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"Everwood" was always the
wonderful drama on the WB that was humble, but very
emotional and gripping. At its cheesiest it was
basically bearable to sit through, but most times it was
absolutely compelling to watch and enjoy in its scenic
and conservative sensibilities. Every thread and
character was just magnificent and it's good that Warner
has finally released every season on DVD once and for
all allowing folks a chance to see what they may have
missed out on. It's a shame because the third season is
where the writers were finally finding their strides and
developing some fantastic new sub-plots. Ephram returns
from Juliard after spending the summer with Amy in New
York and has left everyone of his friends waiting for
him to return. Sadly, Ephram has changed some and there
is a distance between him and his group at Everwood.
What we learn in the coming episodes after his arrival
is pretty tragic and there's definite melodrama to be
had. Not to mention Andy hasn't revealed to Ephram that
his ex-girlfriend Madison is pregnant and what she's
planning to do about Ephram's child. In this season
Brighton finally admits his feelings for the sweet and
adorable Hannah, the girl he least expected to fall for.
And to add to an interesting cliffhanger, Andy admits
his feelings for his gorgeous neighbor and best friend
Nina as her relationship her boyfriend Jake progresses. |
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Scott Wolf enters the
scene to create obligatory romantic friction with
Nina and soon forms a divide between Andy and Nina
as he forms a relationship with her over the course
of the season. While Wolf is a strong actor who is
likable, his performance as Jake is forgettable, and
it becomes apparent from his introduction that he's
just been included to add some tension to a show
that was on the verge of being in a rut. On a
lighter note, the addition of Hannah in season three
creates some of the best storylines of the series by
far. Sarah Drew's down to Earth portrayal of this
mousey but attractive young girl was awkward when
she first appears, but she manages to considerably
mesh with the entire cast, finding her footing in
the second half of the season. Her relationship with
Amy and Brighton creates some great moments in the
third season. Drew's performance as this character
remains a highlight in a wide array of humble
performances and her character is consistently
likable and charming. Although it's tough to choose
among a variety of well fleshed out and interesting
characters my favorite continues to be Brighton.
Played by "Parks and Recreations" star Chris Pratt,
his evolution is quite great as he begins as a
bully, develops in to a likable slacker, finds a
sense of responsibility with his romance with
Hannah, and in season four there's an interesting
development that forces him to take a second look at
himself and his direction in life. Meanwhile Amy's
own confrontation with her mother's battle with
cancer adds a tragic undertone as she must decide if
she wants to go off to college and leave her to fend
for herself. The final episode ends on a
considerable cliffhanger that causes Andy and Nina
to re-evaluate their feelings for one another and it
makes for some great friction in the final season. "Everwood"
is such an engrossing and charming little drama
series and it's sad that it was given the axe and
never properly paid enough respect after it
disappeared from the airwaves. But with the sharp
DVD collection, you'll find, as I did, that it's
still a damn good drama. |
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