[Jerry D]

Hi everyone! The old thread was having some technical problems so I'm starting a new thread and I'll bring over the recent posts from that thread. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I think the thing that frustrates me the most about the cancellation of Everwood is that there were so many stories left to tell on this wonderful show. A lot of television shows run out of stories to tell, especially if a show focuses one particular group of characters, like say, teenagers in high school in a small town like Dawson’s Creek did. When the Dawson’s Creek characters graduated from high school and moved away from Capeside, something special was lost, and I feel that the show foundered in its two final seasons because it lost much of what made it special, so by the time the show was cancelled, it was well past its prime, and it really didn’t have a lot more stories to tell, and everyone was ready to move on from it, including the actors on the show.

With Everwood, however, there were still a lot more stories to tell, because this show never primarily focused on only the teenage characters, it focused on all of the characters, and it gave equal weight and equal time to some very interesting and diverse main characters. The show also solved the problem of “losing” the teenage characters once they graduated from high school by having them remain in Everwood and either have them go to college nearby, or get a job and still remain home. More importantly, however, the show still featured all of the adult characters and gave them stories of substance and depth, and to me, this show could have gone on indefinitely.

Therefore, I’d like to discuss the directions that this show could have taken next season and in subsequent seasons, so we can all still talk about our favorite show even though the idiots at The Completely Worthless Network cancelled it.

I’ll throw out a few ideas for storylines for next season, but feel free to add your own.

Ephram and Madison: We had read that Ephram was going to get a call from Madison at the end of the Season Finale if the show hadn’t been cancelled, and we wouldn’t have gotten an Ephram and Amy reunion at the end of the episode because of it. What I envision was that Madison was going to tell Ephram that she made a mistake in giving up their child for adoption, and that she wanted his help in trying to get their child back. I don’t think that Ephram would still have romantic feelings for Madison, but I think he would be torn about the possibility of maybe getting to play a role in his child’s life, and I could see him going to help Madison, which would complicate his relationship with Amy.

Harold and Rose: I could see Harold and Rose getting attached to Lily, and then having Cathy come back at the 11th hour saying that she was better now and that she wanted her baby back, and I could see a lot of drama coming from this story.

Andy and Nina: I could see a lot of conflict between Andy, Nina, and Sam, as we know how much Sam loved Jake, and I could see a lot of roadblocks to Andy and Nina getting married because of this.

I hope we can get some good discussions going, because I do feel that there were still a lot of stories left to tell on Everwood, and we have some great posters here to help tell those stories. Thanks!

[Jerry D]

From the last thread:

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 Bumping this ancient thread since I have been rewatching the show... There was so much potential for a season 5 and I am now reading through every single post on this thread Pandemic.....life....what else am I going to do with my time?

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 Okay, so now that I have read through these posts (dating back to 2006!! ) I have to say there were soo many good ideas. Since it's been a LONG time since Everwood was on air, and its hard to find anywhere streaming or DVDs, I'd love to see just a short TV movie or short episode or something to wrap everything up. It could take place present day... I imagine Amy and Ephram married, with Ephram always waiting for that knock....and for that knock coming at the end of the movie (/episode whatever have you). (In my imaginary movie, Amy becomes an OBGYN, does her residency in NYC and so they live in NYC for a little bit and then return to Everwood; Ephram teaches piano and plays on the side, Amy is a doctor because that place really needs an OBGYN just saying) I think if there'd been a season 5, there were so many good thoughts here! I love the idea of Andy and Nina being married and conflicts with raising Sam and Delia, and A/N fighting (but always returning to each other at the end of the day). I would think Amy and Hannah would live together in a dorm - or I guess apartment because, lol, TV... And then you have Rose and Harold with the baby and Edna. If Amy or Hannah were in a dorm room it would be an interesting summer if they all lived together. Someone on here suggested that and I can't get the hilarity out of my head. With Amy and Ephram, I think the conflict would be Madison for sure since thats what Berlanti was teasing all along... I like to imagine Madison doesn't return, and maybe their conflict is Amy being pre-med or deciding on a major or joining a sorority or something, and Ephram trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to do with music education, and maybe always thinking in the back of his head wondering about the baby. Maybe the middle or end of season 5 he would contact Madison or contact the adoptive parents to create some drama. Maybe he'd go to meet them or talk to her, or maybe he'd realize he doesn't need to.

