The varying story threads and personal arcs of the middle portion of the season essentially concludes in "Unspoken Truths." Amy reaches a different kind of bottom than the bottom she hit when she was depressed. Ephram and Madison reach a point of no return in their relationship. Cracks begin to show in the Andy/Linda relationship. The Abbotts return to the narrative.
The Abbotts essentially disappeared from the story once Amy declined to return to their home under their rules. Everwood successfully portrayed the devastating and depressing side of a teenage girl's grief in the early part of the season. The show then departed from that side of Amy to turn loose a character the Lifetime network would be proud to use in a horrible movie starring one of the Lawrence brothers as the male lead. The absence of the Abbott parents was a smart choice. Amy's mistake-ridden journey is one she couldn't have taken with her parents breathing down her neck the entire time. The core of Amy's internal conflict in season 2 is the loss of the center of her identity, of her being, of Colin Hart. A question pervaded her arc: how far will Amy fall before she picks herself up again? It's a cliché question, but sometimes clichés can be pretty meaningful, as anyone who read Infinite Jest learned.
The answer to the question rests in a hotel room of an abandoned and run-down hotel, where the local Everwood youth goes to drink alcohol and smoke pot. Tommy Callahan's heel turn is impressive in "Unspoken Truths." Tommy assures Amy that mixing anti-depressants and alcohol is a good decision, that drinking some date-rape liquid is a good decision, and that he, a recovering addict, needs to drink because one who doesn't drink at a party is a loser. Tommy's been fairly harmless as a character. Sure he's dealing drugs on the side, but he's never mean to Amy. Tommy doesn't control her or demean her. Tommy's facade crumbled a bit when he tried to lie to Amy about dealing only to admit the truth, and, plus, a red flag went up when he came to Amy's looking like a vampire, but he never actively tried to bring Amy into the world of hard liquor and hard drugs. I'd like to argue Tommy's behavior changes because Amy, our perspective, realizes the true character of the boy she's dating; however, the argument falls apart with each frame she snuggles and goes for the bottle of date-rape liquid like a cat pawing at a ball of string.
The best part of Amy's moment of clarity, and really her whole arc, is how little Tommy actually mattered. Tommy's truly tertiary, a distraction until Amy figures it out and moves back home. Her arc revolved around losing her center and how she fell from grace, so, naturally, she needs to regain her center. The process starts when, high and dizzy on drugs and drunk on vodka, she sees Colin in the hallway. Stone-faced and almost angry, Colin tells Amy to leave him alone, to move on, and to say goodbye. Amy opens up about failing everyone who loved her since he left her. She says goodbye, though, and her former boyfriend disappears. The revelation that Amy needed to say goodbye isn't a surprise, but it took so damn long to happen, and the crazy drug trip of revelation, clarity and closure seemed unnecessary and way too Lifetimey.
Amy changes when she calls her father asking for help. Earlier, the parents assured their daughter they'd always be there for her when she needed it. Harold comes to the hotel room to help an unresponsive Tommy. The episode ends on a cliffhanger of whether or not Tommy will live (he will). The important image is Harold and Amy in the same room, Father as Savior, and Amy at bottom but ready to rise.
The Ephram-Madison storyline is more frustrating. Ephram's written so well, but Madison's a very poor character. Their relationship continues to deteriorate after Ephram sneaks into a bar, imbibes, and fights Jay, her ex-boyfriend and current bassist. Madison's band were scouted by a manager, thus the show became the most important show of all-time. Ephram's insecure about Jay's presence. The insecurity leads to stupid and regrettable decisions. The scene of the episode is between Andy and Ephram when Ephram tearfully wonders why Madison doesn't love him. Andy doesn't know what to say to his son so he just sits and consoles him. The worst scene of the episode is when Madison says she didn't think things would get serious, evidently amnesiac since Andy warned her to be careful with Ephram because she's his first girlfriend and to be mindful of how she handles his heart. The girl crushes Ephram.
The problem of the arc is the little definition Madison has. We know she's an aspiring singer, lives with a roommate, doesn't get along with her family, and baby-sits Delia. Besides those things, she lacks definition. The writers never gave a reason for her interest in Ephram; her lousy speech, at Delia's party, about Ephram making her 'undone' came out of left-field. The characters were thrown together for Ephram's first love arc. Madison's not portrayed as a stupid twenty year old girl either. If the writers portrayed her as such, the relationship would make more sense. Madison's actions seem pointless because of her lack of definition.
The unspoken truths theme works well in the Amy and Ephram stories. The unspoken truth for Amy is that she needed to finally say goodbye to Colin before she could get better; the unspoken truth for Ephram is that Madison doesn't love him. Andy and Linda's story doesn't work in the theme as smoothly. Linda thinks Andy's feelings for Nina have the potential to become romantic. Andy's playing a large role in Nina's divorce case with Carl; his involvement makes Linda uncomfortable. Their issues aren't resolved.
"Unspoken Truths" has zero resolution. Viewers needed to wait nearly two months to find out what happened. I already know what happens. Anyone reading probably knows or maybe doesn't know and is just reading to support a friend, for which I'll say thank you. Unfortunately, I can't conclude the review with a slobberknocker sentence that puts everything into place. Instead, I'll wish every a good weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday for the return of Grimm.
Other Thoughts:
-Gregory Smith is terrific in this episode. Emily Vancamp's really effective too.
-Madison's band sounds horrible. I don't know if Sarah Lancaster sang the songs. Her voice, if she in fact sings, is similar to the Creed guy and off-key. I disagreed entirely with the fictional manager's praise of the group.
-The Nina divorce continues in next week's episode. I must commend Everwood's writing staff for the lawyer character. She delighted me from the first moment she speak. I think I fell in love with the fictional lawyer. Lisa Waltz portrayed this character.
-Bright earned three As on his report card. Ephram did poorly in Spanish. Amy earned Ds and Fs. Only Bright received a cake for his efforts.
-We met Ava, a yarn shop owner who also deals in fake IDs. She'll be back in season 4 to create problems for Bright.
-Rina Mimoun and Greg Berlanti wrote the episode. Michael Lange directed it.
UP NEXT: "Unfinished Business"--Amy moves back but experiences trouble adjusting to her old life; Ephram thinks Madison is going to break-up with him; Andy testifies on behalf of Nina. Watch the episode on Amazon.
THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK
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