The 2012 Summer Re-Watch: Everwood "Controlling Interest" Review

Irv's narration in "Controlling Interest" seems a symptom of an episode that didn't break so smoothly in the writers room. People should take shots of hard liquor each time Irv uses the word "control" in his narration. Someone in the room really wanted the audience to know the episode is about control and the lengths people go to to maintain firm control over their lives. The medical case of the week revolves around a County High wrestler who's bulimic. The gist of the story is he, the wrestler, thinks he's in control of his body, but Andy emphasizes how the bulimia will CONTROL him. Elsewhere, Andy tries to control intimacy with Linda, because the act signifies a true departure from his deceased wife and what they had together; Ephram wants to be seen with Madison, but Madison wants to control where they're seen, and so on. None of the stories are particularly interesting which is odd for a sweeps episode.

The trouble begins with the bulimia storyline. Bulimia is a worthwhile subject to tackle on primetime television. I never minded the passionate takes on various important issues on Everwood. Treat Williams loved to act the hell out of any scene in which he needs to persuade the patient to do the right thing and confront the disease no matter how unsettling it is, or whatever. Everwood's writers chose a rather dull way to tell the story, though. "Controlling Interest" introduces the student athlete and his parents. The father is a stereotypical sports dad. His depth is non-existent. He focuses on his son's wrestling career and nothing else. The words of a bearded doctor mean nothing to him. The mother is a passive figure; she's the kind of character who doesn't have a line when it counts but comes to Andy's in the cover of night to open up about her fears about what's REALLY taking place. The student athlete starved himself and made himself throw up to make weight and become a champion, and now the bulimia is a part of him. Andy frowns, furrows his brow, and insists the men in the family honestly consider what the test results reveal about bulimia.

Everwood wasn't 7th Heaven. 7th Heaven would've portrayed three absolutely insufferable characters that would come-to-God in the end, recognize the disease, and give Eric Camden's church their IRA and 401(k) savings. Andy's passionate arguments go nowhere. The mother remains a passive character who has no influence on her husband or son. The father looks the other way, and the wrestler's a cocky teenager who thinks he's got everything under control. In the worst moment of the episode, Andy makes an impassioned speech about how the disease will control the wrestler and notes how the entire gymnasium will be rooting for a win because a win guarantees a spot in the state championships. Andy, though, will root for the wrestler to LOSE. Treat Williams pretty much earned a leading role in a Lifetime Movie of the Week with his performance. The kid wrestles and wins, but, you see, he also loses, because he fails to realize the severity of what he's doing to his body. Bulimia can cause ulcers and heart disease. Andy lists informative facts about the disease, so the story isn't a waste, and the lack of conclusion is a good choice, but I expected less of a Lifetime knock-off from Everwood.

The other stories in the episode aren't great either. Fortunately, the Abbott drama is on the backburner. Bright's the lone Abbott to react to Amy. At the wrestling match, he fights Tommy and continues to ignore Amy for her decision to date Tommy over live with the people who truly love and care about her. Essentially, Amy's still a brat, and Bright doesn't like her. Amy disregards her grandparents. Irv stresses to Edna the importance of setting boundaries for the girl, of controlling her impulses to walk around the house while Irv is eating ice cream in his underwear or entering bedrooms when they're having sex. Edna's barely a disciplinarian. Amy's nothing like her former depressed self; she's still OOC for the sake of plot.

Ephram and Madison confront the first hurdle of their relationship. The age difference creates hesitance in Madison when Ephram plans dates in Everwood. Madison fears people seeing her with a sixteen year old. Ephram, of course, wants to be seen with her. The relationship is a failure from a storytelling choice thus far. The characters go back and forth about going out in town versus not going out in town. When they do go out to the wrestling match, it's as expected. Ephram shows her off; Madison runs into an old flame. I don't even remember how the situation is resolved, but it involves Ephram getting his jawn on.

Linda and Andy need to take the step in their relationship, too. Andy flakes on sex twice before he finally has sex. Linda thinks he's throwing himself into his work because he fears having sex with her because of her HIV. Andy's hesitance relates to Julia, though. The best scene in the episode recalls Julia and Andy in Manhattan. Linda wonders why he's acting as he is and working so much to avoid doing things or missing things because of working so much, and Andy calls her Julia when he asks her to stop. Andy's memory of Julia is a subtle aspect of his arc throughout season two, so it's worth paying attention when he remembers her and to think on what his relationship with Linda actually means. I'll elaborate on this later in the re-watch. Andy apologizes to Linda for his behavior; they then fornicate.

The beats in the Ephram-Madison and Andy-Linda stories are necessary for the future of the arcs. For whatever reason, the stories didn't have the Everwood charm. Season 2 isn't as consistent as season 1. "Controlling Interest" is part of a run that underlines the difference between both seasons. Besides the bulimia story, which had its problems, these stories don't have the weight of season one.

Michael Green wrote the episode. Lev L. Spiro directed it.

UP NEXT: "Forget Me Not"--Amy forgets about her father's birthday dinner; Nina confronts Andy about being a lousy friend; Madison and Ephram have another awful story. Watch it on Amazon.com

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK