Augusta

I enjoyed reading everyones thoughts on this episode. Seems were basically on the same page

smoothaise

OMG ... that episode was fantastic! It felt like a "finale" ... I can't believe we actually have another episode, it felt so final.

I have no words ... *speechless*

SnowWalk

I just love this show. It gets better year from year- week by week! I only hope the emmys will reflect that.

jediwands

This past episode felt very much like a finale. You have to wonder what else they have up their sleeve for next week's finale because it's going to take quite a lot to beat how great this past episode was.

The Crow

First off let me say that this was a great episode. I thought it was well acted, well paced, well written...just overall a great hour of television. It wasn't as depressing as I was afraid it would be, which is also good. I'm still keeping the faith that Rose is going to be okay. I keep telling myself that they won't have Andy kill another patient...not after the year he's had. Hopefully I won't turn out to be residing in denial, but if I am then at least they have good reception here...

The high point of the show for me was a tie between Bright/Hannah and Jake/Nina. I've liked J/N all along, and I was glad I got this episode to really see the nice relationship they have going. Of course, in true WB fashion it looks like this will all get thrown into chaos next week with Andy's meddling, but at least I have the afterglow of this week's episode to look back on.

I could have handled a little more Bright/Hannah this week. I guess they are saving that story for next week (as the previews attest), but one little scene isn't really enough with my surrogate E/A...at least we did get Bright finally realizing that he wants to 'make out with her'.

The entire Abbott clan was breaking my heart all night. I could tell that Rose was putting on a brave face throughout, so it was nice to see her let her guard down a little with Dr. Brown. I'm hoping her insistence on having him do the operation doesn't turn out to be the end of her, but as I said earlier, denial is a nice place to be.

Harold and Amy's mini breakdowns brought a tear to my eye. That's right. I said it. I was getting a little misty eyed. Both Tom and Emily did such a wonderful job with that scene that it really drove the emotion home....and, how can I forget Bright? The 'aaawwwsss' that he drew from my sisters and mother when he carried Rose up the stairs were deafening. I was proud of my favorite character on the show I must say...

BepperGirl

Well they did say to be continued at the end so maybe it was meant to be like a two-part season finale?

jediwands

Good point. I totally forgot about the "to be continued."

say something

My full thoughts right now.

Okay well, I guess it was a two part season finale and the finale, finale airs next Monday which shocked me but hey the more Everwood the better! So here is my review, enjoy.

Nina/Jake/Andy: I do like them together, i really do, but truly it has always been Nina and Andy for me. Sure, I don't think he deserves her at the moment. What can I do? He messed up and now I don't like him that much. Of course as time goes by I'm slowly beginning to feel for him again and actually care, weird I know. It looks like next week Andy comes in to rock the Jake and Nina boat, which I'll be sad and happy about. (or at least that's what I predict.

Ephram: Wow! Let me start with Gregory smith is amazing. And Ephram's mind is still fogged, but I believe it is finally starting to clear. I'm sad that he got on the plane though. Part of me really wanted him to get off and be there for Amy. But there is another part that know they need a break to realize how much they love and need each other. His talk with Delia was so sad and perfectly done. They don't get many moments on the show, but the ones we do get are amazing and perfect. The book his mom gave him "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr, Seuss was a great present and the letter was great. It made me burst into tear, literally. So sad

Bright/Hannah: I am really excited about them next week because I have been rooting for them to get together for a long time now and know that they re good for each other. There is so much tension between them it's amazing. I just can't wait and am so excited.

Bright:When Bright carried Rose my heart broke and I was amazed by how sweet and well done that moment was. God could this show be anymore heartfelt? He really loved his mom and is definatly hurting inside so I just loved this moment. So sweet.

Harold: His breakdown to Amy was perfect. Tom acted out the scene perfectly. Truly he was trying to stay strong, but just couldn't and those feelings are so true. I cried...again. I really think that Harold is growing as a character because of all the stuff that is happening with Rose. Amazing!

Amy: Okay, Emily VanCamp is perfect. All of her scenes were home runs, she hit the nail on the head, just like always. The Harold breakdown scene no other words besides, amazing, wow, awesome, excellent and perfection and describe her acting there! Oh and the Ephram scene, I could tell that Amy loved him and he loves her, it will always be that way. But the way she was being cold was just so right at the moment for them and their relationship. They needed that and when she told him not to stay, I was heartbroken, yet knew it was probably for the best. Could I love this girl anymore?

Rose: her storyline is so moving. She doesn't really get any plotlines or at least big ones like this and really deserves it. I love this character and just hope she gets better. I don't know what the Abbotts would do without her. In Monday's episode I hope I don't get season one Deja vu. And I hope Rose survives. This is the story I am most interested in right now and it will no doubt make me cry.

All in all this was a sad, amazing episode that had me crying so much.

COOLCAT200

It did feel like a finale. But we get 1 more. I just wonder what will be in season 4.

elektra34

Hearbreaking episode! I was particularly touched by Ephram and Delia, Amy and Harold in the corridor, Bright, and when he said he couldn't stop crying..., Hannah in the kitchen scene, the way she was looking at Bright, her sadness, her feeling of powerlessness...; Ephram and his mum's letter...and Rose ...She WILL SURVIVE!!! Don't mess with us writers or is what you'll get!!
I hope Andy won't do the surgery because it is getting old.
And to add fuel to the fire, don't you think Madison and/or the baby could be back for the finale? I know, i'm the

Aquillea

...with most of what's been said here. I could write several books but I'll try to stick mostly with a few things that haven't been said or only touched on lightly:

Harold has always been my favorite character on the show. That noted, I disagree with the assessment that we've seen great "character growth" in the advent of Rose's illness. This is the same frightened Harold who struggled valiently to be strong for Bright when he had a ruptured appendix in season 1. It's the same Harold who was bitching and moaning about the lighthouse next door one day, then organizing the work crew the next... when he got to thinking about the bonds between husband and wife and how fragile they could be because of the fragility of life. I had predicted a possible cancer stroyline for Rose many months ago although I had speculated and still wish it had been breast cancer. If I recall high school English correctly, in mythic tragedy, a hero's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. In Harold's case his greatest strength is his family... and, indeed, it is also his greatest weakness. So far we've mostly seen the best of Harold and while I expect to see more of that... I expect to see some of his worst as well. That's what makes us human. And it's the humanity that the writers and actors showcase so brilliantly that makes this show incomparable in its ability to be epic and real at the same time.

Amy, moreso than Harold, may have grown some over the past couple of years. And she's a teen so I hope that's true. Also because she's a teen it's hard to make a definitive determination about her "growth" - she's had her mature periods and her childish ones. Sometimes when this happens to a character it is poor characterization by the writers... making the character a slave to the plot even if that invokes out-of-character behavior. But with teens, stuck between childhood and adulthood, waffling is quite normal. In fact, we've seen it in Ephram and Bright (to a lesser extent) as well. So I'll give Amy some credit for personal growth, and I'll give her credit for looking out for Ephram's interest by pushing him away. But I really don't believe it's 100% selflessness on her part. Let's not forget that Amy has also been consistantly portrayed as being "Harold's daughter". Harold has it built inside that he doesn't want to see problems... imperfections... dangers... that relate to his family. Edna outright said as much if I recall. Harold didn't take Bright's appendicitis seriously at first. He didn't want to believe Amy needed antidepressants. He didn't take Rose's symptoms seriously. Amy denied Colin had any problems even though a part of her had to suspect when she mentioned it to her dad... And yet even after that she was in denial for a bit.

So, why do I bring all this up? Because partly I think Amy's trying to convince herself she doesn't need anyone's support. If she needs support it must be because this is desperately serious and she's not ready to accept that idea. Note that Ephram is highly concerned that the cancer is stage 2B... but Amy's reply is on the optimistic side. So, in addition to the generic "needing support means this is serious" aspect to Amy's coolness, there are 2 more Ephram-specific issues that I also see playing a role in this.

First is that, by nature, Ephram is a pessimist... and that's when his life is in a relatively "good place" - which it's not right now. I think Amy may be afraid Ephram will try to help by helping to prepare her for any and all scenarios including negative ones, and Amy doesn't want to hear it right now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Harold tries to drag his feet about hooking up Rose with a lawyer about the will and it eventually causes a blow-up by either Harold or Amy. I think both of them would see this as negative thinking which will frighten them which, in turn, will make them angry. Remember Amy was none too pleased when she figured out the significance of Colin's trip to ballpark (graduation site).

Ephram issue #2: The writers didn't necessarily *have* to make Amy push Ephram away in the same episode where we reintroduce Julia after a long absence. Yes, it could just be coincidental but I actually had a scene pop into my head where Amy winds up apologizing for being standoffish - not that she needs to apologize, but being Amy she thinks she needs to. I imagined her reassuring Ephram that it's not because she still refuses to accept the "just friends" relationship he seems to want. After all, she can use all the friends she can get right now. The thing is, although she knows it'll change... right now, when she looks at him she sees the new kid in school in so much pain because he lost his mother too soon... before he was ready... That might be part of the reason Bright didn't confide in Ephram either. Ephram hasn't experienced the fear of losing his mother but he's keenly aware of how devastating the loss is. Right now, Ephram is, like, the embodiment of Amy's and Bright's worst fear...

I'm disappointed no one has posted details about the teaser yet. Either the audio wasn't crisp or I wasn't fully paying attention because I missed details. My recollection of the Andy/Harold exchange was something like:

Andy (sounding defensive yet also apologetic): I did the best I could

Harold: Yes, you did as well as any other doctor would have. But you couldn't let it be any other doctor, could you... It had to be you...

