The Second Season

Everwood's second season was a longtime coming. Due to licensing issues, it took almost five years after the first season to be released on DVD. This season continues to build upon its strong qualities with a wholesome cast, superb writing, and plenty of rich drama that never feels over-the-top. The events take place after the dramatic season one finale. Andy had operated on Colin again, but complications surfaced during the surgery. He did not save the boy and feels very guilty about it. To make matters worse, as season two begins, everyone in Everwood blames him for killing Colin. It sets a very dramatic tone for the season as Everwood's inhabitants learn to deal with it.

After Colin's death, Amy headed down a troubled path. She loses any desire to go to college and her relationships (parents, Ephram) turn cold. Eventually, Amy meets a Tommy Callahan (Paul Wasilewski), who is not exactly a parent's dream of a boyfriend. He is the local bad boy and his interests in Amy are not wholesome. She also runs away from home, when her new interests clash with her parents'. As the season progresses, Amy goes through a dramatic experience with Tommy and cleans up her act. She also rekindles her relationships with her parents and Ephram. The Amy-Ephram relationship gets pretty serious.

Early into the season, Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) is introduced as a new character. She plays Dr. Linda Abbott, who is Harold's sister. Linda had been traveling around the globe practicing a non-traditional form of medicine. She surprises everyone in Everwood, mainly her brother, when she decides to stay, and joins her Harold's practice. Her introduction causes lots of drama, as her brother learns to deal with her alternative approach to medicine. In addition, she becomes a love interest for Andy. Unfortunately, there are some other complications surrounding her past, which get pretty serious when it is revealed and force Harold make serious comprises in the professional arena.

Madison Kellner (Sarah Lancaster, Chuck) is another new face introduced this season. She is a reoccurring character hired by Andy to take care of Delia. She is a young college student and develops a romance with Ephram. At first, she treats him poorly and they do not get along. However, they eventually kindle an awkward romance. The relationship is troubled, as she is older and in college. Their relationship causes some interesting drama that Andy is forced to get in the middle of to prevent future hardships for his son.

As for the rest of the season, there are a number of developments. Ephram continues his passion for music and tries to get into a summer program at the Juilliard School of Music. Also in relation to Ephram's music, James Earl Jones guest stars as his new mentor. The Abbot's boy Bright struggles with the death of his brother and handles it better than his sister. He also develops a strong friendship with Ephram. Nina goes through a messy divorce and risks losing custody of her child. Medical-related issues continue to be at the forefront. Andy and Harold deal with some interesting concerns, such as underage sex parties, a remarried woman who wants to have in-vitro fertilization with her deceased husband--something the new husband does not think highly of, teenagers and birth control, and risky surgeries.

Overall, Everwood's second season has a lot of the same qualities found in its first. The show has a wholesome feel to it with a refreshing cast that is easy to follow as they go through the ins and outs of life. This season had a great tempo as new plotlines, relationships, and characters were introduced. The plotlines involving the Ephram-Madison relationship, Amy downward spiral, and the continued contention between Andy and Harold, as well as the addition of Linda, offered plenty of intriguing and exciting drama. In the end, fans will appreciate having season two on DVD.

Episode Guide

1. The Last of Summer: Colin's death leaves the entire town in shock and Andy's practice in limbo. Amy in particular turns against Andy as she struggles to organize a memorial service for Colin and to deal wit her own grief.
2. Extra Ordinary: Andy and Harold are excited about college, but their kids may not be. Ephram wants to skip the SAT to apply to performing arts schools, Amy ignores a Princeton rep, and Bright, whose best hope is an athletic scholarship, is thrown off the football team.
3. My Brother's Keeper: This means war! Sibling rivalry erupts when Harold's globe-trotting physician sister returns home to join his practice. Andy confronts parents who refuse to believe their middle school-age kids are sexually active.
4. East Meets West: Life is strife. The two Dr. Abbotts clash over the virtues of Western and Eastern healing, Delia's babysitter tries to micromanage Ephram, Colin's father won't stop drinking and Nina contends with her divorce.
5. Daddy's Little Girl: What's the matter with Delia? The usually well-behaved youngster pouts and spouts profanity when Andy invites Linda Abbott to dinner. A therapist suggests putting Amy on antidepressants to help her cope.
6. Blind Faith: Madison steers Ephram straight after he flunks his driving test... and he thanks her with a big kiss. Rev. Keyes battles his oncoming blindness with prayer instead of medicine.
7. Three Miners from Everwood: Andy and both Dr. Abbotts rush to the scene of a disaster at Everwood's coal mine. With the nearest ambulances hours away and without sufficient supplies the three must work miracles in the dark.
8. The Burden of Truth: "Phil's never wrong." The local mechanic has psychic abilities. His most recent coup: identifying a case of meningitis Andy misdiagnosed as flu. Now the whole town is at Phil's doorstep, hoping to know the future.
9. Just Like in the Movies: Love has Everwood in its bewitched-and-bewilder grasp. Andy sends Linda a roomful of roses, Ephram tries reverse psychology on Madison, a stutter sings his feelings, and Amy is attracted to the town's answer to James Dean.
10. Unhappy Holidays: On Thanksgiving, families gather together... but they sure don't stay that way. Secrets are revealed, tempers flare and the Brown and Abbott households fly apart before you can say, "White meat or dark?"
11. Family Dynamics: The Abbotts are relieved that their runaway daughter only ran as far as Grandma's house. But Rose won't take Amy back until she agrees to follow some tough house rules and Amy isn't feeling agreeable.

