From Liz Tigelaar’s LIFE UNEXPECTED page.
I started watching Life Unexpected on the weekend of my last birthday. I was feeling pretty homesick, and had DVRed a few weeks of the show. Mr. FF was nice enough to sit and watch with me – I was the birthday girl – and this is how my love of the show was born.
Here I am a year later. Less homesick. A lot closer to being married, and about to celebrate another birthday. Now it is my TV lineup that is feeling incomplete and unfamiliar. As of right now, Life Unexpected will no longer be included in it. It’s been an absolute joy to watch an original series with character that had such chemistry (on and off screen). It was touching, and funny and certainly had a way of bringing me comfort when a lot of new changes were thrust upon me.
I’m really no good at good-byes, or change for that matter. So I guess all I can do is celebrate a well-done series and bask in the two hours I just spent re-watching the final episodes.
What I noticed most is that this show is a love story. Not of Cate and Baze – although that was a part of it. It was the love story of a family. A unique one, sure. Everyone in this show was basically thrown into this family and no one kicked and screamed. Instead, they tried. All the time. Even if they were wrong, and messed up. They learned, they fought. There were misunderstandings and breakthroughs. But they never gave up. That’s the best kind of love story. One that may not be so conventional, but one that is worth the sacrifice and compromise. Worth the rerouting of many lives.
I think this theme actually got lost a little along the way during Season 2. I know the network kings demanded more drama, but I missed the love story. Even if Cate and Baze were not going to be together, I would have liked to see them grow within their friendship and their job as parents to Lux. Two people can successfully lean on each other without being in a relationship, and I am always going to be left to wonder about this perspective. (Example: after Emma left in “Affair Remembered” and Cate found out she lost her baby, there could have been a Cate and Baze scene.)
These last two episodes did provide a lot of Lux and Cate time, as well as Lux and Baze time. Lately, there was a lot of that missing too. I have been continually impressed by the acting talents of Shiri and Britt through the series. But they both shone in their final scenes together. Their chemistry is impeccable and emotionally, they just feed off each other so well. I can’t even handle it sometimes. It’s a big joke that they look nothing alike as mother and daughter, but in this scene, I can see the relation. Their characters are so alike, and have had to go through such dire situations and growth in their lives. And Baze. Up until Life Unexpected, I had only seen Kris in his Lifetime movie about John Kennedy Jr. and he has completely blown me away. His paternal instincts are right on, and I love ANY scene with him and Lux… even when they are driving in the car to school and he tells her she threw Emma’s affair with his dad in his face for the wrong reasons. Their closeness is always apparent; his depth of protection and affection for her is so pure. I was more than glad to get my fill of these scenes.
Now, I’m not sure if my next complaint exists because I feel so connected to the show, or just because… it’s true. I know the crew heard very last minute that they were not getting a back 9 and quickly altered things to close up some storylines. But it all felt a little rushed. (In fact, a friend who listens to my love of LUX turned into the last 2 shows and said the same thing. She’s not even an avid viewer.) Mostly, I’m wondering about the choice to include Julia’s pregnancy. To have Ryan say he is committed to Cate no matter what, and see two years later, obviously he is with Julia. I would have liked to see Cate deal more with her miscarriage, and the impossibility of more children. (I didn’t feel like her and Ryan’s reactions to the news were very organic or realistic. And maybe an appearance by her mother?)
I know many didn’t love the two-year jump. I could have gone either way. It would have been nice to end with the cast fixing up the bar and Cate coming in to talk to Baze (with or without the Julia news). Sharing a drink on the deck. On the other hand, I was so thrilled to see the two of them end up together (although, again… their chemistry is so strong and the chase would have been wonderful to see). Did Alice really have to end up with Math? (Everyone knows I have love for Math… in fact, I’m wondering why he couldn’t have been paired up with a wonderful blogger [a stretch] named after a cupcake?) Would have also liked to see Cate’s mom and sister there. Loved seeing Lux give her speech, especially after the learning challenges she once faced. I felt like a proud mother (and certainly cried like one too).
You know, if there wasn’t a two-year jump, people would have complained too. So what if it was so fairy tale and all wrapped up with a bow? The show deserved that much after its own network failed to stand behind it and nurture it. In fact, I think my biggest complaint about the fast-forward is that it wasn’t long enough. I could have used more than 2 minutes. Maybe half of an episode? Too many unanswered questions were left, when I think the jump was supposed to accomplish a feeling of finality. Then again, my emotions could be toying with me causing me to want more, more, and more of this show. (For all those wondering, my mascara is NOT waterproof.)
Just a few little tid-bits before I wrap up:
- If you have been following my reviews, you would know that I was not a fan of the Lux and Eric pairing at all. I thought it was typical, and completely unnecessary. But I think I was most concerned that this was all about physical attraction, and when I realized it wasn’t, I started to really like how the relationship took shape. He really was there for her; he was looking out for her. This was more than some passing attraction. In fact, it wasn’t about sex at all. They had a connection. (This is what made me so angry when I read a few reviews after the episode. I felt like a lot of jaded people were commenting on an emotion they had never experienced. I say: can it.) It took a real man to finally admit what was going on, and walk away. Even if it meant never talking to Lux again. (He also could have disclosed to Baze that they never slept together, but he didn’t. He took Baze’s anger with grace.) The scene when Lux confronts Eric on the doorstep of his apartment is one of my favorites of the entire series. You can tell how much they feel for each other, but how torn Eric is by what is weighing on his conscience.
- Even though I’ve been a fan of Cate and Baze since the beginning, I really enjoyed Emma Caulfield on the show. She brought so much hope into Baze’s life and really tapped into his own realization that he was a worthwhile man. I wish she had never slept with his dad, I really do. I would have liked to see where this relationship took them – as well as, Baze’s growing relationship with Sam.
- I was so happy to see Ryan and Cate back on the air together, Baze buying back his bar, and the reappearance of the corn dog sweatshirt (although, I was desperately anxious some red paint would get on it!)
- Glad they mentioned Trey and the trial from the previous episode. I was scared they would just forget about it. Interesting that Trey is out on bail; that trial would have been interesting to see.
- Can’t forget the humor in the show. Little diddies like: “The fire alarm will wake me up,” “Install a low-jack system in my butt,” and “Little dudes, they love me” were some of my favorites.
- Baze knows how to give a speech. “The point of having kids is to raise them up to be themselves, not you. If you are lucky they learn from your mistakes and turn out better.”
- And I can’t forget Jones’ wisdom: “Everyone has stuff that no one can see. If you are in high school, I think the most normal thing you could feel is not normal.”
I guess for now, that’s all she wrote. Literally. I’m crossing my fingers (and toes) that we do get to experience another season of Life Unexpected. But if it’s just not to be, I know I will be following its cast and crew wherever they land next. It’s kind of like what Cate said about Lux. If I started watching the show, knowing it would last only two short seasons, I would still have watched it regardless.
Thanks for making my Tuesday nights worthwhile.
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