Just when things got really intense on “Everwood” in February, along came “Summerland” for a couple of months to frustrate and annoy fans of the Colorado-set drama.
But let’s not dwell on the past, let’s just celebrate the fact that “Everwood” finally returns Monday (8 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9) with a splendid and moving outing.
“Everwood’s” Rocky Mountain setting is quite appropriate; the show and its characters certainly have their share of ups and downs. And even though the story lines occasionally dip in quality and veer into cliche, the overall quality of “Everwood” is miles higher than that of many more heavily hyped one-hour dramas.
“Everwood” left the airwaves in February with two of its characters figuratively poised on the edge of a cliff — and literally poised on the edge of a hotel rooftop, with Christo’s Central Park Gates art installation in the background.
Ephram Brown (Gregory Smith) was in New York City, his former home, for an audition at the Juilliard music school. The high school senior had every reason to be in fine spirits: he was potentially returning to his former hometown in the fall to attend one of the best conservatories in the country, he had a loving girlfriend, Amy Abbott, back in Colorado, and he was finally getting along well with his father, Dr. Andy Brown (Treat Williams).
Andy was more troubled than his son as they contemplated the view of Central Park: He knew that Ephram’s approaching lunch date with his ex-girlfriend, Madison, could have terrible consequences for the boy and for his relationship with his son.
When Madison had left Everwood the year before, she had been pregnant by Ephram, and Andy had known about it, but hadn’t told his son. It was a little soap-opera-esque that she and the Browns just happened to run into each other when they arrived in New York City. But since so little of this powerful episode is superficial or pointlessly melodramatic, one is inclined to let that coincidence slide.
I wasn’t among the Madison fans when the bossy baby-sitter showed up in the Brown household last season, but Sarah Lancaster’s performance in Wednesday’s episode is so heartbreaking that I’m firmly in her fan club now.
To say more about what transpires between Ephram, Madison and Andy would be to ruin the episode for “Everwood” fans. But suffice to say that in Monday’s episode, Smith is every bit as impressive as Lancaster and the consistently fine Williams.
The richness of “Everwood” is such that the Madison plot is far from the only meaty story. The town’s other two doctors, who are well played by Tom Amandes and Scott Wolf, wrestle with a medical crisis:: Guest star Chris Penn makes an effective appearance as a father whose son is injured in a hunting accident.
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What parents do for their children — and to their children — is a perennial theme on “Everwood.” But, thank goodness, the show treats that topic with nuance and depth. Not that there’s anything wrong with hugging, but don’t tune into “Everwood” if you’re looking for one of those shows where everybody hugs at the end of each episode.
That certainly doesn’t happen Monday night.
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