FINALE BLOWOUT: Thanks for Four Wonderful Years 'Everwood!' Plus 'The Shield' Gets Another Season and Casting News

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Everwood was at the top of its game and on its way to a fifth season when The WB and UPN decided to shut down and form the unified CW network this fall. Had that never happened, there's no doubt in my mind that last night's amazing two hours of television would have simply been the season finale instead of the series finale. Honestly, this is the hardest edition of Pass the Remote that I have had to write so far. I spent most of the two hours trying to keep it together because I knew that the moment that the tears started flowing, it was all over. And, I really didn't want to spend 2+ hours crying. I managed to suppress the tears until Andy visited his wife's grave and said goodbye. I recovered somewhat, but that Amy/Ephram montage sent me back over the edge, and there was no going back. By the time the Best. Ending. Scene. Ever!! was over, I was a bumbling mess. There were happy tears for the fantastic ending and the outstanding two hours of television that I had just watched, and then there were the sad tears for the end of a show that will forever land on all of my Best of Television lists. I still have to fight back tears as I write this entry today. BUT, I decided last night that I didn't want to make this a sad or bitter entry because a show like Everwood deserves so much better for its series finale. So, today's entry is all about celebrating a show that moved us, touched us, made us cry, made us laugh and made us jump for joy in more times in its four short years than most shows do in ten. Yes, for one day only I'm going to throw away my bitterness toward the CW and its mind-blowing decision to renew 7th Heaven over Everwood (OK, so maybe I got one jab in there).


There are many things that I 'm going to miss about Everwood. All of the characters, especially Amy and the rest of the Abbotts, will forever hold a special place in my heart. I know that Amy has gone through ups and downs with the audience, but I never lost faith in her. She returned to the Amy that I always knew and loved as the season wound down, especially last night when she realized that she was still in love with Ephram. I will also miss the hysterical scenes that help lighten the show's often heavy tone like last night's scenes with Nina and Hannah. I loved the way Nina spilled about the ring to Hannah, and then how Hannah hinted that they should go check it out. It was even funnier when they actually went to sneak a peek at the ring and almost got caught. If it hadn't been for Hannah's hysterical quick thinking then Andy wouldn't have been frantically wondering what happened to his ring. I still can't believe that Nina took it with her. Of course, this set up a pivotal scene between her and Jake that led to their tearful goodbye at the airport. And speaking of that tearful goodbye, I'm going to miss the way this show presents the true complexities of human relationships. Sure, Nina loved Jake, but too much of her heart belonged to Andy in order to give it fully to Jake. In reality, she was being unfair to herself and Jake, and I wanted to stand up and hug him for being such a good person about the entire thing. See, now I'm also going to miss Jake. One of the biggest things that I'm going to miss is scenes like this one between Amy and Hannah. It has to be the most honest scene I have ever seen on a television show, so yes, I'm also going to miss Everwood's "keep it real" approach.




Series finales always evoke a sense of nostalgia and sadness, but they can also come across a little clichéd and sappy. Everwood managed to wrap things up with the same class and dignity that the show has always graced us with. It was the perfect ending because it brought closure to important story lines, but also left some open. Hannah and Bright aren't back together, but her decision to go to A&M with him leaves hope that they might work things out one day. I'm glad the writers didn't bring them together just for the finale. After what Bright did, it is going to take a lot of time for Hannah to decide whether she can 100% forgive him. Life doesn't get wrapped up into nice little packages, so I don't expect my TV shows to either. Bringing Andy and Nina together was a long time coming and it never felt forced. We know that they’re happy together. The same goes with Amy and Ephram. The show would have done us a disservice had it not brought them together. We've all known the entire time, just like Ephram, that he and Amy would end up together. Having Amy rent that Ferris wheel was a beautiful way for the show to come full circle. I loved how they brought up the Grover reference because I had been thinking the same thing. But the Ferris wheel wasn't the show's only "full circle moment." Andy finally let go of Julia when he went to her grave site and said goodbye. It was a hard thing to do, but necessary for him to feel good about moving on. And Delia finally got her horse that Andy promised her in the pilot episode. I never imagined that the show would tie up a seemingly empty promise, but I was overjoyed to see that even a minor detail such as Delia’s horse, wasn't overlooked. Executive producer Rina Mimoun told TV Guide that the staff went back to the pilot to figure out all of the questions that fans would want answered in the finale, and that extra effort really paid off. The episode was a masterpiece in a body of work that tends to show us nothing less. If you need any further proof about the wonderfulness that was Everwood, look no further than last night's closing scene.



