The 2011 Summer Re-watch: Everwood "The Kissing Bridge" Review

Irv explains that small towns change in the same ways large cities do. Buildings change. People change. The last nostalgic structure in Everwood is The Kissing Bridge. The Kissing Bridge is Everwood's symbol of innocence. Once upon a time, two lovers on opposite ends of the town built a bridge connecting the two sides so they could share their first kiss. For years, couples went to the kissing bridge for an important landmark in their relationship. But what happens when the wood's rotting and the structure's weak and dangerous? The teaser concludes with boy falling through a hole in the bridge, landing in the water running beneath it. The bridge isn't safe and should be torn down. The teenagers in Everwood don't merely kiss on dates, either. Buildings change. People change. Times change.

An STD spreads throughout County High, and Andy convinces Harold to help him combat the spread with a healthy dose of knowledge and awareness. Harold reluctantly agrees to help after he diagnoses one of his female teenage patients with an STD. The doctors approach the school board, headed by Rose, to make the parents of County High students aware of the situation. It's standard. Andy notes that no vaccines exist for several STDs, so the best medicine he can use is education. He rocks the boat, though, when he requests the entire sexual education curriculum be changed. Andy's reminded of the town's small mindedness. One member of the school board reminds Andy that he's in Everwood, not Manhattan. Andy unleashes more statistics about how 1 in 10 children under 13 years of age will engage in sexual activity, and 1 in 4 will contract a sexually transmitted disease. The truth is, parents' children are having sex. Either the parents can wax poetic about the good old days and pretend it isn't happening, or teach their children how to be safe so they avoid death. Everwood doesn't have the funds to change the curriculum. Instead, Andy and Harold volunteered their services to educate the County High students.

Like last week, the story essentially ends halfway through the episode. Everwood's family-drama elements usually happen in their medical cases of the week. Everwood's job, on some level, is to educate families watching and raise issues for family discussion. The educational sessions with the doctors receive twenty five seconds of screen-time. The last two scenes involves the doctors with their respective sons. Andy tells Ephram a story about a patient he had named Alfie. Alfie was 17 years old and the doctors were perplexed by his illness. Weeks later, Alfie died then his disease got a name--AIDS. Andy just wants his son to be careful because he can't afford to lose someone he loves. The scene's not only an extension of the STD story--it progresses the relationship between father and son. On their trip to Denver, Harold gave Andy advice about being a father before being his son's friend. Andy just wants to know when he's doing the right thing for his son so he can continue doing the right thing. Ephram promises to let his dad know.

Harold and Bright have an honest conversation about sex and STDs. Harold's worried his son gave the two girls their STD. Bright didn't because he's a virgin, and he hasn't done much else. Harold's relieved. The two scenes with fathers and sons shows the importance of honest communication between a parent and his or her son or daughter. The town's doctors influence isn't as large as one would hope. Parents are the most important role models for their children. It's the job of the parent to educate their child and to keep he or she safe.

"The Kissing Bridge" is a strong episode for the Abbott family, who finally emerge in the series as a collective whole rather than splintered parts in their individual narratives. The dinner scene's among the best scenes in the four seasons of the show. Harold announces that he'll deliver a presentation on sex ed. Tom Amandes is fantastic throughout the scene as Harold learns that Bright dated the two girls who tested positive for an STD. The scene works because the family dinner table shows the close, tight-knit relationship the Abbotts have. On the way to Denver to pick up Amy and Ephram, Harold talks about never letting the child know a parent worried but he immediately hugs his daughter and expresses relief that his daughter's safe--it's the kind of father he is. He may not be eager to lecture about sex in front of other parents' teenagers but he's always there for his children, which is most important.

My favorite story in the episode is Edna's. The Kissing Bridge is a significant Everwood landmark for her. When she hears the town wants to bulldoze it, she becomes pissed. Her anger's directed at Irv, Brenda Baxworth and anyone else talks about the bridge even if they're trying to save it. Edna's story's so strong because it deals with the death of her first husband, Hal Sr. Her second marriage with Irv just two months following Hal Sr's death created a discord between mother and son. Harold never understood it nor condoned it. Edna thinks about her first husband constantly when news breaks that the bridge will be torn down because she and Hal Sr shared their first kiss there; he proposed to her at the bridge; she told him about her pregnancy with Hal Jr at the bridge. The kissing bridge represents the last vestige of her relationship with her first husband, and when it's gone, she'll feel that he's really gone. She loved him so much, and she tells Harold before she blows the bridge up. The story's about delayed grief. It's not about moving on because one never does move on after a loved one passes. And that's what makes the story stand out. Irv tells her that he'll hold her and comfort her even if she's sad about the man she loved before him.

Change isn't always about moving on. It can be about adapting. Andy had to adapt to life without his wife. Harold had to adapt to another doctor in town. Edna had to adapt to life without her husband when she wanted live more than ever despite the town's judgments. The town will adapt to life without its symbol of innocence as well as the loss of other iconic buildings. It's about adaptation and surviving.

Other Thoughts:

-Ephram and Amy's the same old, same old. He's mad at her because she's not in love with him, then he journeys three hours with her so she can ask Colin to a dance.

-Delia and Magilla continue as friends, even though he ignores her in public. Of course, he's a child. Delia comes over his house and he reveals his chest of dolls. Yep, the Magilla story will get weirder.

-Rina Mimoun wrote the episode. She became the show runner during seasons three and four. I always wanted to ask her why she spent episode after episode on Anne Heche and that nonsense romance. I won't buy the DVD because of that arc. Michael Schultz directed it. He directed a few more episodes of the series.

UP NEXT: "Deer God"--Ephram helps a deer return to his home in the wilderness, with the help of Andy. Delia questions the existence of God.

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