt justified helping her and looking out for her future... well, wasn't Any doing the same by waiting until he got back from NYC after she found out right before he left about the pregnancy? Or what about Andy for that matter? Wasn't he also looking out for Ephram in his own stupid way? Just like Ephram looked out for Amy writing that essay both Andy and Amy looked out for his best interests and he temporarily dumped them both. Plus, Ephram knew Amy was insecure about where they would end up in college too and he took a risk knowing she would think he didn't want to be around her in college but went ahead with the essay and sending in the application. Again, he went there because he thought it was benefitting her. Amy did the same but he dumped her. But I guess Ephram forgot about all of this.

YES and YES.

1. Madison knew when the audition was. She understood telling him 24 hours before was the worst possible moment. She still went there. She easily could have said let's meet up after your audition. They share the music thing, or Madison pretends she knows how to sing, so Ephram wouldn't have suspected anything and just thought music interest. A case can be made Ephram talked her into telling him but the initial meeting should have been AFTER the audition, not before. Madison controlled this.

2. You make an excellent point about Andy! Madison did not tell Ephram that Andy knew. Andy fessed up immediately. He could have waited! Ephram did not go through with the audition because of Andy's involvement, I still think he would have gone through with the audition with just with the baby shock even if he might not have performed beautifully. He refused once he knew of Andy's involvement. Either way, Andy waited this long, he could have waited until they got back to Everwood to tell him.

jediwands

Rina was in charge and fresh off of Dawson’s Creek. I truly think this played a role.

jediwands

This has always been my thoughts. It’s very simple… She was the one pregnant, she never listened to Andy before so why now? One can say a pregnancy is a big deal so she listened. Wasn't something like having sex with a minor which is something she did not listen to Andy’s warning.

Never. Exactly. Amy’s presence would have made Madison not even approach them most likely. Certainly, she would not have told Ephram. At most it would’ve given her an idea to eventually tell him later on well after the audition.

Definitely.

100%. Like I said up thread and Betty mentioned she was possibly hesitating OR it was because Ephram was late.

Either way, if she was thinking of Ephram IMMEDIATELY the meet up happens AFTER the audition. If she was thinking of Ephram that’s her first thought. She could use the audition and the music as a way to say let’s meet up after your audition because I want to hear all about it. It was never about Ephram. It was about revenge on Andy. Madison didn’t even consider Ephram as a true mature guy. I truly don’t even believe she thought he was super mature to handle it even in NYC. She knew he had matured but I don’t think she respected him as totally mature. You could tell she still slightly looked down on him... the usual. It was never about him, it was about revenge on Andy.

They say the worst loss you could ever experience is the loss of a child. Imagine a parent being responsible and literally killing their own kid. Horrible. The worst pain ever.

Yes, everything broke my heart.

Indeed! I would have been totally clueless too.



I only think Amy had her mother for this brief moment not to write this for Amy but to further along Rose’s future cancer diagnosis. That is why Rose was in this episode.

Right?! He looks so devious. Even Amy during her worst depression darkness never looked that devious and vindictive. Ephram looked scary.

100%.

Yes. Absolutely. If anything I think the next episodes to come are even worse because we are going to see Amy’s world completely shattered.