The 2011 Summer Re-Watch: Everwood "The Unveiling" Review

"The Unveiling" explores the relationship between Ephram and Andy once more. The 1 year anniversary of Julia's death is upon the Brown Family and they need to return home from the unveiling. For Ephram, the anniversary and a piano piece awaken dormant memories. He remembers his father suddenly leaving for Boston after a fight as well as the truth that Andy never went to Boston. So, naturally, he assumes that Andy cheated on Julia. Andy didn't, though. Julia slept with another man. The truth shatters the perception Ephram had of his mother. Andy insists, "This doesn't change anything." Ephram solemnly responds, "Everything's changed."

The A story's about Ephram's relationship with his parents. Whereas other episodes sympathized with Andy, Berlanti and Mimoun chose to tell the A story through the lens of Ephram, so that the audience understands why Ephram feels the way he does towards his father. Julia succeeded where Andy failed. Each time Andy blew an important event off, Julia covered for her husband and saved the day. Through flashbacks, we witness a mother-son outing for a recital suit. Mother and son bond and joke. Julia encourages her son to invite his crush to his piano recital. Andy's never seen in the flashbacks; he's only a voice on the answering machine, breaking his word yet again. Ephram tries to convince his mother to leave her husband because "he's good for nothing." Julia resists the notion and gently says that she needs him.

The revelation that Julia cheated on Andy doesn't damn her as a character. Andy defends his wife and her reasons for straying from marriage because he knows how lousy a husband he was. Ephram realized that he needed the idea of a perfect mother because Andy was a crummy father in Manhattan. The next day, in a nuanced scene, Ephram makes peace with that ugly truth about his mother. Ephram states that he doesn't need Julia's memory to be perfect anymore because Andy's evolved as a father, and that's enough for him now.

This is the last episode in which Ephram resents Andy in comparison to how he treated Julia and how he inactive he was as a father. Father and son have more rough patches in their lives but Ephram's made peace with his memories of Manhattan. The unveiling of a tombstone's part of Jewish tradition. For a year, the surviving family repeats a prayer three times a day until the anniversary of the deceased's death. The belief is that it takes one year for the soul to reach heaven, for the soul to find peace. Of course it's no coincidence that Ephram finds peace one year after the death of his mother (that's good storytelling)--peace with his memories and father.

The B story portends something bad. Since "Colin the Second," Colin Hart's experienced positive changes--his memories returned and his relationship with Amy's blossomed; however, he's sick. After running to the couch with Amy, he vomits into a toilet. Before he leaves the bathroom, he looks at himself in the mirror with an expression that suggests Colin has gotten sick before. The concerned Amy tells her father, who responds that it's probably a bug. Harold informs Andy of the nausea, and then things fall apart.

The people around Colin prefer to bury their heads in the show instead of consider the thought that Colin's sick, that the cranial issue could be deadly. Amy lashes out at her father breaking her trust. The Harts fire Andy for insisting that Colin be monitored 24/7 because once-a-month generic visits to Denver aren't enough. The teen's sick and only Andy, Harold and Laynie acknowledge that truth. Laynie flees for boarding school; Andy's fired; Harold won't take the patient because of the wrath of Amy. Colin's as reluctant to accept the reality as Amy and his parents are. The collective bunch are in a stage of denial. Soon they'll experience other stages and then, eventually, acceptance.

Amy directs her anger and frustration at her father. Colin became angry with her for telling her father about the nausea. The girl's scared, though. Fear makes her act terribly. She's just fearful that she'll lose Colin, that his recovery's too-good-to-be true. And, well, we'll see if his recovery is too good to be true.

Other thoughts:

--Delia and Ephram had a sweet scene in which Ephram assured his little sister that his mother won't be mad if Delia doesn't think about her constantly. He tells Delia that when she thinks about her, it'll be more special than usual. Delia beamed when she heard that.

--Gregory Smith, Treat Williams, Emily Vancamp and Tom Amandes were spectacular once again.

--Greg Berlanti and Rina Mimoun wrote the episode; Michael Schultz directed it.

--I'll be writing about the season twice a week until I reach the end of the re-watch. Every Monday and Thursday will be Everwood Re-Watch days.

UP NEXT: "The Miracle of Everwood"--Although Amy and Bright are still living in denial regarding the state of Colin's recovery, Ephram can't ignore the bad signs any longer after he witnesses Colin freaking out and vandalizing the gym teacher's office. Meanwhile, a New York Magazine reporter pays a visit to Dr. Brown in hopes of uncovering the truth behind why the famed surgeon is still living in Everwood; and Delia decides to secretly spend the night in the Museum of History while on a school field trip. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SLOO8S

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