The TV Chick

Last night’s penultimate episode of season 1 titled “Father Unfigured” (I am refusing to concede that there’s a possibility there might not be a season 2) focuses on family. The idea of family on this amazing show is unconventional, but it works. Lux/Cate/Ryan/Baze have become a family, as different as it may be. And I love it. The episode started off with Ryan and Cate bantering over their wedding e-vite. Baze (aka BeerDrinkr420) had not yet replied yet. Baze is agonizing over his decision and asking Bug for advice. He shares with Bug that Abby thinks he has a crush on Cate. He asks if it’s weird to want to smell someone, and clearly is in denial about his feelings. Bug tells Baze to keep his distance, until he figures things out.

In wedding preparation mode, Cate and Lux are searching through Cate’s mom’s attic for her grandmother’s broach (something old). In the midst of searching, Lux stumbles upon a bunch of old, unopened cards. It turns out they were birthday cards from her father, who she was led to believe left and didn’t care about her.

Back at the bar (or shall I say behind the bar), some of Bug’s old “friends” pay him a visit and beat him up, claiming he owes them money. Baze arrives and breaks up the fight, but not without a lecture. He tells Bug that these people better not come around the bar again or he won’t have a job anymore.  Whew, harsh words Baze, harsh words. Bug is trying to turn his life around!

Later, Cate confronts her mother about the cards. Cynthia Stevenson is really wonderful in this scene. She didn’t want to give Cate any false hope which is why she didn’t give her the cards. She only did what was best for her. Cate won’t let it go. Apparently her mom had told her that her dad was a womanizer and couldn’t hold down a job. Apparently she lied about his reasons for leaving the family, and Cate accuses her own mom of being the problem. Back at home, Cate is venting about her dad to Lux and Ryan. Lux wisely states that it’s not too late to have a relationship. Cate decides that before she is going to get married, she wants to go see her father in Lake Tahoe.

Lux shows up at Baze’s to find Bug amidst an incredibly trashed bar. Apparently, Bug’s “friends” did this as payback. Bug tells her he needs some time, he will fix up the bar, she just has to sidetrack Baze/shut down the bar for a few days. She decides to ask Baze to come on the road trip with her and Cate. She nicely plays both Cate and Baze, saying she’s never gone on a family road trip before, Ryan can’t come because he’s busy with wedding stuff, and they haven’t had a lot of family time together. Both Cate and Baze reluctantly agree, and Lux and Bug’s plan springs into action.

Road trip time! Bug helps them load the car and gets a nice speech from Baze about how much he appreciates his hard work. Ryan and Cate share a kiss filled goodbye, while Baze stares. (Bug catches him mid-stare). Baze shows Lux some tips on safe driving by State Farm insurance. Normally, I would hate this incredibly obvious product placement. However, it was rather unobtrusive and at this point, I don’t care what the show has to do to stay on the air (have an Apple iPad episode for all I care), because I would be so sad if it wasn’t given a second season. In any case, the road trip begins and Cate is preoccupied with wedding plans and constantly on her phone. Baze does everything in his power to get her off the phone: he turns up the music, swerves on the road…and then when she goes to pick up her phone, Baze smells her. He makes up some excuse about smelling feet. Of course, Lux sees everything and this just adds to the awkwardness…all while Starship plays in the background.

Cate continually has to use the bathroom on this road trip, which to me could be a sign of things to come. Is she pregnant? Who is the father? I mean, perhaps she really just has to pee a lot but this has to mean something, even if it is not an actual pregnancy. Baze of course decides to pull over to the corn dog stand, where they take ridiculous family photos. Cate can’t get any cell reception, which leads to more bickering between Cate and Baze which then leads to an accident involving a truck full of chickens. Baze just can’t get it right sometimes. The mechanic says it will be a day before the truck will be working again, and that all the hotels are booked up for a toddler pageant. They end up getting one room at a Bed and Breakfast, with 2 beds. Cate and Lux start off sharing a bed but in hilarious fashion, she literally kicks her off. Cate hops into bed with Baze (who offers to take the floor) and creates a “pillow wall” between them. She confesses that one of the reasons she wants to see her dad is because of his and Lux’s relationship. Baze fakes that he is sleeping while she compliments him.

In the morning, the pillow wall is gone and Cate and Baze wake up cuddling each other and wonder what happened. Nothing happened of course, but Baze offers to take the bus home. Lux is adamant that he stay (for obvious reasons), but explains that they are a family and they will be miserable together as a family. They go to visit Cate’s dad, Grant, who appears happy to see her at first, but then there is clearly something shady going on. Over dinner, she invites him to the wedding. He very reluctantly agrees, and Baze picks up on his bizarre attitude. Lux tells Baze that Cate and Grant are making plans to drive back to Portland so it might just be them on the road trip home. Baze confesses to Lux that he knows what Cate’s dad is like because he used to be that guy before Lux. He doesn’t think Grant wants to be a father. He wants to tell Cate, but Lux tells Baze that she won’t be mad at her dad if Baze says something, she’ll be mad at Baze.