This scene instantly went down on my mental list of the best scenes in television history. It was joyous, poignant, sweet and perfectly acted by both Emily VanCamp and Gregory Smith. What an excellent way for a show to end its critically acclaimed run and to make all of its legions of fans proud and happier for having spent time, as limited as it may have been, in Everwood.

As the finale so beautifully exemplified, Everwood succeeded because it never failed to move us. Every episode was a tribute to good characters through good writing and acting, and this was what gave the show its soul. See, Everwood never had fancy special effects or centralized mysteries to hook viewers in. That’s because it didn’t have to – it had characters and stories that reached into our hearts and minds and made us think or cry or laugh or any number of other emotions. It was a show about people and how we all influence each other even when we think we don’t. It was about families divided by tragedies that somehow find a way back to each other. It was about holding on to a first love no matter what insurmountable obstacle you’re up against. And it was about the trials and tribulations of life that we can all find a way to relate to each week. It was simply one of television’s brightest spots that won’t burn out any time soon despite its end. I want to thank Greg Berlanti, Rina Mimoun, Mickey Liddell, the writing staff, the directing staff, the entire production staff, Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Emily VanCamp, Tom Amandes, Merrilyn Gann, Chris Pratt, Sarah Drew, Stephanie Niznik, Debra Mooney, John Beasley, Vivien Cardone, Scott Wolf and Justin Baldoni for four incredible years of quality television. We will miss you, Everwood, more than you know.

Teen Television has an awesome tribute to Everwood that is calls, "a quiet show filled with small, emotionally powerful moments that resonated." The site also says that Everwood had "some of the best drama writing the medium has seen in recent years," which makes the loss even harder to take for all of us fans. Perhaps the piece's most fitting thoughts are its last:

The actors and writers worked as hard as they could to make "Everwood" TV's best family drama. And they succeeded.

Too bad that wasn't enough.

Too bad, indeed.


Besides incredible storytelling and acting, last night's finale also gave us some great tunes. Here's a rundown of what you heard and where you can get it.

When Nina was preparing to leave Everwood for California and Delia was celebrating at her bat mitzvah, the poignant "This is Our Life" by Mary Beth Maziarz played over the scenes. You can find "This is Our Life" on Maziarz's album Wish. You can also snag the single from iTunes.



Later in the episode, we watched an emotional clip montage of Amy and Ephram through the years. The song was brand new and made its debut on the show last night. It's called "Ruins" and it's by a newly formed group called George is Jones. It's not out on an album or iTunes yet, but you can hear an exclusive audio clip over at TVGuide.com's Ask Ausiello.



Ephram danced with Amy at the bat mitzvah. It was the moment when both of them realized that they still loved each other, but neither said anything. Dave Matthews Band's "Steady As We Go" was the song they danced to. You can find the song on the band's Stand Up album. You can also download the song from iTunes.


Finally, executive producer Rina Mimoun sent a message to all of the show's fans via TVGuide.com's Mike Ausiello:

"final thank you to all our fans for all their hard work and effort. I'd love to give a giant cyberhug to everyone who has been so amazing to us."

This ends Pass the Remote's regular season discussions on Everwood, but don't worry because you'll be hearing a lot more from the fan favorite this summer on Pass the Remote. I have plenty of Everwood goodness planned. This also concludes the Finale Blowout season here at Pass the Remote. It has been a blast bringing you all the highlights from some of your favorite shows' finales. If you missed any Finale Blowouts, click on over to the Best of Pass the Remote at PassTheRemote.net.


QUICK CUTS

*FX wants to keep The Shield around for a little while longer. The hit police drama will wrap up after its 7th season, which is slated to hit the airwaves sometime in late 2007 or early 2008. Currently, the show is working on its 6th season that will premiere early next year. Star Michael Chiklis is signed on to return along with creator Shawn Ryan, but Forest Whitaker will make limited appearances in the upcoming season.

*And finally, actress Cybill Shepherd is returning to television. The former Moonlighting and Cybill star will join the cast of Showtime’s The L Word. She’ll play the president of the college that Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) attends who begins to question her sexuality. The show will begin its 4th season next year.

To get more of today's biggest TV news and headlines, visit the TV News section at PassTheRemote.Net.


That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a season recap. I'll have all the highlights, lowlights and everything in between from the 2005-2006 TV season. Plus, all the latest television news!


To get more television coverage, including the network's new fall schedules and a complete archive of the best of Pass the Remote with a photo gallery featuring pictures from the set of Veronica Mars, click on over to PassTheRemote.net.