Confessions of a TV-holic: Life Unexpected - Portrait Magazine, March 2010 Issue
Confessions of a TV-holic: Life Unexpected
By Angela Lee (Age 22, Australia)
“Hi my name is Angela and I’m a TV-holic...”
I watch way too much TV for my own liking – I think that’s all you really need to know about me. Since I watch so much TV, I’ve decided to channel it into good use and write a column every month, each focusing on different television shows. I will admit that I have an unhealthy obsession for teenage dramas but my tastes to expand beyond that – so give up on me just yet! I’d also love to hear your thoughts so feel free to leave me a comment!
When Life Gives You Surprises, You Make....
Lux – The catalyst for Life UneXpected.
So before The CW, there was The WB and UPN, and The CW was formed as a merge of the two networks. Launching a new network is never easy and The CW tried to forge a new identity for themselves with glitz and glamour teen dramas like Gossip Girl and 90210. Whether that has been successful for them is debatable, as evidenced by The CW’s ratings. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to see The CW go back to their WB roots with the new drama Life Unexpected. What I used to love about The WB was the that their shows were not only relatable for its young demographic but that it also featured shows that teens felt comfortable watching with their parents and enjoying – think Gilmore Girls and Everwood, and it certainly feels like that with Life Unexpected.
We’ve got our money on Brittany Robertson (aka Lux) as the CW’s next big star.
In my own humble opinion, I think going back to the WB style basic roots could be a recipe for success or at least potential and might be what The CW needs to draw viewers back in. And yes, Life Unexpected may at the time of print have yet to be picked up for a second season, things are looking positive for the show, so we can only keep our hopes up for the time being.
Before I launch into discussing the show in this month’s column, it’s probably worth noting the WB, UPN, and CW alumni who star in this show. Funnily enough, Kerr Smith, who plays Ryan Thomas, starred in Dawson’s Creek and Charmed, both of which were on The WB.
Shiri Appleby, who plays Cate Cassidy, is best known for her role as Liz Parker on Roswell, which aired on The WB, before switching to UPN. While Kristoffer Polaha, who plays Nate ‘Baze’ Bazile, starred on the short and sweet CW show Valentine alongside former The O.C. star Autumn Reeser – just to put all that out there.
Shiri Appleby with the Roswell cast including Katherine Heigl.
Kerr Smith with the cast of Dawson’s Creek. Do you recognize his still famous co-stars?
Kristoffer Polaha during his Valentine days.
Life Unexpected is the brain child of Liz Tigelaar, who also worked on Brothers and Sisters, a show critically acclaimed for its ensemble cast and effectively conveying the importance of family – so already we have high hopes for this little small town drama. Life Unexpected is set in the town of Portland where life sucks for 15 year old foster kid Lux (played by Brittany Robertson). Bouncing from one crappy foster family to the next her entire life, Lux decides her only option is to become an emancipated minor as her 16th birthday approaches. But in order to present her case to the courts, she has to track down her biological parents – 30 something year old Nate ‘Baze’ Bazile, child at heart, who owns a bar and local radio star Cate Cassidy.
We’ve grown fond of this awkward little family.
Cate and Baze slept together on prom night and once Cate realised she was pregnant, they knew they weren’t ready to raise a child and so they gave her up for adoption. Unknown to them, because of heart troubles she had when she was a baby, Lux was never adopted and instead placed into foster care. Cate and Baze sign the papers but when Lux presents her case to court, the judge puts her in the care of her biological parents. A slightly awkward situation since Cate despises Baze and is now engaged to her radio co-host Ryan Thomas, and wants nothing to do with Baze!
Life Unexpected Trailer:
Sometimes it’s just nice to watch something that reminds us of home.
So where does the old school WB vibe come in? Well from her experience in foster homes, Lux has grown up to be a snarky and slightly cynical – but I prefer the term ‘street-smart’ teen, who doesn’t exactly trust people easily. That’s definitely something young people can relate to while growing up. She does immediately form a bond with Baze – which is a joy to watch, most likely because of his laid back Peter Pan like nature. Cate definitely eases into the ‘mom’ role quickly and isn’t long before misunderstandings occur between her and Lux, reminiscent of a relationship between a teenage daughter and her mother. But the point is, neither of the relationships with her parents are perfect and that’s something that not just young people can relate to but also their parents. It’s family friendly in a way without coming off as preachy.
