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

"Everwood Confidential" is a different kind of Everwood episode--the production of it is completely the product of the 23 episode beast of their first season order. I'll compare the episode to a spec script. Any aspiring TV writer writes spec scripts to break into the industry. Usually, writers spec existing shows because the producer or show runner needs to know that the writer can write with the show's voice. "Everwood Confidential" didn't come from a spec script but, damn does it feel like one. The A story's separate from the on-going narrative, ditto the B story. I imagine the writers sat around and wondered, "What would happen if Andy and Harold were forced to work together?" Soon, the dominoes fell. Presumably, the writers mapped out how and why the two doctors would work together. And, then, to avoid a superfluous A story, they included some emotional stuff about Harold's relationship with his late father.

Do not misunderstand--I like "Everwood Confidential." The A story's silly with a lot of laughs. Treat Williams and Tom Amandes are gold together. There's just nothing to chew on. Andy and Harold are brought together with a senile old man confesses to a murder that went unsolved thirty years ago. The local doctors involve themselves in the investigation for different reasons--Andy feels bad for accidentally getting Marvin arrested; Marvin is Harold's godfather and was his late father's best friend. It's not long before Hal sr. is implicated in the crime, so Harold's compelled to clear his father's name because the town holds onto a juicy scandal like it's the shroud of Turin. But Harold wonders if he knew his father at all because their relationship became more formal than he would've liked when they shared a practice.

The two doctors follow leads, clues, and anonymous tips. The playfully noir-lite feel's buttoned by Andy gravely telling Harold that he'll meet with him after he prepares dinner for the children. Throughout the investigation, Andy's falling ill with the flu. The flu is key to the entire investigation. The senile, old man never murdered the charming drifter who passed through Everwood in 1918; he accidentally ran over his wife's dog, buried it at the urging of Hal the senior, then discovered other sets of bones. The bones, though, were from people buried during the flu outbreak in Everwood 1918. Marvin returns to the retirement home and Harold restores his father's name. Later, Harold visits with Marvin to ensure he's okay. During the visit, Marvin (who thinks Harold is his father) politely ribs his best friend about how much he dotes on his son, how special he thinks his son is, and hands Hal a $5 to give to Harold. Harold hears what he needed to hear about his father's opinion of him and leaves Marvin to his Billie Holliday and dance with the memory of his wife. And leaves the $5 on the table.

The A's story's strength is its innocent poignancies--Marvin's never-ending love for his wife and Harold's love for his late father. Everwood always hit one's heart no matter how silly a story they told. Another strength of the A story is the performances from Treat Williams and Tom Amandes. The humor between the two characters is reminiscent of comedies from the 1940s--wholesome but hilarious. The characters are no longer at odds, as they were in the initial episodes. They're TV's version of The Odd Couple. I just love their friendship.

In the B story, Ephram and Laynie have a date amidst complications. Laynie sees Ephram's attraction towards Amy clear as day, so his feelings for the girl submarine any chance of a long-term relationship with Colin's sister. Ephram freaks when he hears that Colin planned on dumping her pre-accident. At the end of their night, they part ways amicably. In the C story, the piano teacher, Matt, works with Ephram and worries about his desire to become a great pianist. Matt thinks that Andy's persistence hinders Ephram's desire to play, which is just another reminder about the undercurrent of issues between father and son. Ephram's piano playing becomes more central to his series arc but not yet.

The episode's a chance for the show to take a breath before the intense back-end of the season, beginning with "The Unveiling." The test of a great show isn't its ability to produce mind-blowing episodes every week, its whether or not the viewer wants to spend time with the characters even if they're running around like fools trying to solve a murder or making mistake after mistake with a tertiary character. Everwood's a wonderful place to escape to for 44 minutes and I never tired of its inhabitants.

David Schulner wrote the episode. Arlene Sanford directed it.

UP NEXT: “The Unveiling”--Approaching the anniversary of his mother's death, Ephram confronts a repressed memory of his father cheating on his mother, causing an even bigger rift between father and son that eventually leads to a firestorm of emotions. Meanwhile, Amy grows concerned that Colin might not be recovering as well as everyone thinks when he gets violently ill on one of their dates. http://www.amazon.com/The-Unveiling/dp/B002SLKXB0

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