Review: Life Unexpected - Pilot (series premiere)

(S01E01) If you've been waiting for something to fill the family drama void left by the end of Gilmore Girls on the CW, Life Unexpected will do nicely. The mid-season drama is a well-paced, funny and, yes, freaking heartwarming story about high school ex's reunited with the daughter they gave up for adoption.

What makes Life Unexpected a treat is that it's so different from the regular CW fare. Unlike Gossip Girl and 90210, this show (hopefully) won't be billed as OMFG TV. No rich teens getting drunk and playing sexual games. This just has one spunky foster kid, Lux, with street smarts and a good head on her shoulders that won't make you want to weep for the future. That in and of itself is a good reason to keep watching.

There's a lot about the drama I really did like, even though I came into it weary of the "tug at your heartstrings" premise.
As Lux , played wonderfully by Brittany Robertson, starts to get back in touch with her biological parents, there are the expected tearjerker moments, but they never feel cheap and tacked on. And there are some surprisingly funny ones as well.

Honestly, I was won over the drama during the scene where Nate and Lux watch the Christian the Lion reunion video on YouTube. It's cheesy, and while played for laughs, you can tell Nate is slowly growing aware of the fact this child is really his kid. Lux, for her part, is surprised she's let her guard down around this guy, and is actually having a good time. It's sweet and heart breaking, all at once.

Throughout the episode, Shiri Appleby does a nice job of conveying what a horror this news is for her. Facing Lux cripples Cate with guilt after she hears that the worst case scenario happened here. Not only did her daughter not find a permanent home, but she was born with a heart defect and spent fifteen years shuffling between foster homes. Her first appearance on screen in the radio booth is a little grating, but I warmed up to her by the end, after she stopped whining so much and finally started to take charge of the situation.

Kristoffer Polaha fares a tad bit better as Nate Basil, the carefree bar owner who peaked in high school. He's a charming slacker but with a kind heart and good intentions, which goes a long way. Rounding out the cast are Cate's radio co-host and fiance, Ryan and Nate's "wacky" friends, whose names I have yet to learn. I'm sure they'll no doubt be the comic relief in future episodes.

Lux is probably the most mature character on the show, and fittingly so. After having to fend for herself for so long, she has zero tolerance for Nate and Cate's bickering and administers a refreshing smack down to both parents during an argument on the court steps.

While Life Unexpected feels like it's borrows heavily from Gilmore Girls, the show rarely feels derivative. The plot is simple enough and the characters compelling and likable enough that I would set the DVR for all future episodes. Though I do hope that we don't progress down the same old worn paths. There's already sexual tension between Nate and Cate and I fear we're in for a Luke/Lorelai kind of thing with them.

By the end of the pilot, I'm getting pretty fed up with Nate and Cate's inability to make a decisive move about Lux, but, while their reactions are frustrating, they're also believable. It takes them a bit of time to man up, but they both come around eventually, which makes the last scene, a birthday party for Lux, all the more sweet.

It's a beautiful moment that recalls the best of Gilmore Girls. When Shiri Appleby holds Lux's hair back so she can blow out the candles...seriously, your heart is made of stone if you don't tear up at.

So, tell me what you thought, readers. Cloyingly sweet or just the right amount of emotion?