[Jerry D]

A lot of us felt that the reason Madison was returning was because she wanted her baby back, and she wanted to have Ephram assert his paternal rights to get the baby back because technically he didn't give up those rights because Madison didn't name him as the father when she gave her baby up for adoption. We felt that Ephram would turn her down because he wouldn't want his baby taken away from the parents who adopted him and who were providing him a loving home and raising him, so there would be some turmoil over that but hopefully Madison would go away and never be heard from again.

At the very least, the Madison storyline would delay Ephram and Amy's reunion because one, Amy would have felt humiliated by putting her heart on the line and renting that Ferris Wheel only to find out that Ephram had gone in to call Madison, and two, it would have brought back for Amy how much Ephram hurt her when he found out that she knew about Madison having his baby before he did. All in all, having Madison return was a bad idea, just like having her get involved with Ephram in the first place was a bad idea.

[Librarianx01]

That makes a lot of sense to me, but also feels like a lot of drama! (If she was as levelheaded as she seemed, maybe Madison wouldn't want to take the baby out of the care of the adoptive parents.)

But maybe season 5 of Everwood would have gone into One Tree Hill territory, which for me felt like by season 5 it kind of went off the train tracks (a nanny hired by a family kidnaps their baby for ransom), where as the previous seasons while dramatic didn't feel as soapy as the rest. Then again, s2 of Everwood could be considered "soapy" - but it never felt that way totally. Sure, Ephram was into Hot Babysitter, Madison, and Amy was Depressed and Into a Bad Boy (tropes for sure), but it never felt so dramatized it was a soap opera. It still felt like the show.

Which is why maybe season 5 would've had these tropes but still maintained its groundness. (ahh, one can dream)

One can just dream about an Everwood reunion on camera.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) That makes a lot of sense to me, but also feels like a lot of drama! (If she was as levelheaded as she seemed, maybe Madison wouldn't want to take the baby out of the care of the adoptive parents.)

Oh yes, there definitely would have been a lot of drama associated with Madison's return, but Greg Berlanti later said that he was going to do these soapy storylines to please The Powers That Be at The C.W. but he would still return to the quality that Everwood was known for later in the season.

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) But maybe season 5 of Everwood would have gone into One Tree Hill territory, which for me felt like by season 5 it kind of went off the train tracks (a nanny hired by a family kidnaps their baby for ransom), where as the previous seasons while dramatic didn't feel as soapy as the rest. Then again, s2 of Everwood could be considered "soapy" - but it never felt that way totally. Sure, Ephram was into Hot Babysitter, Madison, and Amy was Depressed and Into a Bad Boy (tropes for sure), but it never felt so dramatized it was a soap opera. It still felt like the show. Which is why maybe season 5 would've had these tropes but still maintained its groundness. (ahh, one can dream) One can just dream about an Everwood reunion on camera.

I don't think that the show would have gone off the rails like One Tree Hill did. Yes, that Nanny Carrie story was so over the top and ridiculous. I think that Greg Berlanti was a much better showrunner than Mark Schwahn was so I don't think that Everwood would have become the train wreck that One Tree Hill became.

[Librarianx01]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) Oh yes, there definitely would have been a lot of drama associated with Madison's return, but Greg Berlanti later said that he was going to do these soapy storylines to please The Powers That Be at The C.W. but he would still return to the quality that Everwood was known for later in the season.

That is fascinating. I mean...how long could the drama have lasted? (Don't answer that I don't want to actually know)

Now I guess I'll just have to imagine a Madison-less season 5. *plugs ears*

I like to imagine season 5 would have more of a focus on Delia. She would be starting high school, having a new (step) mom and (step) brother, plus her dramatic older brother always stopping by for "free food" as he says. But maybe Amy would come with him.

I still can't imagine Ephram not going outside and seeing that Ferris Wheel. I can't imagine that happening. 1) You could probably see the colored lights from his apartment windows Just saying.... 2) Even if he gets a call from Madison and/or goes out the door to see Stephanie he will still.......see Amy and the Ferris Wheel

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) That is fascinating. I mean...how long could the drama have lasted? (Don't answer that I don't want to actually know)

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) Now I guess I'll just have to imagine a Madison-less season 5. *plugs ears*

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) I like to imagine season 5 would have more of a focus on Delia. She would be starting high school, having a new (step) mom and (step) brother, plus her dramatic older brother always stopping by for "free food" as he says. But maybe Amy would come with him.

