The TV Chick

All of the readers of this site know that I absolutely adore Life Unexpected. The cast is wonderful, and the creator has put her heart and personal experiences into this new series. The show premiered last week to record numbers for the CW, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’ve had the chance to see the first three episodes, and it just continues to build off the fantastic pilot.

The 2nd episode “Home Inspected” centers around Cate and Baze figuring out Lux’s living situation. The social worker in charge of Lux’s case needs to inspect their homes to see where Lux will be staying. Of course, Baze screws this up (can we say bong lamp?) Cate is also still trying to grapple with her feelings in “adopting” Lux, and is forced to lie on the radio about her pregnancy.

Meanwhile, we see a very different side of Lux. In the pilot, she is this vulnerable young girl who needs guidance. She is certainly still this way, but we realize she is quite independent. She has a group of friends and an agenda entirely outside of Cate and Baze that I didn’t even see coming. I don’t want to spoil too much, but Liz Tigelaar revealed in an earlier interview for the site that we meet Lux’s boyfriend, Bug. And that we do. I have to say, at first I was surprised by this other side of Lux. She seemed so innocent and mistreated and this episode really exposes a tough, hard-edged side to her. But I actually really liked it. It gives her a level of complexity I never would have imagined, and it makes perfect sense that Lux would have friends from foster care. I love that these characters are flawed. They have doubts (as anyone would be in this situation), they screw up, they disappoint others and they struggle with their pasts.

All of the characters learn about themselves and about their relationships in this episode. Cate and Baze realize that having a kid doesn’t just mean cleaning up their homes for her. Lux realizes that her vision of the future before she met her new parents is vastly different from what it is now. But together they are a new family and that is what the show is about at its core. In the third episode, we get to meet Cate and Baze’s family (both very, very different) which is interesting to say the least. I can’t wait to see more in what is shaping up to be one of my new favorite shows.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 9 pm on the CW for Life Unexpected! And I have it on good authority that there will be a theme song!