jediwands

100%. I've never understood why some believe his relationship with Madison was a good learning experience for Ephram. Some actually believe this and I don't understand it. Some said it was good for his ego that he slept with her too. I just... cannot agree. He bragged like he was immature for about two seconds and then he was back to feeling hurt and confused over his illegal relationship. Plus, we know she gets pregnant so no idea how this illegal relationship could have ever been a good thing for Ephram.

Jerry D

I also never understood why anyone would see Ephram's relationship with Madison as a good learning experience for him. He regressed as a person when he was with her and he regressed as a person when he found out about the baby. Nothing positive came out of his relationship with Madison. Nothing.

jediwands

Amen. The relationship (if that’s what we’ll call it) was simply used as a way to create drama and turmoil for Ephram and the main dynamics. Nothing more, nothing less.

Jerry D

We all know that Everwood was, after all, a drama, but there’s a huge difference between good, engaging drama (like what we saw in “Is There A Doctor In The House” and horrible, cheap and damaging drama like we saw with the whole Madison debacle. I wish that Everwood would have kept to its very successful formula of good and engaging drama like we saw in Season One and through parts of Seasons Two, Three and Four.

jediwands

Precisely. What’s sad is Season 2 was probably the darkest season (Amy’s depression, Linda’s HIV, Tommy on drugs) and yet it produced some of the best scenes with off the charts acting of the entire series. So the show could go dark, filled with drama (Colin Season 1) and it shined. So why a ridiculous soap opera pregnancy needed introduced is an annoying mystery.

Librarianx01

I love your ideas, Jerry and Michelle. I agree that Ephram should've focused on piano and all that jazz (sorry bad puns), and maybe gotten together with someone in the program/course. It would've been interesting to see Ephram try to balance piano, school plus another musical person who has the exact same struggles. I think he would've been able to see (hopefully quickly haha) that it's hard to be with someone who has the same lifestyle as you-there's always a need for balance. I agree that Everwood can do 'dark' stuff (I love season 2 of its portrayal of Amy, Tommy etc), so why the need to go to soap opera drama with Madisongate?

Jerry D

Thanks Rachel. I completely agree that Everwood had plenty of engaging drama and it didn't need the type of cheap, soap-opera type drama that Madisongate brought.

jediwands

It simply wasn’t necessary. I could see if the content and substance wasn’t there but it was. The ratings were always good. Unlike OTH, Dawson’s Creek, and Roswell, those shows had to sweat with nerves before every renewal. Not Everwood. It was solid in quality and ratings from start to finish.

Librarianx01

I'm just glad that even despite Madison, the baby, Europe, Ephram and Amy found their way back to one another. Like you, Jerry I felt they were romantically intwined even when they weren't together Thats the power I think of a true connection and chemistry.

Jerry D

One of the many things that Everwood did that made it unique and superior to so many other shows is that Ephram and Amy kept their connection going even when they were estranged and apart, and we all still rooted for them to get their happy ending.

On other shows, like Dawson's Creek or Gossip Girl, when couples broke up, their connection was destroyed and what they had together was lost, so even if they did end up together, it rang hollow and disingenuous, but that wasn't the case with Ephram and Amy at all. From the moment they met to their final embrace, they were magic.

jediwands

Not sure how Berlanti did it, but for me, Ephram/Amy felt “together” from the moment they shared that epic mountain scene in The Pilot. They had an unstoppable connection. Greg and Emily were flawless together.

So true about those other shows. Bad writing. Drama had to include tearing down those pairings because it was too difficult writing them together due to lack of creativity. Only good quality shows have the capability of going there such as Everwood and Friends.

Librarianx01

100%

jediwands

Did you watch Friends?

Was there a moment/scene you connected to Ephram/Amy?

Librarianx01

I off and on watched Friends. I was too young when it started but I saw the later seasons with my mom (who watched the whole show) so I know how it ended. There I shipped Monica and Chandler and Rachel and Ross, but I have no idea if my shipping would stand if I saw it today (I was a boring shipper as a kid - you told me what to ship by showing me couples and thats who I wanted paired together)

Like you, Michelle, I felt Ephram and Amy had a connection from the beginning. I think I even shipped them as she was showing him Colin-in-a-coma

I've always been curious if Berlanti had other plans for Ephram and Amy. i.e. Were there other actors/actresses who tried out for the role? I always like hearing those stories (ex, I just learned Liv Tyler was almost the star of the Princess Diaries movie, and gosh that would've been a totally different movie sans Anne Hathaway...and it launched AH's career!).

jediwands

Oh right, of course you were super young when Friends aired. I was a teen when it first started. I shipped Ross/Rachel and Chandler/Monica as well. Ross/Rachel always seemed together even when apart. I do wish they would have reunited for good right after Emma was born. The Joey/Rachel crap was ridiculous. The actors didn’t even want to go there, saying that Joey would never do that to Ross and it was always Ross/Rachel. David, Jen and Matt all complained to the writers who told them it would be quick and no big deal. Still think it took way too long.

Right with you... I shipped them with Colin in a coma too.

Definitely! I am not sure how Greg Smith got the part outside of amazing talent… but I know with Emily, Berlanti knew her from Glory Days and said that was his Amy.

In all of these years, I’ve never heard about other potential actors for their parts. There obviously had to be others who auditioned, even some famous actors or well-known actors. But I’ve never heard of who they were.