A lot of us definitely felt that there would be more of a focus on Delia in a Season Five, and Michelle had said that the show would go from being a story of a father and a son to the story of a father and a daughter.

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) I still can't imagine Ephram not going outside and seeing that Ferris Wheel. I can't imagine that happening. 1) You could probably see the colored lights from his apartment windows Just saying.... 2) Even if he gets a call from Madison and/or goes out the door to see Stephanie he will still.......see Amy and the Ferris Wheel

Well, the alternate ending of Season Five showed Ephram going back in the house and Amy just standing out by the Ferris Wheel alone. I don't know if they would have started Season Five with him coming out to see the Ferris Wheel and her. I tend to think that they wouldn't have, and Amy would have felt sad and foolish for putting her heart on the line like that, especially if she found out that Madison was back in town.

[Librarianx01]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) Well, the alternate ending of Season Five showed Ephram going back in the house and Amy just standing out by the Ferris Wheel alone. I don't know if they would have started Season Five with him coming out to see the Ferris Wheel and her. I tend to think that they wouldn't have, and Amy would have felt sad and foolish for putting her heart on the line like that, especially if she found out that Madison was back in town.

This depresses me too much. Poor Amy just waiting and waiting. I wonder if they would try to create a new love interest for her, had season 5 gotten the go ahead. But I believe Ephram and Amy deserved a whole season of dating in college -- after all, they only dated their senior year of high school. Thats not even a long time for high schoolers to be dating.

I saw an interview where somebody asked Emily VanCamp what she thought Amy Abbott would be up to & she said happily married to Ephram. We deserve that ending for them.

(Good riddance, Madison, you've done enough harm to this town )

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) This depresses me too much. Poor Amy just waiting and waiting. I wonder if they would try to create a new love interest for her, had season 5 gotten the go ahead. But I believe Ephram and Amy deserved a whole season of dating in college -- after all, they only dated their senior year of high school. Thats not even a long time for high schoolers to be dating.

It really would have been terrible if Season Four ended like that. That would have been a huge setback for Ephram and Amy. I agree with you that Ephram and Amy deserved a whole season of dating in college, and we deserved it too.

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) I saw an interview where somebody asked Emily VanCamp what she thought Amy Abbott would be up to & she said happily married to Ephram. We deserve that ending for them.

That's wonderful that Emily said that.

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) (Good riddance, Madison, you've done enough harm to this town )

That was the problem with Madison: unlike every other bad relationship on the show like Amy and Tommy and Andy and Amanda, which ended and had closure, we were never allowed to be rid of her.

[Librarianx01]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) That was the problem with Madison: unlike every other bad relationship on the show like Amy and Tommy and Andy and Amanda, which ended and had closure, we were never allowed to be rid of her.

It's weird because did anybody even like her during the original airing? I mean, as a viable love interest for Ephram?


I sort of feel like Ephram got his closure with her (4x15) so I am glad the show officially ended with the original couple of the show Amy and Ephram . We got all we needed from the last episode, even if it felt kinda fan-fic-y (Andy proposing to Nina). And Delia even got her horse

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) It's weird because did anybody even like her during the original airing? I mean, as a viable love interest for Ephram?

Not really, not at all. There were a couple of Ephram and Madison fans, but most of us really didn't like their relationship at all. That's why a lot of us can't understand why they kept bringing her back.

Originally Posted by Librarianx01 (View Post) I sort of feel like Ephram got his closure with her (4x15) so I am glad the show officially ended with the original couple of the show Amy and Ephram . We got all we needed from the last episode, even if it felt kinda fan-fic-y (Andy proposing to Nina). And Delia even got her horse

Yes, they tied up the stories really nicely in the Series Finale. To be honest though, I didn't like how Nina sold her house and was all ready to go to California with Jake, even to the point of them being at the airport gate ready to board their flight, and Jake had to tell Nina to go to Andy because she loved Andy and not him. To me, that made Nina look wishy-washy and unable to make a decision on her own.