Two worlds collide – Lux and Bug with Cate and Baze.
At the heart of this show is Lux, who is trying to balance out the two different worlds in her life. First there’s her new life with Cate and Baze and their world, and then there’s also her old world with her boyfriend Bug (played by Rafi Gavron), best friend Tasha (Ksenia Solo), and Tasha’s boyfriend Gavin (played by Rhys Williams), and they’ve always had her back so she’s not going to completely turn her back on them because she has a new life and family. But juggling those two worlds is difficult, especially when Cate pulls Lux out of her old high school because of the rough kids that attend there, and enrols Lux into the high school that Cate and Baze attended, where the kids are from a higher socio-economic background. It’s a world that Lux is unfamiliar with but curious about and attempts to fit in with. Sure the conflicts between the two can be a little clichéd at times, but then you have some sweet and heartfelt moments like when Lux invited Cate and Baze into her world on the rooftop with Tasha, Bug, and Gavin.
And if spoilers are any indication, we’ll see Lux get further and further drawn into this new world and neglecting her old world, especially if she gets a new love interest. But just remember, you can’t forget your roots and where you came from that easily!
Cate & Ryan: Chemistry on air and off air.
However, it’s not just Lux’s life that has changed but her biological parents and those in their lives – the supporting characters. Cate was well known for her on air single thirty something year old, somewhat jaded and unlucky in love persona to her loyal radio listeners out there. She had a great snarky relationship happening with her on air co-host – the charming and fun loving Ryan Thomas, who she was secretly dating off air. Just as Lux came into the picture, Ryan and Cate were living together and he had just proposed. So the arrival of Lux turned their lives upside down as Ryan wondered what else Cate had been hiding from him. The writers of Life Unexpected could have easily taken the easy way out and made Ryan this big jerk who resented Lux for coming into their lives. They also could have made Ryan leave Cate because he was unable to accept all these changes. Yet to their credit, not only have they written Ryan to stick around and made him a main character, but he’s also a likeable guy, who yes is a little hurt by what Cate was hiding from him, but was quick to make the effort to accept Lux and welcome her into his life and Cate’s. What I also like is the fact that I WANT to see Ryan and Cate make it, and that isn’t your typical show where viewers want to see the two estranged parents get their happily ever after! I like the fact that Lux has both Baze and Ryan in her life.
Ryan is just as much a part of Lux’s new family as Baze and Cate.
In fact, while I adore the relationship between Lux and Baze, I am also a big fan of any scenes that Ryan and Lux have together, and the fact that Ryan doesn’t try to be Lux’s father but is still there for her. It’s been pointed out on a few occasions that Lux and Ryan are in similar situations when it comes to Cate and having Cate open herself up to them, and I do enjoy that connection that Lux and Ryan have.
The three musketeers: Baze, Math, and Jamie.
And let’s not forget the changes Lux has brought to Baze’s and his friends’ lives. Prior to Lux, Baze was content with living above his bar, drinking at all hours of the day and messing around with women – he was like Peter Pan and didn’t want to grow up. Then Lux knocked on his door and wham bam he’s a dad! Baze could have easily turned her away, but with daddy issues of his own, he connected with Lux and formed a bond with her. It was this bond that inspired him to shape up and be a better person. His friends/co-workers/roommates – Math (played by Austin Basis) and Jamie (played by Reggie Austin) happily went along with this because Baze was their best friend and best friends have each other’s backs. It probably helped that Lux was a cool kid too! So with Math and Jamie’s help, Baze also had to think about ways to drum up business with his bar so he could earn a living to support his child. Of course it wouldn’t be fun if these guys completely grew up! They still like to have fun while trying to be responsible – turtle races at the bar was a good example of that. ;) Because Jamie and Math are such a big part of Baze’s life, it also means that’s inevitable that Cate will become of their lives too. This is good news for Math because he had a huge crush on Cate in high school and the reintroduction of her into his life as reignited those feelings! Awww.
Life Unexpected Fanvid - Get Up:
So what are your thoughts on the show? Do you agree or disagree? I’d love to hear from you all! You can share your thoughts at: tvholic.portraitmag@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter where I tweet about my thoughts on what’s happening in the TV world. Follow me at: http://www.twitter.com/PortraitTVHolic.
