The 2012 Summer Re-Watch: Everwood "The Day is Done" Review

Madison's pregnancy was the worst creative choice made by Greg Berlanti, Rina Mimoun Michael Green, and whoever else had the power to create a lousy and melodramatic pregnancy arc. Everwood's second season seemingly has nowhere left to go once Linda leaves the show. The final two episodes are the equivalent of busy-work; the kind of work teachers make students do when there's no actual work to do, but both teacher and student are stuck together for the next seven hours, and so the students color or make stick figures. Any first time viewer of the second would wonder where the series is going in the season finale. Sure, Ephram's going to New York and needs to decide how to be with Amy, and Harold's job status needs to be solved, but beyond that, life in Everwood is fine.

Until Madison shows up in Andy's train station, that is. The Madison pregnancy storyline derailed my interest in Everwood until it ended. Only on a re-watch of seasons three and four did I soften and forget about the moments when Madison would ruin everything. Season 2's already a shaky season of TV. Amy's out-of-character during her seven episode Lifetime Movie of the Week arc, and Madison and Ephram do the same stuff every episode. The focus and purpose of season 1 died with the character Colin Hart. Season 2's all over the place tonally. Madison's pregnancy is the low point of the series.

A week after Andy Brown's personal arc comes a bit full circle, the writers basically, "eh not so fast, viewers." The same Andy Brown, who acknowledged he didn't save Donald's life, but rather his quality of life, transforms into the hardened prick of a surgeon he was in the scenes with Madison. Madison wants to be sure before she tells Ephram. Andy decides Ephram needn't know, because he's so excited about Amy and the Julliard summer program. In the worst scene of the series, Andy banishes Madison from Everwood with the promise he'll meet her every comfort. Madison's shocked and speechless. Andy's motives are terrible, especially when he talks about the death of Julia being the reason his son should not know about the pregnancy; his innocence is important and blah blah blah.

Andy's dream are designed to contextualize his behavior in the present. The dream happens in New York City, seemingly 3 years ago, because Julia is alive and Andy is beardless. Andy's late for a Friday night dinner. He arrives to see his family gathered around the table, laughing and enjoying themselves. Andy stands, watches, and smiles, and then wakes up. His interpretation is: life knocked him on the ass three years ago and he hasn't gotten back up, that he'd give everything he gained back if he had Julia back in his life. Harold listens and disagrees, imparting great wisdom to his bearded friend about life and its lone certainty being that it keeps happening, so count your blessings when things are bad and be grateful when things are good. Their conversation concludes with Andy's offer about them working as partners, which Harold accepts.

The answer to Andy's odd behavior throughout the episode does reside in the dream; it's just Andy misses its meaning. The dream isn't of the past, it's of the present--this weird dream-present where he's the same New York doctor getting the same looks of resentment from his son and the same lack of sympathy from Julia. Julia leaves him alone at the table after wondering aloud what it will take to wake him up, that what she thinks it will take scares her; and, of course, what it took to wake Andy up was her death. Andy's remembering the former life he lived throughout the episode. He dreads Ephram's trip. Subconciously he fears life returning to the way it was. The worst aspect of his fear is the absence of Julia. Andy wants to protect Ephram from Madison's news, confident he'll maintain the life he worked so hard to put right. It won't work out, but he'll have more normalcy with his son before he learns the truth.

The regression of Andy's character was an unfortunate circumstance of the series renewal. Andy couldn't have peace with another season of story to tell. The Andy-Ephram relationship couldn't be permanently healed either. Andy's arc wasn't necessarily complete, because the writers wanted Andy to find a new wife; however, the harmonious Brown household didn't need to be disrupted. I think it's a sign of lazy writing to throw in a pregnancy surprise in the last episode of a season, because it shows the writers had nothing better than one of the oldest tropes-for-drama in the business. It's so disappointing for a show that nailed its first season.

Ephram and Amy were finally put together in "The Day is Done," and Harold and Andy finally became best friends forever in Harold's failed bagel shop. The bagel shop storyline of Harold's is ridiculous. Harold buys the space and opens for business a day later and then closes the following day because no one in Everwood eats bagels. Harold and Andy's conversation redeems the story, though. Ephram and Amy waste twenty minutes before kissing and agreeing to go steady during a picnic. The wonderful coda to their story in the finale is Amy surprising him on his flight. Season 3's a lousy season, but Amy and Ephram, the couple, make up for a lot of the nonsense.

The Everwood re-watch ends today. I won't write about the series anymore, because Everwood posts are about as popular as camping in the Siberian wilderness. I wrote about season three, and I wrote about "Foreverwood." I feel like I've covered my bases. I'll always love the first season of the show, but I feel indifferent about seasons two and three, and slightly less indifferent about season four. The worst qualities of the show were highlighted more than its strengths after season one, which produced a weaker show. In the fall of 2004, I watched season three but I barely remember watching it week-to-week, because a series called LOST was blowing my mind every week.

And next summer I will write about a LOST season once more.

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