One of the rumored storylines for Season Five was that Nina, while with Andy, would find out that she was pregnant with Jake's child. It was another soapy storyline that Greg Berlanti supposedly pitched to The C.W. to try to get the show renewed.

[jediwands]

Berlanti basically stated when he threw out Season 5 ideas that they would be temporary and he bluntly told the Everwood audience to trust him... meaning in so many words he was playing a game with the CW to conjure up some soapy storylines but the second the show was renewed we would see the storylines would be tied up very quickly.

Apparently Madison was only returning for something baby-related and it would be swift. Sarah would only be in one or two episodes. It was to conclude the baby storyline and the strong speculation is Madison was going to be Madison, all selfish and only thinking of herself... she would think about taking the baby away and reverse the adoption. She needed to go to Ephram for help with this, she wanted him to support her and sign the right documents to go there. Since she wouldn't be around long, we all assumed this to mean she either changes her mind or fails during the process.

There was also strong speculation that Delia would be focused on much more in Season 5. Her story was just beginning when unfortunately, the show was forced to conclude.

It sure would have been nice seeing Andy/Nina adjust to being together, getting married and the family as a whole adjusting. I am sure this would be featured too.

I was also interested in seeing the new relationship between Edna and Harold. Irv's passing would obviously change things drastically for Edna and I have a feeling we would have seen a brand new Edna/Harold dynamic.

Regarding Madison fans... she didn't have many. There was an Ephram/Madison shipping thread a couple people posted on. I was friendly with them since I am a moderator, lol, but I also liked the posters and they never caused any trouble. They understood the relationship was messed up, illegal, and wasn't meant to be seen in a positive light. They still liked it even with this knowledge. I did notice a lot of them were more Sarah Lancaster fans though so I think that's where most of their thoughts were coming from.

[Librarianx01]

Originally Posted by Jerry D (View Post) Yes, they tied up the stories really nicely in the Series Finale. To be honest though, I didn't like how Nina sold her house and was all ready to go to California with Jake, even to the point of them being at the airport gate ready to board their flight, and Jake had to tell Nina to go to Andy because she loved Andy and not him. To me, that made Nina look wishy-washy and unable to make a decision on her own. One of the rumored storylines for Season Five was that Nina, while with Andy, would find out that she was pregnant with Jake's child. It was another soapy storyline that Greg Berlanti supposedly pitched to The C.W. to try to get the show renewed.

I agree. It took Nina's agency from her when it was Jake telling her to go to Andy. It also felt out of character. Nina is such a strong female character with beliefs (even if they aren't always the right ones--I'm thinking back to season 1 with Carl). Nina was always capable of making her own decisions.

Also talk about SOAPY! Wow. Nina pregnant with Jake's baby while being with Andy...talk about drama.

[jediwands]

It seems like all the higher-ups were in love with Scott Wolf. Speculation was he just had so much time left on the contract so they kept Jake around for far too long.

I believe the series finale was pretty close to perfect overall. That said, the most disappointing part of the series finale was Nina and Jake being the one to recognize the obvious. She looked so passive. No one doubted that she wanted to be with Andy. The story for four seasons clearly demonstrated this fact. But Jake should not have been the one to tell her what everyone already knew.

[Jerry D]

Originally Posted by Auror (View Post) It seems like all the higher-ups were in love with Scott Wolf. Speculation was he just had so much time left on the contract so they kept Jake around for far too long.

I really wasn't impressed with Scott Wolf when he was on Everwood and I felt that Jake was a totally unnecessary character.

Originally Posted by Auror (View Post) I believe the series finale was pretty close to perfect overall. That said, the most disappointing part of the series finale was Nina and Jake being the one to recognize the obvious. She looked so passive. No one doubted that she wanted to be with Andy. The story for four seasons clearly demonstrated this fact. But Jake should not have been the one to tell her what everyone already knew.

Exactly.

I think my favorite part of the Series finale besides the Ferris Wheel scene was Amy obsessing over Ephram and Stephanie at Delia's Bat Mitzvah in front of Bright and Hannah. In that scene, Emily showed that she could handle comical scenes very well, and she also showed that she's Harold's daughter!