"Last Looks" is about goodbyes, letting go, moving on, whatever you want to call it. Madison continues babysitting for Delia after Ephram fires the replacement sitter due to Delia's bad moods. The professionalism between the exes lasts less than 72 hours. Ephram's a stupid and jealous sixteen year old who freaks out when Madison receives a call from Jay. Madison's a stupid twenty year old who's not in touch with her feelings at all, because her behavior is based on what others want of her; Ephram says it's a good idea for her to be around, so since he said so, Madison thinks it's a good idea. Nonsense. So, the former couple awkwardly prepares dinner together and plays make-believe while Andy frowns about the set-up, awaiting its bitter end. The bitter end comes during dinner one night. The Jay phone call sets Ephram off, but that is quickly forgotten when Andy opines that both of them should've listened to him six months ago about their thing being a bad idea. Ephram flies off the handle about Andy sabotaging thing and 'how could you do this to me, Madison?' Dinner is ruined. Everyone is sad. Delia then fires Madison, for her brother's sake, which is one of my favorite scenes in the entire series.
Delia fired Madison because she made her brother too sad. Ephram admits to his father, after Madison's gone, that he'll need to get used to not seeing her: he never wanted to let her go. Andy tells his son a story about terminal patients who endured pain because they feared taking the next step. Patients would rather feel something than nothing. Ephram endured Madison's presence because he loves her and can't imagine his life without her. Andy should've used these words for a different storyline as the Madison-Ephram nonsense isn't worth such thought and consideration. In typical TV fashion, the former couple gets a goodbye scene which is supposed to be heavy and tragic and bittersweet. Ephram's letting his first love go, and Madison's standing by the door way sort of crying but also sort of looking like she just spotted a skunk in her front yard. I think the storyline would've been more effective if the writers opted against portraying Madison as a girl who felt love for Ephram, if Ephram loved her, and she dated him without realizing how seriously he took things. That aspect sort of happened but it was hurt by the early scenes with Andy when he warned Madison about what to expect. Madison's supposed to match Ephram's emotions, which is frustrating to watch because her feelings don't track with what we've seen on screen. Yet, the whole storyline expressed the difficulty in saying goodbye and letting go. Andy's small speech to his son is wonderful.
Bright, meanwhile, needs to move past the idea that he'll attend expensive universities like the rest of his classmates. After four rejection letters, Bright feels hopeless. A trip to Colorado A&M to convince the admissions president to enroll him anyway ended badly--it's a move that only works in movies and TV. The story helped Bright and Harold to understand each other. Bright had accused his father of never supporting him, so Hal waited for him as a show of support. Previously he lashed out at Ephram and declared his life over once graduation hits. Bright waves away thoughts of attending the local community college. Harold doesn't push his son to think a certain way. Instead, he simply tells his son that he'll know what to do when it's revealed to him. Bright, too, needs to let go of thoughts of the ideal collegiate dream.
Elsewhere, the other Abbott child is hesitant to stop taking anti-depressants. Linda thinks Amy is ready to end her prescriptions to the drug because everything about her has improved. Amy feels like she'll regress once she's off the pill. Maybe she'll return to the person she was who caused her family so much pain if she's off the pills. Rose hugs her in a moment of joy in the kitchen because she's so happy Amy's back. Amy can't hurt her again. Linda agrees to give Amy another month; however, a chance encounter with Mrs. Hart changes the girl's mind. Mrs. Hart is detached and despondent, stuck in a bubble of grief, and she's come to the pharmacy to fill three prescriptions. Amy lets go of her dependency on the drug after the encounter.
Linda delivers the wisest lines in the whole episode to Amy, who's nervous about what'll happen when she's sad or feeling depressed again. Linda, like a great 19th century Russian author, tells her niece that sadness is part of life, that many people get sad, but the trick is to get past the sadness. Someday, Amy won't remember the sadness and depression because she'll be happy. Letting go is painful and scary, but it's also good for the soul to let go. Ephram, Bright and Amy will eventually feel happiness because they let go of what they needed to let go of. Of course, it'll take some time for happiness to return, but it's a process.
Other Thoughts:
-The recently passed Kathryn Joosten portrays Mrs. Hammerhill, Delia's new babysitter. Kathryn Joosten delighted me in any role she took on. I imagine I would've loved season 2 if Joosten portrayed Delia's babysitter all season long. The best scene is when she plays a game of Spit with Delia. One of my favorite Joosten role's is the older woman whom JD treats in the fourth episode of Scrubs' first season.
-Harold's still angry at Andy for the birth control issue. Andy tries to smooth things over in a dank pub. Harold won't hear of it. He bids the Beard good day.
-It's curious how little screen time Andy and Linda have had lately. She'll have plenty of screen time in the next two episodes, though.
-John E. Pogue wrote the episode. Arvin Brown directed it.
UP NEXT: "Sick"--Everwood's citizens learn that Linda is HIV-positive and desert Harold's practice in droves. Harold also faces the threat of malpractice. Watch the episode on Amazon Instant Video.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
No comments:
Post a Comment