Cate is on the phone with Ryan, telling him to change the place cards around and that she is going to ask her dad to walk her down the aisle. Baze walks in on this conversation, and when she hangs up, Baze comes clean. He tells her that Grant reminded him of himself and is freaked out by the dad thing. Cate accuses Baze of trying to mess things up, but Baze tells her she is looking out for her. Cate tells Baze that the only person in her life that consistently lets her down is him. Baze retorts that she can blame him all she wants for not being there, but he is there now. And if she took Lux away from her now, he would not give up until he found her. He was just trying to warn her that she’s looking for something that’s not there.

Lux checks in with Bug, who says she needs more time. Meanwhile, Baze walks out of the Bed and Breakfast (Cate technically kicked him out) and tells Lux that she was right, he shouldn’t have talked to Cate. He tells her that she should go with Cate and Grant, and he will make it up to her. Lux comes clean about Bug and the bar, and apologizes to Baze. Baze is understandably pissed off because the trip wasn’t meant to be a family road trip. He drives off, leaving Lux in the lurch.

The next morning, Cate and Lux are waiting for Grant but he doesn’t show up. Cate calls him on his cell phone and home phone to no avail. Finally, the owner of the Bed and Breakfast comes out and gives her a message from Grant saying he can’t make it. Cate decides to confront him. He is about to go fishing as her and Lux pull up. Cate tells Grant that all she wants is for him to be her dad. In an incredibly emotional scene, he explains that he married her mom because she was pregnant. She had Abby because she thought it might save the marriage. Being a husband and father and never being free to do what he wanted, was not what he bargained for. He tells her he loves her, but he can’t be what she wants him to be — it’s not the life he wanted then, and it isn’t what he wants now. Through tears, she tells him that all this time, she thought Baze wrecked her but it was really him. Cate goes to leave and Baze is there, with his truck. He tells her he couldn’t leave both her and Lux. She breaks down in tears, as Baze holds her.

They begin their road trip back, Cate joins in and sings Starship and they all come home wearing corn dog hoodies. Cate apologizes to Baze for taking everything out on him. She always wants him to be honest, and thanks him for being there, which he replies always. DEspite her new level of relationship with Baze, she goes home to Ryan. Lux goes back to the loft with Baze to be there when he talks to Bug. Cate goes to talk to her mom again and her mom gets the chance to explain herself. She asks if her mom was going to ever tell her the truth, and she says she meant to when Cate got older, but no one is ever old enough to have the truth hurt less. Cate asks her mom to walk her down the aisle and she accepts of course.

Back at the bar/loft, Lux is helping Bug get rid of the graffiti. Bug goes to talk to Baze and apologizes again. Baze doesn’t fire him, though. He doesn’t want to be punished for his past and he’s not going o punish Bug either. Way to go, Baze. You continually redeem yourself around every corner and I think you are awesome. Lux tells Baze that she has changed, and both her and Cate see it. She tells Baze that he is a really good dad. She asks how long it has been since he’s had feelings for Cate and he tells her he thought that if he gave it time, the feelings would dissipate, but he doesn’t want them to. They felt like family for the first time and it felt amazing. She tells Baze that she is ready…meaning ready to sign the paperwork to have Cate and Baze become her parents officially. In of the sweetest moments of the entire season, she tells Cate and Baze that she loves both of them. Whew, you had tissues ready for that scene right?

The entire show (not just this episode) is about family, but “Father Unfigured” addressed each character’s issues so perfectly. I love that Baze has been stepping up all season and continues to be there for Cate and Lux. If he had left Tahoe like he said he would, it wouldn’t have stayed true to his character and what his character has developed into. I could actually personally relate to Cate’s storyline a bit which made it that much better to watch. Tigelaar and the writers have done such an outstanding job grounding the show. No one on it is perfect but they are all so wonderful in their own ways. I still can’t decide whose team I am on. I think Baze and Cate inevitably are going to get together or realize that they need to be together, at least to find out if it could work. I feel bad for Ryan in this whole mess, since he’s a great guy, but in order for their relationship to move forward, both Cate and Baze have to admit to each other that they love each other. That’s right, I said love. I think their feelings go much deeper than just the desire to have some sort of fling. Lux, Cate, and Baze all want to be a family, and a part of me really wants that to happen. I cannot wait to see what the finale episode brings. I also can’t wait to see season two. Yeah, I’m just going to say it now, because I adore the show and I want to see more of it.

Life Unexpected airs Monday nights at 8 pm on the CW.