Everwood "Ghosts" Review

Everwood returned from long hiatus (November-March) with “Ghosts” and “Lost And Found”. TheWB aired the rest of the season’s episodes uninterrupted, culminating in the two-part finale “Foreverwood”. The little cliffhangers from “Getting to Know You” lingered through the hiatus. Would Ephram and Amy get back together? What would happen to Jake? Would Andy and Nina get together? Of course, nothing happens except for delays. Sweet, sweet delays followed by emotional fallouts followed by non-resolutions.

Amy told Ephram what Joey Potter told Dawson Leery in season two after they broke up. Both characters, Amy and Joey, wanted to discover who they were  because they defined themselves for so long by their love for their respective boys. Amy told Ephram that “he’s her person,” which will circle back in the finale, but she needs her “Europe.” Ephram will move on and date other girls. He won’t pine for Amy like Silvius for Phoebe in the forest of Arden. The scene in which a classmate of Amy’s asks about dating Ephram implies that if she turns him down he may not be there when she’s finished her “Europe”. It’s all nonsense, though, because it’s Amy and Ephram forever. What you have here is a tried and true trope.

Out of nowhere in “Ghosts” comes Andy’s unresolved anger with Julia for cheating on him. “The Unveiling” in season 1 revealed that Julia had an affair. Andy seemed forgiving of it because of what he failed to provide her as her husband, but Ephram needed to hear that from his father. Ephram was in the midst of an emotional breakdown. Andy hadn’t forgiven her, a truth he needed Irv’s book to unearth. Irv, finally, published his novel based on Andy’s tragedy. In Irv’s book, Andy died alone. Andy lashed out at Irv for portraying him as a distraught doctor who dies alone. Irv justified his interpretation of Andy the person in his character based on Andy by arguing that Andy is still has sadness behind the eyes. I dislike this subplot. Irv looks especially bad. His judgment is imbued with benevolence, but it’s judgment, and even kinder judgments can be cruel. Irv was cruel.

The Kyle subplot rolled on with Ephram as a learned mentor. “Ghosts” had scene in slow motion of Ephram walking the County High halls again. The dude didn’t bother sticking around for graduation. Also, Ephram told Kyle that he’ll get past his rough teenage years as if he, Ephram, is not 18. The arc works for Ephram. He’s infinitely better as a reflective teacher type despite him acting like a forty year old.

Jake and Nina had a Dawson/Audrey moment. There’s an episode in Dawson’s Creek’s sixth season when Dawson visited Audrey at a rehab facility in California after she destroyed the side of his house.  Dawson ends up using trying to advance his film career by stalking a big name producer who’s in rehab. Nina decided to help Jake by giving him another chance. Without her he would’ve left for a new town in a new state. He wouldn’t change. Hannah helped Nina understand she had the power to help Jake.

“Ghosts” is about change. Ephram changed. He showed Kyle how he changed by pointing out that he dated the most popular girl in school and became best friends with the most popular guy. Andy admired his son’s change when he saw him help Kyle with his Julliard essay. Andy realized all the ways he changed and the part of him that hadn’t changed.

It’s not a great episode for a re-watch. It has the annoying aspects of “A Kiss to Build A Dream On”.

David Hudgins wrote the episode. Ellen S. Pressman wrote the episode.