The 2011 Summer Re-Watch: Everwood "Colin the Second" Review

Colin Hart's been pushed since the moment he opened his eyes. The hospital released him ahead of schedule. He returned to school too early. Colin can't do anything without his list that tells him who each individual in his life is and how much they're supposed to mean to him. The teenager's frustrated and tired. He has violent mood swings. Following a basketball practice, in which he was assigned the duties of time-keeper, he stared at himself from the team picture only one year ago. With a basketball in hand, he walked away before turning and throwing the ball through the glass, shattering it.

The people who care about Colin make excuses for his behavior. The only one who is concerned is Andy because he's responsible for the boy's health and quality of life as his doctor. Andy doesn't push for things to be different, though he should. He's respectful towards Mrs. Hart and only asks Ephram a few questions. He's silent and distant yet worried. Amy and Bright, meanwhile, hoped that Colin would fall into the same comfortable routines, the routines the three were so used to just twelve months ago. Amy's been a distant presence in Colin's life whereas Bright barely relates to that Colin that came home. At the homecoming ceremony, where Amy and Colin were named Homecoming King and Queen, Colin never showed up because he busted his hand breaking a window. Bright's so mad that he admits the desire to punch his best friend in the face. Harold offers advice to his son after the venting period--he understands why Bright continues to miss his friend even though he's returned because Colin's changed, and he and Amy have to figure out how to adapt to the change.

Colin's the most honest with Ephram because of the zero expectations Ephram has for Colin to be like he was. Colin tells the story of a fellow rehab patient, Bob, who insisted that everyone call him Bob the Second because Bob no longer existed. He transitions into two memories he has from his childhood, one that involved a trash chute he loved using. When he returned home, he looked everywhere for the trash chute but couldn't find it, so he wondered if the memory had been a dream or if he just made it up. The boy's lost. Ephram wants to help him but Colin shouts that he doesn't want help. He wants normalcy, a life without list, and a life with memories.

Andy treats Colin's hand in the nurse's office. Colin spins a lie about how he cut his hand. Ephram doesn't offer the truth to his father when Colin's gone. Again, Andy asks some questions before he lets the subject drop. The next day in school, Amy states that Colin had no fault in the accident. Ephram interrupts the couples conversation. Colin heads off for chemistry. Amy babbles on. Ephram pointedly tells her that "everything's okay...the King and Queen will continue their reign" because people like traditions, traditions provide security and the illusion that things don't change. But Colin's changed, and those who love and care about him need to accept that.

Colin's story is a tragic one with few bright spots. "Colin the Second" has plenty of foreshadowing through Andy's cryptic questions and observations about Colin Hart. This episode's the darkest of the Colin arc because of its focus on the sadness, isolation, anger and frustration the character feels. The fog will clear and those deep feelings will subside for a run of episodes but never forget what Andy says about the behavior of patients like Colin, or those mood swings or the habit of those around him to ignore red flags. It all matters and it's all tragic.

Other thoughts:

--Ephram began piano lessons with Matthew Lansing. Their mentor-mentoree arc is decent for awhile. The writers even return to that dynamic in the final season with Ephram as a mentor. There isn't much to write about Matt Lansing as of episode fourteen but he becomes a true so and so later in the season.

--In a significant B story, Nina's husband came home. Dylan Walsh portrayed Carl. The homecoming for Carl unfolds terribly as it becomes clear that Carl has no plans on remaining in Everwood. Nina prepared for the return of her husband by planning to open their own store in the main hub of Everwood so that the family could be family. For whatever reason, Carl refuses to settle down. The relationship between Carl and Nina's fractured though one doesn't know when the fracture occurred. Obviously, Carl's harbors secrets. Another woman mayhap? Of course I know what his secret is, and it'll be devastating to Nina. Oh, and it's a twist. Nina pleads with Carl to stay home for Sam's sake but Carl insists their son's perfectly fine without him. He departs with his marriage on the rocks.

--Overall, the episode's a downer. There's a sense of foreboding and a melancholic atmosphere throughout. Colin's not well. People recognize that but opt to ignore it. Nina's world is falling apart. The only character who experiences a triumphant moment is when Andy works on his own house, then Nina's as the episode closes. With that said, "Colin the Second" is a tremendous episode of dramatic television. I'll reiterate how powerful the Colin Hart arc is. Maybe I haven't convinced the readers why I revere the arc but in time I will.

--Joan Binder Weiss wrote the episode. Mel Damski directed it. I'll also mention how pretty Emily Vancamp looked in her first scene.

UP NEXT: "Snow Job"--Dr. Abbott chaperones a church sponsored trip to the mountains for the youth of Everwood where Amy and Colin share their first kiss since the surgery. Ephram's intrigued with Colin's younger sister, Laynie. Meanwhile, Andy hesitantly attends a singles mixer with Reverend Keyes. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SLN0Z6

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