I also have seen no spoilers about Rose's surgery/fate. But given 1) Andy's tone and 2) the fact that Harold characterized his performance (if I heard right) as equivalent to any other doctor... not better than most other doctors... My impression was that Andy performed the operation and that it probably went "OK" but not up to the standards of "The Famous Dr. Brown". In other words, I think they'll believe they "got all of it [the tumor] but Rose will be paralyzed (at least initially - grin). Of course, it could be one of those teaser fake-outs - maybe they weren't talking about Rose at all . But my concern is that they're setting up a tear-jerker movie-of-the-week scenario:

Rose is never gonna walk again... No wait. You just patted my leg didn't you? I felt that! Physical therapy is hell. Yea... first steps! Damn, the cancer's back, more aggressive than last time...

I think Bright's carrying Rose up the stairs was foreshadowing... Amy obviously can't go to Princeton and although Bright does have plans to stay in Everwood, we probably want plently of opportunity for him to interact with the rest of the Abbotts. So either Rose is gonna die before classes start at Princeton (which I think is highly unlikely) and Amy stays to take care of Harold... or Rose will need some tending to post-operatively which would cause Amy to defer entry into college for a semester. Again, my fear being that they'll toy with us. Everything will move toward a seeming complete recovery for Rose then, before Amy heads to Princeton for her deferred, Spring semester enrollment, the cancer will be back and it will clearly be terminal this time... so Amy will stick around first to be with mom and then to take care of dad.

I don't want things to go that way... both for the sake of the show's creative integrity and because I love Harold too much to want him to suffer through this... but it is my fear.

Although God knows that this group of actors would probably be capable of turning a cliched melodramatic storyline into compellingly artistic entertainment... But I still hope I'm waaaaaay off the mark with this prediction. However, there *was* one false note in this, otherwise, season 1 rivaling episode, which was false in a melodramatic way. That was Rose proclaiming that Andy loves her family as much as she does. My eyes got a little wide on that one. The writers went for the chaep and easy tug on the heart strings even though it was not realistic. I'm hoping that's not a forerunner of more to come... but I gotta wonder.

Sadly, one of the biggest things I ultimately walked away with at the end of the episode was a sense of disappointment that we didn't end the season right there. The "finale" feel admittedly has been discussed already but not strongly enough to reflect my own emotions. I *loved* this episode AND I felt Ephram contemplating Julia's graduation gift and her words was a perfect place to end the season. There was both the sense of loss and the sense of hope for a new and brighter future that is the essence of the human drama... the essence of Everwood at its finest. We even had wise and bittersweet narration (albeit not by Irv) from the long absent character who actually put the train of this epic on its tracks. I can't help but suspect that the actual season finale is not going to measure up by comparison. This episode had an "up in the air" feel that makes you eagerly await the next season without the use of some contrived, medical-melodrama, cliff-hangery sensibility. If TPTB cheapen the end of this season with the "real" season finale, I'm gonna spit nails, I swear.

-Aquillea

jediwands

Wow, what a fantastic post, Aquillea. I don't even have any specific comments on it outside of saying that it was a beautiful read and you make some excellent points throughout.

Actually, I will comment on the teaser.. We all know that the WB loves to twist things around in their previews.. One guess that pops in my head regarding that Andy/Harold exchange is that they want us to believe that those words pertain to the surgery/Rose's cancer when in actuality, it could be that they are talking about Nina and Andy's feelings for her. "Jake" could be the other doctor as they are discussing the now, very evident triangle that is forming.

Aquillea

Ah! Yes, I knew there was a chance of it being a teaser "fake-out" but I had it in my head that although they never mentioned Rose in an identifiable way... they had been talking medically.

But I just followed a link to the teaser and replayed it. Wow... like I said I knew I didn't catch everything. I agree, they're probably talking about Nina/Jake there. Whew! I also think it would be a bit bizarro for Andy the brain surgeon to do the surgery. I suppose he *is* used to working in the vicinity of neurons... and the spinal cord encroachment would be somewhat related...

The Rose predictions still hold though, just with Andy not doing the surgery (hopefully). To keep the kids around the Abbott household (particularly Amy) I'm guessing tumor removal will appear successful but Rose will be paralyzed... with the cliffhanger being us having to wonder if paralysis will be temporary or permanent.

I'd love for there to be no cliffhanger tho'...
Aquillea

Augusta

Good point! I was so focused on that exchange in the teaser betwen Harold and Andy being abuot Rose. I never thought that maybe Harold was referring to Nina.

Hmm...

froukje

I actually do think Andy will perform partly succesfull surgery on Rose. It was hinted at in this episode, with her not wanting any doctor, jus wanting Andy. This would be mirrored by Harolds speech that he did as good as any doctor, but that it wasn´t any doctor, that it had to be him....

It would create a nice conflict starting pint for next season± rose requesting andy, haold blaming andy for giving in to rose´s request.

I think it´d be good to have a character in a wheelchair and stay there in a drama series. no miraculous recoveries, because those just don´t happen that often...