Life UneXpected

[WyldeMan45]

The CW's newest hit, Life Unexpected, might be garnering endless comparisons to the network's former mama-drama series, but if you ask us—and its stars, Shiri Appleby (Cate) and Britt Robertson (Lux)—the similarities are there, but LUX is a wonderful world all its own.

If you still haven't taken our advice, and hopped on the witty and endearing Life Unexpected bandwagon, get in here and see what you've been missing...

Baze or Ryan? In just three episodes, Life Unexpected has already managed to do what some series take years to develop: the love triangle. Is Cate meant to be with her perfect fiancé, Ryan (Kerr Smith), or her wayward baby daddy, Baze (Kristoffer Polaha)? The ladies are taking sides:

"Can your soul mate be this person who knocked you up in the back of a minivan? She has unrequited feelings for him that she has to come to wrestle with," Shiri ponders. "Cate wants [Baze] in Lux's life as her father...but it starts interfering with the relationship Cate has with Ryan."

To put it simply: "She gets very territorial about that."

Britt's more straightforward about who her TV mama should choose. "Originally when we did the pilot, everybody wanted Cate to be with Baze. Then when I got to know her character and really got into the show a little bit more, I realized, Cate's supposed to be with Ryan!"

Dun-dun! Britt does go on to say: "He's a nice guy, and he's her perfect guy. But at the same time, Baze is Lux's dad, so she wants Baze to be with Cate." Remember, that's just Britt's opinion. As for actual storyline, she says, "Throughout the season, we're going to discover different ways to unravel the whole love triangle."



Reverse Gilmore effect: "It's opposite of Gilmore Girls, because they have so many feelings to work through before they can really become that close," Shiri explains, referring to TV's most beloved mom-daughter duo, Lorelai and Rory. "They have a lot of issues to resolve before they can have that same best friend relationship they had in Gilmore Girls."

Britt agrees, but doesn't think the comparison is that far off. "From the beginning, Cate's felt this maternal vibe for her and just feels the need to mother her," she says. "We'll explore how Cate turns into a mother, and how she also becomes a friend and gives advice."

The biggest difference between Gilmore and LUX is the inclusion of a permanent father figure—or two, if you count Kerr's Ryan.

With Baze, says Britt, it's all about fun, and how that might develop into a deeper bond. "Baze chose a fun vibe, but he also learns how to father Lux a little bit. And she learns to juggle their friendship, along with their sort of parental relationship."

And Lux's soon-to-be-stepdad, Ryan, plays a part in the parenting game, as well.

"We've shot a couple episodes where Ryan and Lux had a lot of time to explore their relationship. You'll see that they are in a similar place," explains Britt. "They've both been rejected by Cate at one point and they're recovering from that. They've helped each other get through certain circumstances, and they're the voice of reason for each other."

Life According to Lux: "Right now Lux is dealing with her new family, and juggling her birth family. In future episodes, you'll get to see what she's been carrying with her through her entire life, how it feels to be rejected when you're a baby, and what you go through when something like that happens," Britt reveals.

"Lux definitely has things to work out with her friends, and a lot of them go through ups and downs," says Shiri. "All of their lives are changing now that they're back together. How does Cate and Lux reuniting affect everybody?"

Have we convinced you to tune into the goodness that is Life Unexpected? Watch tonight at 9 p.m. on the CW. Source