12. Controlling Interest: To compete at a lighter level, a star high school wrestler turns to bulimia. He isn't the only one longing for control: Ephram wants Madison to make their relationship public and Bright decides to discourage Amy's new boyfriend with his fists.
13. Forget Me Not: Ephram is making his relationship with Madison into a full-time job... with no time for old pals like Amy. Like son, like father: Andy's so wrapped up in Linda that he ignores Nina when she needs him most.
14. No Sure Thing: Everybody's doing it. Ephram and Madison decide to become intimate. They're not the only ones going horizontal: Amy asks Andy for a prescription for birth control pills and Andy plans Linda's first sleepover.
15. The L Wood: When Ephram tells Madison he loves her, she responds with "um." Not what a crazy-for-you guy wants to hear. Has he blown it? Can he take it back? Ephram gets a bright idea, ask Bright for advice.
16. Unspoken Truths: A Take of two parties. Madison has a gig at a bar, so Ephram uses a fake ID to get in and buys way too many drinks. And Tommy takes Amy to a party where they mix vodka and drugs, with disastrous results.
17. Unfinished Business: Nina faces something worse than divorce: Her soon-to-be ex wants custody of their son. Andy offers an arm to lean on, money for a lawyer and testimony he hopes will keep Nina and her little boy together.
18. Last Looks: While Bright's football buddies receive their college acceptance packets, all he gets are little envelopes that say "sorry, loser". Also: Can Madison still be Delia's sister even if she and Ephram are splitsville?
19. Sick: When they find out that Linda is HIV positive, the citizens of Everwood desert the Abbotts' medical practice. But wait, it get worse. The revelation may lead to Harold losing his malpractice insurance.
20. Do or Die: Hello, goodbye. The same time that Linda decides to leave Everwood, Andy's mentor, Dr. Douglas, arrives with a special request. More bad timing: On his way to the prom with Amy, Ephram bumps into Madison.
21. Your Future Awaits: The sun will come up tomorrow... maybe. Bright decides to skip graduation, Harold can't find malpractice insurance, Ephram auditions for Julliard and Andy wants to perform risk brain surgery in hopes of saving Dr. Douglas.
22. The Day Is Done: Rx: a bagel and cream cheese? Harold closes the medical office to open a bagel shop and that's just the first of many surprises as the Brown family finishes its second year in Everwood.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are some occasional moments when the picture suffers compression artifacts. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. Needless to say, the show should look good on bigger television sets

Audio:
The audio in this DVD release contains an English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound track. The dialogue throughout the entire season is clear and understandable, but it is relatively flat, which is expected. The audio is complemented with subtitles in the English and French languages.

Extras:

• Deleted Scenes: are included for episodes "Extra Ordinary", "Daddy's Little Girl", "Blind Faith", "Three Miners from Everwood", "Family Dynamics", "Controlling Interest", "The L Word", "Unfinished Business", "Sick", "Your Future Awaits", and "The Day Is Done".

Final Thoughts:
Everwood's second season was long-awaited by fans on DVD. It took almost five years for it to be released. In this season, the wholesome drama continues with new problems, drama, characters, and relationships as the Browns, the Abbots, and others in Everwood go through some interesting developments. Fans of the show will not be disappointed, as it continues to build up the show's strong qualities by being enticing without going over the edge.